That evening the evil spirits were especially rampant. In the yard they collected stakes from Krasnaya Gorka, and the healer brought coals from the stove. The old men shook the straw from their beds. They lit a fire - and all illnesses, melancholy and troubles were burned in the fire.

Christmastide is two weeks of holidays that begin with the Nativity of Christ and end with Epiphany.
The first week, from Christmas Eve, is called “holy evenings,” and the second, until January 19, is called “terrible evenings.”

According to Old Slavic beliefs, at this time the connection with the afterlife was especially strong; at this time they told fortunes and judged the weather by signs. The book of the wonderful Russian historian and ethnographer Ivan Petrovich Sakharov, “Tales of the Russian People,” tells about all these fascinating, interesting, and sometimes funny Russian beliefs.

“Holy Evenings” got their name from the ban on working during Christmastide. During this fun week, caroling, games with mummers and festivities were held.

But on “terrible evenings” people tried not to leave the house at all. The fact is that, according to the ideas of the Russian people, on days when warmth and light begin to increase, the evil spirits become especially angry and do dirty tricks. In addition, they believed that the Lord releases the souls of the dead from hell and heaven, rejoicing at the birth of the Son. Therefore, the second week of Christmastide was sometimes even called “demonic” or “filthy.”

Shchepalin A.

Having descended to earth, the souls of their ancestors come to their former houses, to relatives, and after Baptism they return to afterworld. According to legends, if you look from the entryway into the house through the door crack during the Christmas dinner, you can see the last deceased relative sitting at the table with the living. It was not for nothing that they prepared special bread, kutya, pancakes for the visiting spirits and left it all overnight.
By the way, it was believed that precisely because souls come to our world, Christmas fortune telling show the future correctly.

Our distant ancestors believed that during the “terrible evenings” you could not do anything without crossing yourself, not even look out of the window. After all, behind the door there may be a feverish person hiding - a thin, blind, armless creature who gives colds and other illnesses to those who leave the house. Fever can even enter the house, and then there will be enough trouble for the whole year! The grandmother-midwife helped protect herself from this terrible evil spirit, coming at dawn, washing the ceiling with a mixture of salt, ash and coal, and wiping it with a towel. Men, by the way, should not have been present at this ritual, since nothing could have happened with them.

Ptyukhin V. I.

Our ancestors were also afraid of witches who returned from the Sabbath and could milk cows to death. To protect themselves from harm, the villagers placed a burning candle over the barnyard gate.

The villagers were also afraid of the so-called fiery serpent. This evil spirit, which flies through the air and glows with red fire. The worst thing is that he can go down the chimney into the house and take on the appearance of a young man. handsome guy. A girl who falls in love with him will have a very hard time: he will charm her with his advances so much that she won’t even want to live without him. But it was possible to get rid of the fiery serpent - snow was poured onto the trap, and the unclean one died from it when it descended into the house through the pipe again.

Only on dark Christmas evenings could Yuletides appear - ugly creatures covered with hair, with huge nails. They live in non-residential premises and can attack a person and injure him with their long sharp nails. You can only “buy off” them with decorations; this is their weakness, which the Christmastide girls cannot resist.
On Christmas Eve, you may also encounter Buka, an ugly creature who pesters you with a tricky question. If you guessed right, the evil spirit will disappear, but if not, you will have to suffer all your life thinking about the answer.

Goblin also become especially dangerous on “terrible evenings.” It is important to watch your speech so as not to accidentally say: “May the devil take him away!” The evil spirit will not keep you waiting and will instantly fulfill the words spoken in your hearts, and then you will no longer find an innocent person anywhere.
Ghosts do not sleep on Christmas nights either. They can lead a person into a cemetery, into a swamp, disturb him with their howling and rattling of chains, and frighten him by suddenly appearing from the oven. But there are also good ones among ghosts: they can help find treasure and protect themselves from the machinations of evil spirits. According to one of the ancient legends, invisible ghosts led fortune-telling girls away from dangerous place, calling them in motherly voices, and a quagmire later formed on the “bad” one.

On the eve of Epiphany, a ritual of “farewell to Christmastide” was carried out: they shot into the sky in the courtyard of the house, rode horses along the village and, screaming, beat corners and fences with brooms. At the end of the ceremony they said: “Go already, carol, with God, and in a year come again!”

Maksimov V.

People told a great many terrible stories about this day. Here is one of them, recorded in the 19th century: “In old times Such stories have happened that just think, it rips your skin off.

- You, Uncle Vasily, seem to know a lot of terrible things? Please tell me.

It's a lot, but I know something.

Tell me, Vasily Alexandrovich: “Well, okay, I’ll tell you about my parent, how he spent Christmastide with me and whispered with the devil. It was on Christmastide on the fifth day of the Nativity of Christ. He was a miller, so he decided to run a mill on Vasiliev's day, to grind flour for the peasants. He dressed in a fur coat and went. We had a get-together that evening, the guys shouted to him: they say, don't go, Uncle Alexander, look out, the goblin will hit you on the head with his hat. As they said, he and says: “I’ll break the goblin’s horns myself.” And my mother heard from the stove and shouted: “Cross yourself before you enter the mill, Alexander, I forgot something, after all, it’s Christmas time, you never know what might come across?” Father was a little drunk, cursed us all as cowards and went to the mill. Goes yourself and I don’t even care, I don’t believe that the devil can seduce me. He leaves the village, approaches a bathhouse on the edge of the village and was just about to pass by, when suddenly the doors to the bathhouse slammed, so that the whole bathhouse began to jump. He thought that it was probably the goblin who was bothering Bannik, and decided to help him out. He approached the bathhouse and wanted to unlock the valve, but that was not the case. The door wouldn’t budge, even though he pushed with his foot and then leaned his shoulder against the door. Yes, the door rattles, but does not open - and that’s all. Suddenly the father hears the goblin moaning, and thinks: “Wait, I’ll respect you,” and let’s use his shoulders to pry the door open again. He hears again: the goblin is wheezing from the strain, but he gives in and doesn’t let go of the door. The father spat and moved on, only in parting he said: “Already, you devil, I’m hitting you on the neck.” He comes to the mill, takes out the stands from under the wheels and cars and sits down to smoke as if nothing had happened. Suddenly he hears someone whistling under the mill, and as sharply as the horn of our shepherd Vanka. It’s he, the goblin, who whistles, and the father grins: “Whistle, I won’t be scared.” He whistled and whistled and then fell silent. And then, as soon as he took air into his lungs and blew into the mill machines, he decided to spin them instead of water. And the cars, the cars started waving, so it became scary. Well, my father crawled away from the mill so that he wouldn’t be crushed by the mill wheel. My father finally remembered that he could “talk his way out of the devil,” and let’s read a spell on the devil: “On the sea, on the ocean, on the island of Buyan lies the white, flammable stone Alatyr, on that stone, Alatyr, there is a cross, a cross with a cross.” man was born, the cross was erected, and Satan was bound, God was glorified. I close my conspiracy with seventy-seven locks, seventy-seven chains, I throw the keys into the Ocean and Sea, under the white flammable stone Alatyr. Whoever is wiser than me, whoever drags sand from the whole sea, will free the devil.” As soon as the father spoke the plot, the goblin gnashed his teeth and began to puff into himself again. And at that time my father managed to lock the mill. “Well, now. - he thinks, “goblin, I’ll at least go hand-to-hand with you.” As soon as I thought this, the goblin suddenly ran up and grabbed his hat from his head - and he was gone. The father comes home, and his wife asks where the hat is. “The goblin took it away.” Everyone laughed and fell silent. My father lay down on the stove and thought: “How did I miss it when the goblin stole my hat.” I got up in the morning and was getting ready to go to Vologda and buy some new hat. My mother again asks him where he put his hat. “Yes, the devil took it away, I told you so.” Everyone began to ask how this incident happened. Well, he told them. His father decided that he would no longer have to wear a hat. I thought that if the devil took it away, he would never give it back. But it was not there. He went to the meat farm with his mother-in-law to finish eating the sheep according to the old custom, he drove up to the Brevnovsky fence, look, and his hat was hanging on the fence.

Christmastide is the main winter holiday in Rus'. Christmastide, holy days - two weeks of winter holidays, beginning on Christmas Eve (January 6) and lasting until Epiphany (January 19), have always been the main winter holiday in Rus'. During Christmas time, no one took on any work for fear of misfortune. According to legends, with the beginning of Christmas time, the souls of the dead return from the other world, and fun begins evil spirits and witches who celebrate the Sabbath and have fun with the unclean.

Before the adoption of Christianity, Christmastide was the triumph of Svyatovit (one of the names of the supreme god of heaven - Belbog). According to other sources, this word comes from the Old Slavonic “sviatki” - the soul of ancestors. Christmas rituals in ancient times were spells for the whole year and fortune telling about the future. Distinctive feature Christmastide included magical rituals, fortune-telling, and omens. The purpose of fortune telling is to find out about the future harvest.

The fortune telling that accompanied the pagan Christmastide has survived to this day.

During the Yuletide period, Kolyada took place, which among the ancient Slavs was a holiday for the birth of the sun, a birthday solar year. On the night of Kolyada, bonfires were lit (they lit a sacred fire in the ancient way, which burned for 12 days), they danced around, and rolled a burning wheel down from the mountains with sayings. Young people, dressed in new shirts, gathered in some hut, danced, listened to fairy tales, exchanged riddles, and most importantly, dressed up. Mummering serves as a symbol of the renewal of nature. To their homes, to evening time and at night, mummers walked around - carolers, especially in order to receive ritual food from the owners and express good wishes to them in the coming year; the family's prosperity in the coming year was believed to directly depend on the degree of talent of the carolers.
Later, the holiday of Kolyada was replaced by the great holiday of the Nativity of Christ. The Church has convinced us of the sinfulness of many Christmas rituals, in particular how dangerous fortune-telling is for an Orthodox Christian. And yet, it is believed that in the period from Christmas to Epiphany, fortune telling ceases to be a demonic action, but becomes simply fun.

The main themes of Christmas games and performances are the themes of marriage and funerals

The main holidays within the framework of Christmastide were the Nativity of Christ, New Year(Vasil's Day) and Epiphany. On the eves of these days, in the evening, every peasant family had ceremonial ritual meals, characterized by the presence of ritual food, the remains of which after dinner were left on the table for the souls of the dead who came during Christmas time and placed on the window or threshold to treat the frost. Ritual feeding of the deceased “parents”, that is, all generations of ancestors who, according to popular ideas, were already part of nature, which also introduced them to this endless movement of life. It was customary to separate “holy evenings” and “terrible evenings” (the first and second weeks after Christmas, respectively). On “holy evenings” they held cheerful night gatherings, on “terrible evenings” they told fortunes. The young people were going to dance, during the day - to ride a sleigh, and play snowballs.

During Christmas time, a common family feast was of great importance

The entire Christmas period was extremely rich in various rites and ritualized actions, in which all members of the village community were involved. With their help, they tried to ensure well-being for the whole year, find out their fate, appease their “parents” - deceased ancestors, and protect themselves from evil spirits. So, for example, in the hope of increasing the fertility of livestock, on Christmas Eve - Christmas Eve - they baked “kozulki” (“cows”) from dough - cookies in the form of figures of animals and birds. In the hope of a future happy life, they placed a sheaf in the red corner of the hut, scattered straw on the floor, fed kutya to the chickens, and tied ribbons around the fruit trees. The most striking ritual action with which Christmastide began was the ritual of caroling, which was a theatrical spectacle accompanied by the singing of songs - wishes and praises to the owners. They usually caroled on the night of Christmas, on St. Basil's Day, on Epiphany Christmas Eve.

So, on the first day of Christmas, groups of children, boys and girls, and sometimes adult men, performed a ritual of glorifying Christ: they walked around all the houses of the village with a Christmas star and sang special songs in which they glorified the holiday and congratulated their fellow villagers on it. Early in the morning on Christmas and New Year, little boys performed a magical sowing ceremony in every house: going into the hut, the sower scattered grains different cultures, while singing a song congratulating the owners on the New Year. This circuitous ritual was aimed at ensuring the harvest for the new agricultural season. The mummers entered one by one each hut where the light was on. Teenagers and children sang the Christmas troparion, spiritual songs, carols... The carolers promised a rich harvest and a happy life for those who give treats, and all sorts of disasters for the stingy.

Sign: if Christmas is frost-free, then spring will be cold

Christmastide was celebrated throughout Russia and was considered a youth holiday. They were especially bright and cheerful, filled with music, singing, and games in the villages of the northern and central Russian provinces. European Russia, as well as in Siberia. In Western Russian and Southern Russian provinces, their celebration was more restrained and calm.

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They believed that God would punish those who worked on Christmastide: a person who weaves bast shoes on Christmas Eve evenings would have crooked cattle, and someone who sews clothes would have their cattle go blind. Anyone who spends Christmas time making hoops, rockers, and runners for sleighs will not receive livestock offspring. On the third day after Christmas, the adult population of the village returned to their daily worries and chores, with the exception of those types of work that, according to popular beliefs, could not be done on Christmastide. The youth were completely freed from any labor activity and devoted all her time to various entertainments.

The Yuletide period can be called the time of active formation of married couples of the New Year, which was facilitated by the holding of youth games almost every evening, except Christmas Eves. Here boys and girls had the opportunity to take a closer look at each other. A kind of test of readiness for marriage was the ability of both boys and girls to behave correctly when coming to the mummers' game. Dressed in a wide variety of outfits and masks, the mummers involved everyone, without exception, who was present at the gathering, in their numerous games. The young people themselves often “marveled” in the evenings and walked around the village, disturbing and amusing the owners in every house.

One of the striking features of Christmas time as a transitional period was various kinds of fortune-telling. In every peasant family or the entire community, on the eve of the main Christmas holidays, fortune telling was made about the harvest. In the evenings, fortune-telling was performed by girls. Often all the villagers gathered to tell their fortunes with a dish, so that everyone could find out their fate on next year. Girls and, less often, boys, throughout the Christmastide, performed a wide variety of fortune-telling at midnight, hoping to understand whether they would be able to get married in the new year.

If you make a wish on the night before Christmas, it will certainly come true

Blessing of water on Epiphany Eve and Epiphany was also considered as one of the ways to exorcise evil spirits from rivers, lakes, ponds and wells.

“From Christmas Eve, the sun goes to summer, and winter goes to frost.”

The name "holy evenings" also comes from the tradition of not working during Christmastide.

With the advent of Christianity, Christmastide in Rus' also began to be filled with new meaning. Nevertheless, the attitude of the Russian Church towards Christmas festivities has always been ambiguous. Many hierarchs spoke out not only against fortune-telling, but also against caroling and the custom of “dressing up” on the basis of Resolution VI Ecumenical Council, which reads: “Those who resort to wizards or others like that in order to learn something hidden from them, are subject to the rule of six years of penance (that is, they are removed from Communion for six years) ... dances and rituals performed according to the ancient and alien Christian life ritual, we reject and determine: none of the husbands should dress in women's clothing, not characteristic of a husband; don't wear masks." Then the supporters of Christmastide came up with an ingenious “solution” to the problem: on Epiphany, an ice hole in the shape of a cross was made in the ice of a river or lake, and the entire population of the village plunged into it, washing away the sins committed on Christmastide.
Over time, the religious meaning of pagan traditions was completely forgotten, and Christmastide became a time when people especially glorify Christmas and the mercy of the Lord, who sent Jesus Christ to Earth. All that remains from the ancient pre-Christian Christmastide is winter, purely Russian irrepressible fun.

The last days of Christmastide were devoted to preparing for Epiphany. The best village craftsmen cut a cross-shaped hole in frozen reservoirs and decorated it with patterns made of ice. Before Epiphany, most of the evil evil spirits retreated. In order to finally get rid of troubles, people organized Farewell to Christmastide. People screaming and hitting corners with brooms, knocking on fences, galloping on horses along the street, shooting into the sky in their yards. And at the end they shouted: “Go already, carol, with God, and in a year come again!”

Christmas time: holidays between Christmas and Epiphany - from January 7 to January 19. Christmas fortune-telling was sometimes accompanied by singing, and sometimes by mysterious silence.

Ancient customs

Mothers chatter merrily about the old days, are sad about girls’ lives, remember previous happy years and in a whisper they ask the red maidens to make a fortune.

Young women volunteered to serve as matchmakers. The rest was left to the parents to worry about.

A rich house, designated as a gathering place for girls, sent elegant people to ask the old and young to sit in the evening: it meant asking the girls for Christmas games and gatherings. Old women and nannies were sent out dressed up and went from house to house to call for Christmastide. When invited, they said: “If it is not offensive to your grace, they ask you to come with your brother,” who was always among the betrothed.

Those dressed in business were received with bows and honors and tried to treat them well. A glass of wine met and saw them off. The mothers busied themselves with the smart ones in advance: who would be one of the young ones. But they remained deeply silent. Smart housewives gave them gifts. Then the smart ones opened everything up and promised to praise their daughters before everyone else.

In the evening, a begging grandmother appeared: she was treated even more diligently, because she went to look out for brides. Calling grandmothers received gifts from the girls, bundles of nuts, gingerbread and wine berries. Giving them away, the girl smiled and said: “Here you are, grandmother, take it, don’t be angry, it will amuse your granddaughters’ teeth, and it will amuse you.” “Of course, my mother,” answered the calling grandmother, “we thank you.” And she left with bows. The gifted one trumpeted to all houses about the courtesy and beauty of the girl, who “is a real angel in her parents’ house.”

In some places, invitations to the evening were received several days in advance, and in others - on the same evening.

In previous years, girls arrived by long train; mothers were constantly with their daughters. Old people said that up to 100 invited guests came to Christmastide and walked for several days in a row. Girls' get-togethers turned into multi-day feasts.

And then the first Christmastide evening came... Trains pulled through the streets, carrying girls to a party house to stay during Christmastide.

The mothers, leaving their daughter in the invited house, asked with tears to “accept their beloved child, console and have mercy.” Assurances from the owner of the house: "Let's not disgrace ourselves, let's please the child, don't throw ourselves into the mud" - they accompanied the visitors to the gate. These were the meetings for all the girls.

The invited girls immediately became friends. From the first evening, the girlfriends came up with different ideas: what to do on Christmastide? What should happen during the day, what should happen in the evening? New guests were treated to all sorts of dishes, boiled food and cookies. They put us to sleep on feather beds in the middle of the room, on the floor, with various fortune telling.

The next day, the hostess was looking forward to lunch to cheer up her guests. As soon as the ringing of the bell was heard, she was already standing in the doorway and saying: “It’s time, it’s time, red maidens, to get up! Your betrothed got up a long time ago; they threshed three sheep; they visited two markets; they sold three pigs; they rode on black horses; "We were looking for our betrothed. What did you dream about, what did you see in your dream?"

WITH last words, opening the doors, the hostess and grandmothers entered to solve the dreams of the red maidens. Among these grandmothers there were always matchmakers sent by their betrotheds, grandmothers-callers, persuaded in the evening by their mothers to notice the matchmakers and solve dreams, dreams when ill-wishers would reveal themselves. The owners could not refuse matchmakers and soliciting grandmothers: this would mean breaking old customs and quarreling with the entire city.

Girls' dreams and grandmothers' guesses were repeated word by word at all Christmastides. First of all, the richest girl began to tell...

Fortune telling with needles

Take 2 sewing needles, rub them with lard and place them in a glass of water. Do this with the words: “Needle, needle, it’s enough to sew on the priest, it’s enough to sew on the mother, it’s time for you to sew a needle on the pillow.” If you see the needles coming together, it means that you will soon get married. If the needles disperse in different sides, then this portends separation or various obstacles to the wedding.

Fortune telling on chicken bones

In the evening, eat a piece of chicken and collect every single bone in a canvas rag. Late at night, take the bones outside and bury them in the snow, make a wish and cast the spell “Bones, bones, manifested from flesh, tell me, should my wish be fulfilled or not?”

In the morning, see whether the bones are in place or not. If there are no bones, this means that your wish will not come true. If all the bones are in the same place, everything will be as you want. But if you see that some bones are missing, this means that at first your affairs will go smoothly, but your ill-wishers will upset everything you have planned.

Fortune telling by strings

Take two short lengths of woolen threads, join them together, wind them into a small ball and knot (twist) them on a spinning wheel or spindle. Pour water into a deep bowl. At 12 o'clock at night you can start fortune telling. Dip the threads into the water and watch carefully what happens to them. If you see the threads spinning in the water, this portends good life in the new year; if they remain in the same form in which they were lowered into the water, then this is a sign of a future poor and boring life.

Fortune telling on spruce branches

In the old days on Christmastide and Christmas sacred tree considered spruce. At midnight, the beauties, going to bed, put a sprig of spruce under their pillow with the words: “I go to bed on Monday, put a spruce tree under my head, dream about what I have in mind.” Whatever you dream about that night must come true.

Fir needles predicted how many years one was destined to live and what kind of life it would be: poor or rich, cheerful or boring. If you believe in ancient predictions and magical power this tree, then be sure to tell fortunes on spruce branches during Christmas time.

IN yuletide night Take any spruce branch and hold it over the flame of a candle, reciting the spell “Spruce-queen, mother of all trees, should I live long or wait for death; wealth or poverty, betrayal or fidelity?” The spell should be repeated 12 times, then place the branch under your pillow and go to bed. In your dreams you can see the future. Check out the thread in the morning. If the needles have fallen off, this sign predicts illness, various adversities in life, and if the needles are in place, you will live happily ever after.

Fortune telling using rowan

For this fortune-telling, take two bunches of rowan, caught by frost. Do the fortune telling on the night when everyone goes to bed.

Lay out the berries of one bunch of rowan berries into a large circle. Using another brush inside this circle, make two more - one medium and the other small. Do all this with the words - “Rowan-rowanushka, warm yourself in my arms. Give me happiness, good health, any groom.” The large circle denotes happiness, the medium one - health, and the small one - the groom.

When you go to bed, count the number of berries in each circle and remember. In the morning, get up before everyone else and count again. If the number of berries remains the same, it means that you will have happiness in life, good health And loving husband. If you don’t have enough berries in any circle, then life’s difficulties, illnesses and love disappointments await you.

Fortune telling on the Bible, holy book

Think of a question. Take the Bible or some other book of spiritual content and, without opening it, wish upon any page and line. Then open the page you have in mind and read. What you read will answer your question. Sometimes it may happen that the answer to the question posed turns out to be abstract or not entirely clear, then think about another page. But remember that you can only guess three times.

Fortune telling at your window

Wait until everyone goes to bed. At midnight, sit by the window and make a wish: “Betrothed, go past the girl’s window, and along the snowy path, predict my destiny.” After a while, you may hear various sounds. If you hear cheerful shouts and music, it means that this year your life will be cheerful and carefree, and if you hear nothing, then this is a sign of poverty and a boring life.

Fortune telling on bread

After dinner, cut a piece of bread from the loaf; after you, no one else in the household should cut bread. At 12 o'clock at night, take the bread outside and put it in a secluded place. If in the morning you see the bread untouched, then the next year will be fertile, and you will live in contentment and prosperity all year; and if there is no grain in place, then the year will be lean, and you will starve and experience need.

Fortune telling on the sacred circle

It was considered very true in ancient times. Old soothsayers said that the spirits themselves fly in and predict the future for the fortuneteller. Draw a large circle on a piece of paper. Divide it into four parts. On the left side of the circle write "yes" and on the right side "no". Break the circle into a clock face shape by writing 12 numbers in a circle. In the center of the circle write capital letter“B”, insert a needle and thread there. Now wait until midnight, light the candles and start fortune telling. Holding the needle with two fingers, ask any questions, starting with the words: “My God, my God, tell me the truth!” And then ask a question. The needle will swing and stop at the word “yes” or “no”. If the needle is between these words, then the circle does not know the answer to asked question. If you ask the circle a question related to numbers, e.g. “How many years will I live?” - then the needle will show numbers.

Once on Epiphany evening the girls wondered

Do you remember how it was with Vasily Zhukovsky: “Once on Epiphany evening the girls wondered: they took a shoe off their foot and threw it behind the gate”? So, this simple action can be done by any girl today. The only important thing is to remember in which direction the toe of the shoe will point; after all, it is from there that the groom will soon arrive. However, the groom will not appear for the entire next year if the shoe lands with its toe towards the house.

Still no less popular among unmarried girls and another proven grandmother’s way is to see your loved one in the mirror. Closer to night, taking a candle, a mirror and a towel with you, go into an empty room with them. Place the mirror on the table, light a candle next to it and sit opposite. Start guessing with the words: “Betrothed-mummer, come to me for dinner.” The most exciting moment comes when, a few minutes before the groom appears, the candle flame begins to flutter and the mirror dims slightly. Without delay, it should be immediately wiped with a towel. And as soon as you do this, the groom will appear, stand behind you and look in the mirror. Take a good look at it and after that be sure to shout: “Out of this place!” And the vision will immediately disappear.

But if you are slightly confused and do not have time to utter these words, the groom will definitely sit down at your table and take out some jewelry from his pocket. And here you shouldn’t get lost at all: try to have time to say the word “absolutely” and then in the future your betrothed will give you exactly this gift. However, old fortune tellers warn that the girl should not try to talk to the vision, otherwise you can’t count on Mendelssohn’s “Wedding March”.

Girls of marriageable age need to hang a towel out of the window at night with the words: “Mummer, come and dry yourself.” If the towel is wet in the morning, its owner will get married this year. If it’s dry, that means you’ll have to wear girls for another year.

It is important to know what the groom will be like. If the snow outside is soft and fluffy, try to go outside at night and fall on your back in the snow. The main thing is that no one sees you. Early in the morning you need to go out and see what kind of figure emerged - even or not so smooth. In the first case, your husband will be flexible and kind, and in the second, he will be too grumpy. You can also walk at night on smooth snow - in the morning, in your footsteps, you will learn something about your life with your future husband. For example, if the trail remains untrodden, then there will be abundance and a lot of happiness in your home with your husband. If the trail is damaged or someone crossed it, then this is clearly an unkind sign: your whole life with your husband will be spent in disagreements. So where to leave your traces is up to you.

You can also tell fortunes on cards. Before going to bed, place four kings under your pillow with the words: “Who is my betrothed, who is my mummer, dream about me!” And in the morning, without looking under your pillow, reach your hand and take out one of the cards. The king of spades means a jealous husband, the king of hearts - rich and young, the king of clubs - a widower, the tambourine - loved and desired.

Many may enjoy fortune telling on burning paper to make a wish come true. Write a wish or question on a strip of paper, place it on a white porcelain plate with the lettering facing down, and light the paper with a match. If the paper burns without a trace, then the wish will soon come true, and the answer to the question will be only positive. And if it’s just a piece of paper, then your dreams won’t come true right away.

If a cat lives in your house, then fortune telling cat's paw- exclusively for you. Go to the farthest room, make a wish and call your four-legged pet. Look carefully: if she crosses the threshold of the room with her right paw, her wish will come true, if with her left paw, something is preventing this for now.

Tie the black thread at one end to the gold one wedding ring. Holding the other end of the thread in your left hand and asking a secret question, lower the ring into a glass of water. If it swings to the right, the wish will come true; if it swings to the left, it will not. If the ring touches the near or far wall of the glass, it is better to stop fortune telling, because you should turn to fate for an answer no sooner than in a day.

You can fill a wide container with water and quietly say your innermost desire over it. Then throw a small pebble into the water and, without hesitation, count the circles on the water. Even number circles means the word "yes".

For Epiphany, try to cook porridge, thereby you will touch one of the most ancient fortune-telling. At the same time, by all means, try to ensure that this ritual brew does not “run away” or burn. Because perfectly cooked porridge will symbolize love, prosperity and prosperity in your home.

And don’t forget to throw away all broken and cracked dishes before Epiphany. After all, you don’t want your life to crack, do you?

Yuletide fortune telling

Of course, many ancient fortune-telling and signs are known, but not all of them are acceptable today - not everyone has their own house surrounded by a high palisade; real chicken with a rooster and so on. Nevertheless, it still makes sense to take the shoe off your left foot and throw it over your shoulder, if not behind the gate, then at least to the side front door(everyone has one). Watching how the shoe falls. If the toe is towards the door, then to marriage, and if to the apartment, then the wedding is still, oh, how far away.

Or you can even fool around. For example, put several pairs of shoes on the windowsill, and then quickly begin (it is clear that there must be several girls among the competitors) rearrange them towards the door. Whose shoes “reach” the door first will have to prepare her wedding dress this year.

You can try to find out your destiny using wax. To do this, you need to take a thick candle and a small container of water. Light a candle and tilt it so that the wax drips into the water and thereby forms various figures in it. You only need to figure out what they mean, and thereby try to predict how the coming Year of the Rooster will turn out for you and what events it will give you.

The next popular fortune telling involves paper. To do this, place a crumpled sheet of paper (newspaper can be) on a metal tray and set it on fire, and after the sheet has completely burned, carefully bring the tray to the wall and shine it with a candle. By the silhouette of the shadow from the burnt paper, you can “read” everything that you will have to face in the coming year.

You can tell fortunes from a book. Take from the shelf the first one that comes to your hand (be it a cookbook or a detective book) and, without opening it, guess the page number, the line at the top or bottom (the first thing that comes to your mind). Then open the book to the given page, read it and, based on what you read, try to decipher what the coming year has in store for you. It is believed that everything that is read will come true. However, we used to guess about our future fate when we were younger. school age…

If you have a bird among your pets, then try using it instead of the same chicken that girls used to let into the hut and put water, bread and coal in front of it. If a chicken drinks water first, the husband will be a drunkard, if he pecks at the bread, the rich will, and the coal, the poor. Don't worry that changing the bird will make the fortune telling somewhat inaccurate. Nothing like this! The only thing that is required of you is to replace the coal with grains (otherwise you feel sorry for the bird!).

Do you want to see your betrothed? Before going to bed, be sure to read these words three times: “Monday with Tuesday, Wednesday with Thursday, Friday with Saturday, Sunday - wow, what kind of dream will I have. God grant me to see the one with whom I will live forever.” If you have several candidates for your hand and heart, put pieces of paper with the names of your suitors in your hat, and in the morning, as soon as you wake up, take out one of them. Whose name you read is the one you will live with.

Want to know what your expected married life will be like? Sit at the window at midnight, saying: “Mummer, go past the window!” and carefully watching the road. If a foreign car flies past with music blasting from the interior, life will be happy and cheerful; if the old “Zaporozhets” rumbles dully - to a quiet and poor life.

Or maybe you can’t wait to find out whether you will get married or not this year? To do this, take a clean towel and hang it outside the window at night (for example, on the balcony), with the words: “Betrothed, mummer, come to me and dry yourself.” If the towel is wet in the morning, then you will definitely get married this year. If it’s dry, everything in your personal life will remain unchanged for now.

If you are not alone in fortune-telling and are not afraid to go outside at midnight, then the next fortune-telling is for you. When you run out of the entrance, ask the first man you come across for his name. At the same time, it would be quite useful to carefully examine his appearance. The fact is that it is believed that your groom will have the same name and the same appearance as a random passerby. So keep your eyes open!

You can run outside, close your eyes and, making a wish, listen to what is happening. Laughter and noise indicate happy life, but distant crying and sad singing are a sign of trouble.

But no matter what you tell yourself, remember that this is all a kind of game and nothing more. Therefore, you shouldn’t be too upset if something doesn’t turn out exactly as you would like. Happy fortune telling!

Christmastide - the twelve days separating Christmas from Epiphany - from time immemorial began immediately after Christmas and lasted until Epiphany, until the nineteenth of January. They symbolize the twelve months of the coming year and are divided into two halves. “Holy evenings last one week from Christmas Day, and the remaining days until Epiphany are “terrible evenings.” Why scary?

Christmastide - the twelve days separating Christmas from Epiphany - from time immemorial began immediately after Christmas and lasted until Epiphany, until the nineteenth of January. They symbolize the twelve months of the coming year and are divided into two halves. “Holy evenings last one week from Christmas Day, and the remaining days until Epiphany are “terrible evenings.” Why scary?

In the old days, people believed that when light and warmth began to increase, dark forces They get especially angry and finally walk on the ground so that the smoke comes out like a yoke. And there is no people in the Old World that does not have their own beliefs about the rampant nature of all evil spirits.

Russia, for example, even had its own “calendar” evil spirits: Yuletide girls, who could only appear on Christmastide. These are ugly-looking creatures, covered from head to toe with hair. They cannot speak, but only sing without words and dance. It was believed that meeting with holy women was very dangerous: their hands had huge long nails, and with these nails they could “stab” a person to death. Experts, however, claim that they have one weakness: coquetry. Christmas decorations are adored by Christmas girls. Therefore, according to the rules of survival in the Middle Ages, if you suddenly have to face these evil spirits, throw beads at their feet, and while the Christmas Eve is collecting them, you may have time to get away!

In unlit huts at that time one could easily meet Buka (remember how they scared him in childhood?). This is a “disgusting-looking freak” who pesters with tricky questions and riddles with a terrible condition: if you don’t find the answer, you will stay with him forever. If, fortunately, the solution is found, Buka disappears at that very moment. (So, solve crossword puzzles, gentlemen!)

On holy days, goblin, lesunki (maidens) and leshachikha (ladies) are also activated. God forbid saying to someone at an inopportune hour: “The devil might take him (her) away!” They might take it away. Then run, look... It’s good if the one carried away remains alive... And werewolves or things don’t sleep on Christmastide, and can take the form of any domestic animal or even a guy or girl. Such a “favorite” werewolf will kiss you and... you can lose your last mind! (Isn’t that why modern parents advise young people to be careful with kisses... and not only on Christmas time!)

And on holy days, and especially at night, they advised to do everything with blessings, because this is the most important rebuff to the machinations of evil spirits. They put crosses on windows and doors, and, of course, in attics - a favorite place for the “night landing” of devils and witches to land. Moreover, not only superstitious villagers, but also city dwellers were protected from evil spirits in this way: after all, the tricks of the city evil spirits were more intricate and refined...

Masquerades were especially dangerous: some frivolous young man would be carried away by the mask, follow it, and it would lead him to a cemetery or to a crypt (this evil spirit, according to my many male acquaintances, seems to be alive to this day, and has only become even more sophisticated!) . Or the cab driver will turn his face to you, and - ah! - instead of a cab driver - a dead man or a devil! Interesting story, by the way, they tell in the museum-estate of the arap Peter the Great - Hannibal - in Suyda (which is 50 km from St. Petersburg). Once a cab driver took a man from the city on one of the Christmas Eve evenings and brought him to the estate by dawn. I turned around for the money, and there... the real devil was sitting there! The driver abandoned the horse and sleigh and took off. Then the peasants living on the estate laughed. They got used to it and stopped being surprised by the black complexion of their owner. After all, the so-called devil was Abram Petrovich Hannibal - the royal godson, the future great-grandfather of the great Russian poet...

Remembering the Arab Peter the Great, let us also remember the film of the same name. Remember the scene when a horde of mummers burst into Hannibal’s house and wreak havoc? This is another old Yuletide custom. No, not defeat, of course, but “massing” and “caroling.”

Kolyada (or Kalenda) - that’s what it was called in pre-Christian times Slavic god feasts, food, calendar, fun, sacrifices. The demand (that is, the sacrifice) was brought to him on December 29 (breast day according to the Old Slavonic calendar). The demand was always rich: grain, honey, flour, salt, wine, butter, pork, goat meat, lamb, lard, bread, pancakes... in general, all the most important things holiday products. Festive songs praising Kolyada were also sung at the rich table. Centuries passed, Rus' adopted Orthodoxy, the pagan gods were forgotten, but... the people continued to carol - sing, drink and have fun these days. Then Christian priests called it an ancient Christmas ritual.

Young people with a star glued together from silver paper walked around the villages, knocking on houses to congratulate the owners on the holiday, sing them songs - carols and receive gifts for this. Often the festive procession carried with it a nativity scene - a brightly painted box in which, with the help of wooden figures, scenes related to Christmas were acted out - the flight to Egypt, the appearance of angels, the worship of the Magi. In any home, carolers should have been greeted cordially and hospitably, seated at the table and generously treated. To this day, carols or carols are songs glorifying the holiday of the Nativity of Christ.

And the custom has remained: you and I all do caroling when we go to visit each other on Christmastide, give gifts, and sit at festive table. But I rarely sing carols. More and more: “Someone came down the hill,” etc. Well, “dressing up” is our masquerades...

In the old days they dressed up to deceive evil spirits, appease them, and ultimately escape! Well, later they dressed up according to tradition and for fun, because these were days, or rather evenings, when mischief-makers were forgiven for many hooligan, sometimes life-threatening jokes: chimneys covered with rugs, logs rolled out across the yard, and sleighs thrown onto the roof.

Christmas masquerades began on the second day after Christmas: everyone tried to make some kind of mask for themselves. In the villages, people tried to dress up so that no one could recognize them. They dressed up as bears, goats, roosters, wolves - they simply put on sheepskin coats turned inside out. They smeared black soot on their cheeks, tied a washcloth to their chin, attached a mustache, put on horns, inserted teeth cut out of turnips... A horde of mummers poured into the hut, scaring the children by screaming and dancing. People tried to guess who was hiding under what guise. And the exposed mummer was obliged to take off his mask. In noble houses they dressed up as mermaids, Turks, knights, monks, young ladies as hussars, and young men, on the contrary, as ladies.

And at Christmas time they liked to guess about future fate.

Fortune telling, or divination, is, of course, a fascinating, mysterious and... dangerous process. The Chaldean priests, and then the Slavic wise men, practiced fortune telling, calling upon supernatural forces to reveal the future. Gradually, this ritual “firmly” grew into folk life, and not only popular. Why were Christmas fortune-telling considered the most truthful? Therefore, let me remind you that it is during this period that all evil spirits - kikimors, banniks, devils, goblins, and other trash are most active and, therefore, available “for contact.” After all, it is from evil spirits that they receive answers to questions during fortune telling, and the main thing here is not to “go too far”, to observe special rules behavior: wait for the rooster to crow during the spell. Don't forget to cross yourself, etc. Otherwise, you might die, or at best, just go crazy...

Well, modern psychologists explain the passion for fortune-telling specifically at Christmas time by the fact that at the turn of time of the old and new year, a person is usually especially keenly interested in the future, in what awaits him and his loved ones in the new year... Well, free time, Certainly. They wondered about life and death, illness, weather and harvest, about the wealth and well-being of the family, but the most reverent topic of fortune telling was, of course, marriage and the betrothed.

The girls hoped to find out when they got married what their groom would be like. Guys were most often interested in the character of the future bride, her beauty. They told fortunes at parties, get-togethers, and in bathhouses.

The girls dressed up and sat on a bench along the walls of the hut; the boys sat opposite. A dish of water was placed in the middle of the table, covered with a tablecloth. The girls threw rings, earrings, rings there, made a wish and began to sing songs. They were called podblyudnye. After such a song, they shook the dish and pulled out one thing. Based on the content of the underwater song, the future fate of the owner of the thing was judged. They told fortunes on a chicken, a horse, a key, a shoe (certainly from the left foot), on piercing and cutting objects, on beans, on coals, onions, on nuts, and on coffee beans...

There were a great many fortune tellings, it is impossible to list them all, just as it is impossible to check whether everything that fortune telling promised people on Christmastide came true. However, if you still want to try fortune telling in your spare time, then at the end of the article I will give examples of the most accessible urban methods. I just want to note that the church has always disapproved of fortune telling, as well as of mummers (“masking and putting on animal-like mugs”). Christmas mysteries in churches are one thing, and rampant evil spirits on the streets are quite another. Yuletide games were condemned, and the decree of Patriarch Joachim of 1684, prohibiting Yuletide demons, states that they lead a person into “soul-destructive sin.” But the entire history of mankind has already proven that it is impossible to ban the need for fun, laughter, and jokes. Thus, the heroine of one anonymous comedy of the eighteenth century, “Christmas Games,” explains the need for organizing Christmas games this way: “What’s the point in the world of wandering around and worrying about, if meanwhile you don’t have any fun.”

But our people found a compromise between pagan rituals And Orthodox Church: those who took part in Christmas masquerading, festivities, and fortune-telling were required to douse themselves with holy water at baptism on January 19, and it is best to plunge into the sacred ice hole - the Jordan. This ritual symbolizes the cleansing of the soul from sin and devotion to God. Well, while there is still time before the holiday of baptism, I offer several ancient ways to look into the future at your leisure.

The simplest and most common Fortune Telling from a book today:

It is recommended to take a book of spiritual content. But, if in the old days they took the “Bible” or “Psalter”, today Russian classics are quite suitable for this purpose. The most fun is to guess from Pushkin’s “Eugene Onegin”. So, we formulate a question to which we would like to receive an answer, then, without opening the book, we guess the page number and line number at the top or bottom. Then we open the book and read in the hidden place. We’ll interpret it as we understand...

Fortune telling on coffee grounds is also popular today:

So it’s quite possible to guess when visiting with friends, when it’s already time for coffee. But for this you need coffee, brewed not in a coffee maker, but on a stove (or in sand), with grounds. So, we drink a cup at a time, cover the cup with a saucer and quickly turn it over. We remove the cup. And now we argue for a long time about what shape the grounds have taken. I’m sure that you will see a crane perched on your hand, and your friend will say that it’s just a tit, and even then it’s already flying away...

The method of Fortune telling with a candle works in approximately the same way:

We bring the half-burnt candle to a saucer of water and pour out the wax. The shape of the wax frozen in water, or what you see in it, will be the answer to the question that worries you.

Fortune telling on water (for opponents of ultrasound and contraceptive measures):

In the evening, pour water into a glass, lower the ring and put it in the cold (in our conditions, a freezer will do). Before going to bed they bring a glass: how many tubercles there are, there will be so many sons, and how many holes there will be so many daughters.

The simplest dream fortune telling:

There are several ways: they put a comb under the pillow, saying: “Mummer, comb my head.” The betrothed must appear in a dream. Whether he combs your head or does something else depends on your subconscious...

You can mix a thimble of salt with a thimble of water and eat it before going to bed, saying: “Whoever is my betrothed, who is my mummer, will give me a drink.” The betrothed appears outside and gives some water. The main thing with this method of fortune telling is not to wake up from thirst earlier!

You can also put four card kings under your pillow and say: “Who is my betrothed, who is my mummer - dream about him in a dream.” The betrothed will be dreamed of in the form of some king. I advise you to buy a deck of cards with photographs of movie stars!

A little extreme Fortune telling by name:

Go out into the street and simply ask the name of the first man you come across - his name will be the name of your betrothed. The main thing here is not to guess alone in distant new buildings.

But Fortune telling on the steps is accessible even to a child:

They count the steps, saying: widower, well done, etc. and, having reached the last one, they look at which word they stopped at. The text can be complicated, for example:
Sailor, foreman,
General's uniform
Student, businessman,
Cook, aiguillette,
Dumb, boring, etc.

Children can tell fortunes for gifts: “One - ice cream, chewing gum - two, trilosins, tinsel. Five is an owl, six is ​​a dictionary, seven is a horse, eight is I.”

And finally, the most terrible Fortune telling on mirrors:

It is assumed that people with strong nerves should guess here, because “for hysterical and hypochondriacs, the fright of what they see can shake their organization,” says one old book. Take two large mirrors, preferably of equal size, place them opposite each other, and illuminate them with two candles. It is best to hold the mirror opposite the illuminated wall mirror, so that the directional mirror in the wall creates a long corridor illuminated with lights.” The fortuneteller must remove cats, dogs, birds and strangers from the room, except for one or two modest persons who are equally interested in the fortuneteller or for the sake of habit. On the part of these latter, however, it is required not to look in the mirror, not to approach the fortuneteller and not to talk.” At the end of this corridor the narrowed one should appear. True, sometimes you had to look for a very long time, and you can see not only your betrothed. So, for example, they say that one young lady in a northern city was wondering about her brother, and saw... Napoleon meeting with Alexander the First in Tilsit. The brother, as it later turned out, was not far from Tilsit. ...Well, what imagination!

Irina Ozerskaya, Fontanka.ru

January 7th all Orthodox people celebrate the Great feast of the Nativity of Christ. It is preceded by Christmas Eve or Holy Evening (January 6), which is accompanied by many traditions and rituals. Do you want to celebrate Christmas right? Then this article is especially for you!

Holy evening.

Holy Evening - the last day of the Nativity Fast, the main objective which to spiritually cleanse in order to prepare for the Great Holiday. Dinner on January 6 should be modest, lean and non-alcoholic.
Many housewives, following ancient legends, prepare 12 Lenten dishes, among which there must be hungry kutya. Before going to church for service, you should break your fast with kutia and try a little of each of the 11 Lenten dishes.
It should be remembered that “a full belly is deaf to prayer.” During meals, you should not talk much, nor should you swear or gossip. Lenten dishes should be washed down with uzvar, not water.

Those who are going to receive communion at the night Liturgy must eat food at last time no less than 6 hours before Communion, that is, from approximately 6 pm. The service of Vespers is connected to the Liturgy and is served in the morning. Therefore, we fast until the moment when a candle is brought to the center of the church and the troparion to the Nativity of Christ is sung before it.

Attending a night or morning service is a real blessing. But you need to watch according to your own strength: if you have health and desire, you should definitely share the general joy in the temple. Night services contribute to a deeper perception of the Great Holiday.

After the end of the Liturgy begins festive feast. You can celebrate Christmas first in the temple, and then have a family celebration. Everyone decides for themselves how to spend this holiday.

During the celebration of Christian holidays, many people ask questions about the prohibition of certain actions. Find out what you can and should do at this time, and what you should refrain from, from this article.

The celebration of the Nativity of Christ has its roots in antiquity. On January 7, Orthodox Christians traditionally attend church and pray for the health of all relatives and loved ones. On this bright day, preference should be given to activities that develop the personality spiritually.

What can you do for Christmas?

On the feast of the Nativity of Christ, one should offer prayers to the Higher Powers, asking them for favor and mercy towards all people. If possible, it is worth visiting the church and attending Divine Liturgy. You can light a candle and offer words of gratitude at home in front of your icons.

On Christmas Day, you can wash yourself and do everyday activities as long as they are aimed at satisfying your own needs and not for entertainment. Work is also not considered sinful if the forces are aimed at earning money for food and the most necessary things. You should wash clothes only as needed if the matter is urgent.

Hard work such as knitting, embroidery and sewing are also encouraged. Labor has always been held in high esteem. If this is not entertainment and leisure, but work or a gift to a loved one, the matter is considered God-pleasing and is permitted on any church holidays.

Traditional Christmas fortune-telling also takes place during this mysterious time, but the church does not approve of the occult and does not advise getting carried away with secret knowledge and looking into the future. Everything is the will of God, and according to his commandments it is worth building your life path.

Close relationships between spouses are also not forbidden if they have a desire to continue their family line and acquire long-awaited offspring.

A folk sign says that people who make purchases and trips to shops and markets on this day attract wealth and prosperity into their lives. financial well-being. You can also leave a few coins for those asking for them to pray for your health.

What to avoid at Christmas.

To the great religious holiday You cannot swear and enter into conflicts and quarrels. Yours negative thoughts may well become life attitudes, and you will unwittingly program yourself for failure and bad luck. Spiritual growth and rising above the negative will help you avoid life’s troubles and enlist the support of Higher powers.

It is believed that in Holy holiday During the birth of Christ, one should not wear black clothes, as they symbolize mourning attire. Best choice There will be elegant things in light colors.

Entertainment activities aimed at achieving personal pleasure, as well as drinking alcoholic beverages in large quantities, are prohibited. This day is intended to work for the good of the family and pray for the salvation of the soul and guidance on the true path.

Those who fast should not deviate from abstinence and indulge their weaknesses. For example, on Christmas Eve it is customary not to eat food until the first star and to be restrained in expressions of emotions.

A trip to the cemetery and commemoration of the dead on this day should also be postponed. Churches everywhere pray for health and glorify the Lord Jesus Christ and the Mother of God. On the day after Christmas, going to the cemetery is not forbidden, and prayers for the deceased are resumed in churches and temples.