Is it possible to work on Orthodox holidays. What can and cannot be done on Palm Sunday - is it possible to clean the house on Palm Sunday - Palm Sunday traditions and customs what to do - is it possible to work on Palm Sunday or not M
On April 7, 2017, Lazarus Saturday begins for the Orthodox - one of the brightest holidays in Christianity. Every year on the eve of Palm Sunday, we remember one of the main miracles performed by the Lord Jesus Christ - the resurrection of Lazarus.
The history of the origin of the holiday is as follows: Christ often visited the house of his friend Lazarus and when he fell ill, he said to him: “This is not a disease to death, but to the Glory of God, may the Son of God be glorified through it.” But four days later, Lazarus died. As it is said in the Gospel, Jesus, having heard this news, shed tears, and then asked to remove the stone from the entrance to the cave where Lazarus was buried, read a long prayer, called to him, and the deceased was resurrected. The news of this miracle quickly spread throughout the region.
After this miraculous resurrection, Lazarus became a bishop, preached Christianity and lived for another thirty years. Today, in the church where Lazarus preached, there is an icon by the very altar. It depicts Saint Lazarus, and on the sides of him are his two sisters Martha and Mary.
A little further is the tomb of Lazarus, next to which the holy spring beats. Believers read the Holy Bible, cleanse their thoughts and conscience before the great church holiday. On Lazarus Saturday, special dishes are prepared and the nature and behavior of animals are monitored.
What Not to Do
Lazarus Saturday is a special day on which one cannot do hard work. This is a great sin. Also, you can not drink alcoholic beverages (the only exception is wine, which is allowed in small quantities). You can’t eat meat, trample on food crumbs that have fallen on the floor.
As for leisure, it is strictly forbidden to hunt, celebrate celebrations, including weddings and birthdays, have sex, sing and dance. Homework must be rescheduled for another day, as it is forbidden to engage in needlework, work in the garden, construction, washing, ironing, washing and cleaning. In no case do not fight, do not quarrel and do not refuse people their request. Violation of these rules is a grave sin, which is very difficult to expiate.
Traditions and customs
On this day, willow twigs are harvested, which then need to be consecrated in the church. Women pamper the family with buckwheat pancakes and porridge, pea dishes. These products must be present on the table so that the harvest of buckwheat and legumes is rich. Desserts are served with pumpkin or semolina and some wine.
Orthodox drink an alcoholic drink to remember Lazarus and honor Jesus, but the celebration itself takes place in the family circle, without frills and wild fun. Allowed to add to meals vegetable oil, because you need to prepare the body for the exit from Lent. People can eat caviar and various cereals, vegetable salads and other lean foods.
On Saturday evening, the service begins, and Christians come to church with bouquets of willow branches. They wait until they and the twigs are sprinkled with holy water. Returning home, the parishioners hit each other with twigs, saying: “I hit so that we and you are healthy.” Willow twigs that have been in the church bring peace and happiness to the house, fill the soul of believers with grace and joy.
Signs
On Lazarus Saturday, not only people feel the arrival of spring and divine grace, but also creeping reptiles. Residents of villages are sure to observe the behavior of snakes and lizards. If on this day vipers and other cold-blooded animals leave their burrows and nests en masse, real spring has come. It will soon be hot, so you can sow the grain and go out into the garden.
Some believe that it is on Lazarus Saturday that peas must be sown in order for them to bear fruit. If you read “Our Father” on this day, holding a willow branch in your left hand, and cross yourself with your right hand and ask God for financial well-being, then very soon money will appear in the family and the financial situation will improve.
Home is our home, our space. Here we rest, live, receive guests. In , cleanliness and atmosphere of comfort. There are many folk signs about the house. They also concern when it is impossible to clean the house.
All phenomena, actions have their own physical meaning and esoteric, symbolic. So cleaning in a house or apartment can be considered not only as cleaning the premises from debris and dirt, but also as cleansing the home from energy dirt. It is precisely with this, as well as with the fact that the world, invisible to our ordinary eye, is inhabited by different entities (brownies, goblin, etc.) and signs are associated that are passed down among the people from generation to generation.
When not to clean
Folk wisdom, folk beliefs say that you can not do the cleaning:
- after sunset, in the evening, at night;
- when one of the relatives or friends is on the road;
- after the matchmaking, the bride or groom's show;
- in big church holidays;
- with open windows;
- during cooking.
Let's take a closer look at each sign.
After sunset, in the evening, at night. It is believed that if you clean up in the evening or after sunset, then you can “wash away” the well-being and prosperity in the house. Some still believe that this can anger Domovik, and then he will begin to misbehave, harm the residents of the house.
There are other versions of why it is impossible to clean the house in the evening, as well as after sunset and at night. After sunset, there comes a time of darkness, Navi, when slightly different forces begin to act in the world than in daylight. After cleaning, a certain energy void is formed for a while, which dark energies can fill.
The second statement is logical. As for the brownie, one can argue here. And if he starts to get angry because of the evening cleaning, then you can talk to him and even appease him.
Here we will answer the question of whether it is possible to wash in the evenings. Although washing is not quite the same as cleaning. Signs, folk rumor say that better at night, do not wash in the evening.
While relatives, close on the road. There is a sign about cleaning, the opposite of this one. Be sure to wash the floors after the deceased was taken out of the house, buried. It is believed that then his soul will not wander around the house and disturb the household.
If we draw an analogy, it turns out that, washing the floors, cleaning after the departure of guests, relatives, relatives, we also make sure that they do not come to us anymore. But you want to see your friends, relatives. But if the guests were unwanted, unpleasant (alas, this happens), then it will not hurt to wash the floors after they leave to remove the negative from the house.
And while our loved ones are on the road, it is advisable, if possible, not to start big cleanings. It is believed that this way they can spoil, “wash” the road.
Actually, after the holiday, good gatherings, I want to stay in this wonderful state, and at the same time make sure that the guests have safely reached home.
After the wedding and the look. It is believed that on the day of the matchmaking, the bride or groom's bride in the apartment, it is impossible to clean up after coming home. Otherwise, the wedding may not take place. Other versions - you can not clean up within a day after such an important event.
Actually, usually, having come after such an event, you don’t want to suddenly start cleaning urgently. Moreover, they are already returning home in the evening, when it is no longer up to it. If such a desire suddenly arises, then we have already talked about whether it is possible to get out in the evening.
On major church holidays. It is important to understand here that each religion has its own rules and days, and people can profess different religions. For a Muslim, Christian holidays mean nothing. They have theirs. But, as a rule, in any religious tradition there are days forbidden for cleaning.
However, people say that then there will be a quarrel in the house.
During cooking. It is believed that cleaning the house in parallel with cooking is also impossible. Otherwise, there will not be enough food in the house.
Superstition or folk wisdom?
All signs are some kind of information that is passed down from generation to generation. Some of the signs are logical, some look like superstition, especially in our time, when many women work, and the time for cleaning and washing remains only in the evening or on weekends. And, by the way, the ban on cleaning in the evenings is a good reason to do nothing after a hard day, when you come home tired.
At the same time, one should not treat everything unambiguously. If a cat threw a vase off the table or a child, while you were away, pulled out everything he could reach from the closet, and all this was scattered around the apartment, then maybe you should not expect dawn? Especially if you have to go back to work in the morning.
Therefore, whether it is possible to clean up in the evening, in parallel with cooking or in another case, everyone decides for himself how to believe or not believe in various signs.
The week after Easter is traditionally called Bright. During this period, people continue to rejoice and congratulate each other on the past holiday.
By observing the basic traditions and prohibitions of the Easter week, you can avoid trouble. The week after Easter is called Holy Week. In 2018, it will run from 9 to 15 April. Despite the fact that Easter has already passed, people continue to visit churches and offer prayers for salvation and deliverance from sins to the Savior. At this time, festive liturgies are held in churches and religious processions are performed. Because great post came to an end in Easter week remove restrictions on the consumption of animal products. However, these are not the only traditions that must be observed during Bright Week. The experts of the site dailyhoro.ru will tell you more about them.
What to do during the Easter week
It is customary to start the Easter week with noisy festivities. On Monday, the housewives prepare their specialties and invite guests to the house. Must be on the table meat products, because it was them that the believers lacked so much during Great Lent. After the meal, all the guests gather in the courtyard, arrange games, sing and dance.
On the second day of Bright Week, it is customary to do more spiritual things: visit the temple, give alms, help loved ones. According to the sign, whoever misses the morning service on this day will attract poverty to his house.
Among the people, Wednesday has always been considered Women's Day. On this day, unmarried girls guessed at the betrothed, performed love spells and performed rituals to attract love. After that, they went out into the street in the hope of meeting their future husband.
Bright Thursday is a memorial day. At this time, the relatives of the deceased went to the cemetery, cleaned the graves of their loved ones and prayed for the souls of the dead. If on the way home you meet someone in need, then you cannot refuse to help him. Feed him or help him with money, but in return ask him to pray for your deceased relatives.
On Good Friday, men traditionally brewed beer. It was believed that beer brewed on this day could attract prosperity and wealth. That is why they cooked it for a week in advance and treated them to all relatives and neighbors.
On Saturday, believers went to the temple and, to the sound of bells, said goodbye to Bright Week. On this day, guests were again invited to the house and the table was laid. In order for the whole year to be rich and prosperous, the hostess had to bake at least 7 dishes. When the guests went home, all family members began to clean up. Cleaning at this time was considered an important ritual for getting rid of evil spirits and negativity.
Sunday of Easter week is the day of love. Young girls and boys who dreamed of finding love had to go out into the street and confess their love to any person of the opposite sex. Whoever dares to do this will find a soul mate in the near future.
What not to do on Easter week
During the Bright Week, it is strictly forbidden to get married. In this case, the marriage will be unhappy, and the newlyweds will divorce this year. Visiting the cemetery and remembering the deceased relatives is allowed only on Bright Thursday. On other days, it is not recommended to do this, because this is a time of joy and jubilation.
Easter week is bright and joyful. During this time, it is recommended to engage in spiritual matters, and not hard work. It is believed that those who neglect this prohibition will work tirelessly all their lives, and will not earn money.
On this day, Jesus performed one of his main miracles, so the holiday is extremely important for all believers. Observance of rituals and traditions on April 8 will bring you love and good luck.
Lazarus Saturday is celebrated differently every year. It depends on the day of Easter, when all living things wake up after a long cold.
Orthodox people fast before Easter. It lasts 40 days - that's how long Jesus suffered in the desert from the temptation of the Devil. Day of Remembrance
The resurrection of Lazarus is counted from Lent - this is the sixth Saturday of the Great Abstinence.
In the last weeks of Lent, the Church remembers the deeds of the Son of God, the miracles he performed during his lifetime, to which the resurrection of Lazarus belongs. In 2017, the sixth week of Lent falls on April 3-9, which means that we will celebrate Lazarus Saturday on the 8th. This celebration is dedicated to the great miracle that Jesus performed.
The Savior considered Lazarus his friend, and one day the news reached him that the righteous man had fallen mortally ill. Jesus went to help the afflicted, but four days before his arrival, Lazarus died. The Son of God went to the burial place where the deceased rested, and asked to move the huge stone blocking the entrance to the cave. The Son of God called out to the righteous, saying: “Lazarus! Get out! ”, after which a friend of Christ appeared from the burial cave, resurrected and alive.
The news of the miracle immediately spread throughout the land of Israel: they began to revere Jesus more than any king, people covered his path with their own clothes and palm branches, which we replace with willow. However, this event caused not only joy, but also hatred for the Son of God. Many priests wished Jesus dead and began plotting to carry out their evil plans.
Traditions and rituals on the feast of Saint Lazarus
In our time, the Church considers the miracle that happened to Lazarus to be one of the most important actions that the Savior performed during his lifetime in order to show people the power of God. This day symbolizes salvation and gaining life after the death of righteous people. The Lord is subject not only to our life, but also to death. Lazarus Saturday instills hope in our hearts for the future.
The festival falls at the end of Lent, many foods should be abandoned, so only certain foods are allowed on the table: fish dishes, caviar, pancakes, buckwheat and wine. Palm Sunday is celebrated the next day, so on Lazarus Saturday everyone blesses willow branches, symbolizing the resurrection: this tree begins to bloom earlier than the others after long cold weather. There is a belief that a slight blow with this branch will bring health and well-being for the whole next year.
People of all ages perform ritual ceremonies with which you can attract love and fulfill your desires. The consecrated willow branches should lie near the icon: when making a wish, you need to tear off three buds from the branch and eat them, drinking holy water, thinking about what you want to receive. However, such a ritual can only be done once, so the choice of desire should be taken very seriously. The willow has the greatest power at midnight.
In order to determine what cannot be done on Lazarus Saturday, one must understand the whole essence of this day and feel the importance of the events described in the holy scripture of the Bible.
So what is Lazarus Saturday? As indicated in the scripture, Lazarus was considered a friend of Jesus. Christ often visited him, and they talked a lot. Once Lazarus fell very ill, when Jesus saw this, he was very upset and said: “Your illness will lead not to death, but to the glorification of the Son of God.” After a while the patient died. Christ received this news and shed a tear, and then went to his burial place and resurrected Lazarus, who lived for another thirty years, glorifying our Savior.
On this day, every Orthodox should devote his thoughts to the above events, death, the meaning of being and the future of his soul.
Can I work on Lazarus Saturday?
Hard work on this day is a serious sin. When asked whether it is possible to do laundry on Lazarus Saturday, clean the house, wash dishes and do other household chores, the answer is categorically negative. The main work should also be put aside.
On this day, you can go along the willow twigs. They are then carried to the church for further consecration. Read the Bibles - try to understand and realize what this day is dedicated to.
Not welcome, but allowed to engage in matters of primary necessity (correction emergency household chores related to childcare, etc.).
What can you eat on Lazarus Saturday?
Traditionally, housewives bake buckwheat pancakes on this day, prepare dishes from various cereals and legumes. If desired, you can make a pumpkin dessert. Interestingly, this day allows you to add fish caviar and vegetable oil to your diet.
Any alcoholic drinks other than wine are prohibited. Wine is allowed in small quantities,
to directly commemorate Lazarus. On this date, fun or a stormy feast is not welcome.
Traditions of Lazarus Saturday
On this day, young girls are supposed to go from house to house and sing songs. In gratitude, the owner of the house should give these girls a raw egg and a symbolic amount of small money. As soon as the ceremony ends, the girls need to share everything received equally.
To make the next year prosperous, there is a tradition to whip each other with willow branches.
Many churched people consider any work on Sunday or on church holidays almost a sin. It went, apparently, from those times when on a Sunday or a holiday, the peasants went to the service with the whole family in the morning, and preferred to rest the rest of the day, because there were so few days when you could not work for the master.
Perhaps the superstitious tradition that forbids working on God's days has a different origin, but now it has been distorted to such an extent that in some families even a flower pot overturned by a cat on Easter Sunday or another twelfth holiday lies untouched until a weekday. For for touching a broom and a scoop on this day, "God will punish." Let's figure out what can and cannot be done on church holidays.
What do Orthodox people not do on holy holidays?
“Six days work, and do all your works; and the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God,” one of the 10 commandments given by the Lord to Moses sounded.
Believers believe that cleaning, washing or gardening and field work is the lot of weekdays. They are in a hurry to finish these vain activities by Sunday, and even more so by church holidays, in order to devote time to God and loved ones. So what don't Orthodox Christians do on God's days?
Many superstitious people equate physical labor during church holidays with a mortal sin.
Don't swear
Orthodox people really should not quarrel and scold on holy days, just like on any other day. After all, the Bible equates foul language with a mortal sin. The word is given to a person for prayer, communication with God and neighbors.
Scolding, even on church holidays, even on weekdays, a person defiles a part of his soul. It is difficult to call the ban on swearing and quarrels on holy days superstition, because this should be the norm for a Christian.
They don't clean up
Most of us will probably remember how our grandmother once said, “Today is a great holiday, don’t sweep,” and an unmotivated ban pulled us to do the opposite.
The tradition of not cleaning the house, not working in the garden and not doing needlework in holidays originates from the days of the emergence of Christianity in Rus', when religion was imposed by force. In order to gather newly converted Christians in the temple in the midst of suffering, it was necessary to forbid them to work under pain of God's punishment.
The ban worked, and every Sunday morning the peasants began with a service in the church. This tradition has reached modern days in a somewhat distorted form - as a ban on any physical activity, for example, cleaning. Moreover, the explanation of the ban by visiting the temple during the years of Soviet atheism was somehow obscured.
From the point of view of the clergy, it is better to finish putting things in order in the house on weekdays so as not to be distracted from prayer on a holiday, but they do not see a crime in doing worldly affairs after the service.
“Whoever works, he prays” - this is how priests in a Protestant church instruct their parishioners. Orthodox priests say that any work, including on Sunday, done with a prayer on the lips, is a charitable occupation.
Do not wash
On God's days, it is better not to arrange laundry, but to postpone it for another day, if possible
Laundry also belongs to physical work, which has fallen under the ban on the days of church holidays. Fortunately, the advent of the washing machine Orthodox people I got rid of this prohibition - it was no longer necessary to work on my own, having such an assistant in the house.
But in the villages, you can always catch the sidelong glances of your neighbors, hanging up the linen on God's day. Laundry "by hand" was and always will be hard work, especially when water has to be hauled from the well. And it takes all day - if you do laundry in the morning, it will not be up to church anymore.
That is why it was forbidden to wash on holy days, and if there was already a need in the form of a pile of diapers from a small child who cannot be forbidden to defecate on God's day, then this work was done after the service. So today, instead of prayer, the church does not allow doing laundry, and after or along with prayer - for God's sake!
Do not wash
By “washing” everyone understands something different, but no one is forbidden to take a shower on holy days
Do not wash on a holiday, otherwise you will then drink water in the next world - such an explanation of the ban on washing on God's days can be heard from our contemporaries. From a logical point of view, its interpretation is as follows: in order to heat the bath, you need to chop wood, apply water, watch the stove for several hours - there is a lot of work. In the old days, peasants tried to wash themselves before Sunday or before the holiday, in order to devote time to God, and not to chores.
In the 17th century, a royal decree was issued, according to which all bazaars and baths were closed before the all-night service, so that believing Christians would surely get to the church, and not turn off somewhere along the way.
Today, washing does not present such difficulties, so it is quite possible to take a bath or shower even before the service and go to church with pure thoughts and body. Priests consider all speculation about the ban on bathing to be superstitions.
Do not do needlework
Women are most annoyed by the ban of the older generation on needlework on Sundays, church holidays and, moreover, on Christmas Eve.
When there were no factory production and ready-made clothes in stores, needlework was the only opportunity for the hostess to dress the family for all seasons, and for the girl to prepare a dowry, all those sheets, pillows, towels, rugs that her future family would use. Of course, needlework was perceived as work, and even tedious and harmful to health!
The clergy allow needlework on the days of church holidays, the main thing is not to forget to visit the church
In Rus', Paraskeva Pyatnitsa was the "woman's saint", the patroness of needlework. Honoring her memory, on Fridays the peasant women did not spin, did not weave, did not sew or knit. And on the day of her name day on November 10, the needlewomen showed each other everything that they managed to create in a year.
The Church considers needlework to be a charitable occupation, and it is not for nothing that the simplest needlework is a common thing in monastic practice. And the association of a needle or a knitting needle with nails that stuck into the body of Christ, and other conjectures of our grandmothers, are considered by the clergy as superstition. There is no church ban on needlework on holidays, so modern craftswomen who enjoy this activity can create on any day, not forgetting about the Creator and the need to visit his temple.
Not working in the garden
Gardening and field work also fall under the activities prohibited for Christians on church holidays. As in the case of other physical labor, agricultural labor takes a lot of effort and time, which on God's day is better spent in prayer. Of course, it is quite possible to postpone planting potatoes or sowing spring crops in honor of a holy day, but not milking a cow, or watering a horse, not feeding a poultry house, citing the fact that work is prohibited, is unlikely to occur to anyone.
According to the Gospel of Luke, Jesus treated a sick man with dropsy in the house of one of the Pharisees' leaders. It happened on Saturday - the day of the Lord, when the Jews did not work. Having healed the sick man, Jesus said: “If one of you has a donkey or an ox falls into a well, will he not immediately pull it out on the Sabbath?”
According to the Gospel of Luke, chapter 14, verse 1-5
God allows you to work on God's day, the main thing is that the work should be done with prayer
Among the agricultural works, there are those that can be put off and find time to visit the temple, but there will always be things to do after prayer.
The church and clergy are loyal to any work on Sunday and holy holidays. Modern society has given birth to many professions whose working activity cannot be stopped for the sake of God's days. And a person will not always find the strength to give up the earnings that he feeds his children in order to pray every Sunday in the temple like a true Christian.
The Church advises to celebrate holidays with prayer. And, as on any other day, do not scold and try to do good, charitable deeds. And in the need to defend the work shift, tidy up one's own house or water the cattle after prayer, the clergy do not see anything sinful.
Now there is a substitution of concepts, when the ban on work is perceived as permission to be lazy. From the point of view of Christian teaching, one of the seven deadly sins is laziness. Therefore, when a person does not visit the temple on Sunday or on holy holidays, but spends the day in idleness, for example, in front of the TV or drinking, motivating this by saying that nothing can be done anyway, this is perceived by the church as a greater sin.
Of course, it is better for a believer to spend a holiday with his family, not forgetting to visit the temple in the morning, but also to wipe the dust, remove the broken flower pot, bathe or wash soiled children's panties by the church, and moreover, by God, is not forbidden.