Many Orthodox Christians are familiar with the tradition of holding a supper for close relatives and godfathers the day before, wishing them good evening. However, not everyone knows where this ritual comes from or what its meaning is. When is the supper celebrated and how is it supposed to be done correctly? What is usually found in a festive Holy Vespers basket, and who should present it to whom? Let's try to figure it out.

Where did the tradition of wearing the supper come from?

The ancient Little Russian ritual of wearing the supper actually has pagan roots. The ritual treat, which was usually exchanged with the closest blood relatives, and also sent to the midwife, symbolized the spiritual unity of families, their disposition towards each other, mutual sympathy and generosity.

Christianity readily adopted this ritual. The manifestation of the desire to visit godparents, dear and close people is entrenched in the traditions of the Holy Evening on the eve of Christmas, when supper is celebrated. This ritual action is not mandatory, but it is welcomed and encouraged by the church.

What date is the supper held?

According to accepted traditions, it is customary to celebrate the supper on the sixth of January - on the eve of the celebration of Orthodox Christmas. Godchildren bring treats to their godparents, spend several hours visiting them, and then go home to celebrate Christmas at their own family table. It is, of course, not forbidden to visit relatives with gifts later, on Christmas day itself. And yet, the time when the supper is celebrated is supposed to be Christmas Eve, otherwise it will simply be congratulations to loved ones on the holiday.

Who is supposed to wear the supper?

According to the rules, children should wear the supper. It is supposed to be passed on to close blood relatives and godfathers, and the latter without fail.

When meeting on Christmas Eve, it is customary to greet each other with the words “Christ is born!” and hear in response “We praise him!” They also enter the house with this phrase when they are holding supper. The godchildren first treat the godfather, then the godmother, presenting them with a basket of gifts with the words: “Mom and Tato sent supper. Good evening!”

The supper is considered a symbolic thanks for the fact that they have taken upon themselves the responsibility and care of praying for the child and spiritually instructing him. In response, the godparents also thank the children, handing them coins and sweets - pies, nuts, candies (for reporting), and also in return they give them several ritual dishes.

What do godfathers wear to dinner?

What does the Yuletide ritual treat consist of? As a rule, what godparents wear to dinner in accordance with ancient tradition is kutia and bread. Kutya is usually called porridge, originally prepared from threshed wheat or barley with the addition of honey, poppy seeds, raisins and nuts. It was believed that the more satisfying and rich the Christmas kutia turned out to be, the more prosperity and well-being there would be in the family in the coming year. Uzvar was a compote made from several types of dried fruits: cherries, apples, plums, pears - a traditional Ukrainian recipe and has remained virtually unchanged these days. Well, no important family holiday has ever been complete without a round fragrant palyanitsa, symbolizing generosity, hospitality and hard work.

It is not necessary to limit yourself only to traditional ritual cuisine. Evenings can include homemade cakes and various dishes of fruits and vegetables. If the family serving the supper has small children, you can put sweets in the basket with the treat. However, in principle, there are no special or mandatory rules regarding holiday gifts - you can please your loved ones with whatever your heart desires.

What is served on the table on Holy Evening

The Holy Evening marks the end of the Nativity Fast. It is prescribed that on this day there should be twelve Lenten dishes on the festive table - in honor of those who took part in

Just like among the dishes that godparents bring to dinner, the main ones on the Christmas table have always been kutia and uzvar. In addition to them, dinner was traditionally served cabbage with millet, seasoned with vegetable oil, borscht with mushrooms and fish, millet prepared in a special way or buckwheat porridge. Traditionally, much attention was paid to fish dishes: river gifts were fried and chilled, and used as filling for pies and kulebyak. In addition, a festive meal was rarely complete without boiled peas or beans, fried mushrooms, cabbage rolls, dumplings, with various fillings. All dishes served on the table on Christmas Eve had a magical function - to ensure the well-being of the family for the next year. Therefore, it was customary to gather a rich table, and prepare food for the holiday in advance.

Signs and beliefs

The Holy Evening is traditionally supposed to be celebrated with one’s own family. If guests are unavoidable, then the first person to enter the house should be happy man, blessing all its inhabitants with happiness in the coming year.

Since ancient times, it was believed that Christmas should be celebrated in beautiful clothes, putting new dishes on the table. It is forbidden to be late for the festive table: the one who breaks it will have to wander in a distant place for the whole next year.

During the festive feast, it was not allowed to jump up sharply from the table, shout or talk loudly - it was believed that this could scare away good luck from the family.

It was customary to leave the dishes with kutya on the table after dinner. In addition, family members left their spoons in a common pot so that at night the souls of their ancestors, who, according to legend, descend to earth that night, could feast on the treat.

For every Orthodox Christian, Nicholas the Wonderworker is an image of a saint who will never leave you in trouble. In church, many people come to his icon to light candles, mentally talk to them, or ask for something cherished. A person needs to believe in a miracle at any age, on a day when there is nothing left but the hope that with the help of God and St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, one can find the strength to overcome new obstacles and find harmony with oneself.

History of the holiday.

On June 3, all Orthodox Christians celebrate the revered holiday of Velikoretsky on a very large scale. procession. This holiday is dedicated to the appearance of the icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. The history of this religious procession begins on the banks of the great river, it was there, according to legend, that a simple peasant Semyon Aglakov, who lived in the village of Krupitsa, found the holy image of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. The story of the appearance of this icon tells that one day a man who was passing by the Velikaya River on his household chores noticed a strange and mysterious light in the forest itself, it reminded him of the flame of lit candles, but he was afraid to approach it and simply walked past it. When he had finished all his business and was already returning home, then again in the same place, in the forest away from the river, he was able to see the same radiance and at that moment he realized how much he wanted to go there and see why such a shimmering and bewitching light was coming from light. Before entering the forest thicket, he crossed himself and entered the thicket itself, there he saw a small spring and the image of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. At that moment, the radiance that attracted him to this place disappeared.

The residents of the village where this image was found were the first to feel that it was miraculous. The man who could not walk was simply healed, but that’s all more people from the surrounding area they tried to get to the place where this icon was found, to pray, ask for help and give thanks for the miracles. When the fame of the icon spread much wider, they learned about it in big city, which was located in the vicinity. The clergy of the city of Khlynov and the most senior leaders personally asked people to give miraculous image to the church to preserve the relic and give many people the opportunity to come to it. In return, they promised to return the miraculous image every year to the place where it was found. a simple person. These promises became the oldest and at the same time significant tradition of the entire Vyatka land - the Velikoretsk religious procession. After some time, a beautiful wooden St. Nicholas Cathedral was built in the city in honor of the icon, where everyone could come and pray in front of the icon.

In 1555, the Velikoretsk Icon made its first journey from the church to Moscow. This order was given by Ivan the Terrible. Many today believe that this first move was a real manifestation of the glory of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker throughout Russian soil. In those cities and villages where the icon was, people saw real miracles of healing the sick. In every city, small settlement or even village, the icon was always met only by officials and high-ranking officials with their retinues. This was a tribute of respect and reverence to such a shrine. After two years in the capital, the miraculous icon returned to Khlynov again with rich gifts and offerings from the sovereign and other rich people. There she again became available to every person and people again reached out to her in the hope of salvation, healing and a real miracle. The icon did not disappoint them, and if a person really came only with good intentions, then there was always help.

Holiday traditions.

The year 1668 became quite significant for the holiday, because it was then that the Right Reverend Alexander, Archbishop of Vyatka, assigned the date of the holiday for the Velikoretsk Icon - June 6. According to the old style, this is May 24. On this day, a special solemn church service was necessarily held. A similar tradition existed for several centuries and was forgotten only in the 18th century; many today believe that this was done in vain, therefore, at 600 - summer anniversary it was again celebrated solemnly.

At the very beginning, the Velikoretsk religious procession took place exclusively on the river. This was, first of all, due to the desire to protect such an important and significant shrine from attacks by warring tribes. Land travel did not exclude this possibility, so boats were a safe and acceptable way of transportation. In 1778, a decree was adopted on a land religious procession; by that time, the route had already been studied and was safe both for the shrine and for all participants in this event. The pilgrims who took part in the holiday could feel all its significance and solemnity, because in every village they were greeted as real heroes, because they perform very important work. Everyone was literally shy before such a procession, looking with delight at the icon itself and everyone who found the time and energy to join such an event.

Already at the beginning of the 20th century, even a military orchestra joined the pilgrims, which began to play after the solemn liturgy, accompanying the pilgrims and the icon to the banks of the river. People associated with the church, officials and ordinary high school students, moved along the embankment in one column, everyone was looking for something for themselves in this procession.

Today the Velikoretsk religious procession is considered an all-Russian procession; every year more and more people try to join it and follow the well-known route with the shrine. Each person has different desires and intentions regarding this move, but if there is a desire, then you should definitely join the people who consider this important and meaningful.

Religious traditions are slowly but surely returning to our lives. At Easter, even people of little faith enjoy coloring eggs, buying and baking Easter cakes, and preparing Easter eggs. It seems that a miracle will happen on this day, people will become kinder, happier, dearer, more sociable. True believers Orthodox people are already in Maundy Thursday They have washed everything, prepared it and are about to go through the “path of the soul” - the Procession of the Cross. So, how the procession of the Cross is carried out for Easter 2018, when it will take place, varieties, process and many interesting things - further in the article.

Interesting! The Jews were among the first to go through the prototype of the procession. They made a long journey from Egypt to the Promised Land. How to cook for Easter.

What is the Procession of the Cross?

The procession with external and altar crosses gave the process its name. It is particularly solemn. The clergy, together with the flock, with church banners, icons and shrines, make a procession around the temple, from one church to another or to some holy place. At Epiphany, the procession goes from the church to the “Jordan” - a special ice hole. It is cut down for the festive illumination of water in the form of a cross.

Interesting! Kings Solomon and David took part in the prototypes of the procession, so the procession has a long history.

Interesting! The very first naval religious procession took place across the Black Sea, in honor of the canonization of the most talented naval commander F. F. Ushakov.

It is wrong to think that the procession of the Cross is always festive and joyful. Procession of the Cross with the Shroud, which is held in Holy Week- this is suffering, sorrow and crying. When performing it, they remember the burial of Christ.

Easter Procession

Its antipode is the Easter procession. The procession commemorates the meeting of the myrrh-bearing women with the Risen Jesus Christ. The Holy Resurrection of Christ is particularly solemn. In the temple, all dark clothes are replaced by light ones. Believers come to the temple for the festive evening service, which begins at Holy Saturday and continues after midnight. The religious procession is an integral part of it and lasts until midnight.

Interesting! The procession around the Russian Orthodox Church moves counterclockwise, the Old Believers - clockwise, according to the movement of the sun.

The priest reads prayers and lights candles together with the believers. The choir begins to quietly sing a song, which gradually gains strength and merges with the Easter peal - in memory of the holy myrrh-bearing women who met the Risen Lord. It is at this moment that the procession begins, the priest and his flock circle the church three times to the jubilant ringing of bells. In the hands of the clergyman is the icon of the Resurrection.

Important! If there is only one clergyman in the church, then the Gospel and the icon are carried by ordinary residents, thereby becoming direct participants in the sacrament.

The Procession of the Cross for Easter 2018 ends in front of the closed western doors of the church,
the bells fall silent. The abbot, facing the East, marks the locked gate with a censer three times in a cross shape. After the clergy sings the troparion three times (a short hymn in which the essence of the holiday is revealed or the saints are glorified) - “Christ is Risen”, the doors of the temple open and everyone, rejoicing and rejoicing, enters it. This action symbolizes the entry of the myrrh-bearing women into Jerusalem with the joyful news of the Resurrection of the Savior.

Important! On Easter, Orthodox people greet each other with the words “Christ is Risen!”, to which they must respond “Truly He is Risen!”

Throughout Easter week, the doors in all temples and churches are kept open, at this time the sky is closer to us than ever.

Interesting! Catholics, unlike Orthodox believers, make a procession after the service.

Instructions

According to church canons, it is customary to perform the Sacrament of Baptism on the 40th day the life of the child, but there is no strict regulation on this matter. To a greater extent, this is due to the postpartum state and restoration of the mother’s body. To enter the temple, she must receive the blessing of the priest after reading a special prayer. If the baby is sick, the priest can be invited home or to the hospital earlier than this.

In general, the church allows in any day at the request of the parents, the main thing is that their intention to raise their child in the Christian faith is firm. There are no prohibitions or restrictions on any days for the Sacrament of Baptism, but a particular church may have its own rules, so when choosing a date, check with the ministers.

Very often the ceremony is carried out for several baptized people at the same time, but if you want it to be performed only for your child, agree with the priest on this day when there are no others willing.

Many mothers and grandmothers are afraid of their babies in the cold season because they are immersed in water, and being wet, they can catch a cold. If you're one of these parents, it's best to wait until the weather gets warmer.

In former times, they named saints whose memory fell on day. Now you can do the opposite: find in church calendar dates on which the memory of saints is celebrated, choose the one that follows your child and baptize the baby.

Can be timed to coincide with church holidays: Easter, Trinity, Kazan Icon Mother of God etc. But take into account that at this time there is a large crowd of people in the temple, and the baby may be scared.

Consider individual characteristics child: his age, relationships with others, how he will behave in the arms of his godparents, etc. A six-month-old baby can perceive the ritual calmly, but after 2 months he can fidget and cry.

Tip 2: Which day is best for a child's baptism?

The birth of a child is a wonderful and long-awaited event in any family. In honor of this wonderful event, believing parents baptize their baby, thereby expressing great gratitude to the Lord and entrusting their child to him. However, you cannot perform the sacrament of baptism on every day.

First of all, it should be noted that in Orthodox tradition There is no strictly established day for baptism. Parents can choose any day they see fit. Of course, the church recommends baptizing a child in the first year of life, but this is not necessary.

Christening according to the canons

The best day for baptizing a baby, according to the Orthodox, is the 8th day after his birth, because according to legend, it was on this day that the Son was baptized God's Jesus Christ. It is also customary to baptize babies 40 days after their birth.

From point of view Orthodox faith, the mother of the baby is unclean for 40 days after giving birth, so entry to the temple is closed to her, and her presence with the newborn is extremely necessary.

Often the day of baptism is chosen in accordance with the day of one or another saint, after which the parents intend to name the baby.

“Secular” christenings

The secular religious tradition (and there is one aimed at popularizing religion) considers the period of a child’s life before he reaches four months to be the most favorable time, since it is at this time that the baby is able to tolerate this procedure very easily. In such early age The child is almost always in a state of sleep, so he is unlikely to be afraid of strangers or cry.

Christenings every year have also become traditional; they are often combined with the celebration of the birthday itself. The church is loyal to this kind of event, but ministers strongly recommend that both the baby’s parents and godparents come to confession and service, and take part in the conversation the day before baptism. Father will tell you about the sacrament and the responsibilities of godparents.

In most parishes, a separate day is allocated for the rite of baptism: Saturday. The christening begins after the service, which must be attended, at 12 o'clock. Between the service and the ceremony itself there is a little time to light a candle in the temple, pray and purchase necessary supplies: shirt, pectoral cross, candle for the altar.

Restrictions

The rite of baptism is not carried out on days of fasting, as well as on days of remembrance. The only exception is when the child is in critical condition, but then the baptism is followed by a ceremony. Often the sacrament is performed on the days of major Orthodox holidays; getting to such holidays is considered good luck among the people. Many people make special guesses based on dates.