Home Women What you can and cannot do during Holy Week. Holy Week, what not to do on each day of Holy Week

What you can and cannot do during Holy Week. Holy Week, what not to do on each day of Holy Week

Right after Palm Sunday, before Great Easter, the strictest six days of fasting begin, called Holy Week, Holy Week, Holy Week. In 2018, Holy Week begins on April 2. Often, even those who did not keep strict fast all days, join fasting on these days, the great sacrament of cleansing the soul, mind and body, in order to unite in a common impulse of gratitude and get closer to the great mystery of Faith.

This week carries with it even greater strength and desire to share the hardships that the Lord endured before his Resurrection. This strict time requires even greater abstinence and even stricter behavior.

First of all, during these days we should complete our spiritual cleansing, from everything that torments the heart, that torments the soul, through prayers, communion and confession, we work through, release and prepare for the Bright Day of the Resurrection of Christ.

For believers, all the rules have long become a truism; for people who are a little far from the faith and the church and want to join, let’s talk about this topic.

Holy Week: Do's and Don'ts by Day

During Holy Week, one should especially refrain from unrighteous deeds, bad deeds and thoughts, and avoid envy, callousness and malice. At this time, it is not advisable to organize noisy entertainment, holidays, laugh loudly, rejoice - this is a period of great sorrow. Helping those in need, caring for the sick, time for good deeds.

Continuing to cleanse the soul, this week they prepare their home for the holiday, renewing and transforming it.

We prepare food for the festive table in advance, eggs for dyeing, and carefully think through the details of the festive decoration.
During Lent, foods that contain meat, fish, poultry, and eggs are strictly prohibited. You should not consume dairy products, as well as chocolate, pasta, white bread, pickles, spices and alcohol.

Holy Monday

Holy Week begins on Holy Monday. Previously, on this day they usually put their yard in order, shallowed, cleaned, and repaired the outside. The weather does not always allow this, and there are fewer and fewer yards, so we immediately begin preparing for the holiday right from the home.

On this day, a lot of tidying begins. The house is cleared of old, bulky things.

You can eat on Monday raw vegetables and fruits, as well as bread, honey and nuts. It is recommended to eat once a day - in the evening.

Holy Tuesday

Groceries are being purchased for Easter. Women cook medicinal infusions. Men should not even touch herbs, tinctures, powders.
Just like the previous day, raw fruits and vegetables, honey, nuts and bread are allowed. It is advisable to eat only in the evening.

Holy Wednesday

This is the day of washing and all sorts of wiping. On Wednesday, it is advisable to thoroughly wash, scrub the floors, and beat out the carpets. On Wednesday of Holy Week, a special ritual against all bodily infirmities was remembered. It was necessary to scoop up water with a mug from a well or from a barrel on the street, or draw water from a river. Having crossed themselves three times, they covered the mug with a clean or new towel, and at 2 a.m., having crossed themselves three times again, they doused themselves with this water, leaving a little in the mug. Afterwards, clothes were put on the wet body without drying, and the water that remained in the mug was poured onto a bush or flowers for up to 3 hours. They say that a body washed in this way is reborn.

You can also eat bread, vegetables and fruits, cold raw food without oil.

Maundy Thursday

The special day of this week is Thursday, called Maundy Thursday.

From early morning it is important for everyone to take a shower and a bath, this morning water has a special gift of cleansing, gives health and brings good luck for the whole year. We put on clean clothes.

We are finishing cleaning our house. After Maundy Thursday we don’t clean the house until next week.

It is also important to remember: since Thursday nothing has been given away from home, from small things like salt to borrowed money.

It is believed that water on this day has special properties, is capable of healing, makes lotions and can be used in spells and rituals. It can be collected in a container and used throughout the year when you or someone in your household gets sick. For healing, Thursday water can be drunk or applied to the sore spot as a compress.

We prepare Thursday salt, it will be useful for those who perform rituals and spells: all family members throw a pinch of salt into a common bag, mix it and put it away. This salt stores the special energy of this day and the whole family. It is advisable to consecrate this salt in the Temple.

With pure thoughts and a tidy house, the sacred action of baking begins on this day. Easter cakes and coloring eggs.

Thursday - on Maundy Thursday it was advised to cut the hair of a one-year-old child for the first time (cutting it before the age of one was considered a sin), and for girls to cut the ends of their braids so that they would grow longer and thicker. All livestock were also advised to have their hair clipped for health and well-being.

There are many traditions associated with this day. On Maundy Thursday they cleaned the houses, washed and cleaned everything. It was customary to collect and burn juniper branches to fumigate homes and stables. It is believed that healing juniper smoke protects humans and animals from evil spirits and diseases.

There was also a belief that eggs laid on Holy Thursday and eaten on Easter protected against illness, and the shells of eggs buried in the ground in a pasture reliably protected livestock from the evil eye.

Starting from Maundy Thursday we prepared for festive table, painted and painted eggs. By ancient tradition Painted eggs were placed on sprouted green oats and wheat.

On Thursday morning they began baking Easter cakes, babas, small products made from wheat flour with images of crosses, lambs, doves, larks, as well as honey gingerbread. In the evening they prepared Easter.

Everyone in the family should take a handful of salt and pour it into one bag. This salt is removed and stored, and it is called “ Thursday salt", i.e. Maundy Thursday. You can use it to treat yourself, as well as your family and friends. This salt is used to make amulets for the family, livestock, garden, home, etc.

On Holy Wednesday and Maundy Thursday, it was customary to wash all domestic animals with water melted from snow - from cows to chickens - and burn the salt in the oven, which, according to folk beliefs, gained from this healing properties. In some villages, at midnight on Maundy Thursday, women were also ordered to douse themselves with water to protect themselves from illness.

If you wash your face before dawn on Maundy (Clean) Thursday, you need to say: “I wash away what they put on me, what is toiling my soul and body, everything is removed on Maundy Thursday.”

On Easter morning they wash themselves with water left over from Maundy Thursday. It’s good to put a silver thing or a spoon in it, or maybe a coin. Wash for beauty and wealth. If a girl cannot get married, she needs to give the towel with which she dried herself on Maundy Thursday to people on Easter, to those who ask for alms, along with dyes and Easter cake. After this, they soon get married.

There was also a custom of burning crosses on doors and ceilings with a candle to protect the house from invasion. evil spirits. Passionate candles were given to the seriously ill or suffering difficult birth, they have healing power. From Maundy Thursday it was forbidden to sweep the floor in the house until Easter.

On this day you are allowed to eat hot plant foods with vegetable oil twice a day.

Good Friday is a special day of compassion, on this day Jesus Christ was betrayed and crucified on the cross at Mount Golgotha. The Savior of the human race accepted martyrdom, thereby atonement for human sins. This is a day of special sorrow; it is not customary to work; the day should be dedicated to prayer.

There is a sign that any illness that happens on this day will be quickly cured.

Any problem that arises on this day will soon be well resolved.

Cooking on this day is going well. We continued to bake and prepare for Easter. “Angels help,” say pious people. On Friday they will sweep the corners with a rag; this rag will help get rid of lower back pain if you tie it around yourself. The same rag is used to wipe your feet in the bathhouse after washing so that your feet don’t hurt. Ash taken on the Friday before Easter will help cure alcoholism, black shaking, the evil eye and mortal melancholy.

On Good Friday, refrain from eating at all.

Holy Saturday

The last (quiet) tidy. You can also paint eggs. On this day they prepare common holiday dishes. On Saturday they brought colored eggs, Easter cakes, Easter cakes and other items to church to be blessed. And before going to the service on Easter night, they left a treat on the table so that later they could break their fast. True, they ate little by little - only symbolically, after which they went to bed. But late on Sunday morning the real feast began, which lasted all week.

Of course, everything preparatory work: cooking and painting of eggs must be completed before Easter.

On Saturday you can eat hot vegetable food once a day, but without oil.

Preparations for the Easter holiday end on Saturday. We paint eggs, bake Easter cakes, if this could not be done on Maundy Thursday.

Holy Week is the final seven days of Lent. At the end of this week, believers meet bright holiday Easter. Holy Week is a mournful time, telling us about the suffering and last days of the life of Jesus Christ. The week begins its countdown on Monday. The rules of conduct on these seven days remain the same from year to year.

Many people are wondering what restrictions there are at this time and what they are allowed to do. By folk signs You cannot knit, chop wood, sew, you must try to adhere to the rules of fasting as fully as possible and refuse festive festivities and amusements.

Since ancient times, on every day in Rus', it was distributed what can be done around the house on the eve of the holiday, when to go to church. Most of the prohibitions relate to food.

Monday

After Palm Sunday comes the first day of Holy Week - Maundy Monday. On this day, you should try to stop eating before sunset. The food restrictions are very strict, but at the same time, this is a sign that Easter is very close.

On Monday you need to start cleaning the house in order to complete all preparations for the holiday before Friday. On Great Monday, prayer services are held in churches, in which the rite of Chrismation begins. To prepare a special mixture (miro), resins, herbs and olive oil. Myrrh is subsequently used for anointing, completing the sacrament of baptism. Miro is prepared only once a year, from Monday to Wednesday of Holy Week. It is consecrated on Maundy Thursday.

Tuesday

Strict fasting continues. On this day, house cleaning continues, mandatory We need to complete all tasks related to working with threads, needles and fabric on Tuesday.

You can buy everything for Easter from Tuesday necessary products. On Tuesday, believers remember what Jesus taught the people in Jerusalem, all his instructions and commandments.

Wednesday

On Wednesday, preparations for Easter continue, the house is cleaned and tidy, you can start painting eggs and kneading the dough for Easter cakes. Don’t forget that on Friday you can no longer do any household chores or prepare food; you are then allowed to continue preparing only on Saturday, so you can redo some of your work on Wednesday to make the pre-holiday days easier for yourself.

Holy Wednesday is considered the day of confession. It was on this day that Judas decided to betray Jesus Christ.

Thursday

Maundy Thursday is popularly called Clean Thursday. This day is full of different traditions and rituals. Everything in the house should be finished on Thursday general cleaning, windows were washed, all textiles were washed. According to legend, cleaning, which takes place on Thursday, helps to find long-lost things.

According to folk wisdom, in Maundy Thursday worth spending money rituals. To attract money to the family, you need to throw a handful of coins into the water, and then use this water to clean the house. After you finish cleaning the house, don’t forget to take a swim yourself that day. Church traditions on this day are associated with memories of the Last Vespers, at which Jesus told his disciples that one of them would betray him, and after that he would be crucified. But after that he will be resurrected so that the whole world will know that there is eternal life.

Friday

A very mournful and sad day, because it was at this time that Jesus was crucified on the cross. IN Good Friday You should not eat anything until the service itself, you can only drink water. The evening service is a must attend.

Any housework is prohibited. You should not clean or cook, you should give up entertainment and celebrations.

Saturday

This day will be the most troublesome for housewives, because today it is necessary to bake Easter cakes and paint eggs. On Saturday they are illuminated. Finish preparing food for the festive table. On Saturday evening, believers go to church, where they celebrate the onset of Easter during the night service.

There are quite a lot of prohibitions associated with Good Friday, so you can often hear the question: is it possible to work on this day? A detailed answer to it, as well as the clergyman’s comments, are given in the article.

Passionate, or Great, Friday is the day when the trial of Christ took place, after which the Savior was crucified and died on the cross. It is believed that on the same day the body of Jesus was taken down from the cross and buried.

The death of Christ was a very tragic event. The Bible reports that as soon as he died, the stones next to the cross split, and the day became dark as night. The crowd of people shuddered, and many of them sincerely believed that Jesus was truly the Son of God, and not a common fraudster, as his accusers believed.

However, the tragedy of history lies not so much in these shocks, but in the fact that, in fact, many people betrayed the Savior. Less than a week later, crowds enthusiastically greeted his entry into Jerusalem on a donkey (today Palm Sunday is celebrated in honor of this). And on Friday, during the trial before Pontius Pilate, many of them, in a fit of anger, shouted: “Crucify him!”

The story is described in detail in all four Gospels - Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Here brief description events of that day, which happened about 2000 years ago: the trial of the Lord and his execution.

Is it possible to work and do household chores?

If possible, on such a day you should refrain from work and from any usual activities that take a lot of time. For example, these are all kinds of housework - general cleaning, washing, sewing, ironing, feasts, visiting and receiving guests, etc. It is obvious that each task gradually consumes a person, which makes it very difficult for him to concentrate on spiritual reflection and honoring the memory of Christ.

However, we cannot always afford to devote the whole day to God. And in many cases it is not the person’s fault. If Good Friday is a normal working day (and this usually happens), we simply must accept this situation and go to work. However, you should definitely visit the temple, say a prayer and read the relevant passages of the Bible.

IS GOOD FRIDAY A CLOSED CLOSED?

It is interesting that in some countries, in connection with Easter, not one, but 4 days off are established: starting from Friday and until Monday, residents of 15 countries have a rest:

Germany;
Italy;
Lithuania;
Latvia;
Slovakia;
Spain;
Austria;
Portugal;
UK;
Australia;
Switzerland;
Slovenia;
Croatia;
Finland;
Sweden.

Is it possible to work on the Friday before Easter - the priest’s answer

So, there is no strict ban on work on this day. On the other hand, it is clear that in times of sorrow, a believer should concentrate as much as possible on the memory of Christ and his suffering (passion). That's why you should do your best to at least attend church.

The corresponding commentary is given by the rector of the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker.

PLEASE NOTE

Of course, Good Friday in our country is not a weekend. Therefore, going to work is definitely necessary: it is the responsibility of every person, from which it is impossible to avoid.

And even Christ once said: “Render to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.” This means that we cannot escape from earthly affairs, and even less should we resist the social order.

That's why the answer to the question of whether you can work on Good Friday is clear: if you have to do it, then so be it.

What to do if you don’t have time to visit the temple

Unfortunately, life very often puts demands on us, failure to comply with which is fraught with serious consequences. What should a person do who, for example, works on a strict shift schedule and goes to his regular duty for the whole day? What should you do if on Good Friday you need to sit with a sick child and take him to the doctor?

Of course, each of us can act according to our own conscience and taking into account the actual circumstances. This means that we ourselves are able to determine whether we can go to church today or whether objectively there is no such possibility.

Of course, it is important to make every effort to attend a church service. You can, for example, change in advance or even take time off or vacation. But if you really can’t go to church at all, a believer can read the canons from the service, as well as those parts of the Bible where the story of the crucifixion of Christ is described (below is again the answer of the rector Vsevolod Chaplin).

What to read on Good Friday at home

So, if you did not have the opportunity to visit the temple and attend the service, you can read at home those canons that are read in the temple on Good Friday:

What things should you avoid on Good Friday?

So, there is no specific prohibition on whether you can work on the last Friday before Easter. Of course, it is preferable to devote attention to God and reading the Bible all day. And at the very least, it is important to visit the temple.

However, even if there is absolutely no time, it is useful to know what you should categorically refuse on Good Friday:

Obviously, on Good Friday, Holy Saturday and Bright Resurrection itself there is no need to get irritated or swear, which means there is no need to start a showdown. There are other days for this - why then darken the memory of Christ and the Easter holiday?
You should not drink alcohol or host or participate in feasts or parties. If your birthday falls on this day, it is better to postpone it or celebrate it as modestly as possible.
Spouses are advised to renounce mutual pleasures. There is no strict prohibition on intimate intimacy, but it is intuitively clear that memories of Christ and participation in his suffering do not imply any carnal pleasures.
Of course, it is worth excluding any idle talk, gossip, lengthy arguments, or jokes. Good Friday is a day of remembrance and mourning. And any lively communication can simply dispel the atmosphere of sacred veneration of the deceased Savior.

What can you eat on Good Friday?

Finally, those who comply Lent, they know that on Good Friday it is prescribed not to eat any food until the removal of the shroud from the temple (this happens around 15:00, i.e. after lunch). And after that you can eat only bread (any bread, but not sweet pastries) and drink water throughout the day. This ban lasts until Sunday night, when after the service the believers joyfully exclaim: “Christ is risen! Truly risen!” Of course, so strict ban does not apply to people with poor health, children, the elderly, as well as those who work physically and may simply lose strength from starvation.

Thus, there is no strict prohibition on whether you can work on Good Friday, do household chores and other everyday affairs. Of course, life does not end on this day. However, it is worth keeping in mind that Good Friday- special time. And we must do everything possible to share the suffering of Christ and pay tribute to the Savior.

Immediately after Palm Sunday, before Great Easter, the strictest six days of fasting begin, called Holy Week, Holy Week, Holy Week. In 2018, Holy Week begins on April 2. Often, even those who did not keep strict fast all days, join fasting on these days, the great sacrament of cleansing the soul, mind and body, in order to unite in a common impulse of gratitude and get closer to the great mystery of Faith.

For believers, all the rules have long become a truism; for people who are a little far from the faith and the church and want to join, let’s talk about this topic.

Holy Week: what to do

Continuing to cleanse the soul, this week they prepare their home for the holiday, renewing and transforming it.

We prepare food for the festive table in advance, eggs for dyeing, and carefully think through the details of the festive decoration.

During Lent, foods that contain meat, fish, poultry, and eggs are strictly prohibited. You should not consume dairy products, as well as chocolate, pasta, white bread, pickles, spices and alcohol.

Holy Monday

On this day, a lot of tidying begins. The house is cleared of old, bulky things.

On Monday you can eat raw vegetables and fruits, as well as bread, honey and nuts. It is recommended to eat once a day - in the evening.

Holy Tuesday

Groceries are being purchased for Easter. Women prepare medicinal infusions. Men should not even touch herbs, tinctures, powders.

Just like the previous day, raw fruits and vegetables, honey, nuts and bread are allowed. It is advisable to eat only in the evening.

Holy Wednesday

You can also eat bread, vegetables and fruits, cold raw food without oil.

Maundy Thursday

The special day of this week is Thursday, called Maundy Thursday.

We are finishing cleaning our house. After Maundy Thursday we don’t clean the house until next week.

It is also important to remember: since Thursday nothing has been given away from home, from small things like salt to borrowed money.

With pure thoughts and a tidy house, the sacred action begins on this day - baking Easter cakes and coloring eggs.

Starting from Maundy Thursday, they prepared for the festive table, painted and painted eggs. According to ancient tradition, colored eggs were placed on sprouted green oats and wheat.

Everyone in the family should take a handful of salt and pour it into one bag. This salt is removed and stored, and it is called “Thursday salt”, i.e. Maundy Thursday. You can use it to treat yourself, as well as your family and friends. This salt is used to make amulets for the family, livestock, garden, home, etc.

On Holy Wednesday and Maundy Thursday, it was customary to wash all domestic animals with water melted from snow - from cows to chickens - and burn the salt in the oven, which, according to popular belief, acquired healing properties from this. In some villages, at midnight on Maundy Thursday, women were also ordered to douse themselves with water to protect themselves from illness.

If you wash your face before dawn on Maundy (Clean) Thursday, you need to say: “I wash away what they put on me, what is toiling my soul and body, everything is removed on Maundy Thursday.”

There was also a custom of burning crosses on doors and ceilings with a candle to protect the house from the invasion of evil spirits. Passion candles were given to seriously ill people or those suffering from difficult childbirth; they have healing powers. From Maundy Thursday it was forbidden to sweep the floor in the house until Easter.

On this day, you are allowed to eat hot vegetable food with vegetable oil twice a day.

Good Friday

There is a sign that any illness that happens on this day will be quickly cured.

Any problem that arises on this day will soon be well resolved.

On Good Friday, refrain from eating at all.

Holy Saturday

The last (quiet) tidy. You can also paint eggs. On this day, common holiday dishes are prepared. On Saturday they brought colored eggs, Easter cakes, Easter cakes and other items to church to be blessed. And before going to the service on Easter night, they left a treat on the table so that later they could break their fast. True, they ate little by little - only symbolically, after which they went to bed. But late on Sunday morning the real feast began, which lasted all week.

Of course, all preparatory work: cooking, painting eggs must be completed before Easter.

On Saturday you can eat hot vegetable food once a day, but without oil.

Preparations for the Easter holiday end on Saturday. We paint eggs, bake Easter cakes, if this could not be done on Maundy Thursday.

Following the Lazarus Saturday, when Jesus raised his friend Lazarus, and the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem, when the people, rejoicing, met the Son of God, begins Holy Week(week).

This period is not included in the forty-day Lent: Orthodox believers remember the days before the Holy Resurrection of Christ last days the life of Jesus Christ, which was full of suffering, as well as the death and burial of the son of God.

Believers, first of all, symbolically share the hardships that the Almighty endured before He was resurrected. Therefore, this period is the strictest: it requires maximum abstinence from one’s own passions.

When is Holy Week in 2018

This year, Holy Week begins on Monday, April 2, and ends on April 7, Holy Saturday.

What not to do during Holy Week

These days it is necessary to protect yourself from bad thoughts, not to commit bad deeds, not to allow your own stupidity and callousness. It is also necessary to try not to be rude or angry at people around you, and not to be fooled by provocations.

It is better to avoid big fun, holidays and noisy parties. Holy Week is a period of great tribulation.

What to do during Holy Week

This is the time of the strictest abstinence from everything bad that a person does. You must try to be kind and courteous towards the people around you.

Also during this period, you need to carefully prepare your home for the holiday and clean your apartment. However, you need to not only cleanse the room where you live, but also completely spiritually prepare for the Bright Resurrection of Christ: pray a lot, confess, and receive communion.

Holy Week by day

The week begins with Holy Monday. It is on this day that the preparation of the house for the holiday begins. The living space must be cleared of old and unnecessary things.

Good Tuesday is dedicated to purchasing products that will be used for the holiday.

On Holy Wednesday you need to wash your clothes and do a thorough wet cleaning in your apartment.

Thursday is called Clean Thursday - this is the time when you definitely need to take a shower, because water on this day has special properties. House cleaning should be completed on Thursday, after which cleaning can only be done next week. In addition, on this day eggs are painted and Easter cakes are baked. Also on Maundy Thursday nothing is given away from home.

Good Friday is the day of greatest compassion; at this time, having atone for human sins, Jesus Christ was crucified on the cross.

On Holy Saturday, housewives prepare festive Easter cakes, Easter cakes, and paint eggs if they did not have time to do this on Thursday. Then they take these products to the church to bless them. On Easter night from Saturday to Sunday, services are held in churches.

Fasting for Holy Week

On Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, fast food without vegetable oil is allowed; on Thursday and Saturday, you can eat fast food prepared with vegetable oil. On Good Friday, those who adhere to strict fasting completely abstain from food.

This year, the holiday of the Annunciation falls on Holy Saturday, therefore, despite the fact that on the Annunciation, indulgence in the form of fish is usually allowed, in 2018, on April 7, one must abstain from this product.

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