Cross. This main symbol of Christianity today is worn by many people, often without even thinking about its meaning. But once they went for him to certain death, endured inhuman suffering, they decorated shrines and consecrated important events, they were born with him and died with him.
Now the cross is perceived as a symbol of great sacrificial love and loyalty to Christian virtues. But it was not always so. The history of the cross goes back centuries, and its meaning, oddly enough, can be different. In the most ancient cultures of the East, Western Asia, Egypt and Africa, a magical sign in the form of two lines intersecting at right angles denoted four elements: earth, fire, water and air. Our ancestors - the Eastern Slavs - considered the cross to be one of the main amulets. In one of the interpretations, he denoted the four cardinal directions, which was intended to protect its owner from four sides. In combination with natural ornament, such a talisman was a symbol of fertility. In addition, the cross also served as the personification of the clan, so the wearer was provided with the protection of the ancestors.
Later, when people lived in anticipation of the Messiah, the cross began to symbolize this expectation. With the establishment of Christianity, the cross acquired a new meaning when its two meanings were combined: the source of immortality and at the same time the "instrument" of the execution of Jesus Christ. The magic sign became the personification of eternal life and deliverance from suffering.
EVERYONE HAS OWN CROSS
In Russia, there was always a special attitude towards the cross - anxious, careful. The people endowed him with various magical and healing properties. People have long believed that the cross reliably protects against evil spirits. The Orthodox said: if you don't wear a pectoral cross, you will fall into the clutches of the devil. But is it only! If a person does not cross himself at the moment of a yawn, evil spirits will enter him. If a girl swims without a cross, she can easily turn into a mermaid. The water one with particular pleasure drowns those who forget the cross at home or take it off before getting into the lake. And how to drive evil spirits away from your home? Of course, draw the cherished crosses on the door frames or window frames! By the way, they tried to baptize the newborn as soon as possible, because they were seriously afraid that “delaying death is like” - in this case, spiritual. This is how he hesitates, and the unclean man will move into an innocent baby. During baptism, the baby (the tradition is still alive today) received a baptismal cross, which was supposed to be cherished all his life like the apple of his eye. With him, a person had to go all his way - until his death. “God's mediator” - this is how our ancestors called the cross - the shore of man from misfortune, calamity and disease. If you lose it, you will be left without God's protection, because the cross is also a symbol of the fate given by the Lord. This is probably why people were sure that picking up a cross dropped by someone was like taking over other people's troubles and troubles. In fact, this is not the case. The priests say that the pectoral cross found can be safely kept at home and even given to someone who needs it. The Lord gives everyone his cross - his path, his trials. And avoid them or pass them on to another,just losing the mark of faith is impossible.
THAT IS WHAT THE ANIMAL CROSS DOES
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Who does not know this phrase from the genius Gaidaev comedy "Ivan Vasilyevich changes his profession"? Indeed, the words spoken by the hero of Yuri Yakovlev, directly, as they say, to the point. The cross, in fact, has a life-giving power - healing. The Russian people believed in this, and, as you know, there is no smoke without fire. In some places, the custom was widespread: pouring water over the crucifix and giving this drink to the patient. At the same time, they noticed: if a person is destined to die, the cross will brighten, and if it gets better, it will darken.
With the help of a crucifix, even an ordinary tablecloth can become a Hippocrates, all you need is that after the procession on Easter, put the crosses on the table. They will lie down, lie down, and even share their strength with cotton fabric. When someone in the family got sick, they immediately covered him with the cherished tablecloth. Unbelievable, but true - the sufferer felt better. What's the matter here? Surely not only in self-hypnosis. If the patient's affairs were very bad (it is clear that it is not a tenant, but suffering terrible torment before death) then they acted differently. The unfortunate man was placed under the icon with his head in a red corner and covered with a “cross” cloth: the patient calmed down and died peacefully.
ON THE LIGHT WITH KIPARIS
In the funeral rite, the cross played an important role. There was such a sign: if the “neck” (the place where the thread is threaded) was worn out at the pectoral cross, then its owner would soon die. In the old days, it was strictly monitored that every baptized deceased must have a cross. It’s impossible without it. How else will you understand that a burial rite has been performed? To bury without a cross was considered tantamount to not praying the deceased. Then, according to popular belief, the soul of a person will forever toil, and deceased relatives will not be able to communicate with him in the next world.
With what cross to bury the deceased? There was no single recipe. Each county, and later each province, had its own traditions. For example, in the Vologda province, if the deceased had a metal cross (brass, copper, silver, gold), they took it off and put on a cypress one. Why? The Savior was crucified on just such. The same is true in the Yaroslavl province: a washing woman removed a metal cross from the dead, took it for herself, and put on a cypress one. In the northern regions of Russia, it was believed that it was impossible to bury the dead with copper and silver pectoral crosses, but brass and wooden crosses fit perfectly. In some places, a new cross was supposed to be put on the deceased, in others - to leave the one that the person wore during his lifetime.
As for the cross in the cemetery, they didn’t put it anyhow. First, it had to be light: it is difficult for a dead person to carry it in the next world. Secondly, the cross was to be installed at the feet of the deceased, "facing" to the east - so, they say, it would be easier for the deceased to pray …
When the body was buried, a cross was erected, it was supposed to draw three crosses on the grave mound - to impose such a veto on the walks of the "walking" deceased, and at the same time to say: "I will come to you, you do not come to me!"
HIGHEST AWARD
In tsarist Russia, awards in the form of a cross were in great honor. After all, the cross was considered a symbol of loyalty to Orthodox traditions. If a person really followed them, it means that he is ready to carry his life's cross like Jesus Christ - to work sparing no effort, endure hardships and torment in serving God and the Fatherland, and if necessary, “lay down his life for his friends”. Therefore, the cross was not awarded, it was awarded to the most worthy - those who are able to carry it. High hopes were pinned on him, which the wearer had to justify. The cross in the form of a reward was bequeathed to the descendants, expecting from them that they, too, would selflessly serve the Motherland. At the same time, the cross was considered a special type of award, different from a medal or order. Typically, the cross is a reward for personal courage. So, the St. George cross is the most legendary,a revered and massive military award - officers received for outstanding bravery shown in battles with the enemy. It was established by the Highest order of the Emperor Alexander I on February 13, 1807. But many Soviet military leaders were also Cavaliers of St. Marshal Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov was a knight of the St. George crosses of the third and fourth degrees.
In 1992, this insignia in the Russian award system was brought back to life. It is a great honor to receive it.
Natalia KUVSHINOVA