The evening, which I call Christmas Eve among the Slavs, is the time of preparation for the great Christian holiday of the Epiphany of the Lord's Baptism. Many folk signs and rituals are associated with this holiday, which were adhered to many centuries ago.
Instructions
Step 1
"And on the table there are food …". On Epiphany Christmas Eve, there is a strict fast, so the table is laid modestly. The main dish is juicy. In the old days, it was prepared from whole grains of wheat or barley. Wheat grains are not frequent guests in modern kitchens, so rice or dietary sprouted wheat is the basis of many recipes. The use of honey is also a must. All other ingredients - dried fruits, nuts, poppy seeds, the hostesses put at their discretion. In ancient times, children, having eaten kutya, knocked on the plate with spoons, thereby saying goodbye to the merry winter holidays.
Step 2
On the table that evening, he served cookies in the form of crosses, lean pies and donuts, oat and wheat pancakes, dumplings, cabbage, cabbage rolls, and lean borsch with beans. Bakli and ritual loaves-karachuns. Pets and livestock were always treated to festive food. The hostesses left some kutya, mixed the leftovers with flour and fed the domestic animals. From January 20, the winter meat-eater begins, which lasts until Maslenitsa itself.
Step 3
The Great Blessing of Water is held for two days. Previously, holy water was collected in the river - a hole in the form of a cross was cut in the ice, the priest, reading a prayer, lowered the cross into the hole, after the sacred ordinance it was considered consecrated. The parishioners carried the full vessels of water home and kept them next to the icons in the Red Corner. It was believed that Epiphany water does not deteriorate and does not lose its properties.
Step 4
Signs and fortune-telling. In order to see the Baptism, a bowl of water was placed on the table in the house. They considered the swaying of water at midnight as a sign, spotting a good sign, ran out into the street and, looking at the sky, prayed. What you pray for will come true.
Step 5
On Epiphany, snow was collected from stacks, old women to bleach canvas, and girls to wash themselves. According to legend, Epiphany snow will retain water throughout the year, even in arid wells.
Step 6
Since ancient times, on the eve of the holiday, the floor of the hut was covered with fresh hay, straw, covered with a snow-white tablecloth, was placed on the table. Such actions were designed to attract good luck and wealth to the house. Young people went from hut to hut, singing carols.
Step 7
If there is a blizzard, snow or snow on Epiphany, there will be a productive year. The beekeepers rejoiced at the tree branches bent from the snow, since the omen indicated that the bees would swarm well.
Step 8
"Bright stars will give birth to white bright ones," said the old people. The clear sky promised the fertility of the lambs. Blizzard on Epiphany - a blizzard and on Shrovetide, and southern winds - for a thunderstorm summer.
