The Baptism of the Lord will be celebrated by Orthodox Christians on January 19. Sputnik talks about categorical prohibitions and beneficial traditions of one of the main Orthodox holidays.
What to do on the Feast of Epiphany
It is worth starting a festive morning with a prayer so that diseases bypass you and your family, peace and prosperity reign in the circle of loved ones, and cherished dreams come true. The house must be sanctified with holy water.
The dreams that you manage to see on the night of January 18-19 are considered prophetic: they are worth remembering. It is very symbolic - to great happiness - to get married on this holiday and baptize children. And if you don’t do good deeds, then the created good will return a hundredfold.
On the eve of the holiday, believers fast. On the festive table on January 19, there must be traditional kutya made from wheat or rice with honey, raisins, poppy seeds and dried apricots, as well as uzvar, cereals, fish dishes, dumplings and muffins. According to tradition, you can break your fast only when the first star appears in the sky.
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Holy water collected for Baptism is kept all year round: you can sprinkle it on a house and drink it on an empty stomach (in particular, during illness or life's trials). By the way, it is not necessary to collect a whole canister: the clergy advise to collect a small bottle, and then dilute the water in a larger container and distribute it to relatives.
What not to do at the Baptism of the Lord
On a holiday, it is forbidden to work and do household chores: for example, wash clothes, clean the house, and even sew or knit. Even on the day of the Epiphany of the Lord, it is forbidden to guess: it is believed that you can negatively change your fate.
One of the baptismal signs is that any quarrel in the house can desecrate holy water, so it is recommended to spend the holiday in a warm home environment and be sure to pray with your family. It is also impossible to shed tears on this day, otherwise there is a risk of crying bitterly until the very next Epiphany. It is also strictly forbidden to complain, gossip and slander even your most sworn enemies. It is also worth driving away bad thoughts from yourself at the time when you are collecting or drinking holy water: it can lose its healing properties.
Baptism is the end of the New Year and Christmas festivities, but this is not the importance of the holiday. Theophany during the period of Christianity has acquired great importance for people living or striving to live a full spiritual life, and has become a sacred symbol of purification for the majority.
Not without the fact that church holiday a lot of folk signs and beliefs were mixed in, which, by the way, tend to come true. There was no magic involved either.
Epiphany turned out to be a holiday with a somewhat liberal bias, allowing divination, the use of conspiracies and the analysis of signs. But here’s what you can’t do at Epiphany, January 19, is to swear and hide anger. Actually, such actions are punishable on any day, but especially on Epiphany.
Guessing - only on Christmas Eve
Marriage, health and well-being of loved ones is a familiar set of questions, the solution of which has remained relevant for centuries, and you want to know the answer in advance, and that it must be positive.
You can find out your fate, but not on Epiphany itself, but on the evening before, until 00:00 inclusive. Further - taboo. At midnight, new, festive days start, and those who did not have time to find out their future are late. Fortune-telling will have to be postponed for a whole year. In the old days, the girls did just that, they were God-fearing and well aware of what should not be done at Epiphany, January 19th.
conspiracy conspiracy
Conspiracies can also be attributed to the category of divination. Active actions on the part of a person to correct their fate were also taken before midnight. But some rituals (for money, for example) were allowed to be performed before dawn, in parallel with the collection of baptismal water.
Analyzing (January 19) - what can be done and what cannot be done - we come to the conclusion that it is possible to wish yourself and those around you wealth, health, marriage (marriage) and direct all spiritual, magical and prayer forces to this. You can’t think badly - the boomerang effect in holidays appears more clearly and acts faster.
List of baptismal signs
The main signs for Baptism, January 19 (what can and cannot be done), one hundred and fifty years ago, were a program of action that was adopted by everyone - from young to old.
Now they are not widely believed in and are perceived rather as entertainment, but more and more often they notice that forecasts based on the fluffiness of the snowfall, the clarity of the stars, the side of the wind, are not devoid of logic.
Two days after the Epiphany, they do not wash at home and two weeks - in the hole.
But dipping into the hole is welcome. It is especially useful for those who dared to tell fortunes the day before - water will wash away this sin.
You can sprinkle the house with holy water.
Before Epiphany, the hostess is allowed to personally draw small crosses over the windows and front door- it will save the house from troubles.
If a bird knocks on the window at Baptism, pray for the dead relatives, it is their souls that ask the living for help and charitable deeds.
Why can't you feed chickens?
One of the strange, at first glance, Epiphany prohibitions is on feeding chickens on this day. It would seem that such cruelty to living beings is unacceptable. But zealous villagers, who count not only every laying hen, but also every sprout in the garden in the summer, take the ban with all seriousness.
They have well-fed chickens - at number one on the list "What not to do on Epiphany, January 19." What does the poor bird, forced to suffer on a bright holiday, have to do with it? It is not known where such a sign came from, but they say that if it is on Epiphany that the chickens are not fed, in the summer they will not rake the beds and spoil the seedlings.
Physical labor is prohibited
On the big day, all types of physical labor are prohibited. This is probably the most enjoyable. What can not be done on Epiphany, January 19? That's right, work! The time freed from daily tedious work can be spent pleasantly and profitably - attend a service in the temple, go on a visit, have fun with friends.
Of course, meeting nice people with us means "fifty and more." You can warm your soul a little with alcohol even at Epiphany. What you can’t do on a holy day is to get too carried away and “sort out”. Firstly, the holiness of the holiday does not save you from a hangover and a headache. Secondly, looking like a famous pet is simply indecent. It's better to be drunk on a beautiful day happy holiday, revel in faith in a wonderful future predicted on Christmas Eve, and enjoy life just like that.
Baptism, like any religious holiday, is celebrated not only by believers. Many on this day just go “for the company” to swim in the hole, cover festive table and stock up on holy water.
And as it usually happens, people bring folk traditions to every religious holiday. There are various signs that people trust, and which they perform exactly like church rites. All these traditions take root over time and become inseparable from each other. What are the signs for Baptism on January 19, what can and cannot be done, let's consider.
On Epiphany, you can and should perform all the religious rites of this holiday: go to church, defend the service, plunge into the hole three times, collect holy water and set the festive table.
In addition, you can pray all day and ask for something good. If a titmouse knocks on the window at Baptism, then it is also necessary to pray for those who have already passed away.
Every hostess on the eve of Epiphany has the right to draw small crosses in the house above the windows and the door with chalk. It is believed that such a ritual is able to protect the home from harm.
And on Epiphany, you can sprinkle the house with freshly brought holy water. This can drive away evil spirits.
Baptism is a holiday that should help people become spiritually enriched, forget all the bad things, wash away their sins and be nourished with strength for the whole year. Each person should remember how important he is to believers and respect their feelings.
Therefore, on January 19, in no case should you think about the bad, and even more so quarrel and wish someone harm. In addition, it is believed that if during a conflict a person has holy water in his hands, then it immediately loses its magical properties.
Also on this holiday you can not be greedy. We need to share food and, of course, holy water. You can’t take too much of it, you can’t push around while standing in line for water, it is believed that this will bring trouble to a person.
In addition, it is forbidden to guess at Epiphany - before that there was plenty of time for such rituals, Christmas time lasted from January 6 to January 18, so on the evening before 19, you need to hide all the items with which magical rituals were performed. After Baptism, it is also impossible to guess.
You can't get drunk on Epiphany. Since this is a great holiday, you can drink a glass of wine, but you should not abuse alcohol.
Is it possible to do physical labor in Baptism
Many housewives are probably interested in whether it is possible to get out on January 19th. No, you can’t, because on religious holidays it is strictly forbidden to work and engage in physical labor.
Is it possible to clean up on January 18 before Epiphany - it is possible if the hostess did not have time to prepare the apartment for the holiday, but only in the morning - in the evening you need to pray, go to church and fast.
It is also worth remembering that you can only do laundry until January 18th. And then on Epiphany and two more days after the holiday, you can’t wash things. Previously, women who wanted to wash clothes in the river where the hole had been cut down had to wait until two weeks had passed after the holiday.
Signs for Baptism
There are several other interesting baptismal signs. So, for example, residents of villages and villages claim that chickens cannot be fed on Epiphany. A folk sign says that if you feed poultry on this day, then in the summer they will ruin the beds and destroy the seedlings.
Also, people who have a garden believe in another sign that if a poorly growing tree is poured with holy water, then it will begin to bear fruit next fall.
Another one good omen- to baptize a child on this holiday. It is believed that thanks to this he will be happy and grow up healthy.
People also believe that it is necessary to monitor the weather on Epiphany, because it determines how the whole year will be: warm or cold, rainy or dry.
To find out what weather will prevail in summer, you need to leave the house in the morning and look at the sky. If the sky is clear and the frost stings your cheeks, it means that the summer will be dry. And if the weather is cloudy, then in the summer there will be a lot of precipitation, which means that in the fall you can expect a good harvest.
You can also find out whether the harvest will be rich by the number of stars in the sky. If there are a lot of them, then this year it will be possible to eat plenty of fruits, berries and legumes.
Here is a list of the main things you can and cannot do at Epiphany. It is believed that if you spend this holiday peacefully, observing all the traditions, you can be sure that the whole year will go well.
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One of the main holidays for Orthodox Christians is the Baptism of the Lord. Few people know that this day is directly related to gospel event- Baptism by John the Forerunner of Jesus Christ in the Jordan River. This great day gives people the opportunity to be cleansed of all sins. The Orthodox people try to observe all the traditions of the holiday, and many also believe in signs for Baptism.
Folk signs for baptism
The main Epiphany tradition is swimming in the hole. On the night of January 18-19, believers plunge into the baptized water, prepared in advance, in order to at least slightly repeat the washing of Christ in the Jordan River.
There are many different signs associated with Epiphany on January 19, if people noticed them, then this helped to look into the future. Most still believe in folk omens trying to pay attention to them.
For a wedding
Orthodox lovers who wish to tie their bonds in marriage regard marriage, as in ancient times, as a sacred rite. Therefore, they pay Special attention to wedding signs and superstitions. Most often, a man and a woman marry in spring and summer, but superstitious couples choose winter, and this is not just.
According to the sign, those newlyweds who decide to become a family at Epiphany are doomed to a happy future life without quarrels, betrayals, etc. The mothers of the future newlyweds sewed baby undershirts for Epiphany, and when a baby was born, he was baptized in these clothes. And some believing couples try to register their marriage right on this great holiday.
For money and wealth
- If a snowstorm and snowstorm overtook a person on this day, then money and prosperity await him all year.
- Dogs bark a lot in the evening - the year will be monetary.
At Baptism, most people prefer such a method of attracting wealth as a conspiracy, this has been going on for a long time. According to the rules, exactly at midnight, the Orthodox wrote a plot on a piece of paper, set it on fire, and scattered the remaining ashes near the porch.
Some argue that this rite works and brings prosperity. The unemployed find something to their liking, young people easily pass exams and get a prestigious job.
Born for Christmas
It is believed that if a person was born at Christmas time, then he will live a long happy life. On his life path there will be no difficulties, and his thoughts will always be pure and bright. By meeting him, you can get best friend and just good man. Therefore, Orthodox Christians who expect replenishment in the first month of winter hope that the child will be born on this holiday.
For the harvest
People who live in private houses and have their own garden, or those who have summer cottages with seedlings or fields, are always worried about their harvest.
On the night of the Epiphany of the Lord, one can predict what kind of harvest will be in the summer, judging by the signs.
Harvest tips:
- You can put cups with different grains in the cold - in the morning frost will indicate those breads that will give the best harvest.
- If at noon on Epiphany there are blue clouds for the harvest, and clear and cold weather for a dry summer, that is, the harvest will be poor.
- If Epiphany frosts (January 19) are stronger than Christmas (January 7) and Sretensky (February 15) - the year will be fruitful.
For the fulfillment of desires
To make a wish, and it came true, you need to perform a ritual that can be done in two ways.
- On the evening of Epiphany Christmas Eve, pour some holy water into a cup and throw a silver coin into it.
- Place the cup so that moonlight falls on it. Make a secret wish, whisper it 3 times.
- In the morning, go outside and pour out the water. Hide the coin in a secluded place that no one will know about.
This ritual is most powerful when Epiphany falls on a full moon.
- On Epiphany night, pour blessed water into a cup.
- When light ripples go through the water, go outside and, looking at the sky, mentally say your desire 3 times.
- To ask sincerely, not to wish anything bad to anyone, only bright and kind.
- Put holy water under the icon in the morning, it can stand there even until the next Baptism.
If you do everything right, the desire will surely come true. However, in the case when the water in the cup remains still, it makes no sense to make a wish, it will not come true.
On the floods of the rivers
Orthodox Christians believe in signs of river floods. Therefore, every year on the night of the holiday they watch the moon. If a full moon falls on the Baptism of the Lord, then in the spring you should be wary of river floods and floods. There are many cases when rivers overflowed in villages and villages, flooding the entire crop.
For the weather
There are signs that most people who live in villages with their own fields and gardens believe in. They are connected with the weather, and they affect the harvest.
Weather notes:
- if the weather is clear and cold on Holy Theophany, the summer will be dry;
- cloudy and fresh - to a bountiful harvest;
- starry night - the summer will be dry, the harvest for peas and berries;
- snow on Epiphany flakes - good bread will be born;
- there will be a thaw - by the harvest;
- clear day - to crop failure;
- the wind will blow from the south - it will be a thunderous summer.
Is it possible to guess at Baptism?
This question is asked by everyone, and no one can give an exact answer. Someone thinks that this is a sin, while others, on the contrary, believe that fortune-telling, just like omens, helps to predict the future. However, fortune-telling is a long-standing tradition, and Orthodox people say that you can guess from January 6 to 18. On the 19th, it is forbidden to do this.
Young girls are waiting for the January holidays in order to tell fortunes and get predictions for love. People believe that fortune-telling these days is true.
Religious signs
Baptism is a religious holiday. Therefore, Orthodox Christians believe in signs associated with him.
Religious signs include:
- If a person is baptized for Baptism, then he expects happy life, however, if wax with cut hair, the person being baptized drowns in the font - this is a bad event.
- If you put a glass (bowl) of water on the table, and ripples go through it, then the Sacrament of Baptism has happened. However, this is no longer being followed.
Holy water
Water is the beginning of life. Holy water has incredible properties. At Epiphany, people go to church to bless the water, which they then use throughout the year. From January 18 to 19, the water in rivers, lakes and even taps becomes holy. She sprinkles every corner of the house, thereby protecting her house from evil. Consecrated water is used from the evil eye and spoilage.
Orthodox Christians believe that such water is a cure for everything. After swimming in the hole, clothes do not need to be washed. It must be well dried and put into storage, if a person feels unwell, then you need to put on this thing, and the disease will go away.
Signs that relate to consecrated water:
- You can’t swear and quarrel while holding consecrated water in your hands, it is believed that in this way it loses its strength.
- When collecting holy water, you need to know when to stop. You can't take too much water. It is forbidden to be greedy when typing it, it will attract only bad things to a person.
- If consecrated water is diluted, it will lose its strength.
- It is forbidden to guess at Baptism, but it is allowed to perform rituals using consecrated water.
What can not be done on this day?
Baptism is a great holiday, Orthodox people rejoice and celebrate this celebration. But there are things that are forbidden to do on this day:
- it is forbidden to swear and quarrel on this day;
- guessing on January 19 is not allowed, as well as after the holiday;
- you can’t get drunk on a holiday, it’s allowed to drink a little wine and no more;
- from Christmas Eve, it is undesirable to take anything out of the house or borrow money in order to avoid poverty this year;
- you can not do physical labor on this day;
- you can’t cry at Epiphany, otherwise there will be tears all year.
What needs to be done for Baptism?
In addition to prohibitions, there are rules and beliefs that must be followed:
- It is necessary to fast before the holiday.
- On this day, you must definitely go to church and collect at least 1 liter of holy water.
- On this day, be sure to set aside time for prayers and thank the Lord for everything that is available.
- Each housewife needs to draw crosses over the doors and windows of her house, thereby protecting herself and her family from evil spirits.
- It is considered a good omen that if on January 19 the keeper of the family hearth counts all the tablecloths, then you can count on material success in the house.
All believers must perform the rite of bathing in the hole. Orthodox people are sure that after swimming, a person gains good luck and success for the whole year.
On January 18, all Orthodox celebrate Epiphany Christmas Eve, and on January 19 - Epiphany. These two days are very strong in their energy, so it is so important to adhere to certain rules.
Since ancient times, it has been customary to collect water on this day, to stock up for a year. It is believed that Epiphany water washes away sins and helps to purify, acquires special healing properties and helps to cope with various ailments and diseases.
She needs to consecrate every corner of her home in order to ensure order and peace in the house in the coming year. It is worth noting that medicinal properties water can be lost if, while taking or taking it, you quarrel with someone or bad thoughts visit you. It is believed that on Epiphany it is necessary to drink holy water in order to be healthy all year round.
What can be done at the Baptism of the Lord:
On Epiphany Christmas Eve, the whole family gathers at the table, only lenten dishes are served on the table. But on January 19, a magnificent table with various goodies is already being arranged for the Holy Theophany of the Lord.
sprinkle all the corners of the house with holy water so that there is harmony and understanding in the family;
can be observed January 18-19 Lent.
dive into the hole, if health permits. Epiphany water washes away sins and helps to purify.
What not to do at the Baptism of the Lord:
In no case should you touch the scissors on this day (so as not to cut off your fate) - do manicures, pedicures, and haircuts. And even if you go to a beauty salon, that is, other people's hands will bring beauty to you, you will still contribute to your destiny negative events- diseases, grief, fears
quarrel, swear, leave the house in anger;
complain, gossip, slander;
clean, wash, knit and sew. It is better to stop any work these days;
after Baptism, one cannot guess, otherwise you will guess fate for the worse.
On this day, you should not borrow money, you will ask for a loan all year. And what is unpleasant - it will constantly grow.
Signs and superstitions for the Epiphany 2018:
People baptized on January 19, according to popular beliefs, will be happy all their lives.
For the young, Epiphany was the best day to agree on a wedding: "Epiphany handshaking - to a happy family."
If the wind blows from the south on January 19, the summer will be stormy.
According to the weather on January 19, we judged what kind of weather awaits in December.
Cold and clear at Epiphany - for a dry summer, fresh and cloudy - for a rich harvest.
On Epiphany, it is not customary to feed chickens so that you do not have to dig gardens.
And three days after Epiphany they do not rub linen.
If dogs bark a lot at Epiphany, there will be a lot of animals and game.
If it snows, especially when they enter the water, next year will be fertile.
Epiphany divination
In the old days, divination at Baptism was popular entertainment. However, divination is not a religious custom at all. Divination has nothing to do with true Christianity and the very feast of the Baptism of the Lord, but goes back to paganism.
The girls at Epiphany guessed at the betrothed: they put different rings in a bag of grain and, taking them out in turn, determined their fate. A copper ring promised a poor groom, a silver one from a family with an average income, a ring with a gem - a noble groom, and a gold one from merchants.
Another common divination was to go outside the gate in the evening and call on the betrothed. It was considered a good omen to meet a young guy, and a bad omen to meet an old man.
Dreams on the night of Epiphany were considered prophetic, and the girls thought of seeing their future spouse in a dream.
On Epiphany, mothers bake cookies in the form of crosses for breakfast. For each household member, the hostess specially marks his cookies. When the pastries are taken out of the oven, the cookies determine what the year will be like for family members. If the cross is magnificent, ruddy and well baked, therefore, success and prosperity await the one to whom it was supposed. If the baking is burnt, then the year will be unsuccessful. If the cross turned out with cracks and bumps, serious problems await this family member. Most often, burnt and failed crosses are not shown to anyone; they are best fed to birds.
Prayer on the Feast of the Epiphany (Theophany)
“Lord Jesus Christ, the Only-Begotten Son of God, born from the Father before all ages, Light from the Light, enlighten every one, in the last years from the Blessed Virgin Mary, incorruptible incarnate and come to this world for our salvation! You didn’t suffer if you saw from the devil the tormented human race, and for this reason, on the bright day of Your Theophany, you came to the Jordan as a sinner and a publican to be baptized from John, sinless, yes, fulfill all righteousness and take the sins of the whole world in the waters of the Jordan, like the Lamb God, in a hedgehog I bear on Myself and redeem with the Baptism of the Cross, Your pure Blood. For this sake, I plunge into You in the waters, opening the heavens to You by Adam, and the Holy Spirit descending on You in the form of a dove, bring enlightenment and deification to our nature, and Your Most Divine Father proclaim His good will to You with a heavenly voice, for You have not done His will and man has taken sins and you have already prepared for the slaughter, as if you yourself said: “For this sake, the Father loves me, as if I believe my soul, but I will receive it again,” and so on this all-bright day, You, Lord, laid the foundation for our redemption from the fall ancestral. For this sake, all the powers of heaven rejoice and all creation rejoices, looking forward to its liberation from the work of corruption, saying: Enlightenment has come, grace has appeared, deliverance has arrived, the world is enlightened and people are filled with joy.
Let heaven and earth rejoice now, and let the whole world play; let the rivers splash; springs and lakes, abysses and seas, rejoice, as if by Divine Baptism their nature was sanctified today. Let the council of men rejoice today, as if their nature is now packed to the first nobility, and let everyone sing with joy: Theophany is the time. Come mentally to the Jordan, we will see a great vision in it: Christ is coming to Baptism. Christ comes to the Jordan. Christ buries our sins in the water. Christ the sheep of the kidnapped and the erring comes to seek and find it, introduces him into paradise. We celebrate the remembrance of this Divine sacrament, fervently pray to You, Humane Lord: vouchsafe us who are thirsty, according to Your voice, to come to You, the Source of life-giving water, that we draw the water of Your grace and the remission of our sins, and that we reject impiety and worldly lusts; chastely and virginally, and righteously and piously, let us live in the present age, waiting for the blessed hope and the manifestation of Your glory, the Great God and our Savior, but not from our deeds save us, but according to Your mercy and according to the renewal of Your Holy Spirit by the bath of resurrection, His own thou hast poured out abundantly, that, having been justified by His grace, we will be the heirs of eternal life in Your Kingdom, where with all the saints, grant us to glorify Your all-holy Name with Your Beginningless Father and with Your Most Holy and Good and Life-giving Spirit now and ever and forever and ever. Amen".
