The long-awaited bright holiday of Christmas has its firmly entrenched features: along with church traditions, folk and even pagan traditions are intertwined in it. Most people prepare for it long before it comes. Starting from November 28, deeply religious people begin to keep a strict Christmas fast, the outcome of which comes on the evening of January 6 with the appearance of the first star - the symbol of the Bethlehem miracle. And the majority of our citizens like to celebrate Christmas according to Catholic customs - December 24-25 and Orthodox - January 6-7. And in parallel, still celebrate the magical New Year! The string of these wonderful holidays cannot overshadow all the charm of a quiet, calm family celebration. But this does not mean that you will be bored. Having thought about how to spend the Christmas holidays, choosing the most interesting option, you can forever remember the wondrous Nativity of Christ.

• One of the most pleasant and at the same time affordable budget options is considered to be a Christmas vacation spent with your family, with your loved ones and people dear to your heart. At the same time, you do not need to spend money on a trip to exotic countries, but it is better to invite friends and relatives to your place or go to them by invitation. Traditionally, on Christmas Eve, on the evening of January 6, the godparents are offered kutya - rice porridge with honey, nuts and raisins. Not everyone adheres to this ancient custom today, but they are happy to replace it with a festive cake, sweets and fruits. The advantage of this option is considered to be the enjoyment of warm home comfort and wonderful companionship, which we so often lack in a series of working days. You can delight friends and family with small gifts, arrange contests and games for children and adults, watch an interesting kind film. If weather conditions permit, then on Christmas day you can go out into the yard with the whole gang, taking with you skis, skates or sledges, play snowballs, ride on an ice slide or make a snowman, returning briefly to your distant childhood. Fresh winter air and active games will give you a wonderful mood and the feeling of a beloved family holiday in the circle of relatives and friends.

• The tradition of inviting any passer-by to the table on Christmas evening, because Jesus Christ himself may be hiding under his guise, remains alive in the villages to this day. In urban life, the period of Christmas is associated with the help of needy families or children from an orphanage. In any settlement of the country, it is customary to hang feeders for birds, for which it is difficult to find food during this period. Grandchildren try to present their grandparents with homemade products and visit them, if not on Christmas Eve, then in the coming Christmas days.
• For Christmas, it has long been customary not to sit at the festive table, gobbling up 12 dishes, but to move a lot, play, walk. After dinner, believers went to church, and the rest ran out into the street, dressed in costumes of fairy-tale heroes or images of evil spirits: goats, foxes, crane, wolf, kikimora. Today they teach or write carols-songs on paper, which they previously knew by heart. They knock on neighbors, acquaintances and friends, shower them with grain for prosperity and well-being next year, and the owners will not hesitate to treat the carols with sweets, pastries or give them a little money.

• Fans of foreign extreme recreation take trips to Bali or Goa, where they have long fallen in love with noisy Russian tourists, and for Christmas they arrange Christmas trees on the streets of gilded coconuts, bamboo and other tropical plants. The tourists themselves cook kutya with fresh fruit, communicate with each other and have fun during the Christmas holidays.

• In recent years, there has been a fashionable trend to go to the countryside for Christmas. If there are no acquaintances and friends in the countryside, then a house is rented, decorated in advance with Christmas paraphernalia: paper angels, snowflakes and bright stars made of tinsel. A cozy dwelling is being prepared, various "camping" dishes are brought with them and a real Christmas feast is set off! And after it, the guests will enjoy pleasant outdoor activities, mummers and carols, snowball games, skiing, sledding and ice skating, singing and dancing until the morning. Such a holiday leaves only the most pleasant impressions!
• Connoisseurs of a quiet, secluded rest purchase inexpensive vouchers to the nearest sanatoriums, where they can enjoy a "lazy" rest or take a walk around the area on pristine snow, breathe fresh air.

• From time immemorial, unmarried girls and adults have used the fact that Christmastide was held from January 6 to 18, when it was possible, with the help of various fortune-telling, to find out your betrothed or reveal the secret of future events in life. They lit candles in front of mirrors, looking at reflections, playing solitaire and throwing a slipper. Cheerfully and carelessly, the girls learned about whether they would get married this year, and the old people wondered about the next harvest, sticking spikelets into the snow, choosing those that were covered with frost in the morning. Such ears of grain promised a rich harvest of bread.

On the bright holiday of the Nativity of Christ, rarely does anyone think about how to spend the Christmas holidays, because on these days folk festivities, games, and dances take place everywhere. In the evenings, the pagan rite of caroling brings in a cheerful and positive mood. Despite the development of high technologies, and the mobilization of relations in modern society, we are increasingly drawn to our origins. The Nativity of Christ is just a great occasion to relax, have fun and get a boost of vigor, as well as enjoy communication with your family, relatives and friends.

Culture

Homemade smell of pine needles and festive dishes, colorful garlands, carols: all this action takes place on a magical holiday called Christmas , which believers all over the world are eagerly awaiting.

About Christmas world traditions, about how how to spend Christmas,what signs should be observed to attract prosperity and happiness to the house, will be discussed further.

Holiday Christmas

This holiday, on the eve of which they celebrate Christmas Evepeople in almost 200 countries around the world are looking forward to. And this is not surprising, because Nativity - one of the biggest holidays in Christianity.

The holiday originates from pagan times. By tradition, on Christmas Eve, you cannot eat until the first star.

Catholics celebrate Christmas Eve on December 24, while Orthodox people celebrate Christmas Eve on January 6. The word Christmas Eve comes from "sachevo" (meaning grains of wheat, which are soaked with juice from the seeds).

The celebration begins with the rising of the evening dawn, which, according to legend, announces to the world about the birth of the Son of God.

In modern times, the original meaning of Christmas is gradually being lost, but the main thing remains: the holiday is celebrated houses, and at the same time the family gathers at the festive table, celebrating the Nativity of Christ in peace and love for each other.

Christmas traditions

According to legend, Christmas is based on the birth of the Son of God Jesus Christ by the Virgin Mary.

This holiday is the most solemn when accompanied by three services for believers - at midnight, at dawn and during the day. According to Christian tradition, the birth of Christ was able to save human souls and give eternal life to every believer.

This is one of the few holidays that closely intertwine folk and church traditions. There is still an interesting tradition caroling.

In the evening of January 6 and in the morning of January 7 children go from house to house, covering the floor with grains of barley and wheat. Also, children sing carols songs, wishing the owners prosperity and peace. The owners, in turn, give the children coins and sweets, which, according to legend, bring good luck for the whole year.

The tradition of the Christmas table has not been lost, where it should be twelve dishes - by the number of disciples of Jesus.

In Russian-speaking countries it is brewed uzvar - a drink made from dried fruits and berries, symbolizing a happy and prosperous life. In addition, at Christmas, it is customary to bake pies (or pie), in one of which a coin is put. Those who find it will be lucky throughout the coming year.

Christmas in the Czech Republic

Baked carp, sugar biscuits and potato salad from conservative Czechs are must-haves on the Christmas table. Czechs never invite guests to the Christmas table, because this is a purely family holiday for them.

There should be a head of garlic under the Czech festive table. Christmas fortune-telling is also a must for them.

Christmas in Poland

For Christmas dinner in Poland, meatless dishes are certainly prepared. Before the festive dinner, the Poles break the round cakes called "oblatni" and wish each other good luck, happiness and health.

Christmas in Germany

In Germany, they give each other the so-called Christmas star - this is a "spurge" plant, which in its shape resembles a star. The Germans traditionally give clover in a pot to invite good luck into the house, and serve a gingerbread pig or chimney sweeps (squid in their own ink) at the Christmas table.

Christmas in Croatia

Croats traditionally put candles in the center of the Christmas table, which are decorated with garlands. And on the table there must be small cookies in powdered sugar in the shape of red hearts.

Christmas in Bulgaria

It is a tradition of Bulgarians to sculpt scenes of the birth of Christ from bread crumb.

Christmas in Sweden

In Sweden, Christmas is called Yul, and they prepare for it in 2-3 weeks: they traditionally bake cookies, bread and brew beer. Swedes believe in the healthfulness of these products on Christmas Eve.

Christmas in Finland

Finns make sure to sprinkle straw on the floor, while unmarried girls sleep on this straw on Christmas night in order for them to dream of their future betrothed.

Christmas in the Baltic countries

Many old rituals and traditions have been preserved in the Baltic countries.

IN Estonia, for example, according to a centuries-old tradition, citizens wear wreaths at this time.

Lithuanian the traditional Christmas dinner is fish dishes. At the same time, the best place at the table remains for a possible unexpected guest.

People have always been doing fortune telling on Christmas Day. Christmastide is a holiday from December 24 to January 6, which is considered a time for fortune-telling. And it doesn't matter whether you believe in fortune-telling or not, but this is a tradition among many Christians.

No matter what traditions You will meet the bright holiday of Christmas, know that it brings peace and love. On this day, you need to think about your place in life and how to become better.

Signs for Christmas

From time immemorial, the celebration of Christmas has been inseparable with various beliefs and signs by which one could foresee the weather, attract good luck, prosperity and prosperity to the house. The main signs for Christmas consider below.

• Our ancestors believed that a blizzard on Christmas Eve would bring early spring.

• Warm and clear weather at Christmas - by the cold spring.

• A young month at Christmas is financially bad.

• Frosty trees at Christmas are a sign of a good grain harvest, while a starry sky is a sign of a rich legume harvest.

• Meeting Christmas in casual dress brings bad luck.

• New acquisitions for the Christmas holidays - for well-being.

• A family round dance around the New Year tree, which is traditionally cleaned on January 19 (that is, for Epiphany), will bring family happiness and health.

• Adopted on New Year's Eve to attract joy and wealth, open the window at midnight and light candles, and the head of the family should do this.

• Well-fed pets for Christmas are good luck.

But! There are signs that promise trouble and evil in the new year.

• The hunt for Christmas is unfortunately.
• Sewing for Christmas - to the blindness of someone from the family.
• Household chores - to disease.

Believe or not believe in signs for Christmas - this is a purely personal matter, but in any case, on this bright holiday you need to be open, kind, sympathetic, and then luck will surely look into your home.

I want to emphasize that it is imperative to be at the festive All-night Vigil. During this service, in fact, Christ who was born in Bethlehem is glorified. The Liturgy is a service that practically does not change in connection with the holidays, and the main liturgical texts, the main chants that explain the event remembered on that day and set us up on how to properly celebrate the holiday, are sung and read in the church during Vespers and matins.

It must also be said that the Christmas service begins a day earlier - on Christmas Eve. On the morning of January 6, Christmas Vespers is celebrated in churches. It sounds strange: Vespers in the morning, but this is a necessary deviation from the Church's charter. Previously, Vespers began in the afternoon and continued with the Liturgy of Basil the Great, at which people received communion. All day on January 6, before this service, there was a particularly strict fast, people did not eat food at all, preparing to receive communion. After dinner, Vespers began, and communion was already at dusk. And soon after this came the solemn Christmas matins, which began to serve on the night of January 7th.

But now, since we have become weaker and weaker, solemn Vespers is celebrated on the 6th in the morning and ends with the Liturgy of Basil the Great.

Therefore, those who, according to the charter, according to the example of our ancestors - ancient Christians, saints, want to celebrate the Nativity of Christ, should be, if work permits, on the eve of Christmas, January 6, at the morning service. On Christmas itself, one should come to Great Compline and Matins and, of course, to Divine Liturgy.

2. When preparing to go to the night Liturgy, worry in advance that you do not want to sleep so much.

In the Athonite monasteries, in particular in Dochiara, the abbot of the monastery, Archimandrite Gregory, always says that it is better to close your eyes for a while in the temple, if you have completely overcome your sleep, than to retire to rest in the cell, thus leaving the service.

You know that in the churches on the Holy Mountain there are special wooden chairs with armrests - stasidia, on which you can sit or stand, reclining the seat and leaning on special handrails. It must also be said that on Mount Athos, in all monasteries, the brethren in full force are necessarily present at all divine services of the daily cycle. Absence on duty is a rather serious derogation from the rules. Therefore, it is possible to leave the temple during the service only as a last resort.

In our reality, you can't sleep in the temple, but this is not necessary. On Athos, all services begin at night - at 2, 3 or 4 hours. And in our churches services are not daily, liturgies at night are generally a rarity. Therefore, in order to go to night prayer, you can prepare in completely ordinary everyday ways.

For example, be sure to sleep the night before service. While the eucharistic fast allows, drink coffee. Since the Lord has given us such fruits that are invigorating, then we need to use them.

But if during the night service sleep begins to prevail, I think it would be more correct to go out and make several circles around the temple with the Jesus Prayer. This short walk is sure to refresh and give strength to continue to be in attention.

3. Fast properly. "Until the first star" does not mean to starve, but to be present at the service.

Where did the custom of not eating on Christmas Eve, January 6, "until the first star" come from? As I have already said, before the Christmas Vespers began in the afternoon, passed into the Liturgy of Basil the Great, which ended when the stars actually appeared in the sky. After the Liturgy, the ustav allowed eating a meal. That is, "before the first star" meant, in fact, until the end of the Liturgy.

But over time, when the liturgical circle was isolated from the life of Christians, when people began to treat worship rather superficially, it grew into some kind of custom completely divorced from practice and reality. People neither go to the service, nor do they receive Communion on January 6, but they starve at the same time.

When I am asked how to fast on Christmas Eve, I usually say this: if you were present in the morning at Christmas Vespers and at the Liturgy of Basil the Great, then you are blessed to eat food, as it should be according to the ustav, after the end of the Liturgy. That is, during the day.

But if you decide to devote this day to cleaning the premises, cooking 12 dishes, and so on, then, please, eat after the "first star". If you did not bear the feat of prayer, at least bear the feat of fasting.

Regarding how to fast before Communion, if it is during the night service, then according to the existing practice, the liturgical fast (that is, complete abstinence from food and water) in this case is 6 hours. But this is nowhere directly formulated, and there are no clear instructions in the statute how many hours before communion one cannot eat.

On an ordinary Sunday, when a person is preparing for Communion, it is customary not to eat after midnight. But if you are going to receive communion at the nighttime Christmas service, then it would be right not to eat any food after 21.00.

In any case, it is better to coordinate this issue with the confessor.

4. Find out about the date and time of the confession and agree in advance. In order not to queue up the entire festive service.

The question of confession at the Christmas service is purely individual, because each church has its own customs and traditions. It is easy to talk about confession in monasteries or those churches where there are a large number of ministering priests. But if one priest serves in the church, and there are a majority of them, then it is best, of course, to agree with the priest in advance, when it will be convenient for him to confess you. It is better to confess on the eve of the Christmas service, so that during the service you think not about whether or not you will have time to confess, but about how to really worthily meet the coming into the world of Christ the Savior.

5. Don't trade worship and prayer for 12 Lenten Meals. This tradition is not evangelical or liturgical.

I am often asked about how to connect attending services on Christmas Eve and Christmas Eve with the tradition of eating on Christmas Eve, where 12 meatless dishes are specially prepared. I will say right away that the tradition of "12 straves" is somewhat mysterious for me. Rozhdestvensky, like Epiphany Christmas Eve, is a fast day, and a day of strict fasting. According to the statute, boiled food without oil and wine are laid on this day. How you can cook 12 different lean dishes without using oil is a mystery to me.

In my opinion, "12 straves" is a folk custom that has nothing in common with either the Gospel, or the liturgical rule, or the liturgical tradition of the Orthodox Church. Unfortunately, in the media on the eve of Christmas, a large number of materials appear in which attention is concentrated on some dubious pre-Christmas and post-Christmas traditions, eating certain dishes, fortune telling, festivities, carols, and so on - all that husk, which is often very distant from the true meaning of the great feast of the coming into the world of our Redeemer.

I am always very hurt by the profanation of holidays, when their meaning and significance are reduced to one or another ritual that has developed in a particular locality. We have to hear that such things as traditions are needed for people who are not yet particularly churchly in order to somehow interest them. But you know, in Christianity it is still better to give people good-quality food at once, and not fast food. Still, it is better for a person to recognize Christianity immediately from the gospel, from the traditional patristic Orthodox position, than from some kind of "comics", even if sanctified by folk customs.

In my opinion, many folk rituals associated with this or that holiday are comics on the theme of Orthodoxy. They have practically nothing to do with the meaning of the holiday or the gospel event.

6. Don't make Christmas a culinary holiday. This day is, first of all, spiritual joy. And it is not useful for health to leave the post with a plentiful feast.

Again, it's all about priorities. If for someone it is a priority to sit at a rich table, then the whole day on the eve of the holiday, including when the festive Vespers is already taking place, a person is engaged in the preparation of various meats, Olivier salads and other magnificent dishes.

If it is more important for a person to meet the born Christ, then, first of all, he goes to the service, and already in his free time he prepares something for which he has enough time.

In general, it is strange that it is considered obligatory on the day of the holiday to sit and absorb a variety of plentiful dishes. It is neither medically useful nor spiritual. It turns out that we fasted throughout the fast, missed Christmas Vespers and the Liturgy of Basil the Great - and all this in order to just sit down and eat. You can do it at any other time ...

I will tell you how the festive meal is being prepared in our monastery. Usually, at the end of the night services (Easter and Christmas), the brethren are invited to break the fast. As a rule, it is cheese, cottage cheese, hot milk. That is, something that does not require much effort in cooking. And already in the afternoon a more festive meal is being prepared.

7. Sing to God wisely. Prepare for the service - read about it, find a translation, the texts of the psalms.

There is such an expression: knowledge is power. And, indeed, knowledge gives strength not only morally and ethically, but literally - physically. If a person at one time took the trouble to study the Orthodox divine service, to delve into its essence, if he knows what is happening at the moment in the church, then for him the question of long standing, fatigue is not worth it. He lives in the spirit of worship, knows what follows what. For him, the service is not divided into two parts, as it happens: "What's in the service now?" - "Well, they are singing." - "And now?" - "Well, they are reading." For most people, unfortunately, the service is divided into two parts: when they sing and when they read.

Knowledge of the service gives the understanding that at a certain moment of the service you can sit down and sit and listen to what is being sung and read. The liturgical charter in some cases permits, and in some even prescribes to sit. This, in particular, the time of reading psalms, hours, kathisma, stichera on "Lord, I cried out." That is, there are many moments of service when you can sit. And, in the words of one saint, it is better to think about God while sitting than standing - about your legs.

Many believers are very practical by taking lightweight folding benches with them. Indeed, in order not to rush to the benches to take seats at the right time, or not to "occupy" the seats, standing next to them throughout the service, it would be better to take a special bench with you and sit down on it at the right time.

Don't be embarrassed by seating during the service. Saturday is for man, not man for Saturday. Still, at some moments it is better to sit down, especially if your legs hurt, and while sitting attentively listen to the service, than suffer, suffer and look at the clock, when will it all end.

In addition to taking care of your feet, take care of food for your mind beforehand. You can buy special books or find and print materials on the festive service on the Internet - interpretation and texts with translations.

I definitely recommend that you also find the Psalter translated into your native language. Reading the psalms is an integral part of any Orthodox worship, and the psalms are very beautiful both melodic and stylistically. In the church they are read in Church Slavonic, but even a churchgoer finds it difficult to hear all their beauty by ear. Therefore, in order to understand what is being sung at the moment, you can in advance, before the service, find out which psalms will be read during this service. This really needs to be done in order to “sing to God reasonably”, in order to feel the full beauty of psalm singing.

Many believe that it is impossible to follow the Liturgy in the church from a book - you need to pray with everyone. But one thing does not exclude the other: following a book and praying, in my opinion, are one and the same thing. Therefore, do not hesitate to take literature with you to the service. You can take a blessing from the priest in advance to cut off unnecessary questions and comments.

8. On holidays the churches are overcrowded. Have pity on your neighbor - light candles or kiss the icon another time.

Many, coming to church, believe that lighting a candle is the duty of every Christian, that sacrifice to God that must be made. But since the Christmas service is much more crowded than the regular service, there is some difficulty with candle-lighting, also because the candlesticks are overflowing.

The tradition of bringing candles to the temple has ancient roots. Previously, as we know, Christians took everything necessary for the Liturgy from home with them: bread, wine, candles to illuminate the church. And this, indeed, was their feasible sacrifice.

Now the situation has changed and candlesticking has lost its original meaning. For us, this is more a reminder of the first centuries of Christianity.

The candle is our visible sacrifice to God. It has a symbolic meaning: before God, like this candle, we must burn with an even, bright, smokeless flame.

This is also our sacrifice for the temple, because we know - from the Old Testament, that people in ancient times necessarily paid tithes for the maintenance of the Temple and the priests serving with it. And in the New Testament Church, this tradition was continued. We know the words of the apostle that those who serve the altar are fed from the altar. And the money that we leave when purchasing a candle is our sacrifice.

But in such cases, when the temples are overcrowded, when whole torches of candles are burning on the candlesticks, and they are all transmitted and transmitted, it may be more correct to put the amount that you wanted to spend on candles in a donation box than to embarrass the brothers by manipulating candles. and sisters praying nearby.

9. When bringing children to the night service, be sure to ask them if they want to be in the temple now.

If you have small children or elderly relatives, go with them to the Liturgy in the morning.

This practice has developed in our monastery. Great Compline begins at 23:00, followed by Matins, which turns into Liturgy. The Liturgy ends at about half past four in the morning - thus, the service lasts about five and a half hours. This is not so much - the usual all-night vigil every Saturday lasts 4 hours - from 16.00 to 20.00.

And our parishioners, who have small children or elderly relatives, pray at night at Compline and Matins, after Matins they go home, rest, sleep, and in the morning they come to the Liturgy at 9.00 with small children or with those people who, for health reasons, could not attend the night service.

If you decide to bring your children to church at night, then it seems to me that the main criterion for attending such lengthy services should be the desire of the children themselves to come to this service. Any violence and coercion is unacceptable!

You know, there are status things for a child that are criteria of adulthood for him. Such, for example, as the first confession, the first visit to the night worship. If he really asks adults to take him with them, then in this case it must be done.

It is clear that the child will not be able to carefully stand the entire service. To do this, take some kind of soft bedding for him so that when he gets tired, you can put him in a corner to sleep and wake him up before communion. But so that the child is not deprived of this joy of night service.

It is very touching to see when children come to the service with their parents, stand joyful, with sparkling eyes, because the night service is very significant and unusual for them. Then they gradually subside, turn sour. And now, passing through the side chapel, you see children lying side by side, immersed in the so-called "liturgical" dream.

How much the child can withstand - so much. But you shouldn't deprive him of such joy. However, I repeat once again, it should be the desire of the child himself to get into this service. So that Christmas was connected for him only with love, only with the joy of the born baby Christ.

10. Be sure to take the Holy Communion!

Coming to church, we often worry that we did not have time to light candles or that we didn’t kiss some icon. But that is not what you need to think about. We need to worry about how often we unite with Christ.

Our duty at divine services is to pray attentively and, as often as possible, to partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ. The temple, first of all, is the place where we partake of the Body and Blood of Christ. We must do this.

And, indeed, attending the Liturgy without communion is meaningless. Christ calls: “Take, eat,” and we turn away and leave. The Lord says: “Drink from the Chalice of Life, everyone,” and we do not want to. But does the word "everything" have a different meaning? The Lord does not say: drink from me 10% - those that were preparing. He says: drink everything from me! If we come to the Liturgy and do not partake, then this is a liturgical violation.

INSTEAD OF AN AFTERWORD. What basic condition is necessary to experience the joy of the long All-Night Service?

It is necessary to realize WHAT happened many years ago on this day. That "the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth." That “No one has ever seen God; The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has revealed. " That there was an event of such a cosmic scale, which did not exist before, and will not be after.

God, the Creator of the universe, the Creator of the infinite space, the Creator of our earth, the Creator of man as a perfect creature, the Almighty, commanding the movement of the planets, the entire cosmic system, the existence of life on earth, Which no one has ever seen, and only a few in the entire history of mankind were able to contemplate only part of the manifestation of His some kind of power ... And this God became a man, a baby, completely defenseless, small, subject to everything, including the possibility of murder. And this is all - for us, for each of us.

There is a wonderful expression: God became man in order for us to become gods. If this is understood - that each of us has received the opportunity to become God by grace - then the meaning of this holiday will be revealed to us. If we realize the scale of the event we are celebrating, what happened on this day, then all culinary delights, carols, round dances, dressing up and fortune-telling will seem to us a trifle and a husk that is completely not worth our attention. We will be absorbed in contemplation of God, the Creator of the universe, lying in a manger next to the animals in a simple stable. This will exceed everything.

Good afternoon, friends, the New Year was noisy with night festivities, firecrackers, phone calls from friends and acquaintances. And another holiday has come - a quiet, family, blissful - the Nativity of Christ. The article is devoted to the Christmas traditions and customs that have been formed for many centuries and have become an integral part of this holiday. You will learn how it was customary to celebrate Christmas in Russia - with family and closest people, how the entire Orthodox people prepared for it. These traditions and signs that have survived to this day will help you to plunge into the bright holiday of the Nativity of Christ. And observing all the divine canons associated with the arrival of this wonderful holiday, prosperity, luck and happiness will appear in your home! Before learning how to celebrate Christmas, a little reminder - the calendar of holidays from Christmas January 7 to Epiphany - January 19.

Christmas calendar

Christmas Eve - January 6. On the eve of Christmas Eve, January 6, was the last and strict day of fasting! If you are fasting, then treat yourself on Christmas Eve only without oil - nuts, vegetables, fruits, and herbs. In the evening, go to the Christmas service at the temple or watch it on TV.

Christmas Day - January 7th. Christmas is a great day for Orthodox Christians! According to tradition, it is customary to spend it in the circle of loved ones, as well as attend church. Celebrate the holiday at the family table and go to the temple for Christmas service (check with your ward for the schedule).

Christmastide - January 7-18. On Christmastide, it is customary to guess (about this - you will find out in the next article of Your Raisin, follow the announcements). After all, it is believed: it is at this time that the veil of the future can be opened. In addition, on Christmastide days, according to tradition, you need to help the poor and the weak. Therefore, do not bypass such people, help them.

Epiphany - January 19. On a holiday, be sure to go to church for holy water. In addition, it is customary to plunge into an ice hole during Epiphany. But the priests assure: in order to be cleansed of sins, it is not necessary to dive into the ice-cold water. It is enough to sincerely repent and come to confession in the temple.

How to prepare for Christmas - Orthodox traditions and customs

How to celebrate Christmas? For Christmas, which came on January 7, as well as for Christmas, the entire Orthodox people in Russia always carefully prepared. Because these are the two most important events in the life of any Christian. Even the course of modern history and our chronology, we lead from the Nativity of Christ. This holiday was preceded by fasting, which lasted more than a month (40 days). In addition to restrictions in nutrition, which led to spiritual cleansing of the body itself, cleansing was also carried out in the house - they brought complete order.

The Orthodox traditions of the Nativity of Christ in Russia were observed from year to year and consisted of preparing the dwelling for the holiday and putting it in full order, preparing a festive dinner, visiting the church with the whole family for a divine service dedicated to the Bright holiday of the Nativity of Christ.

How to prepare your home for the holy day?

It is customary to celebrate the Nativity of Christ in a clean and comfortable home. On the eve of the great holiday, put your apartment in perfect order. Get rid of not only dust and dirt that are visible to the naked eye! Clean out trash from under cabinets, sofas, etc. And also free your home from all unnecessary things. The ideal option would be to distribute unnecessary things to poor people (collection points are located in many churches).

Home decoration is part of the tradition before Christmas, so when you finish cleaning your home, decorate the rooms with figurines of angels or stars that symbolize a bright holiday. Place candlesticks with candles or beautiful compositions of them - let their fire bring light and joy to your home!

How to prepare spiritually for the holiday

In the tradition of a bright holiday, it was to meet it with pure thoughts and a heart free from offenses. Therefore, if you are currently in a quarrel with someone - and take a step forward, even if the blame for what happened does not lie with you. Leave all grievances in the past and have time to ask for forgiveness from those for whom you are guilty!

How to prepare a festive table

The forty-day fast ended on Christmas Eve, the name of which was given by the ritual food, which is accepted on that day - syrupy.

The first dish on the festive table, which is used to break the fast after the end of the Nativity Fast, is sochivo or kutia. This is a porridge that is cooked from cereals and generously flavored with spices and sweet seasonings. If you want to follow the original traditions, then try at least a spoonful of this treat! Your Zest posted the recipe for this Christmas food, you can pick it up.

By the way, according to popular belief, if you start a Christmas meal with kutya, peace and tranquility will reign in the house!

Advice: it's good if you take kutya and kahors with you to church service - then the priest will consecrate them during the service.

Church service on the night before Christmas

In the harsh January frosts, the souls and hearts of all Orthodox believers are warmed by a piercing bell ringing, which is heard from churches on Holy Christmas - January 7! He notifies us that Christ has been born! On the eve of the great celebration, festive services are held in all churches of the country - beginning on January 6, no later than 22:00. Divine services usually last until the morning.

On Christmas night, the whole family traditionally went to church for services and together they celebrated one of the most important Christian holidays. The temples were decorated ahead of time with fir and pine branches and a manger was set up - a prototype of the cave in which, according to legend, Jesus Christ was born.

If your health allows you, be sure to go to church, light candles, pray, and feel how God's grace will descend on you ... For some it will become a pacification, for others - hope for the best!

Advice: if for some reason you cannot get to the evening liturgy, go to the service in the morning - January 7, which starts at 10:00. In your church, at the place of residence, it may start at a different time, check in advance.

Don't you have the strength to stand the festive service? Then go to the temple at least for a little while. And pray sincerely!

Festive meal after service

After the service, they began a festive meal, and the owner of the house always opened the door or window wide open, inviting the frost and wind to taste the treats in order to appease them for the future.

The table for Christmas was decorated with a beautiful tablecloth, under which a little straw was always placed (as a memory of the manger of little Jesus). As mentioned above, the Christmas meal began with kutya - porridge flavored with sweet spices: honey, dried fruits, nuts, poppy seeds ... In addition to the main dish, there was a place on the table - jellied meat with horseradish, whole baked poultry, fish or pig. Most often, the hostesses prepared Christmas.

All these dishes symbolized the unity of the family in the coming new year!

The table was crammed with different types of dishes and snacks:

• piglets stuffed with buckwheat porridge;
• hare baked in a pot;
• porridge stewed in pumpkin,
• all kinds of salads and cold snacks;
• homemade pies and honey cakes;
• red beet borscht.

Exactly 13 dishes were placed on the table - this ritual number was strictly observed. At the same time, the number of eaters at the festive table should be even, if one was not enough, an extra device was put on the table. During the meal, all eaters had to taste each dish, the main one of which was sychivo or kutia. This porridge was made from rye and wheat, barley and buckwheat, peas and lentils and was certainly seasoned with honey. Kutya dressed with raisins, cream, almonds and spices was also considered "rich". Kutya was usually washed down with “boiled water” or a sweet thick compote, which was boiled from berries and dried fruits.

A special sign - a guest for good luck

There was a long-standing custom - according to who entered the house first at Christmas (man or woman), the future was determined. If a man entered, especially a dark-haired one, the year will be successful, and if it is a woman, then there will be no luck in the year.

Christmas signs: what's forbidden

Our ancestors strictly adhered to Christmas signs and prohibitions. What can not be done on Christmas, January 7 - on this holy day:

• Needlework is not allowed. It is believed that the one who sews on this big holiday can cause blindness on himself or someone close to him.
• You can't tidy up the house and bother about the housework. So, according to popular belief, there is a danger of attracting evil spirits into the house. Therefore, order was restored on Christmas Eve. And on the holy day they only celebrated!
• You cannot offend anyone, get drunk or overeat without measure! This is a great sin on a holiday!
• You can’t lend, otherwise you’ll be in debt all year.

Christmastide is a gulba for two weeks!

After the meeting of Christmas on January 7, the holiday did not end there, and the real fun began. Christmastide! Twelve days a year, when you can do anything and how you want, without fear of punishment. As the saying goes, "winter for frosts, and a man for the holidays."

Bonfires were burning everywhere. Not just to keep warm - in this way people helped the sun to defeat the darkness. This custom has been preserved since pagan times, when fire symbolized rebirth, the beginning of a new life. Bell ringing is also an ancient tradition. People tried to drive away evil spirits with noise, shouting, ringing of bells. The custom has survived, but its meaning is somewhat different - with bells they greet and glorify the birth of Christ.

They tried to dress up for Christmas. If there were a lot of new things, they measured everything - so that all year round to go in a rich elegant dress. They ate, as they say, from the belly. And everyone who entered the house had to be nourishingly fed and presented with money. But these days they did not take a loan, otherwise you will spend the whole next year in debt. And it was not supposed to work these days - to have a rest like that!

Caroling is happiness to attract

Not a single Christmas Eve could do without carols in Russia. Have fun for the year ahead!

Young people dressed up in funny costumes, covering their faces with "mugs and haryami" (as various masks were officially called), wearing sheepskin coats inside out, going home caroling with songs and dances. The head of the company was "the maiden-fur-woman". It was she who carried the bag where the generous owners sent all kinds of food - bread, and pies, and sausages, and sweets. She then divided the booty for the whole cheerful company. For those who were not distinguished by generosity, they could wish every ailment in carol songs, or even scatter a woodpile, and prop the gates outside: these days such hooliganism was said goodbye.

It was believed that this way you can "nakoladovat" good luck, happiness, a gorgeous harvest, etc. Agree, great fun! So why not resurrect a good old custom. And do not come to the houses of friends and acquaintances with perky songs. It will be fun for everyone! And with such a good mood, luck and happiness will really be a stone's throw!

Christmas divination

After walking for a walk, in the evening they gathered for gatherings, where they drank and ate, told magical stories, and closer to the night the most interesting began -. Looking into the future is a dangerous, demonic business, and therefore it was allowed to guess only on these days, when the evil spirits, having grown bolder, come close to human habitation. We tried to find out what the next year will be, fruitful or not very, calm or vain. The girls wondered at their betrothed - they went to listen under the windows, asked the name of the first person they met, dragged a log, threw out cards, poured tin or wax - there were so many ways that it was enough for all Christmastide. But few dared to do the right thing. Alone, without a cross, in an empty bathhouse, by candlelight, you could see the groom in the mirror, or you could also see the horned devil ...

Saint Basil's Day

And so the days passed - in satiety, merry gulps and various mischiefs. One of them stood out in particular. The first of January according to the old style (14th according to the new) was celebrated the day of St. Basil. They cooked porridge in a special way and always put a fried pig on the table.

It was believed that Vasily hides a month at night to prevent the witches from having fun at the Sabbath. We have this day turned into a unique holiday - Old New Year. Not a single foreigner understands how something new can be old, but this does not prevent Russians from continuing to have fun, and TV channels from repeating the festive "Lights" for those who slept through them on New Year's Eve.

And this whole reckless revelry lasts until January 19, when another great day comes - Epiphany. Then grace descends on earth, evil spirits are hidden, and each person can wash away - Jordan - all sins, voluntary and involuntary, committed in these two cheerful weeks.

How to sprinkle an apartment with holy water

Before you sprinkle the house, do the cleaning! Then fill a clean container with water. Keep in mind - this must be a vessel that has not been in contact with animals!

All dwellings are sprinkled with holy water, including indoor flowers and plants (they just need to be sprinkled a little, without watering the ground).

You need to act in the following sequence:

1. Dip your right hand in holy water and walk around all corners of the room, moving clockwise.
2. Then sprinkle the walls and floor.
3. During the ritual, say aloud the words: "In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen."
4. Then spray the rest of the rooms, bathroom, hallway, kitchen in the same way. But not a toilet! They don't sprinkle it with holy water!

How to drink holy water properly

All believers know that holy water on Epiphany days has a special power, and therefore on such days there are queues to the church. People stand with empty bottles and cans in order to stock up on holy water for a long time.

By its grace and healing properties, holy water is equated with the holy water of the Jordan River, in which Jesus Christ was baptized. That is why people keep the water brought from the church throughout the year and use it on special occasions.

In addition to painting your home on a holiday, you can drink consecrated water several times during the day. And on other days it is better to eat it on an empty stomach. At the same time, they drink holy water during a serious illness, take a sip when some important event is ahead.

In addition, she can paint all new things that appear in the house.

If, due to improper storage, holy water has become unsuitable for drinking, in no case should it be poured down the drain. It is necessary to take it out of the house and pour it into a place where a person's foot cannot walk, for example, into a stream, river, lake, pond or other body of water. You can water her bush that grows in a deserted place.

Folk calendar

Today you learned how to celebrate the bright holiday of Christmas, what traditions, customs, signs were associated with it in Russia. And at the very end - a folk calendar with signs for the whole year and the name days of those born on this day.

A clear and starry night promises safety and health to people this year, and vice versa. Soft snow falls - for the harvest, and if it is warm - the summer will be rainy.

Severe frost and little snow on this day - to the harvest of bread, the health of animals and people; if it is warm and there is no snow - to a cold summer. "Vasiliev's night of a star - summer is berry".

The sky is clear on Feoktistov day, with a full moon - to a strong flood.

If a blizzard rages on that day, the same will happen on Shrovetide; if strong winds blow from the south, then the summer will be terrible.

Video - how to celebrate Christmas

The name Christmas Eve comes from the word "sychivo" (wheat grains soaked with seed juice). It was customary to treat yourself to juice on Christmas Eve after the appearance of the first star. The tradition of fasting "to the first star" is associated with the legend of the appearance of the star of Bethlehem, which announced the birth of Christ. On Christmas Eve, at the end of the liturgy and at the evening service, a candle is brought out to the center of the church, and the priests sing the troparion to the Nativity of Christ in front of it.

How is the church service on Christmas Eve going?

The Christmas Vigil (evening church service) lasts approximately three hours. Then the liturgy is served, and after the service comes the celebration of Christmas. People greet each other with the words "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Holidays." If Christmas Eve falls on a Saturday or Sunday, then the festive Vigil is served on Friday. On Christmas Eve itself, the liturgy of St. John Chrysostom is served, and on Christmas Day, in this case, the liturgy of St. Basil the Great is celebrated.

How do you fast on the eve of the Nativity of Christ?

According to the church charter, the Typikon, fasting is prescribed until the end of Vespers. Those who receive communion at the night liturgy, according to church tradition, must refrain from eating for at least six hours before communion. On Christmas Eve, it is customary to abstain from food until the first star appears. The custom of fasting "to the first star" is associated with the legend of the appearance of the star of Bethlehem, which announced the birth of Christ. According to the Gospel of Matthew, the star informed the Magi about the birth of the king of Judah. The star marked the Nativity of Jesus, it is customary to call it the "Star of the Nativity" and the Star of Bethlehem - after the place of His birth.

Christmas Eve Traditions

According to Russian traditions, on Christmas Eve, the whole family fasted, and only with the first star did everyone sit down at the table, on which, among other lenten dishes, there must be kutia, as well as compote (uzvar) or jelly; in prosperous families the table was also decorated with figured marmalade. In some regions there is a tradition of baking animal figurines for the holiday. In the evening, closer to midnight, caroling began with songs and carols.

What is a nativity scene?

The Nativity scene (the original meaning is a cave, a hidden place) is a representation of the scene of the Nativity of Christ by means of various arts (sculpture, theater, etc.). In the Russian Empire, especially on the territory of Poland, Ukraine, Belarus, the “nativity scene” was widespread - a folk puppet theater representing Christmas scenes, sometimes also with the participation of human actors. The main decoration of any (large or small, with sculptures or actors) den is a manger with the baby Jesus, and the main characters are the righteous Joseph with a long beard, the Holy Virgin Mary and King Herod. In addition, magi, angels, shepherds with sheep and various animals (for example, an ox and a donkey, which, according to legend, warmed Jesus with their breath) may be present in the nativity scene.

Christmas traditions

• How to decorate your home for Christmas

It is desirable that the apartments have Christmas symbols: the star of Bethlehem, an angel and a nativity scene. Christmas tree decorations can be made in the form of a star, and angels can be easily cut out of paper and pasted over with sparkles and decorated with ribbons. The nativity scene is more complicated. In the old days, families made caves from different materials, in which they placed figures of the Holy Family and animals, and at the entrance - shepherds and magi. A simplified version can be used today. The basket is covered with spruce branches, and an icon of Christmas is placed inside it.

• Spend Christmas with your loved ones

Exactly at midnight, January 6-7, solemn services will begin in all Orthodox churches. And it is customary to spend the whole day on January 7 with loved ones, to present them with gifts. Mercy is considered a Christmas tradition. You can visit a sick person, treat a neighbor of a respectable age or children from a large family.

• Give meaningful Christmas gifts

Thinking about what to give for Christmas ... Remember, Christmas is a holiday that reminds of the most important thing in a person's life: about God, faith, love. Gifts that are presented to loved ones are usually selected with a spiritual meaning. This can be, for example, a book that will help a person find answers to important life questions. However, any gift can be supplemented by investing in it a good lesson from a spiritual book. In addition, nicely decorated sweets will be a good gift for Christmas. And toys for children.

• Christmas table

Christmas dishes are unusual and difficult to prepare. If you're deciding what to cook for Christmas, take note of the dishes our ancestors prepared. Here are some traditional Christmas food and drink recipes. Having prepared these dishes, you will receive a Christmas menu in Russian style.

What to cook for Christmas

In Russia, salads were practically not prepared, pickles were served as a snack in winter: mushrooms with onions, sauerkraut, pickled apples ... And, of course, various pies - with fish, with meat, with mushrooms.

Rybnik pie for Christmas

1 pack of yeast dough
500 g fish fillet
2 tbsp butter
Salt pepper

How to make a fish pie for Christmas:
1. Defrost the dough and roll it out (you can also use homemade yeast dough, then it will take about half a kilo).
2. Cut the layer in half. Put the whole fish on one half.
3. Season with salt, pepper, cover with a second layer, pinch the edges and bake in the oven.
4. Fish Christmas cake tastes great both hot and cold.

Chives with millet porridge for Christmas

2 cups of flour
1 glass of milk
Salt
2 tbsp butter
Filling:
1 glass of millet
2 glasses of water
2 cups milk
2 tbsp butter
Sugar, salt

How to cook Sochen for Christmas:
1. Mix the ingredients for the dough, knead it.
2. Divide the dough into balls and roll out a thin cake from each. You can trim the edges with a knife to keep the cake flat.
3. Fry the tortillas in a dry frying pan.
4. Cook millet porridge. First you need to cook in water, and then add milk. Put butter, salt and sugar in the porridge. You can darken the porridge a little in the oven.
5. Melt the butter, grease the finished cakes with it, put the filling on them and fold in half.

Christmas goose with sauerkraut

1 small goose
800 g cabbage
4 onions
0.5 tbsp. l. caraway
salt
butter

How to cook a goose for Christmas:
1. Wash the goose, rub inside and out with salt and caraway seeds.
2. Stew the sauerkraut with butter and onions in a saucepan, covered.
3. Stuff the goose with this cabbage and fry on a baking sheet, pouring a little broth on it and pouring it over the goose. Then goose fat will melt - you will water it. For more recipes for cooking goose in the oven, see the link.

Roast moose or wild boar

1.5 kg of elk or wild boar meat
150 g lard
2 cups sour cream
1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
1.5 cups vinegar
1 liter of water
2 large onions,
3 bay leaves
8-10 peppercorns, salt to taste

How to make a roast moose and wild boar for Christmas:
1. Bring water to a boil along with seasonings, remove from heat and add vinegar.
2. Wash the meat, remove the veins, cut into large cubes and put in the marinade. Leave on for 2-3 days.
3. Remove the meat from the marinade, dry it, stuff with lard, salt and flour.
4. Heat the oil, fry the meat in it until crisp. Transfer to a saucepan or portion pots.
5. Pour a glass of water into a frying pan, let it boil and pour over the meat. Add sour cream and a spoonful of flour there.
6. Add chopped onion to the meat, cover and simmer over low heat or in the oven until tender.

Pork belly stuffed with cabbage and apples

In the old days, they served porridge with pork legs, but we suggest making a brisket with cabbage and apples for buckwheat porridge. It will turn out very juicy.

800 g pork
400 g cabbage
5 apples
1 tbsp. l. butter
1 onion
Salt and pepper

How to cook pork belly for Christmas:
1. Chop fresh cabbage, salt and squeeze. Add sour, finely chopped apples, butter to the cabbage, mix.
2. Wash the pork brisket, chop the bones in several places, cut a large hole between the bones and the meat with a knife.
3. Put prepared minced meat there, sew up, place in a frying pan or baking sheet, sprinkle with finely chopped onions, add 3 tablespoons of water and fry in an oven preheated to 200 C until tender.

Goats (curly gingerbread)

1 kg of rye flour
1 glass of honey
2 cups sugar
2 glasses of water
100 g butter
Cinnamon and cloves on the tip of a spoon

How to cook goats for Christmas:
1. Mix honey, sugar and water. Boil them until dark brown and thick syrup.
2. Cool slightly, add oil, spices and flour. Stir and refrigerate for a couple of hours.
3. You can roll the dough into bundles and make figures from them, or you can thickly roll out the dough and cut out the figures using a stencil or molds.
4. Bake in a hot oven for 10-12 minutes.

Soufflé, custard in Russian

500 g of any berries
½ glass of water
2 cups sugar
5 proteins

How to make a soufflé for Christmas:
1. Make mashed berries from the berries, add water and cook.
2. Add sugar (about the same as the puree).
3. Beat the whites into a stiff foam. Add to puree.
4. Put the mashed potatoes in a baking dish, put in a not very heated oven for 30 minutes.
5. Serve as desired, garnish with whole berries and mint leaves.

Sbiten

To prepare sbitnya you will need:

5 l of water
250 g honey
700 g jam
1 tsp each. spices (cinnamon, ginger, cloves, cardamom)

How to cook sbiten for Christmas:

1. Boil water, add honey, jam and cook for 10 minutes. Mix.
2. Add spices and cook for another 10 minutes.
3. Serve sbiten hot.

Fortune telling for Christmas and Christmastide

Christmas is one of the brightest and most solemn holidays in Christianity. It is believed that it should be celebrated with family, relatives and friends. In addition to the feast, fortune-telling is usually done on this holiday. This is a very interesting activity that even children can take part in.

The two weeks of winter holidays coincide with the Holy Days, which begin on January 6 and end on January 19, when the Orthodox world celebrates Epiphany. The ancestors were sure that Christmastide was the best time to find out the future. On any of these days, fortune-telling is considered the most faithful, prophetic.

Here are examples of the most interesting fortune-telling for children, which will diversify Christmas evenings. In addition, many fortune-telling is also useful for children - they develop imagination, as well as the ability to count and read.

• Christmas divination with rice grains

Fill a bowl with rice. Ask yourself a question or make a wish and put your palm in the dish. Count how many grains of rice will stick to your palm. An even number is a negative answer, an odd number is a positive one.

• Christmas divination with tangerines

For this fortune-telling, you will need as many tangerines as people want to know the future. Each child makes a wish or asks a question, which can only be answered with the words "yes" or "no". After that, everyone peels their fruit and counts the number of slices. If there is an even number of them, it means that the wish will come true, an odd number means that the wish will be fulfilled after some time.

• Christmas divination by the Holy Book

For this fortune-telling, you need to take a book and, without opening it, guess aloud the page number and the line above or below. Then you should open the page and read the text on the hidden line - it is the Christmas prophecy. If the line does not bear much resemblance to a mystical prediction, parents will have to come up with what it really means. After all, the baby should not remain upset.

• Christmas fortune telling with walnut shells

Prepare a wide bowl and pour water into it. At the edges of the bowl, attach the words written on pieces of paper: "luck", "happiness", "wealth", "unexpected acquaintance", "travel", "changes in life", "pleasant surprise", "win". Walnut shells, according to the number of participants, are launched into swimming. To distinguish the shells, you can put multi-colored cake candles in them. After all the shells are on the water, the participants carefully begin to blow on them, trying not to overturn. The overturned shells drop out of fortune-telling. What inscription the boat will stick to - that will happen to the child in the coming year.

• Christmas fortune telling on ice

Pour water into a bowl or saucer and put it out in the cold on Christmas night. When morning comes, carefully study the ice with your child: if it has reared up, the coming year will be kind, if it froze exactly, the year will be calm, if it went in waves, there will be both happiness and minor troubles.

• Fortune telling with wax on the brownie

This fortune telling is suitable for the smallest. First, you need to show the children the pictures on which the brownie is depicted, tell about his character. Tell us about the traditions: the brownie was appeased by showing him food for the night, and when moving to another dwelling, they lured him into an old shoe to take with them, because this creature has long been considered the protector of the house.

For fortune-telling, you need to take a small saucer, pour milk or water into it and put it near the threshold. Then a candle should be melted in a metal bowl, saying at the same time: "Brownie, dear owner, come quickly, drink some milk, talk about fate." The melted wax must be poured into cold milk, and then determine what shape is obtained. Each figurine can be attributed to some hidden meaning: the stars - for interesting events and holidays, the cross - for sadness, a flower - for joy, an animal - for the appearance of a new friend, lines - for travel. Wax grapes mean good luck and happiness in the coming year, a mushroom prophesies health and longevity, a dragon - the fulfillment of desires and the achievement of all goals. The silhouette of the month predicts profit, the bell predicts good news, the leaf warns of envious people and ill-wishers.

Remember that during Christmas and Christmas fortune-telling, together with the children, you need to look for only a positive meaning in all predictions.