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The rituals and customs that are practiced on the scale of each individual family are an amazing, unique and very powerful tool in terms of educating the younger generation.
A family that does not have its own customs, fortunately, is a rarity.
Perhaps not everyone will immediately be able to list all the traditions that exist in his family, but if he thinks a little, he will surely name several very special moments of life that are inherent in his family.
Even the manner of greeting in the morning or inviting relatives to the table is different in different families. Someone says "Hi", someone - " Good morning!”, and it’s customary for someone to wake up and silently smack their household members on the cheek.
Customs and rituals have come to us from time immemorial, but even today they play a huge role in people's lives, influence characters, and sometimes even change destinies.
There is a family - there is a custom
Family customs, rituals and traditions are the mental reserve that yesterday's children most often take with them into their adult lives.
Customs unite people, make them more tolerant of each other, give a “sense of shoulder”, that is, support, teach mutual respect. 
Also, joint events contribute to the formation of trust, unite people, lay the foundation of family in children, and educate norms of behavior.
The basis of all existing ritual processes is labor activity people, religion, way of life, ways to relax.
Customs are designed to teach people good things. They have a huge impact on the moral, social, labor and everyday appearance of a person, perform an educational function, also acquaint them with the foundations of their native people, and develop patriotism.
All family rituals and customs can be conditionally divided into several groups:
everyday or regular- these include the greetings accepted in the family, the culture of eating, the manner of communication, etc.;
festive-include traditions to plan, organize and conduct holidays;
Sunday weekend- these are customs that are accepted in the family on weekends (joint cleaning, Sunday cake, going to relatives, hosting guests, tea drinking, watching movies, theater - whatever);
mourning- funeral, funeral rites;
solemn family– traditions of celebrating big family anniversaries;
economic- these include shopping, harvesting, pet care, etc .;
household- housework, sharing household chores;
calendar– creation and observance of a set of rules for holding various calendar events.
For many young couples on their wedding day, guests wish that, along with their new family not only children were born, but also family traditions.
And this is a very correct wish - that family, where there are traditions, is always stronger, in it people are more attached to each other and to the house.
Therefore, if your family does not yet have clear, recognizable and unique traditions, try to correct the situation as soon as possible and by all means come up with several customs that will be strictly observed and can be passed down from generation to generation.
The most common family traditions
Within a family, customs and rituals can be both generally accepted and unique, which can no longer be found in any home.
Here is a small list of various traditions, any of which anyone can take note of. The main thing in the custom is that all participants in the process follow it with pleasure.
1. Cooking a family favorite dish together - once a week or a month, for example. It is considered especially pleasant and good traditions to make pastries together. It unites generations, gives joy and inspiration.
2. Cleaning, rearranging furniture, putting things in order in the local area and other household and household activities in which all family members could take part.
3. Annual creation of collages from the family photo archive.
4. Cultural leisure activities - Sunday cinemas, performances, concerts, exhibitions, fairs, etc.
5. The custom of spending holidays in an extraordinary way, for example: meeting them on a train / bus, going on a trip, going out into nature, preparing an unusual menu.
6. Discreetly toss small gifts to your family and friends. 
7. Organize theme nights - board games, reading humorous stories, solving crossword puzzles, songs and dances.
8. Family quests - very close, relaxing and gives positive emotions.
9. Night picnics, sleeping in a tent, fishing…
10. Traditions to meet New Year every time in a new place.
11. Mandatory Christmas dinner with kutya.
12. Baking Easter cakes.
13. Compliance with memorial days.
14. Introduction of special greetings and farewells.
15. Harvest Festival (after the harvest itself, of course).
16. Family dinners are a classic and therefore a proven custom that can build trust and warm relationships in the family.
The list can be continued for a long time. All traditions, apparently, are divided into generally accepted and consciously cultivated in the family.
Family tradition, it is like a little secret - it unites people around itself, makes them hold on tightly to each other, appreciate and respect their neighbor. Do you have one?
Calendar holidays are associated with the change of seasons, with the cycle of nature. Another group of holidays and rituals - family and household, is dedicated to the most important milestones of another cycle - the cycle of human life, reflects a person's life from birth to death, traditional life and family traditions.
These include: homeland, christening, name day, housewarming, weddings, funerals. It should be noted that family and calendar holidays and rituals are closely related to each other. Many scientists believe that once agricultural and family rituals, especially wedding rituals, were a single whole, having one common task - to achieve well-being in the family, a good harvest. Not by chance great similarity is seen in calendar and wedding songs of an incantatory nature. A number of songs are performed at the calendar celebration and at the wedding. It is often possible to observe the transformation of agrarian-calendar rituals into family rituals (for example, bathing a newborn in a trough with cereal grains, meeting the young mother-in-law after the crown in a turned-out fur coat, ritual dishes of christening and funeral meals, etc.).
At the same time, confinement to the most striking events in the personal life of each person, and not constantly recurring dates due to the change of seasons, and, accordingly, other functions and other content make it possible to single out family holidays and rituals into a separate group. The sequence of carrying out is objectively set by the very life of a person. Therefore, we will begin our acquaintance with family and household holidays by considering maternity rituals.
Birthing rites
The customs and rituals of the maternity cycle have played a huge role since ancient times. We must not forget that the first form of social organization of people was the maternal clan, and under difficult living conditions, the short life span of an ancient man, the fulfillment by women of their natural function of childbearing was the main condition for the existence of the clan. The events associated with this were erected in a cult. The rites of the maternity cycle have existed for thousands of years and are the oldest in the history of mankind. The main meaning of the maternity cycle was determined by the concern for the birth of a healthy child and the preservation of the life and health of the mother. This led to the conduct of magical rites, almost not modified under the influence of the church.
There was a saying among the people: “There are many children, but God does not send “extra” children to anyone. And even in the old days they said: "He who has many children is not forgotten by God." Large families were always welcomed by the people, the condemnation of large families was condemned, and they sympathized with the childless. In some places in Russia, already at the time of the wedding, precautions were taken to ensure the successful childbearing of a young woman. Often they were superstitious. N. Sumtsov" wrote that in the Nizhny Novgorod province, young people are taken out from the wedding table in such a way as to avoid a circular circumambulation, otherwise the young woman will not give birth. During the covering of the head, the young woman is placed on her lap with a little boy in order to position the young woman for the birth of the first male child gender.
Quite rich in various rituals, customs, superstitions is childbearing period.
A pregnant woman in Rus' was the object of many superstitions, in which, however, one cannot help but see the rational grain. Some of them regulated her behavior, forbade or, on the contrary, encouraged certain actions.
"Sumtsov N. People's view of the newborn child // Journal of the Ministry of Public Education. 1880. No. 11.-P. 70-72.
These include:
Prohibition of contact with certain objects. In order to avoid difficult childbirth, a pregnant woman was forbidden to step over a pole, shafts, a collar, a broom, an ax, a pitchfork, a rake, climb over a fence, a window, or step on the trail of a horse. It was impossible to pick up the ropes, go under it, so that the umbilical cord would not wrap around the child's neck and strangle him. It was not recommended to look at the fire - the child will have a birthmark.
Temporal and spatial restrictions. Pregnant women were to avoid "unclean places" and "unclean times". They were forbidden to stand or sit on the threshold, on a log, on the boundary, to be at a crossroads, in a cemetery, to approach a house under construction, to leave the house after sunset.
Prohibitions in drinking and eating. Pregnant women were forbidden to eat fish, otherwise the child will not talk for a long time, eat on the go - the child will become a crybaby, do not eat hare meat - will give birth to a shy child, do not eat secretly, otherwise the child will become a thief, do not eat honey - otherwise the child will be "scrofulous", not to eat fused fruits - will give birth to twins, not to drink wine - the child will become a drunkard.
Social prohibitions. It is impossible during pregnancy to swear with neighbors, get annoyed - so as not to spoil the character of the child, as well as steal, mimic someone, participate in rituals (be a godmother, matchmaker, boyfriend at a wedding, attend a funeral, wash the dead).
Prohibitions to look at everything unpleasant and unkempt, since an object that disgusted a pregnant woman will certainly affect her child. It was not recommended to look at animals (otherwise the child will be born furry, with long claws), at ugly people, and especially those with some kind of vice - the child will be ugly. And vice versa, it was considered useful to contemplate the beautiful: flowers, the month, beautiful children in reality and in various images - then the child will be born not only healthy, but also of good appearance.
A certain regulation was also subjected to the attitude of others around the pregnant woman. So, a pregnant woman could not be denied food (after all, it’s not she who asks, but the baby) - otherwise “mice will gnaw clothes”, do not fulfill her request (you don’t eat it yourself, but don’t refuse the pregnant woman), it was impossible to quarrel, scream, speak loudly - scare the child
True, the attitude towards the pregnant woman among the people was twofold. On the one hand, she carried good and was the personification of fertility. The ability of a pregnant woman to magically transfer fertility was used in many ritual actions: to increase the fertility of livestock, poultry, increase the yield of grain, fruit trees. During a drought, the expectant mother was doused with water to make it rain. In case of fire, she went around the house, which helped to extinguish the flames. On the other hand, according to superstitious notions, danger emanated from a woman expecting a child. Obviously, this was due to the presence of two souls in her and her proximity to the border of life and death. (“Walking with a belly - carrying death on the gate”). And this caused a variety of protective measures on the part of others and gave rise to certain superstitions. So, for example, they believed that meeting a pregnant woman brings misfortune.
At the same time, a woman expecting a child herself needed protection from evil forces that could harm her and her descendant. To protect against them, she always had with her objects - "amulets": red woolen threads, patches, ribbons that she tied around her finger, arm or belt, bundles of multi-colored yarn tied with a "dead knot", iron objects - a needle, a knife, as well as chips from a tree broken by lightning, coal, pieces of brick from an oven, salt.
Naturally, both the future mother and the whole family were very interested in the sex of the child. And not out of mere curiosity: the well-being of the family directly depended on this. The birth of a boy meant the appearance of an assistant and future breadwinner, while the girl was perceived as a ruiner who had to prepare a dowry from an early age. And having matured and married, she will leave her home and will work for someone else's family. There are many ways to guess the gender of a child. An ancient Russian testimony of fortune-telling of this kind has been preserved: “... and fraught wives give bread to the bear from their hands, let it growl, the maiden will be, and the boy will be silent.” Having finished weaving, the expectant mother ran out into the street and waited for the first person she met, it was believed that his gender would correspond to the sex of the child. A boy should be expected in the case when the last child in the family does not have a pigtail on his neck, when the father of the unborn child finds a whip on the way, when the child seated at the wedding table chooses some accessory of a man, for example, a pipe, not a scarf or a thimble.
The next stage of maternity rituals are rituals accompanying the birth of a child. It should be noted that mainly women participated in these rituals: a midwife, relatives and neighbors. The participation of men was very limited. A kind of master of ceremonies of childbirth acted midwife. Not a single peasant family could do without a midwife. She was engaged not only in the adoption of childbirth, but, most importantly, she knew how to perform the necessary, from the point of view of the peasants, procedures for a child and a woman in labor, accompanying them with magical actions. The main procedures were: cutting the umbilical cord, handling the placenta, and bathing the baby. All the actions of a midwife with a newborn were united by one term - “babit”. A midwife is a person who is not elected by anyone, who voluntarily assumes certain duties that are not recorded anywhere, but are understood by her. She could not refuse a request to come to a woman in labor, even if she really did not want to, she could not demand remuneration for her labors, but was content with what she was given. The community made rather strict requirements for the identity of the midwife. An elderly woman usually acted as a midwife (girls could not be midwives). She must be of impeccable behavior, be happy in family life, God-fearing and devoutly observing all Orthodox rites.
In some places, it was believed that only widows could intervene, and not "husbands' wives." The midwife was not supposed to wash the dead, otherwise the newborns adopted by her would die. For the same reason, the midwife was forbidden to participate in getting rid of unwanted children:
all her knowledge and skills she had to direct only to save the life of the child. When choosing a midwife, they also paid attention to the fact that her own and those who were interposed by her did not die.
In accordance with all the requirements, the Russian peasant chose a midwife and called her into the house. Immediately upon the appearance in the house of the puerperal, the midwife lit the lamps near the icons and prayed. Then she took measures “against the evil eye”: she washed the woman “from the coals”, ordered her to wipe herself with her husband’s fur coat “from the overlap”, smeared it with “persuasive oil”.
Then the midwife leads the woman in labor to the bathhouse (which is heated in advance) to steam and soften the bones. Putting the woman in labor on the shelf, she rubs her with oil. Before going to bed or going to the bath for childbirth, the woman in labor "says goodbye to her family", referring first to the father-in-law, then to the mother-in-law and then to the rest of the family.
In addition to their direct duties associated with a number of symptomatic actions to facilitate childbirth, grandmothers constantly take care of protecting the woman in labor from evil spirits, using Christian paraphernalia: incense, holy water and prayers. In conspiracies, the midwife usually turns to various saints for help: Zosima and Savvatheus, Anna the prophetess, Kuzma and Demyan, the Most Holy Theotokos and her main patroness and assistant - grandmother Solomonida (Solome, Solomonia).
"Listova T. A. Russian rituals, customs and beliefs associated with the midwife / Russians: family and social life. M: Nauka, 1989. S. 143.
According to popular belief, it was Solomeya who performed all those actions with the baby Christ that the village midwife was supposed to perform. It was to her that the midwife turned, asking: “Grandma Solomonides, put your hands on the servant of God .... (name of the woman in labor)” or: “Grandmother Solomonides, she nursed Christ, help!”
Husband of the woman in labor played a significant role in childbirth, although he obeyed unquestioningly all the instructions of the midwife. The opinion was extremely widespread among the people that childbirth is greatly facilitated if the husband is by his wife in moments of suffering. The husband gave water to the woman in labor from his right boot, untied the belt on her, pressed his wife's back with his knee - all these actions, according to folk beliefs, supposedly accelerated and facilitated childbirth. Sometimes, for the same purpose, the midwife ordered the future father to break the fence, sent to the priest, etc.
Another fairly common way to alleviate the pains of childbirth was the custom of playing the part of the puerperal by her husband. So, among the Belarusians of the Mogilev province and in the Elninsk and Smolensk districts, the husband dressed in women's clothes: a shirt or a skirt, tied his head with a scarf and groaned during childbirth, as if sharing the suffering of his wife. It happened that the husband often began to feel a serious malaise, so successfully he "entered the image."
To facilitate childbirth, they resorted to all sorts of tricks and manipulations, which for the most part had a magical meaning: they lit a consecrated wax candle and held it in front of the woman in labor, they knocked on the ceiling of the hut with a broom, turning for help to the "home spirit", the patron of the family. In many places in Russia, they open and untie everything that is closed and represents some kind of barrier that can interfere with the speed of childbirth: they unlock all the locks, chests, wardrobes in the house, open doors and stove dampers, untie knots, undo the braid, untie the belt and scarf on the woman in labor, remove her earrings and rings. In difficult childbirth, they go to the priest with a request to open the Royal doors (gates), light a wedding candle, serving a prayer service to the Altared Mother of God, that is, to that icon of her that is behind the throne in the local church. "It was believed that in such cases it helps well and the belt of the priest, with which he girded himself during the service. It was placed on the stomach of the woman in labor. Almost everywhere, the woman in labor was circled three times around the table, on the corners of which salt lies. The pregnant woman tasted it from each heap and, following the midwife, uttered a conspiracy to facilitate childbirth: "You, salt, holy; you, salt, salt; you, salt, are strong! Part the salt, let go of my ailments, that in animal bone, in black in blood; sweeten all the stabs and pains in a difficult time, and I am rejoicing! ""
Upon completion of childbirth, the midwife brings the baby to the father and asks him to be baptized. The father baptizes the little one and goes to light a candle in front of the icons. Then they watch the child, trying to guess his future fate. The lucky one is considered to have appeared “in a shirt” - an intact uterine membrane. Everywhere the shirt was carefully preserved so that “happiness” never left its chosen one. Happiness was also predicted for that newborn who, being a female, looks like a father, and a male looks like a mother. Good luck awaits the baby if there was any profit in the house on the day of his birth, as well as the one who is born with hairs on his head, etc.
Much attention is paid to the day and time of birth. So, in the Vladimir province, Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday were considered happy birthdays, while other days foreshadowed illness and poverty for a person. The happiest time of day for a birth is the morning “between Mass and Matins,” as they say in the Great Russian wedding song.
"Uspensky D.I. Motherland and christening, care for the puerperal and birth number // EO. 1895. No. 4.
"" Dmitriev VV Family rituals of the Vladimir village. Vladimir, 1995. P.9.
A night birth is considered unlucky. "Not a tenant" a baby born at the end of the month.
At the same time, measures were taken that could have a beneficial effect on the future fate of the baby. These include: circumcision of the umbilical cord, the first bath and baking of the baby.
In the Vladimir province, the circumcision of the umbilical cord of a boy was always done with a knife and on some kind of carpentry or carpentry tool. The peasants believed that only in this case a hard-working and business person would come out of a child. On the contrary, in girls, the umbilical cord was cut with scissors, and moreover, so that it fell on women's work (knitting, sewing, etc.). In this case, the born will certainly become a housewife. The umbilical cord, like the shirt, was dried and preserved, or buried in the ground.
Great importance was attached to the first bath of the baby. The trough was filled with river water, barely heated, and sometimes icy, to which grains of rye, oats, buckwheat were added, gold or silver coins were thrown, which was supposed to contribute to the happiness and future wealth of the baby.
"Baking" was used only for weakly born babies in order to give them new strength for life. The baby was tied with a wet towel and, on a wooden shovel, thrust into the heated stove three times, quickly pulling it back out. At the same time, the midwife uttered a conspiracy, turning to the fire and asking him to "cook the bones, strengthen the child." Thus, the child, as it were, was born again, but already healthy, his illnesses were burned in a cleansing fire.
The born child was most often wrapped in a shirt or other clothes of the father, directly removed from him. Mother's shirt is mentioned much less frequently. This custom manifested the symbolism of the connection between the father and the child, wishing the child health, fatherly love and care, as well as the transfer of positive paternal qualities to the child. The parent's shirt became not only the first clothes of a newborn, but also a talisman "from the evil eye." Often, for this purpose, worn paternal things were hung from the cradle of a newborn. It was not supposed to wash clothes, otherwise "father's love will be washed away." The rite of taking a newborn into the clothes of the father thus constituted the act of adoption of the newborn by the father, the recognition of the child. This is also the meaning of the transfer of the newborn to the father when taking out for the first time in the hut.
During this period, great importance was attached to the protection of the child and mother from the "evil eye", "leak" and " evil spirits". According to popular beliefs, childbirth makes the mother and child "unclean", therefore they are especially vulnerable to "evil spirits". In addition, the baby has not yet been baptized and therefore is deprived of heavenly protection. The midwife takes protective measures: from time to time she baptizes windows, doors, the head of the child and the puerperal. A woman in labor should not leave the house for nine days, and if she leaves, then with prayers and being baptized From the moment of birth and before baptism, the woman in labor and the newborn were not left alone in the room, so that evil spirits would not take possession of the soul of an unbaptized baby and harm the parent. In addition, an abandoned baby can be carried away by a brownie or goblin. For protective purposes, the baby's cradle was equipped in a special way. "From the evil eye" was used aspen bark, driving away sorcerers. To intimidate evil spirits, a tuft of dog hair was placed in the bed of a newborn or sharp objects “under the head”: a knife, fork, etc. Well, according to peasant understanding, Thursday salt and a Epiphany candle helped in this case.
When all precautions were taken, the floor in the hut was washed, and the doors were opened for visiting relatives and friends. The latter carried with them gifts - "chub" - delicacies or bread with salt. It was considered shameful not to visit the puerperal, it's the same as not remembering the deceased.
Baptismal rites - one of the most significant stages of maternity rituals. It should be noted that the time from birth to the baptism of an infant was, as a rule, short. And that's why. The baby could die “not brought” to faith, and his innocent soul would have gone to the devil. Baptism was carried out preferably on an empty stomach, without putting the baby to the mother's breast. According to church canons, they were baptized on the eighth or fortieth day. These dates were associated with significant dates in the infant life of Christ - Circumcision and Candlemas.
The main characters of the baptismal rites - God-parents or recipients(i.e., those who take the child out of the font). The Orthodox Church entrusted them with a guarantee before God when a child enters the bosom of the church and further care for their spiritual children. Among the people, the recipients were considered the second parents of the child, his guardians and patrons. For the most part, one of the close relatives - adults, respected and wealthy - became the recipients. But it happened that a random passer-by who met a midwife who ran to the river for water to bathe a baby could become a godparent. So, they invited only one godparent and in the case when the children do not live with someone. Sometimes they invited priests to become godparents, giving the baby his name. The godparents not only became patrons of the godson, but also entered into a spiritual relationship with each other and were referred to as "godfather" and "godfather".
The invitation of the recipients was made by the father of the newborn, who comes to the house of the future godfather with bows and treats. An invitation was considered an honor, and a refusal a great sin. Reception was associated with high costs. By baptism, the godfather bought a cross for the godson, paid the priest for the christening, made gifts to the parent, and gave money to the midwife. Kuma carried a baptismal shirt to the child, a piece of chintz or canvas was intended for the mother. In addition, the godfather had to give the priest a towel, wipe her hands after dipping the baby in the font. Before baptism, the midwife performed a series of magical actions on the child: she bathed him in a trough with running water, uttering conspiracies that protect the child from the evil eye and evil spirits and should ensure good health for him. Then she dressed the child in a cut mother's or father's shirt, depending on the sex of the baby, and with a prayer gave "kuma" - a boy, "kuma" - a girl.
When leaving the house, godfather and godfather should not turn around, speak loudly, stumble on the threshold, otherwise it will be bad for the baby, and they themselves "will not have a way - a road." Baptism usually took place in the church, but if the child was weak, they were also baptized at home, but not necessarily in the room where the birth took place, because it was considered defiled. We will not consider the church sacrament of baptism. Let us dwell only on some superstitions that have developed among the people on the basis of the elements of this strictly canonized rite. So, while the baby was immersed in the font, his behavior was observed. If he "stretched out" over the font and was silent, this meant that the baby would not stay long in this world. When the priest cut off the hair on the head of a newly baptized baby, the recipients, rolling it in wax, threw it into the font. If the wax ball sank, then the baby will soon die, float on the surface - it will live.
A number of superstitions were associated with the water used in the rite of baptism: it was necessary to go after it without a yoke (otherwise the baby would be humpbacked). After baptism, water should not be poured anywhere, into the mud and especially into the slop, otherwise the fate of the child will be messed up, it will not work out. For this purpose, it was necessary to find a secluded place where people would not go, and even more so animals. The newly baptized from the church were greeted with special rites. Kumoviev and her child were greeted by a midwife with bread and salt. The child was placed on a fur coat turned upside down, sheepskin, or on a soft bedding, under which amulets were hidden. The fur coat was supposed to provide the child with wealth and well-being. The baby was placed on a bench under the image or on the stove, or brought to the outer opening of the stove and turned to the brownie (and the stove was his home) with a request to take the newborn into the house: “Dear, come, take care of the child, strengthen the house.” Kumovya and relatives congratulated the child’s parents on the “newly initiated”.
A special place in the maternity and baptismal rituals was occupied by rituals symbolizing the acceptance of a new member into the family and community. Most clearly, these rituals were manifested in the ritual of affirming the so-called. the cross table, a kind of home celebration of the birth and baptism of a newborn.
All family members gathered for the christening, godfather and mother were certainly invited. Guests brought gifts and treats with them in order to free the still fragile hostess from chores. The midwife became the mistress of the cross table. She set the table, served dishes and prepared the main dish of the holiday - “baptismal porridge”. Porridge was cooked from millet and differed from the lenten sochi served on Christmas Eve or Epiphany Eve in that it was “rich”, that is, fast, satisfying and tasty. This porridge was not eaten in a “pinch”, like juicy, but was treated to its heart's content. When preparing porridge, the grandmother did not regret adding milk, butter, cream, eggs to it. Ready porridge was decorated with halves of boiled eggs. Sometimes a chicken or a rooster was baked into porridge, depending on who was born: a boy or a girl.
Baptismal porridge was a ritual dish through which the birth of a baby was identified with the fertility of the land and livestock. The midwife, who put a pot of porridge on the table (sometimes they brought it right in a fur hat), said: “Children are on the shelf, under the shelf of the calf, under the stove of the piglet, on the floor of the chicken. And my grandson to grow high - high!”. Or: “How many things are in the market, so much would be in this house, bread would be born, livestock would be found, and the baby would grow up and would know happiness.”
First, the grandmother treated the father of the newborn, offering him heavily salted porridge in a spoon: “Eat, father-parent, eat, but be more desirable to your son (or daughter)!” “As it is salty for you, so it was salty for your wife to give birth!” Or: “Salty porridge, and it was salty for the wife to give birth, and even more salty for the father and mother will get the children after!”. For the father of the baby, the godfathers are treated and then all those present
Ceremonies with "babina porridge" necessarily included the collection of money, known in many places as "selling porridge." Money and gifts "on the tooth" were placed either on a scarf that covered the pot, or directly into the porridge. The midwife took money and gifts for herself, which was her reward for | work. The one who brought the most expensive gift (ransom) received the right to treat guests with porridge. As a rule, it was the godfather. Thus, the collection of money for the midwife was a kind of collective payment for her activities, the gratitude of the rural community for the labors in relation to the new member of the team.
Introduction…………………………………………………………..……………...…3
Chapter 1
1.1. Birth of a child…………………………………………………….…………..4
1.2. Baptism…………………………………………………………….……………9
1.3. Angel Day……………………………………………………………..……..12
1.4. Wedding………………………………………………………………….……..15
1.4.1. Matchmaking…………………………………………………………..………16
1.4.2. Views………………………………………………………………...…….17
1.4.3. Handshake. Announcement of the decision on the wedding………………………….…….17
1.4.4. Preparing for the wedding day. Vytiye………………………………...…..18
1.4.5. Rites on the eve of the wedding day…………………………………………….19
1.4.6. First wedding day…………………………………………………...…..20
1.4.7. The second day of the wedding……………………………………………………….23
1.5. Housewarming…………………………………………………………………...…23
1.6. Russian Orthodox burial rite……………………………………..25
1.6.1. Communion…………………………………………………………...…….26
1.6.2. Unction……………………………………………………………...…26
1.6.3. Burial…………………………………………………………………..27
1.6.4.Remembrance of the dead………………………………………………..……….27
Chapter 2 Orthodox holidays and rites
2.1. Christmas………………………………………………………….28
2.1.1. Christmas post…………………………………………………...…..30
2.2. Maslenitsa………………………………………………………………………..31
2.3. Easter……………………………………………………………………..…….33
Conclusion…………………………………………………………...………………38
List of used literature……………………………………………….40
Introduction
Our country is rich in traditions and holidays. For centuries, the Russian people have sacredly honored and preserved their traditions, passing them on from generation to generation. And today, after tens and even hundreds of years, many customs still have not lost interest for us. So, for example, on Maslenitsa, like a hundred years ago, they burn an effigy, bake pancakes, and arrange funny games. And at folk festivals and these days, cities continue to play scenes from ancient Russian rituals. And this is understandable, because these traditions are part of rich history Russian people, and you need to know the history of your country.
Each nation has its own views and customs on the conduct of rituals. The rite is a folk play complete secret meaning, filled with great power, systematically repeated, is interesting in general, since it best illustrates the content of the people's consciousness. Here the old merges with the new, the religious with the folk, and the sad with the cheerful.
National culture is the national memory of the people, what distinguishes this people among others, keeps a person from depersonalization, allows him to feel the connection of times and generations, receive spiritual support and life support.
In my test work, I would like to talk about the main national customs and rituals of the Russian people that have evolved over the centuries.
Chapter 1
1.1. Birth of a child
Caring for a child began long before he was born. From time immemorial, the Slavs tried to protect expectant mothers from all sorts of dangers.
If the husband was away, the young woman was advised to gird herself with his belt and cover herself with something from his clothes at night, so that the “strength” of the husband would guard and protect his wife.
In the last month before the birth, the pregnant woman was not recommended to leave the yard, but rather from the house, so that the brownie and the sacred fire of the hearth could always come to her aid.
To protect a pregnant woman, there was a special prayer that had to be read at night, so that sinful deeds committed (even accidentally) during the day would not affect the child being born. Protective amulets and amulets with incantations and prayers were hung to the bed of the woman in labor and the baby.
The pregnant woman had to observe a number of prohibitions, for example, avoiding looking at everything ugly in order to give birth to pretty Baby; do not stroke cats, dogs, pigs - otherwise the child may be born dumb or will not speak for a long time; not be present at the slaughter of animals - the baby will have a "relative", etc.
During pregnancy, a woman could not work on any account. church holidays- violation of this prohibition by a pregnant woman, as they believed, would inevitably have an effect on the newborn.
The pregnant woman should have consumed more milk, then, according to legend, the baby's skin will be white, like milk; she must eat red berries (lingonberries, cranberries) so that the baby is ruddy.
Particular importance was attached to determining the sex of the child. The material well-being of a peasant family depended on whether a boy or a girl was born: with the birth of a boy, they expected an assistant, a new owner, the birth of a girl often led to a decrease in material well-being - she needed a dowry.
Often, peasant women generally paid little attention to pregnancy and worked until childbirth began.
In accordance with the beliefs about the “impurity” of a pregnant woman and women in childbirth, so that she would not “desecrate” a residential building, she even in winter went to give birth away from housing - in a bathhouse, a barn, a barn.
Or, at the onset of childbirth, all the people in the house said goodbye to the woman in labor and went to another hut or other place, without telling outsiders about what was happening (it was believed that childbirth is the more difficult, the more people know about them).
Her husband and a called midwife remained with the mother. The midwife and husband tried to alleviate the suffering of the puerperal.
The midwife could not refuse a request to come to a woman in labor: her refusal was regarded as an unforgivable sin that could lead to immediate punishment.
Peasants rarely turned to midwives who appeared in the villages in the second half of the 19th century. Peasant women preferred midwives, as they could immediately speak a hernia. And midwives; in the majority of girls, they could jinx the baby, they said among the people, besides, the use of obstetric instruments was considered a sin.
Midwives, if necessary, could baptize newborns. Not every woman could become a midwife. A village grandmother is always an elderly woman of impeccable behavior, not seen in infidelity to her husband. In some places, it was believed that only widows could intervene. They avoided inviting childless women or those whose children of their own or those adopted by her were dying.
When the woman in childbirth recovers sufficiently and the grandmother finds it possible to leave, the purification of all those present and taking any part in the birth took place. They lit a candle in front of the icons, prayed, and then with water in which they put hops, an egg and oats, they washed themselves and washed the baby.
Usually, mother and grandmother poured water, into which various objects bearing a certain semantic load, were poured three times on each other's hands and asked for mutual forgiveness. After that, the midwife could go to receive the next child.
The rite of purification, or washing of hands, necessarily ended with the fact that the woman in labor gave the midwife a gift (soap and a towel). In the second half of the 19th, and especially at the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th century, the gift was supplemented with a small amount of money. The midwife was fed the best food, tea with sugar.
The midwife cooked or at least served the so-called babina porridge. Ceremonies with Babin's porridge necessarily included the collection of money (the sale of porridge).
The midwife received the main monetary reward precisely “for porridge” from the guests and household members present (the woman in labor, who, even if she was present at the christening, did not participate in the collection of money).
There was one day in the year when a holiday was held especially for midwives - "babiny", or "baby porridge". This is the second day of Christmas - December 26, old style.
The last rite in which the midwife participated was the rite of girdling the baby on the eve of the fortieth day: the midwife reminded the woman in labor of the need to accept a cleansing prayer and performed the rite of girdling. The belt with which she tied the child was considered both as a magical amulet against evil forces and as a sign of longevity and health.
Playing the role of a grandmother creates a certain relationship between her and the child, whom she from that moment calls her grandson, and he calls her grandmother. Every year, such grandmothers bring a birthday present to the child, they are invited to all the main events in the life of her "grandson" - both to the wedding and to the farewell to the army.
After giving birth, the mother was taken to the bathhouse. Whatever the birth, the midwives prepared “water from the lessons” in the bathhouse. For this, river water was used, the grandmother specially went after it with a clean bucket and always scooped it up along the river. Returning from the river to the bathhouse and saying the Jesus prayer, the midwife immersed her right hand in a bucket and, scooping up a handful of water there, lowered it down her arm through her elbow into the prepared tues, whispering: “Just as water does not hold on the elbow, so on the servant of God (name ) don’t hold on to lessons or prizes. ” At the same time, she kept counting up to nine with a denial - not one, not two, not three, etc. In this way, she scooped up water for a cubit three times.
With a prayer, the grandmother lowered three red-hot coals into this water. Then with a handful of the right hand through the elbow of the left she poured this water three times on the outer stone of the heater, then three times on the door bracket, holding the tues so that the spilled water again flowed into it. At the same time, the grandmother would say every time: “Just as water does not hold on a stone (or bracket), so do not hold on to the servant of God (name), neither lessons nor prizes!”
After that, the water was considered so strongly charmed that not a single sorcerer could destroy its healing power.
Then the grandmother put the puerperal with her face to the east - if only she could stand, otherwise she put her on the bath threshold and sprinkled her face three times with the slandered water, saying: “Just as water does not hold on the face, so on the servant of God ( name) don’t hold on to lessons or prizes! Having poured out the remaining water from the tuesa on the head of the mother, the grandmother collected the water as it fell from the head into the right handful and sprinkled it on the heater from under her left foot.
The husband often screamed and groaned instead of his wife, diverting evil forces from the woman in labor.
In difficult childbirth, a whole set of magical means of helping a woman in labor was used. It was believed, for example, that any isolation prevented childbirth, so they resorted to actions that symbolized or imitated the break in isolation: they untied all the knots on the clothes of the woman in labor and her husband, unlocked all the locks in the house, untwisted braids, etc.
They also used a three-fold round by the woman in labor of the table, on the corners of which heaps of salt were poured.
When a woman had to suffer in childbirth for two or three days, they asked the priest to serve a moleben to the female saints, “decreers”, assistants during childbirth - the Great Martyr Catherine, the Most Holy Theotokos of Fedorov, or the Three Hands, or the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos. In some places, a church belt was taken from a priest to tie a woman in labor with it.
When a child was born, the boy's umbilical cord was cut on an ax handle or an arrow so that he would grow up as a hunter and craftsman, in a girl - on a spindle so that he would grow up as a needlewoman. They tied the navel with a linen thread woven with the hair of the mother and father. After the successful completion of childbirth, the midwife buried children's place in some corner of the hut. Then she washed the newborn with heated water, in which silver coins were usually placed, wishing the baby wealth in the future.
Sometimes the midwife corrected the child's head. It was believed that she could make him chubby or long-faced.
Then the grandmother busied herself around the puerperal: she steamed her in a bathhouse or in an oven, ruled her stomach and squeezed her breasts to remove the first bad milk.
In order for the child to be calm, after birth they wrapped him in his father's ports or when swaddling they used thick threads, the so-called verti, and covered them with a green cloth on top.
In general, the belt is like an amulet, a magical attribute played big role in paganism. This was reflected in many later religions. The belt symbolically divides the human body into two halves - earthly and heavenly, impure and pure, and performs the function of protection from evil forces. The same protective role was played by the belt with which the godmother tied the child after six weeks from the date of his birth. It was believed that an ungirded child could die.
Thus, the modern custom of tying a newborn, swaddled in a blanket, at discharge from the hospital with a ribbon - a blue (light blue) boy, and a red (pink) girl - has an explanation. The royal house of the Romanovs had a custom to award a newborn boy with the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called (blue sash), and a girl with the Order of St. Catherine (red sash).
The father's shirt served as the first diaper for the son, the mother's for the daughter: In general, all the very first actions with the baby (bathing, feeding, cutting hair) were surrounded by rituals.
On the fortieth day, a mother with a newborn, according to the rules of the church, entered the temple: the mother listened to a cleansing prayer, and the baby was churched, that is, introduced into the community of believers.
In the first postpartum days, women - relatives, neighbors, mostly of childbearing age - came to visit the woman in labor and brought various foods to her family - bread, rolls, pies, cookies.
Later, especially in cities, this custom was transformed into offering money to a newborn “for a tooth”, “for washing the legs”. It has survived to this day, more often in the form of gifts to a newborn from relatives and friends in the form of toys, children's clothing, etc.
1.2. Baptism
Wanting to introduce the newborn to the Christian faith, the parents carried him to the church, where the priest baptized him, lowering him into a font of water. At the same time, his name was called.
Fearing the impact of evil spirits (belief in the evil eye, etc.), people sought to baptize the child as soon as possible. There were numerous stories among the peasants about the unfortunate fate of the souls of children who died unbaptized and did not have peace as a result. It was possible to calm them down only by giving a name. And they buried such children at the crossroads, where they could be “baptized” by passers-by.
Before leaving for the church to perform the rite of baptism, the midwife performed a series of magical actions on the child: she bathed him in a trough filled with running water, accompanying the ablution with the utterance of conspiracies. Then she dressed the child in a cut paternal or maternal shirt (according to the sex of the baby) and, bringing it to the father for blessing, handed the child to the godfather if it was a boy, or to the godfather if it was a girl.
Godfathers were invited for the rite of baptism. The invitation of the recipients was made by the father of the newborn.
The main characters at baptism are godparents or godparents (that is, those who accept a child from the font), among the people they were called godfather and godfather.
Among the people, the recipients were considered the second parents of the child, his guardians and patrons. They often chose one of the relatives - adults, respected and wealthy. An invitation to be a godfather was considered an honor, and the rejection of nepotism was assessed as a sin. Those families in which children often died invited the first person they met to be godfathers, believing that his happiness would pass to the newborn.
The recipients sometimes bore very significant expenses. The godfather bought a cross, paid off with the priest, the godfather had to bring the child a shirt and several arshins of chintz or canvas, as well as a towel for the priest to wipe his hands after the child was immersed in the font. After six weeks, the godfather brought the child a belt.
The main role at the christening did not belong to the father of the newborn, who kept himself isolated, but to the godfather, the godfather. For many peoples, adoption was a hereditary affair, and the godfather remained a permanent person, that is, he baptized all the children of a given family.
In Russian wedding ceremonies in various localities, the planted father, who was usually the godfather of the groom, was called a friend, or uncle, which he often was. As a matchmaker, he sometimes played a greater role than his own father in choosing a bride.
The custom of nepotism was not recognized by the Orthodox Church for a long time. Until the end of the 15th century, the participation of godfathers in the church ceremony was prohibited. Perception gave rise to relationships similar to kinship - nepotism. A quarrel with godfathers was considered a special sin, women were afraid to appear barefoot or bare-haired in front of their godfather. On the other hand, they usually condescendingly treated the close relationship between the godfather and the godfather, their cohabitation was not considered a special sin. Naturally, such folk practice was condemned by the Orthodox Church as contrary to religious morality. But the folk custom was steadily preserved, so the church made concessions and allowed to participate in the church rite of baptism at first one godfather - the godfather. And much later, she introduced the godmother into the rite of baptism, initially only for girls. The gender of the recipient had to match the gender of the child being baptized.
On the eighth day after birth or earlier - if the baby is weak - baptism was performed.
With a boy, the godfather (godfather, or godfather) must be Orthodox, and with a girl, an Orthodox godmother.
After baptism, the sacrament of chrismation takes place. If in the sacrament of baptism a person is born for a new life - spiritual, then in the sacrament of chrismation he receives grace that strengthens the strength of a baptized person for the passage of this new life.
Upon returning from the church after the rite of baptism, another rite, already of a pagan nature, was performed in a peasant family. This is a rite of introduction of the child to the family hearth. The baby was placed on a bench under the image on a sheepskin coat, as a symbol of wealth, sometimes on the stove or brought to the forehead (outer hole) of the stove, which was considered the dwelling of the brownie - the owner of the house, and they turned to the brownie with a request to take the newborn into the house.
After the christening, father and mother were congratulated on their son or daughter, godfathers on their godson or goddaughter, the midwife on their new grandson or granddaughter, and so on. Kuma and kuma were seated at the table and treated to snacks and tea prepared for them, and the hero of the occasion was twisted and laid to the mother on a fur coat spread up with wool, thereby wishing him wealth. When a newborn was baptized at home, the father treated the priest, along with the godfather and the godfather, to dinner.
Meanwhile, the owner of the house invited, whom he considered necessary, from his relatives and friends “to the baby for bread, salt, porridge”.
The Orthodox rite of baptism was not only a rite of introduction of a newborn to the Orthodox faith, but also an official act of registering a child.
One of the first cities where the naming ritual appeared was Leningrad. In 1965, the Baby Palace was opened in Leningrad, specially designed for this ceremony.
To the melody of Dunayevsky's song "Fly, doves," the participants of the holiday entered the ritual hall. Then the presenter spoke about the fact that the Leningrad City Council of Working People's Deputies entrusted to register a new citizen of the USSR in Leningrad in accordance with the Law Russian Federation about family and marriage. The National Anthem was sung in honor of the new citizen.
At the end of the ritual, relatives and friends congratulated the parents, gave them gifts to the song "Let there always be sunshine."
1.3. Day Angel
According to the church charter, the name of the child had to be given on the eighth day after his birth, but the church did not strictly adhere to this rule. It happened that the name was chosen both before the birth and on the day of the birth itself.
The naming was given to the priest. He chose a name according to the calendar in accordance with the honoring of one or another Orthodox saint, coinciding with the day of the child's baptism or close to this day. Naming the name, the priest brought the child to the icon of the Mother of God and raised him crosswise in front of the icon, as if entrusting the new Christian to her protection.
Name days are not only the day of a particular person, but also the day of the saint in whose honor this person is named.
The guardian angel is an invisible spirit assigned by God to every person from the moment of baptism. This Guardian Angel is invisibly with the Christian entrusted to him throughout his earthly life.
The name of a saint provides a person with his patronage, an Orthodox Christian had to know the life of the saint, in whose honor he is named, annually celebrate the day of his name day, follow the righteous life of his saint. It was allowed to choose the name and the parents themselves.
Many peoples believed in magical connection person with his name. For a long time in Russia there was a custom to give, in addition to the Christian name, a pagan one.
It was believed that the Christian name provides the patronage of an angel. But in order for the attacks of harmful spirits to go, as it were, on another, a person often became better known under a pagan name than under a Christian one. Often the parents themselves, especially in those families where children often died, gave the child offensive, teasing nicknames, ugly names so that this name would scare away evil spirits.
To choose a happy name, they wondered: they recognized the name in a dream or called out to the child - what name he responded to was given.
With the help of the name, it was believed that it was possible to transfer the positive character traits of other people to the newborn. Therefore, children were given the names of deceased older relatives. Until now, according to tradition, from generation to generation it is customary to name boys after grandfathers, and girls after grandmothers.
Spiritual birth among Christians has always been considered more significant than bodily. Therefore, earlier the birthday remained invisible, many even forgot about it, but the day of the Angel, or name day, was celebrated by everyone who was financially able.
In the morning, the birthday man or the birthday girl sent birthday cakes to the guests; the nobility of the person to whom the pie was sent was measured by the size of the pie sent. The cake served as a kind of invitation to a name day. The one who brought the pies put them on the table and said: "The birthday man ordered to bow to the pies and asked for bread to eat." Sweet pies were usually sent to godfathers and mothers as a sign of special respect. In some provinces of Central Russia, instead of pies, the so-called birthday people were sent to relatives - large buns without filling, stuffed with raisins on top. One such cake was brought to each house.
Converging at the festive table, the guests brought gifts to the hero of the occasion; the clergy blessed the birthday people with images, while the secular ones gave cuts of matter, goblets or money.
The kings had their own rules for celebrating name days. So, on the day of his name day, the sovereign, leaving the temple from mass, he himself distributed birthday cakes. The queen did the same on her name days. Adult princes distributed pies for themselves, and on behalf of the princess or the young prince, the king distributed pies. If the boyar or okolnichy was the birthday boy, then he came with pies to the tsar; the tsar accepted pies and asked the birthday man about his health, then the birthday man introduced himself to the queen and also brought pies to her.
On the day of the Angel, gifts were brought to the king without fail. All merchants had to make gifts to the tsar, which were sent to the state yard and sold from the state yard. It often happened that a merchant bought at the state yard the same thing that he had once presented to the king, and now offered it to the sovereign for the second time.
At the birthday tables, the invited guests sang for many years, and after the feast, the birthday king, for his part, presented the guests. After the feast, the guests danced, played cards, sang.
1.4. Wedding
The Russian wedding ceremony is one of the most important family rituals.
The wedding ceremony consists of many elements, among them: ritual songs, chants, obligatory ritual actions of the bride, boyfriend and other participants.
The Russian wedding ceremony is very different in different regions. So, in the north of Russia, the “musical” part consists almost entirely of parables, and in the south - almost entirely of cheerful songs, the role of the parable there is more formal. At the same time, a rite is always not an arbitrary set of songs and ritual actions, but a system that is very harmoniously organized.
The time of the formation of the wedding ceremony is considered to be the XIII - XIV century. At the same time, in some regional traditions, pre-Christian origins are felt in the structure and some details of the rite, there are elements of magic.
With all the variability of the rite, its general structure remains unchanged, including the following main components:
* Matchmaking
* Smotriny
* handshake
* Bachelorette / Bachelor Party
* This is followed by the sacrament of the wedding
* Walking
* Wedding feast
The rites originally symbolized the transition of a girl from her father's clan to her husband's clan. This entails the transition under the protection of male spirits. Such a transition was akin to death in one's own way and birth in another kind. For example, wailing is the same as lamenting for the dead. At a bachelorette party, a trip to the bathhouse is the washing of the dead. The bride is often led to church by the arms, thus symbolizing the lack of strength, lifelessness. The young woman leaves the church herself. The groom brings the bride into the house in his arms in order to deceive the brownie, to force him to accept the girl as a newborn family member who did not enter the house, but ended up in the house. When the bride was being wooed, they put on a red sundress and said, "Your goods are a merchant," which meant that the girl was a "merchant" and the man was a "merchant."
1.4.1. Matchmaking
The matchmaker was usually the relatives of the groom - the father, brother, etc., less often - the mother, although the matchmaker could not be a relative. Matchmaking was preceded by a certain agreement between the parents of the bride and groom.
The matchmaker, having entered the bride's house, performed some ritual actions that determined his role. For example, in the Simbirsk province, the matchmaker sits under the mother, in the Vologda province the stove damper was supposed to rattle, etc.
Often the matchmaker did not speak directly about the purpose of his arrival, but recited some ritual text. In the same manner, the bride's parents answered him. This was done in order to protect the rite from the actions of evil spirits.
The bride's parents had to refuse for the first time, even if they were happy about the wedding. The matchmaker had to persuade them.
1.4.2. Smotriny
A few days after the matchmaking, the bride's parents (or relatives, if the bride is an orphan) came to the groom's house to look at his household. This part of the wedding was more "utilitarian" than all the others, and did not involve special ceremonies.
The groom was required to guarantee the prosperity of his future wife. Therefore, her parents examined the farm very carefully. The main requirements for the economy were the abundance of cattle and bread, clothes, utensils. Often, after inspecting the household, the bride's parents refused the groom.
After the matchmaking, the parents gave the matchmaker an answer. The consent of the girl was not required (if asked, it was a formality), sometimes even the matchmaking could take place in the absence of the girl.
1.4.3. Handshake. Announcement of the wedding decision
If, after inspecting the groom's household, the bride's parents did not refuse him, a day was appointed for the public announcement of the decision on the wedding. AT different traditions this rite was called differently (“vaults”, “collusion”, “binge”, “sing out” - from the word “sing”, “zaruchiny”, “zaporuki” - from the words “hit hands”, “proclamation”, “ vaults" and many other names), but in any tradition, it was from this day that the actual wedding began. After the public announcement, only exceptional circumstances could upset the wedding (such as the escape of the bride).
Usually, the "collusion" takes place about two weeks after the matchmaking.
The "conspiracy" took place in the bride's house. Most of the villagers usually gathered for it, since the day of the "conspiracy" was determined after inspecting the groom's household, and a few days before the "conspiracy" itself, this news spread throughout the village.
At the "conspiracy" it was supposed to treat the guests. The parents of the bride and groom had to agree on the day of the wedding, who would be the boyfriend, etc.
Features in northern traditions. In the north, this rite is usually called "zaporuki", "zaruchiny". At this ceremony, the groom and the matchmaker are present.
In the north, the ceremony of commissioning the bride was one of the most dramatic of all the rites of the wedding cycle. Even if the bride was glad to be married, she was supposed to lament. In addition, the bride performed a number of ritual actions. So, she had to put out the candle in front of the icons. Sometimes the bride hid, ran away from home. When they tried to lead her to her father, she struggled. The bridesmaids were supposed to catch her and take her to her father.
After that, the key action of the whole day was performed - the "hanging" of the bride. The father covered the bride's face with a handkerchief. After that, the bride stopped escaping. The place of "hanging" varies (in different places of the hut or outside the hut).
1.4.4. Preparing for the wedding day. Vytiye
The next period in some traditions was called a "week" (although it did not necessarily last a week, sometimes up to two weeks). At this time, the dowry was being prepared. In northern traditions, the bride constantly lamented. In the south, every evening the groom and friends came to the bride's house (this was called "gatherings", "evenings", etc.), they sang and danced.
On the "week" the groom was supposed to come with gifts. In the northern tradition, all actions during the "week" are accompanied by the bride's laments, including the arrival of the groom.
Dowry. The bride, with the help of her friends, had to prepare a large amount of dowry for the wedding. Basically, the dowry was made by the bride with her own hands earlier.
The dowry usually included a bed (featherbed, pillow, blanket) and gifts to the groom and relatives: shirts, scarves, belts, patterned towels.
1.4.5. Rituals on the eve of the wedding day
On the eve and in the morning of the wedding day, the bride had to perform a series of ritual actions. Their set is not fixed (for example, in some regions the bride had to visit the cemetery), but there are obligatory rites inherent in most regional traditions.
Bath. The bride going to the bath is an indispensable attribute of most regional traditions. This ceremony could take place both on the eve of the wedding day, and on the wedding day itself in the morning.
Usually the bride did not go to the bathhouse alone, with her friends or with her parents.
Going to the bath was accompanied by both special verses and songs, and a number of ritual actions, some of which were given magical significance. So, in the Vologda region, a healer went to the bathhouse with the bride, who collected her sweat in a special vial, and at the wedding feast it was poured into the beer of the groom.
Hen-party. A bachelorette party is a meeting between the bride and her friends before the wedding. This was their last meeting before the wedding, so there was a ritual farewell of the bride to her friends.
At the bachelorette party, the second key moment of the entire wedding ceremony (after the “hanging”) took place - the untwisting of the girl's braid. The braid was untwisted by the bridesmaids. Unweaving the braid symbolizes the end of the girl's former life. In many traditions, the untwisting of the braid is accompanied by a "farewell to the red beauty." "Red beauty" - a ribbon or ribbons woven into a girl's braid.
The bachelorette party is accompanied by rhymes and special songs. Often the bride's reckoning sounds simultaneously with the song that the bridesmaids sing. At the same time, there is a contrast between the parable and the song - the parable sounds very dramatic, while it is accompanied by a cheerful song of girlfriends.
1.4.6. First wedding day
On the first day of the wedding, the following usually happens: the arrival of the groom, departure to the crown, the transfer of dowry, the arrival of the young at the groom's house, blessing, wedding feast.
However, in some northern traditions, the influence of a more archaic, apparently pre-Christian scheme of the rite is strongly influenced. So, in the Vologda region, the scheme of the ceremony is as follows: in the morning of the first day, a bathhouse and a meeting of girlfriends, then the arrival of the groom, “bringing to the tables” (bringing the bride to the guests and the groom), treating the guests. At the same time, the main thing is the “output in front of the tables”, since a number of magical actions are performed here, the bride is most elegantly dressed. At night, everyone stays in the bride's house, and the bride and groom are supposed to spend the night in the same room. This means that the actual wedding has already taken place. The next day there is a wedding and a feast at the groom.
Druzhka. Druzhka (or Druzhko) is one of the most important participants in the ceremony. Although all the participants in the ceremony know him well (since this is not a performance, but a ceremony), the friend to a certain extent directs the ritual actions.
The friend must know the ritual very well, for example, at what point should wedding sentences be pronounced, etc. Often the friend is ritually blasphemed and scolded, and he must be able to adequately respond to such jokes addressed to him. The groom is almost a passive figure; on the wedding day he does not say ritual words.
Usually the boyfriend is a relative of the groom (brother) or a close friend. Its attribute is embroidered towel(or two towels) tied over the shoulder.
In some traditions, there may be not one boyfriend, but two or even three. However, one of them dominates over the others.
Arrival of the groom or ransom. In some traditions, on the morning of the wedding day, the groom must visit the bride's house and check if she is ready for the arrival of the groom. The bride should already be in wedding clothes by the arrival of her bridesmaid and sit in the red corner.
The groom with his boyfriend, friends and relatives make up the wedding train. While the train is moving to the bride's house, its participants (trainers) sang special "trainer" songs.
The groom's arrival was accompanied by one or more ransoms. In most regional traditions, this is the ransom of the entrance to the house. A gate, a door, etc. can be redeemed. Both the groom himself and his friend can redeem.
Elements of magical actions in this part of the rite are especially important. Road sweeping is common. This is done so that under the feet of the young they do not throw an object that could be damaged (hair, stone, etc.). The specific road to be swept differs between traditions. This may be the road in front of the bride's house, along which the groom's train will go, it may be the floor of the room, along which the young people will go before leaving for the crown, the road to the groom's house after the crown, etc.
An essential detail of the rite, which has been preserved in urban conditions, is the direct ransom of the bride. The bride can be redeemed either from the bridesmaids or from the parents.
Sometimes there was a ritual deception of the groom. The bride was taken to him, covered with a scarf. For the first time, they could take out not a real bride, but another woman or even an old woman. In this case, the groom either had to go look for the bride, or redeem her again.
Wedding. Before going to church, the bride's parents blessed the young with an icon and bread. Before the wedding, the bride was untwisted with a girl's braid, and after the young people were married, two “woman's” braids were braided for her and her hair was carefully covered with a female headdress (warrior). Sometimes this happened already at a wedding feast, but among the Old Believers they braided two braids and put on a warrior either between betrothal and wedding, or even before betrothal.
Arrival at the groom's house. After the wedding, the groom takes the bride to his house. Here their parents should bless them. There is also a combination of Christian elements with pagan ones. In many traditions, the bride and groom were put on a fur coat. The skin of the animal performs the function of a talisman. Mandatory in the rite of blessing in one form or another is bread. Usually, during the blessing, he is next to the icon. In some traditions, both the groom and the bride are supposed to bite off the bread. A magical effect was also attributed to this bread. In some regions, it was then fed to a cow so that it would give more offspring.
Wedding feast. After the wedding, the bride never laments. From this moment, the joyful and cheerful part of the ceremony begins. Then the young people go to the bride's house for gifts.
Then the groom brings the bride to his house. There should already be ready a plentiful treat for the guests. The wedding feast begins.
During the feast, songs of praise are sung. In addition to the bride and groom, they called their parents and boyfriend.
The feast could last two or three days. On the second day, it is obligatory to move everyone to the bride's house, the feast continues there. If they feast for three days, on the third they return to the groom again.
"Laying down" and "waking up" the young . In the evening (or at night) the “laying of the young” was carried out - the matchmaker or the bed-maker prepared the marriage bed, which the groom had to redeem. The feast at this time often continued. The next morning (sometimes only a few hours later), a friend, matchmaker or mother-in-law "woke up" the young. Often, after the "waking up", the guests were shown the "honor" of the bride - a shirt or a sheet with traces of blood. In other places, the bridegroom testified to the "honor" of the bride, eating from the middle or from the edge of a scrambled egg, pancake or pie, or answering ritual questions like "Did you break the ice or trample the dirt?" If the bride turned out to be “dishonest”, her parents could be ridiculed, a collar was hung around her neck, the gates were smeared with tar, etc.
1.4.7. Second wedding day
On the second day of the wedding, the bride usually performed some ritual actions. One of the most common rites is the “search for the yarochka”.
This ceremony consists in the fact that the “Yarochka” (that is, the sheep, the bride) is hiding somewhere in the house, and the “shepherd” (one of her relatives or all the guests) must find her.
It was also common for the “young woman” to fetch water with two oars on a yoke, throwing garbage, money, grain in the room - the young wife had to carefully sweep the floor, which was checked by the guests.
Important is the arrival of the groom to his mother-in-law. This rite has many different names in different regions (“khlibins”, “yayshnya”, etc.). It consists in the fact that the mother-in-law gave the groom cooked food (pancakes, scrambled eggs, etc.). The plate was covered with a scarf. The son-in-law had to redeem her by putting money on (or wrapped in) a handkerchief.
1.5. housewarming
Crossing the threshold of a new home, a person seems to enter into new life. Whether this life will be prosperous depends on the observance by the new settlers of many signs. It is believed that if you perform the necessary rituals when you move in, then life in the new house will develop happily.
In the old days, all construction projects started the same way. The eldest in the family was the first to start building a house: where the foundation of the dwelling would be, he poured grains, and placed a stone or log on them.
When the construction was coming to an end, a wreath woven from the simplest flowers and branches of birch or spruce was hung on the ridge of the roof. Neighbors, seeing such a wreath, understood: the housewarming holiday was coming soon.
By tradition, the eldest in the family not only started construction, but was also the first to cross the threshold of a new house.
In pagan times, people did not start life in a newly built house without receiving a divine blessing for it. To receive a blessing from the gods, it was necessary to propitiate them. And, as you know, pagan gods could only be propitiated by sacrifice. If there were old people in the family, then the oldest of them became this very victim for the gods. The old man entered the house before everyone else. Because the pagans believed: the first one to enter the house will be the first to go to the realm of the dead.
Then paganism was replaced by Christianity and customs also changed. The cat was the first to enter the house. Why is she? It was believed that this beast is known with all evil spirits. And in a newly built house, evil spirits can live, so you need to let someone in who is not afraid of them and to whom they will not do anything. And since the cat is connected with them, then she has nothing to be afraid of. They also believed that a cat always finds the best corner in the house. Where the cat lay down, then the owner and the hostess arranged their sleeping place or placed a crib.
AT new house launched not only a cat. The rooster was supposed to spend the first night in the built dwelling. People were afraid to be the first to spend the night in the house - they were afraid of evil spirits. But the rooster just drove her away with his singing in the morning. But then an unenviable fate awaited him - a jelly was prepared from a rooster, which was served at the festive table.
And yet, the cat and the rooster were not the best defenders from evil spirits. The most important guardian of the house was considered, of course, the brownie. Moving from the old house, people called him with them. Even lured with different treats. For example, porridge. It was prepared in the evening in the oven of the house they were about to leave. A little porridge was put in a bowl especially for the brownie, in order to appease him, to call him in this way to a new home. The owners themselves did not eat the cooked porridge, but kept it until the next day. They sat down for a meal only in the new house. Before sitting at the table, an icon and a loaf were brought into the house. The icon was placed in the so-called red corner.
If the owners wanted the brownie to move from their old home to a new one, they simply took a broom with them. It was believed that then the brownie would definitely come to a new place. Leaving a broom is a bad omen. After all, with this broom, the woman diligently swept all the rubbish out of the old house, which she then burned and scattered in the wind. This was done so that no one would spoil the left debris or ashes. The broom was later to be useful to the hostess again. She swept a new hut for them. Only after that the old broom was burned.
Now moving into a new house is celebrated as follows: first they arrange a holiday for the closest, and then for all acquaintances, neighbors and relatives. Perhaps the only built country house will not be the best place to celebrate. However, if you do not arrange a housewarming party, the brownie may be offended and leave you.
If it was not possible to put things in order before the housewarming party and it was also not possible to lay a chic table, do not worry. Housewarming treats can be the simplest. Most importantly - do not forget about the loaf. It is he on festive table will become a symbol of wealth and a future happy life in a new home.
The Slavs assigned a special place to the housewarming loaf on the table - in the center. A lush loaf adorned with rowan or viburnum berries lay on red and green towels. After all, red is a symbol of well-being, and green is longevity.
Guests must bring bread with them. Or a small pie. This is necessary so that everyone in the new house is always full and rich.
1.6. Russian Orthodox burial rite
Death is the last earthly destiny of every person; after death, the soul, separated from the body, appears before the judgment of God. Believers in Christ do not want to die unrepentant, for in the afterlife sins will become a heavy, painful burden. The repose of the soul of the deceased depends on the correct implementation of the burial rite, and therefore it is extremely important to know and observe the smallest details of the funeral ritual.
1.6.1. communion
It is necessary to invite a priest to a seriously ill person, who will confess him and take communion, perform the sacrament of unction over him.
In the sacrament of confession (from the word to confess, that is, to tell another about oneself), the penitent is given remission of sins through the permissive prayer of a priest who has received grace from Christ to forgive sins on earth so that they can be forgiven in heaven. A dying person who no longer speaks the language and cannot confess, the priest can resolve from sins (forgiveness of sins), if the sick person himself ordered to call a confessor.
In the sacrament of communion, a person, under the guise of bread and wine, receives the Holy Mysteries - the Body and Blood of Christ, thus becoming a partaker of Christ. The Holy Mysteries are called Holy Gifts - because They are an invaluable Divine Gift of the Savior Christ to people. The sick are communed at any time - the priest brings into the house spare Gifts, which are kept in the church.
1.6.2. Unction
Unction (originally performed by an assembly of priests), or unction, is a sacrament in which, with sevenfold anointing with consecrated oil ( vegetable oil) the grace of God descends on a sick person, healing his bodily and spiritual infirmities. If the priest managed to anoint the dying at least once, the sacrament of unction is considered completed.
At the very moment of death, a person experiences a painful feeling of fear, vengeance. When leaving the body, the soul meets not only the Guardian Angel given to it in Holy Baptism, but also demons, the terrible appearance of which makes one tremble. To appease the restless soul, relatives and friends of a person leaving this world can themselves read a waste over him - in the Prayer Book this collection of songs-prayers is called "The canon of prayer when the soul is separated from the body." The canon ends with a prayer from the priest/priest), which is spoken (read) for the exodus of the soul, for its release from all bonds, release from any oath, for the forgiveness of sins and peace in the abodes of the saints. This prayer is supposed to be read only by the priest, so if the canon was read by the laity, the prayer is omitted.
1.6.3. burial
Not a single nation left the bodies of their dead without care - the law on burial and the rites corresponding to it was sacred for all. The touching rites performed by the Orthodox Church over a dead Christian are not just solemn ceremonies, often invented by human vanity and saying nothing to either the mind or the heart. On the contrary, they have a deep meaning and meaning, since they are based on the revelations of the holy faith (that is, they are open, bequeathed by the Lord Himself), known from the apostles - disciples and followers of Jesus Christ. The funeral rites of the Orthodox Church bring consolation, serve as symbols that express the idea of a general resurrection and a future immortal life. The essence of the Orthodox burial rite lies in the Church's view of the body as a temple of the soul sanctified by grace, the present life as a time of preparation for the future life, and death as a dream, upon awakening from which eternal life will come.
1.6.4.Remembrance of the dead
Commemoration is carried out on the third, ninth and fortieth day, since at the indicated time the soul of the deceased appears before the Lord. For the first three days after death, the soul roams the earth, visiting places where the deceased committed sins or righteous deeds. From the third to the ninth day, the soul wanders among the paradise. From the ninth to the fortieth day, she is in hell, watching the torment of sinners. On the fortieth day, the question of determining the whereabouts of the soul in the afterlife is finally resolved.
The commemoration of the deceased is also carried out on the anniversary of death, on the days of earthly birth and on name days. The Church has established special days of remembrance - ecumenical memorial services:
Saturday before meat-fare week (Meat-fare Saturday), two weeks before Great Lent - is celebrated as a commemoration of all those who died a sudden death - during floods, earthquakes, wars;
Trinity Saturday - on the fortieth day after Easter - for all Christians;
Dimitrov Saturday (the day of Dmitry Thessalonica) - a week before November 8, established by Dmitry Donskoy in memory of those who died on the Kulikovo field;
Second, third and fourth Saturdays of Great Lent;
Radonitsa (Tuesday of St. Thomas Week) when for the first time after Easter cemeteries are visited, where visitors carry colored eggs and where they tell the dead the news of the resurrection of Christ.
By decree of Catherine II of 1769 (the time of the war with the Turks and Poles), the all-Russian commemoration of all the dead soldiers is carried out on the day of the beheading of John the Baptist (September 11).
The canonical attributes of the funeral feast are: kutya, pancakes, jelly, milk.
2.1. Nativity
Christmas is not only a bright holiday of Orthodoxy.
Christmas is a holiday returned, reborn. the traditions of this
holiday filled with genuine humanity and kindness, high
moral ideals are now being discovered and comprehended again.
Before Christmas, a general cleaning was carried out in the house, a Christmas tree was put up and decorated, and preparations were made for the Christmas table. The whole week was festive. Children were given gifts.
On the first day of the Nativity of Christ, the peasants had to defend the liturgy, then break the fast, and only after that they began to celebrate.
Arriving under the windows of the house, they first sang the troparion and kontakion for the holiday, and then the grapes; meanwhile the star revolved incessantly in a circle. Having sung grapes, the owner and hostess were congratulated on the holiday, and finally, they exclaimed to the glory of God, thereby asking for food. Then the owner allowed one of the worshipers to enter his house and gave him money.
Mummers went from house to house. Fortune-telling and other amusements were arranged, which were condemned by secular and spiritual authorities. Everyone dressed up - young and old, men and women. They dressed up as a soldier, a peasant, a gypsy, a mistress, a coachman, etc.
"Carols" called cookies that were baked in the form of figures of animals and birds - "cows", "goes", etc. The largest "carol" was taken to the barn and left there until Epiphany. On Epiphany, they crumbled her into holy water and fed the cattle so that they would not get sick, be fruitful, know the house. The Komi-Permyaks kept bread "kozulkas" until Baptism in a shrine, and then they also fed them to animals, which this or that "kozulka" depicted.
The rest of the "carols" were awarded to mummers and carolers who came to the house for their songs.
At Christmas, it is customary to cook and eat poultry: duck, goose, chicken, turkey. This custom is of very ancient origin. The bird was considered a symbol of life. To eat a bird means to prolong life.
The Christmas holiday came to Rus' along with Christianity in the 10th century and merged here with the ancient Slavic winter holiday - Christmas time, or carols.
Slavic Christmas time was a multi-day holiday. They began at the end of December and continued throughout the first week of January. Later, Christmas time, holy days, began to be called 12 days of celebration from the Nativity of Christ to Epiphany. The first week was called Christmas time, and the second - terrible evenings.
Christmas holidays began with cleanliness. People cleaned their houses, washed themselves, threw away or burned old things, driving away evil spirits with fire and smoke, sprinkled cattle with water.
During Christmas time, it was forbidden to quarrel, swear, mention death, and commit reprehensible acts. Everyone was obliged to do each other only pleasant.
At the same time, games, caroling, walking mummers, fortune-telling, Christmas markets - auctions, bazaars were arranged.
2.1.1. Christmas post
The establishment of the Nativity Fast, as well as other multi-day fasts,
refers to the ancient times of Christianity.
The Nativity Fast (also Lent, Philip's Fast, in the vernacular of Filippovka) is an Orthodox forty-day fast established in honor of the Nativity of Christ, one of the four many-day fasts of the church year. Serves as a preparation for the celebration of the Nativity of Christ.
Observed from November 15 (28) to December 24 (January 6) inclusive and ends with the feast of the Nativity of Christ. The conspiracy (the eve of fasting) - November 14 (27) - falls on the day of memory of the holy apostle Philip, therefore the fast is also called Filippov. If the spell falls on one-day fasts - Wednesday or Friday - then it moves to November 13 (26).
Initially, the Advent fast lasted seven days for some Christians, and a few more for others. At the cathedral of 1166, which was at
Patriarch Luke of Constantinople and the Byzantine emperor Manuel, all Christians were supposed to fast for forty days before the great feast of the Nativity of Christ.
2.2. Pancake week
Maslenitsa - first an ancient Slavic pagan multi-day holiday of "seeing off winter", which marked the transition to spring agricultural work. The Church has included Maslenitsa among its holidays that precede Great Lent. In ancient times, this holiday consisted of various ritual actions of a magical and religious nature, which then turned into traditional folk customs and rituals.
In pagan times, the celebration of Maslenitsa was timed to coincide with the day spring equinox(March 22). The Christian Church left the main celebration of Spring, so as not to conflict with the traditions of the Russian people, but shifted the people's favorite holiday of seeing off winter in time so that it would not contradict Great Lent. Therefore, after the baptism of Rus', Maslenitsa is celebrated in last week before Lent, seven weeks before Easter.
The name “Maslenitsa” arose because this week, according to Orthodox custom, meat was already excluded from food, and dairy products could still be consumed. To walk freely before the seven weeks of fasting, strict in all respects - such was the spirit of this holiday. But he also absorbed the very ancient traditions of the festivities that were once celebrated on the verge of winter and spring.
Maslenitsa is a mischievous and cheerful farewell to winter and a meeting of spring, which brings revival in nature and the warmth of the sun. From time immemorial, people have perceived spring as the beginning of a new life and revered the Sun, which gives life and strength to all living things. In honor of the sun, at first they baked unleavened cakes, and when they learned how to cook leavened dough, they began to bake pancakes.
The ancients considered the pancake a symbol of the sun, because, like the sun, it is yellow, round and hot, and they believed that together with the pancake they eat a piece of its warmth and power.
With the introduction of Christianity, the rite of celebration also changed. Maslenitsa got its name from church calendar, because during this period of time - the last week before Great Lent, it is allowed to eat butter, dairy products and fish, otherwise this week in the Orthodox Church is called cheese. The days of Shrovetide change depending on when Lent begins.
Every day of Shrove Tuesday has its own name.
Monday- meeting. By this day, mountains, swings, booths were being completed. Those who were richer began to bake pancakes. The first pancake was given to the poor in remembrance of the dead.
Tuesday- games. In the morning, young people were invited to ride down the mountains and eat pancakes. They called relatives and friends: “We have mountains ready, and pancakes are baked - please favor.”
Wednesday- gourmets. On this day, the son-in-law came "to the mother-in-law for pancakes." In addition to the son-in-law, the mother-in-law invited other guests.
Thursday- wide range. From that day on, Maslenitsa unfolded in full breadth. The people indulged in all kinds of fun: ice mountains, booths, swings, horseback riding, carnivals, fist fights, noisy revels.
Friday- mother-in-law evenings. Sons-in-law invited their mother-in-laws to visit, treated them to pancakes.
Saturday- sister-in-law gatherings. Young daughters-in-law invited their sister-in-laws to visit. The newlywed daughter-in-law had to give her sister-in-law a gift.
Last day of Maslenitsa- Forgiveness Sunday. In churches, at the evening service, the rite of forgiveness is performed (the rector asks for forgiveness from other clergy and parishioners). Then all the believers, bowing to each other, ask for forgiveness and, in response to the request, say "God will forgive." Solemnly burned the "effigy of Maslenitsa"
In the Orthodox Church, it is believed that the meaning of Cheese Week is reconciliation with neighbors, forgiveness of offenses, preparation for Great Lent - a time that needs to be devoted to good communication with neighbors, relatives, friends, and doing good. Lenten services begin in churches. On Wednesday and Friday, the Divine Liturgy is not celebrated, the Lenten Prayer of St. Ephraim the Syrian is read.
On the last day of Maslenitsa week, the ritual of seeing off Maslenitsa took place, which in different provinces of Russia consisted both in burning an effigy of Maslenitsa and in its symbolic funeral.
The burning of an effigy was traditional for the northern, central and Volga provinces. The effigy of Maslenitsa was carried by the participants of the Maslenitsa train (sometimes there were several hundred horses in it). Traditional funeral food (pancakes, eggs, cakes) was thrown into a fire with a burning effigy.
2.3. Easter
Easter (Resurrection of Christ) - main holiday Orthodox calendar, established in memory of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Easter does not have a fixed date, but is calculated according to lunar calendar. The celebration begins on the first Sunday after the full moon following the spring equinox. If the full moon falls on a Saturday or Sunday, then Easter is celebrated on the following Sunday. Usually, the holiday falls on the time from March 22/April 4 to April 25/May 8.
The day of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ got its name from the Jewish holiday of Passover, dedicated to the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and their liberation from slavery. The borrowing of the name of the Jewish holiday is explained by the fact that all the tragic events of the earthly life of Jesus Christ occurred before the Jewish Passover, and His Resurrection took place on the night of Easter.
In the Orthodox tradition, Easter is considered "the king of days", "the feast of all holidays, the triumph of all celebrations." Throughout Russia, Easter was celebrated as a day of great joy. The main event of the festival was a solemn divine service in the temple. Easter service began on the night from Saturday to Sunday. The first part of it was called Midnight Office. It was held in memory of the night prayer of Jesus Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane, which preceded his betrayal into the hands of the Pharisees. After reading the prayers and hymns, the priest, together with the clergy, brought the shroud from the middle of the temple into the altar, which remained there until the Ascension. At midnight, a bell ringing (blagovest) was heard, all the candles and chandeliers were lit at the same time, the priests in bright vestments, with a cross, lamps and incense, left the altar and, together with all those present in the church, sang the surplice: “Thy Resurrection, Christ the Savior, the angels sing on heaven, and vouchsafe us on earth with a pure heart Glory to you, ”and then, to the sound of bells, the procession around the church began. Upon returning to the temple, the priest sang the troparion of the holiday: "Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death." Then the royal doors were opened, which symbolized the opening by Christ of the heavenly gates, closed to people after the fall of Adam and Eve, and matins began. The canon was sung: “It is the day of Resurrection, let us be enlightened people...”, and then the eternal victory of Christ over death and hell was proclaimed: “Where is your sting, death? Where is your, hell, victory? Christ is risen, and thou hast fallen. Christ is risen and life lives. Christ is risen, and the dead is not one in the tomb. After matins, a festive liturgy began, at the end of which artos was illuminated - a special bread depicting a cross and a crown of thorns.
The elegant decoration of the temple, a lot of lit wax candles, light vestments of priests, the smell of incense, joyful chimes of bells, festive hymns, a solemn procession, exclamations of “Christ is Risen!” - all this evoked joy in believers, a feeling of involvement in a miracle. After the end of the service, the parishioners congratulated each other on the bright holiday, kissed three times and uttered the words that the apostles spoke to each other when they learned about the Resurrection of Jesus Christ: “Christ is Risen!” - "Truly Risen!", Exchanged eggs, painted red.
On the feast of Easter, the breaking of the fast began after a long Great Lent. As a rule, it was a family meal at which guests did not appear. On a table covered with a white tablecloth, they put painted eggs, Easter cake - high bread made from rich dough and Easter (paskha) - a sweet dish of cottage cheese with raisins, consecrated in the church on Holy Saturday. Red egg in view Orthodox person symbolized the world, stained with the blood of Jesus Christ and through this reborn to a new life. Kulich was associated with the body of the Lord, to which believers should partake. In the popular mind, the Christian understanding of Easter food was combined with pagan ideas about the egg as a symbol of rebirth and renewal, a sign of fertility and vitality, and about bread as a living being and even the incarnation of God. The pagan analogue of Easter cake was bread, which was baked in the spring before the start of agricultural work and used in producing agricultural and pastoral rites, as well as a wedding loaf, which, according to legend, could provide a married couple with numerous offspring. The first dish during the Passover meal was an egg, which was cut into pieces according to the number of people sitting at the table. After that, everyone received a piece of Easter cake and a spoonful of curd Easter. Then the rest of the festive food prepared by the hostess was put on the table, and a joyful feast began.
In folk tradition, Easter was celebrated as a holiday of renewal and rebirth of life. This was due not only to the Christian idea of the Resurrection of Christ and the prospect of eternal life associated with it, but also to the widespread existence among the people of pagan ideas about the spring awakening of nature after a winter sleep-death, about the death of the old and the beginning of a new time. According to widespread beliefs, each person had to meet Easter spiritually and physically renewed, prepared for it during the long Great Lent. Before Easter, it was considered necessary to put things in order in the house and on the street: wash the floors, ceilings, walls, benches, whitewash the stoves, renew the icon case, repair the fences, put the wells in order, remove the garbage left after the winter. In addition, it was supposed to make new clothes for all family members and wash in the bath. On Easter, a person had to discard all bad, impure thoughts, forget evil and resentment, not sin, not enter into marital relations, which were perceived as a sin.
There are many different beliefs associated with the Easter holiday. According to popular beliefs, Easter day is so pure and holy that devils and demons with the Easter good news fall through the ground, and their cries and groans, caused by anger at the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, can be heard during the Easter Vigil and the entire first day of Easter. The peasants believed that on this day something that you would not see on other days becomes visible, and it is allowed to ask God for what you really want. It was believed that during the Easter service, if you turn the candle with the flame down, you can see the sorcerer: he will stand with his back to the altar, and horns will be visible on his head. And if you stand at the door with cottage cheese, it will be easy to identify the witch passing by and waving her little tail.
Easter was associated with the Russians with the miraculous fulfillment of the desired. It was believed that on this day you can secure success in business for the whole year. If, for example, a person is the first to come home after the Easter service, then the whole year will be successful for him. If an old man combs his hair on Passover, he will have as many grandchildren as there are hairs on his head. If during the liturgy a girl whispers to God in a whisper: “Give me a good groom, in boots and with galoshes, not on a cow, but on a horse,” then the groom will be engaged in the near future, gamblers, according to legend, could ask God for constant luck in cards: for this, it was necessary to take the ace of spades with you to church - “wine and, when the priest says “Christ is Risen!” for the first time, answer “The cards are here!”, the second time - “Whip here!”, And the third time - "Aces are here!". Good luck will not leave the blasphemer until he repents of his deed. They believed that a thief would also be lucky if he steals an item from praying people during matins and does not get caught stealing.
The idea of the resurrection from the dead formed the basis of the idea that on Easter night the souls of the dead come to earth. If desired, people yearning for the death of their loved ones can see them in church at the Easter service, listen to their requests and complaints. After the liturgy, the Russian peasants, despite the prohibitions of the priests, went to the cemetery to christen with the dead.
The continuation of the Easter day was Easter (bright) week, which lasted eight days, until Fomin Sunday inclusive.
Conclusion
In the Russian way of life there was a combination of extremes, a mixture of simplicity and primitive freshness of the virgin people with Asian effeminacy and Byzantine relaxation. When a noble person dressed all in gold and pearls, ate on silver and forced dozens of dishes to be served at a time, the village poor, during frequent crop failures, ate bread from straw or from quinoa, roots and tree bark. When noble women and girls did not even take care of the household and, condemned to inactivity, only to kill the tedious boredom, they took up the embroidery of church vestments, peasant women worked twice as much as their husbands. On the one hand, the dignity of every significant person was inactivity, effeminacy, immobility; on the other hand, the Russian people amazed foreigners with their patience, firmness, indifference to any deprivation of comforts in life. Since childhood, Russians have been taught to endure hunger and cold. Children were weaned at two months old and fed on roughage; the children ran in nothing but shirts without hats, barefoot in the snow in bitter cold. Fasts accustomed the people to coarse and meager food, consisting of roots and bad fish; living in tight quarters and smoke, with chickens and calves, the Russian commoner received a strong, insensitive nature.
But no matter how opposite the way of life of the noble and the simple seems, the nature of both was the same: let only happiness favor the poor simpleton, and he will immediately arrange for himself immobility and heaviness; on the other hand, a noble and rich, if circumstances force him, will easily get used to a harsh life and work.
The customs of the Russian people combined piety and superstition, ceremony in relations with society and rudeness, cruelty to loved ones. The Russian character, formed under the influence of the cultures of neighboring peoples, absorbed many of their traditions and customs, some of which even contradicted each other. Merging together, these qualities made Russian culture special, amazing, unlike all the others.
List of used literature
one. . G. Samitdinova, Z. A. Sharipova, Ya. T. Nagaeva "Native Bashkortostan", publishing house: Bashkortostan Ufa, 1993;
2. L.I. Brudnaya, Z.M. Gurevich "Encyclopedia of rituals and customs", St. Petersburg: "Respeks", 1997;
3. N.P.Stepanov "Folk holidays in Holy Rus'", M .: Russian rarity, 1992; 4. The team of authors "Russian folk holidays, rituals and customs”, Publisher: New Disc, 2005 - E-book; Internet resources:
5. M. Zabylin " Russian people. His customs, rituals, legends, superstitions and poetry”, M.: Edition of the bookseller M. Berezin - the Internet version of the book is provided by the Folklorus website (http://folklorus.narod.ru);
6. http://lib.a-grande.ru/index.php - Site about the culture of the peoples of Bashkortostan; 7. http://ru.wikipedia.org/ - Wikipedia is a free encyclopedia.
Every person throughout his life is accompanied by all kinds of Russian traditions, rites and rituals. There are a lot of them and they are very different - for every day, for a holiday and for some solemn event in the family.
All family rituals are based on faith, labor activity, life and rest of people. And the emergence of rituals can not be called accidental. It takes centuries before any rite is recognized in society.
In all modern traditions that have survived to this day, three faith-cultures have been embodied, represented by pagan, Christian and partially atheistic culture. All modern folk traditions are Christian, although some still show traces of paganism and atheism.
Family rituals of Belarusians are the living voice of the people.
They teach good things. Some Russian traditions were incorporated into the norm of social behavior. They had a considerable influence on the moral, ethical, household or labor image of each of the people.
AT modern world There are a lot of different customs and rituals, and each of them can be divided into church-religious and secular ones. Church-religious rites among the people have a close connection with the church, while secular ones take place outside the church, and they exist separately, although they have a close connection.
In church rituals, you can find a lot of elements in the form of bread, water, incense, candles, willow branches, rings. The worldly, in turn, borrowed the holy image, icon, cross, bible, prayer from church rites. And the complex of family rituals itself is represented by ordinary, Sunday-holiday, solemn-family, mourning-funeral, calendar, household and economic.
Features of family rituals
The basis of all family rituals of Belarusians is the history and life of the people. Their path of development is very long, and they managed to keep traces of beliefs, worldviews, family and social structure. In family rituals, one can find a reflection of the way of life, everyday norms and customs of the clan, family. All family rituals were distinguished by a clear structure, and each nation always and strictly observed them.
The main family traditions have always been and remain the sacrament of baptism, weddings, and funerals. Wedding ceremonies were represented by the pre-wedding, actually wedding and post-wedding part. The funeral rite consisted of pre-burial ritual actions, funeral rites and commemoration.
All folk rituals are still alive, they are permeated with earthly needs and spiritual ideas, symbols, they are endowed with feelings and rich images.
Through family rituals, character was formed family relations, psychology and behavior of people.
All family rituals have an educational function, and for each nation, rituals are a sacred property that every person cherishes.
Varieties of family rituals
In Russian family traditions Belarusians from the time of paganism is a reflection of the full family cycle, consisting of their baptism, wedding and funeral. In the old days, every family ritual was endowed with magical properties who served reliable protection man from evil forces.
The sacrament of baptism. Already in the first months of life in Rus', the baptism of a child was an obligatory and strict rule.
Today, Baptism in the Orthodox Church is performed by immersing your head three times in a font of holy water with the words "In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit."
When performing the sacrament of baptism, several ritual actions are performed, endowed with a symbolic spiritual meaning:
- first, the person being baptized turns to face the west - the symbol of darkness, this is done so that he renounces Satan;
- then the baby is anointed with oil before immersion in the font, which symbolizes invincibility in the fight against Satan;
- then the person being baptized is immersed in water and the Holy Spirit gives the seed of Life and cleansing from sins;
- after that, a cross is placed on the chest, so the baptized will constantly remember the cross as a symbol of salvation;
- then the Russian ceremony of dressing up in white clothes takes place, so the baptized person receives cleansing from sins, and from that moment his life should become pious;
- after dressing up, the baptized person passes around the font three times, which symbolizes eternity;
- then the hair is cut, so the newly baptized surrenders to the will of the Lord.
Another important Russian tradition in the life of every person should be called the system of wedding ceremonies that serve to consolidate the marriage. In Russia, this system appeared in the fifteenth century. Boys at that time married at the age of twenty-four, and girls married at the age of eighteen.
Conventionally, Russian wedding ceremonies are represented by pre-wedding, directly wedding and post-wedding ceremonies:
- the beginning of Russian wedding ceremonies is matchmaking, in which a preliminary agreement is obtained from the bride's relatives for the wedding;
- then the bridegroom passed, when the groom and the groom's parents could see future bride and evaluate its positive and negative qualities;
- the final agreement regarding the wedding was reached through the rite of handshaking;
- after that followed the Russian rite of ritual lamentation - wailing, the purpose of which was to show that life was happy in the bride’s house and now she had to say goodbye to him, through wailing the girl said goodbye to her friends, parents and her freedom;
- the day before the wedding, a bachelorette party was held, when friends came to the bride and helped sew gifts for the groom, the whole evening was accompanied by wedding songs;
- on the day of the wedding, it was customary to conduct a ransom ceremony, which has been preserved to this day, the groom was obliged to take the bride out of the house;
- after the ransom, the most important part of the wedding ceremonies took place - the wedding, in which the bride and groom received a Christian blessing and became husband and wife for the rest of their lives;
- the wedding ceremony was celebrated with a wedding feast, accompanied by food, drink and merry jokes;
- The final Russian wedding ceremony should be called “bread and salt”, with which the bride’s parents meet the newlyweds.
At the same time, the mother-in-law or mother-in-law offers the young to bite off a piece of loaf. This rite is a symbol of the fact that from this moment the young become crumbs of one bread.
The final rite in the Orthodox tradition should be called a funeral. As shown in the established traditions, the deceased person was washed, dressed in clean clothes that he never wore, then the deceased was laid on the bench with his head towards the red corner where the icons were, covered with a white canvas, and his hands were folded on his chest. According to ancient Russian traditions, the funeral after the onset of death should be held on the third day.
The especially revered dead were carried on their hands to the very cemetery.
The whole funeral rite was accompanied by weeping and lamentations. The end of the funeral was a commemoration or feast with special memorial dishes. Already at the cemetery of the deceased, it was necessary to commemorate the kutya. Almost all Russian commemorations in Rus' were accompanied by pancakes.
The importance of family rituals in human life
Each family ritual, which has been observed by man for centuries, had certain pedagogical functions. With the help of them, the younger generation got acquainted with the household duties of each family member, with the rules of conduct in married life, with preparation for motherhood, with the moral standards of the people and with many others.
This transfer of knowledge was carried out not by lessons and instructions, but by clear examples of the behavior of adults, where no explanations were needed. Thus, each child adopted a pattern of this or that behavior, becoming a direct participant in the rituals.
All family rituals are associated primarily with life cycle person. In this regard, among the family rituals, the following types are distinguished:
- maternity and baptismal complex of rites;
- wedding ceremonies;
- funeral rites.
In addition, there are less significant rituals that are associated with various changes in family life, for example, building a new house or housewarming.
Birthing and baptismal family rituals
The birth of a child was considered a landmark event, for which they prepared very thoroughly. There were a number of beliefs about how a pregnant woman should behave in order to protect her child from the evil eye and various diseases.
The behavior of both the woman in labor and everyone in the house during childbirth was very strictly regulated. For example, it was believed that it was impossible to talk about the fact that childbirth had begun, because the fewer people who knew about it, the easier it would be. There was also a belief that in order to facilitate childbirth, it was necessary to open all the windows and doors in the house wide open.
Childbirth was taken by a special woman who had already passed the period of childbearing. It was customary to cut the umbilical cord on some kind of tool: for boys - on an ax handle, later - on a book, for girls - on a spindle. It was believed that thanks to this, the child would grow up to be an excellent worker.
The child was baptized on the fortieth day after birth, because it was believed that after such a period of time the body acquires a soul. Sick and weak children were baptized on the eighth day.
wedding ceremonies
Very important rituals of the family cycle are wedding traditions. In Rus', weddings were celebrated after the end of the harvest. Wedding rituals are quite complex and extended in time. It included the following steps:
- matchmaking;
- bride;
- handshake;
- the wedding itself with the ransom of the bride and ritual dressing.
Each stage was strictly regulated. There were many rituals, the purpose of which was to ensure happiness and prosperity for the young, large offspring and long life.
Construction of a new house and housewarming
Our ancestors were wary of all important changes in life, including the transition to a new home. The place for its construction was chosen carefully. Before laying the bookmark, wheat was poured in the corners. If in the morning the heaps remained intact, they started building, but if the grain turned out to be scattered, they looked for another place.
Before entering a new house, they let in a cat or a black rooster, which were supposed to drive out the unclean.
Many elements of traditional rituals have been preserved in Russian culture to this day, while some have disappeared forever, having lost their original meaning.