The last week before Easter is considered Holy - in 2017 it is April 10-15, and all the days in it are great. Therefore, there are not only Great Saturday, but also Great Monday and Great Tuesday. Let us consider in detail what cannot be done and what can be done during Holy Week.
Fast
Throughout Holy Week, when Christ was approaching his death on the cross, believers observe the strictest fast. You can not eat meat, fish, eggs, dairy, vegetable oil. In Holy Week 2017, you can’t sing, dance, you need to go to services and cleanse yourself as much as possible for the bright holiday of Easter.
Household affairs
Every day of Holy Week was set aside for some household chores.
So, on Maundy Monday, it was necessary to finish all the work in the dwelling: carefully clean the house, wash everything, clean and touch up what was needed. You can also decorate the willow. According to popular belief if you whip the household with this decorated willow, then health will be all year!
Maundy Tuesday was devoted to finishing work with clothes: washing, ironing, darning.
On Great Wednesday, the last rubbish was taken out of the house, eggs were prepared, and everything necessary for the preparation of colored eggs (pysanky).
Maundy Thursday: swim ...
The fourth day of Holy Week is called Maundy Thursday. There are many traditions and beliefs associated with this holiday. Everything you do on this day will help you to be healthy, happy and financially secure all year long!
On Maundy Thursday, according to tradition, you need to swim at dawn. Get up before sunrise and take a swim. Water at this time has healing properties - it washes away damage, illness and sins. The Gospel says that on this day Jesus Christ washed the feet of his disciples at the Last Supper, showing an example of brotherly love and humility.
… Get a haircut
Wednesday - it's time to change your hairstyle. It is believed that along with the cut strands, all evil, as well as the evil eye and ailments, go away.
Visit the temple to confess and receive communion. This will help cleanse the soul from sins. On Maundy Thursday, a fire is lit in the churches, which must be carried home. It is believed that such a candle keeps the house from misfortunes and fires throughout the year. On Thursday, it is customary to bake Easter cakes and paint eggs.
…Give away old stuff
If you properly tidy up the house, joy will come to it. Don't forget to get rid of the trash. It is not customary to give old things to other people on this day - so that well-being does not leave your home, send everything to the trash can.
… Do not lend
Do not lend money or lend kitchen utensils to neighbors or relatives. In order not to experience financial difficulties for a whole year, count all the money that you have.
… Knead the dough
Make a cheesecake. Napeki Easter cakes and color the eggs. To succeed, while cooking, try to maintain a good mood - think only about the positive. It is believed that before kneading the dough, you need to pray, cleanse your soul and space, otherwise Easter cakes will not work.
Good Friday: Strict Lent
On Good Friday, fasting conditions become even stricter. You can not do anything around the house, sing, dance, listen to music. Nothing should be eaten in memory of the sufferings of Christ. In the evening, during divine services, the Shroud is carried out in the church.
Great Saturday: preparing an Easter feast
Great Saturday is the most troublesome day for housewives, you need to prepare everything for the Easter feast, on this day they continue to paint eggs. According to signs, if an egg with a painted shell cracked, it should not be thrown away, but should be lowered into the river.
And now, after Lent, when the soul and body are ready to receive the joy of Salvation, Great Sunday comes - Easter Day on April 16, 2017.
Answered by Archpriest Nikolai Yemelyanov
What can and cannot be done during Holy Week? What not to do on Good Friday?
In the Church, the question is never raised like this - what is possible and what is not. Everything is possible in the Church! Where there is a real Church, there is absolute freedom. It's just that there is experience accumulated by generations of Christians, which allows you to somehow build your life in such a way that such special and holy days as the days of Holy Week do not pass by. It's not a question of what not to do. It's a question of what to do to try and feel that these days are very special.
Related material
Just as the Lord once communed His disciples at the Last Supper, so every Christian should commune with the apostles. Also proceed to the Eucharistic Chalice. Just follow Christ to Golgotha. Also cry over Him together with the disciples and the Mother of God. Also expect the Resurrection of the Savior on the day of rest of Great Saturday. Also, enter into the eternal joy of the Resurrection of Christ together with the Myrrh-Bearing Women and the Apostles.
As always, the answer to a similar question is both very simple and very complex at the same time. Simple - because there is some simple set of actions that it would be nice to have time to do. Difficult - because these actions require inner concentration and prayer, and these two things are not operationalized and objectified in some simple way.
First It is, of course, a prayer. All services in the church during Holy Week are special. Every day for the first three days, the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts is served. Before these Liturgies, at the Hours, the whole Gospel is read in parts from beginning to end.
In the evening, from Monday to Wednesday, the wonderful words “I see Your Chamber, my Savior, decorated and I don’t imam clothes, let the stench come in” and the troparion “Behold the Bridegroom is coming at midnight ...” stichera of the nun Cassia.
Each of the days of Holy Week is dedicated to the remembrance of the events that took place on those days. On Thursday, the Last Supper and the establishment of the Sacrament of the Eucharist are remembered. For this day, you need to prepare in advance, confess in advance and be sure to take communion. On Thursday evening, everyone gathers in the church to read the 12 Gospels dedicated to the Passion of Christ. On Friday, the day of the Crucifixion, during the day the Shroud is taken out to the middle of the temple, and in the evening - a burial with a procession. On Saturday morning they again serve the Liturgy, at which once a year they sing the hymn "Let all human flesh be silent and think nothing in itself." After this, the consecration of Easter cakes and Easter is performed.
Finally, on Saturday night, everyone gathers in the church for the Easter procession, the Easter service and the Liturgy, at which they again try to take communion.
It would also be nice to have time to paint the eggs, cook Easter cakes and Easter, in fact, it’s nice to somehow clean the house for the holiday at the beginning of the week ...
Related material
About two thousand years ago, an event took place in the Holy Land that turned the world upside down, changing it forever. The main Orthodox holiday- Easter. On the Eve of the Bright Christ's Resurrection we have tried once again to recreate the picture of what happened twenty centuries ago under the sky of Jerusalem.
Do you still have questions about what not to do during Holy Week?
Usually this is not an issue. The question is how to manage to do at least half of the above. After all, there are still children, work, someone needs to take care of the sick or the elderly, someone is sick himself, etc. Therefore, usually all things that can be postponed, they tried and try to postpone these days for later. Leave only the most important and necessary in order to manage at least one of the above and meet the Easter holiday. And they always try to fast more strictly than they fasted the whole fast. For example, on Good Friday, healthy adults do not eat at all until the evening service.
And yet all this is not an end in itself. All this is done in order to try to feel and understand that Christ is somewhere very close. That His Suffering and Resurrection is something quite modern and relevant. It's not about ancient history, this is about us. When you manage to feel it at least a little bit, then all questions about what you can do and what you can’t do disappear.
Photo by Vladimir Eshtokin
Ecology of consumption. Cognitively: Holy Week before Easter began with Orthodox Christians. Last and toughest week...
Holy Week before Easter begins with Orthodox Christians. The last and strictest week of Great Lent implies spiritual and bodily cleanliness, which is why it is also called White or Clean Week.
The time of the most strict fasting came for Orthodox believers on April 25, 2016 - Holy Week (week). This time got its name in memory of the last days of Jesus Christ's stay on Earth.
Holy Week 2016: what can be done?
Biblical traditions tell us that throughout Holy Week Jesus Christ approaches his death on the cross, therefore, in memory of those events, believers are supposed to keep the most strict fast.
On Holy Week, you can not eat meat, fish, eggs, as well as milk and dairy products. Vegetable oils are not allowed. At this time, one should not sing and dance. It would be best to devote this time to prayers, serving in churches and preparing for Easter.
Days of Holy Week of Great Lent
Each day of Holy Week is called Great and is intended for certain deeds. For example, on Maundy Monday you should finish all the work in your house, for example, paint and repair, clean up.
On Maundy Tuesday supposed to finish washing, ironing, darning clothes, and on Great Wednesday garbage is taken out of the dwelling and eggs are prepared for traditional Easter painting.
Clean Thursday in 2016: what date?
Great or Maundy Thursday in 2016 falls on April 28, 2016. On this day, you should swim at dawn: It is believed that water at this time has a special healing and cleansing power.. In addition, Orthodox believers on Maundy Thursday bake Easter cakes and prepare curd Easter, and before kneading the dough, it is imperative to read a prayer.
On Maundy Thursday, a fire is lit in churches, which should be preserved and brought to your home. It is believed that such a candle will protect from fire throughout the year.
Good Friday in 2016: what date?
The strictest day of Great Lent and Holy Week in particular is Great or Good Friday falling on April 29, 2016. On this day, according to legend, Jesus Christ was crucified.
On Good Friday, you can’t work around the house, and you can’t sing and have fun. In memory of the suffering of Jesus Christ, one should abstain from food.
Holy Saturday 2016
Holy Saturday is considered the most troublesome day for housewives. On this day, you need to prepare everything you need for the Easter feast, as well as consecrate the festive food in the church.
On the evening of Holy Saturday, Orthodox believers go to the temple, where during the night service they meet Holy holiday Easter, which in 2016 falls on May 1st. published
This event will start on April 10th. It is believed that the holiday is dedicated to last days life of Jesus Christ. For each day, there are only their own, permitted and prohibited products, this must be considered, otherwise Passion Week will not be observed.
Description of the church holiday
There are many ways to celebrate Holy Week, this article will look at the main activities of a believer during this period. Of course, you can’t talk about the church charter in such a dry manner - after all, Holy Week is the forerunner of the great Easter, which foreshadows a new round in your life, you can’t take it so dryly.
Good Monday, for example, requires adherence to the principle of "dry food", which neglects various fruits, you can not eat processed food. But you can also go in for sports and conduct your usual activities, of course, remembering that a believer needs to follow a huge number of rules.
You need to eat only as predicted. That is, you cannot voluntarily determine your diet, you are a believer! You need to understand and be aware of your place in this ever-changing society. otherwise, you can lose yourself in this way, drive into anguish. completely forget how to live properly. And this is very bad, because everyone needs God in their hearts, and you cannot be angry with him - you can send a terrible curse on yourself.
Yes, by the fact that you do not observe Holy Week in accordance with all the rules, you can also incur the wrath of Jesus, and then you can very many times regret your reckless decision, which was harmful not only for physical, but also for moral health, which cost you such a punishment, don't be too sure of yourself about this decision, otherwise you may completely forget about your position. A believer must be aware of his place.
Until April 16, it will be possible to enjoy this holiday, which brings the highest enlightenment to all believing families, does not bring anything bad and is one of the most holy weeks of the whole world.
Description by day of the week
You need to drink only water, for a great Monday, water is the most important thing. Together with moisture, you must pull out all the violence from yourself, it is very well used in various places, but you may not notice how everything was immediately resolved - you need to understand that it is also impossible to sin on Maundy Monday. You have to understand everything that is in the world.
- On Wednesday, you don’t have to bother at all - just eat what you already had. The environment is absolutely no different, that is, the “hunger strike” has not yet come here. You do not need to atone for your sins, you are literally sanctified by God himself, if, of course, you understand your faith.
- On a clean Thursday, plant foods are needed, the people's "weight loss" is already beginning here. Need to consume vegetable oil in food, so as not to gain much weight, but also to feel that you, too, can live in the same free way as you lived before.
- Friday is the most mournful day, on this day you can’t even drink Cahors. It is absolutely impossible, you can anger God, who is already dissatisfied with the fact that Friday is coming in this Holy Week. What to do? Definitely give up Cahors, so that you don’t have to do such a thing, you need to come to this on your own, not just like that, but just do what needs to be done.
- Saturday is a great day, on which begins the complete purification of the soul, victory over evil. Do not neglect this, since it is precisely the victory over evil that can give you a new, divine appearance. This is not like Friday, on Friday you may not come to insight at all, but if you can normally sacrifice yourself to Christ, then there will be divine repentance for you, do not forget about the rites!
- You should forget about gambling and there will only be problems from various kinds of events, otherwise the holiday will be extremely useless for you, you will forget about your divine affiliation and become only unnecessary sinners in the face of divine forces who will be disappointed in you and will no longer patronize yours. undertakings, and this is extremely terrible, you should not neglect this matter.
Immediately after the end of Palm Sunday, the last week before Easter begins, which is called Passion. Each day of this week is called the Great - since it was on these days that events took place that had special meaning in Orthodox Christianity: The Last Supper, the betrayal of Judas, the crucifixion of Christ - and then - his Resurrection. Therefore, every day has its own, special, and even mystical meaning.
Let's take a look at what can and cannot be done these days before Easter, and what signs and traditions exist.
Do's and Don'ts during Holy Week
Great Monday. Finished everything repair work housework, cleaning construction garbage, took out old, unnecessary things.
Great Tuesday. Finished repairing clothes, sewing, cutting, darning, ironing and the like. With melt water collected this year, they washed livestock to protect him from disease.
Great Wednesday. At night, from Tuesday to Wednesday, they took water from a river or well into a large jug or mug, and made the sign of the cross three times. At two o'clock in the morning they watered themselves with this water, leaving a little at the bottom, signing themselves with a cross three times. Clean clothes were put on a wet body, and the rest of the water was poured under a tree or bush. This meant the birth of a washed body and, according to signs, protected from diseases for the whole year.
Maundy Thursday - or Maundy Thursday. Clean Thursday in 2014 falls on April 17th. Maundy Thursday or Maundy Thursday is the fourth day of Holy Week, the strictest week of Great Lent.
Symbolic meaning has bathing on Maundy Thursday, on this day you need to wake up before sunrise and have time to swim. It is believed that in this way, as in Epiphany bathing, a person washes away all sins from himself, and all ailments and illnesses will bypass him.
On Clean Thursday, you need to go to church for confession and communion. On this day, according to customs, it is customary to do at home before Easter general cleaning. It is after going to church on a clean Thursday that you need to clean the house.
You need to clean up very carefully, not superficially - you should wash all the objects in the house, including the ceilings. There is a sign that if it is good to clean the house on a clean Thursday, then the whole next year the house will be clean. Again, the cleanliness of the house will reflect inner purity the soul of a believing Christian.
The custom for Pure Thursday is the preparation of Thursday salt. Each member of the family must take with clean hands a handful of salt and pour all the salt into a common pot. Every time the house is cleaned, salt should be added to the water to wash the floors. It is believed that this custom will help improve the atmosphere in the house.
After the grand cleaning carried out on Maundy Thursday, houses are not swept and cleaned according to customs until Easter itself.
Pure Thursday 2014: signs
The most famous sign on Maundy Thursday is to count money three times - in the morning before dawn, at lunchtime and at sunset. It is believed that in this way money will not be transferred in the house.
Another one of the signs of Pure Thursday is associated with Easter baking - if the treat turns out to be heavy and loose, then the believer will have to wait for the same year.
On Maundy Thursday, children's hair and women's hair ends are also cut - it is believed that from this they will grow better and be lush. Women who are unhappy in their personal lives are ordered to go waist-deep into the river on the night of April 17, 2014. It used to be that such a woman would soon meet her betrothed and her personal life would improve.
Clean Thursday 2014: conspiracies
On Clean Thursday, you can plot for a good income. To do this, you need to throw a handful of coins into the water that you are going to wash the apartment while saying: “Money, move - don’t transfer, grow, multiply, don’t get the enemy!”. On this day, they completed the cleaning in the house - they washed everything clean.
Mopping started from the threshold and ended in the farthest corner of the house, the water was taken out into the bushes or flower garden. It was considered obligatory on this day before sunset to wash with silver-plated water - this gave strength and beauty. To do this, they put a silver coin or a spoon, or other silver utensils in a mug or bowl of water, let it stand in the sun, and then washed.
After washing the house, walking with church candle in the corners and after reading “Our Father” three times, they began to prepare the dough for Easter cakes and paint the eggs.
Good Friday or Good Friday. A day of mourning and silence. Bells were not rung in churches on this day, and in houses it is impossible to rejoice - otherwise there will be grief all year later. it was also not customary to eat and drink before dinner - honoring the crucified Christ and his torment on the cross.
Great Saturday. She also intended to spend the day in final preparations for the celebration of Easter. You can’t have fun, have fun on this day, you need to spend the day in prayer. The one who did not go to bed on the night from Saturday to Sunday, health and wealth awaited.
Signs of Holy Week
So Holy Week many signs have long been associated with the people, especially with Thursday and Friday. Yes, in Maundy Thursday salt was prepared in a special way: they took large table salt, crushed it in a clean rag, then calcined it on fire, crushed it again and sieved it. It was believed that according to signs, such salt cleanses the energy of a person and protects against diseases. With thursday salt ate dyed eggs for Easter.
On Maundy Thursday, money was attracted to the house. To do this, they carried out such a ceremony: they put a handful of coins in the water for washing floors and slandered “Money, get drunk - don’t transfer, grow, multiply, don’t get the enemy!” After that, they washed the floors with this water backwards - from the threshold to the far corner. A handful of coins from a bucket were placed in this far corner, and water was poured under a bush or tree. It was also thought that more furniture will be moved in the room during cleaning, the richer the house will be.
Accept on Good Friday - no less.
- A loaf of bread baked on Good Friday heals all diseases and never gets moldy.
- On Good Friday, in no case should you pierce the ground with iron; whoever does this will be in trouble.
- If washed clothes are hung out to dry on Good Friday, bloodstains will appear on them.
- If you transport bees on any day other than Good Friday, they will certainly die.
- If you endure your thirst on Good Friday, then no amount of drinking will harm you for a whole year.
- Rings consecrated on Good Friday protect the one who wears them from all diseases.
- Easter muffin saved from one Good Friday to the next prevents whooping cough.
- Only parsley sown on Good Friday gives a double harvest.
- Weaning babies from the breast on Good Friday - the sign says that the child will be strong, healthy and will live happily.
- If it is cloudy on Good Friday, then the bread will be with weeds.
- If it is dawn on Good Friday, then the wheat will be grainy.
And on Good Friday, twelve candles were brought into the house from the church and allowed to burn out completely: it was believed that this would bring prosperity and happiness to the house.
