I played the Christmas time, detached myself, sang, danced, and in its place was the Baptism of the Lord, Theophany, Vodokreshchi. But first - Epiphany Christmas Eve, first, humility by prayer and strict fasting to the first star, and there will already be blessing of water, and swimming in the ice-hole, despite the fierce Epiphany frosts, there are also traditional "bridesmaids".
Candles
Epiphany is the time of ablution, admiration, deliverance from the evil and the unkind. Everything and everyone tried to be cleansed and cleansed of the filth of dressing up, of the coarseness of Christmastide games, of demonic impure forces that roamed on terrible evenings. Any Epiphany rite, belief, custom is associated with ablution, which means with water in any of its manifestations: whether it is holy water just taken out of the "Jordan", whether it is ordinary river water that sways on the night of Epiphany, because it is bathed in it the Son of God himself, whether it be the melted snow collected in the fields on the eve of the Epiphany.
So "Svechki" - the name of the Epiphany Christmas Eve common in the central part of Russia - is timed to one of the consecrations of water.
It is with candles tied with multi-colored threads, ribbons or rags that women decorate the vessel in which the water is blessed during Vespers. At the end of the blessing of water, these candles are taken home and carefully stored in order to light them in front of the icons during childbirth on occasion.
Here's a cross for you
Promotional video:
Young and cheerful all will not calm down, they laugh, play, guess even on the last day of Christmas, the eve of Epiphany. But not to that troublesome hostesses and masters. At the end of the evening consecration of water, they bring the holy water home to keep it all year round and use it in case of terrible misfortunes and ailments. The whole family drinks holy water by a sip, sprinkles it on the house, outbuildings and cattle.
They do not forget to fumigate all difficult households with incense, but first they put crosses with chalk or coal on the frames of all windows and doors, on the stove damper, gates, wickets, so that there is no trouble from the unclean.
But the "undead" and wanders, and rages, strives to enter the house to the careless, careless owner on this last, but still terrible Christmas evening. And the folk legend says that the Fiery Serpent, a merciless werewolf, rushes about on Epiphany night, wriggles, prowls not a house outlined by a cross, but will see that crosses are white everywhere, he has nothing to do but to crumble in a fiery rain over deep snows.
Jordan
As soon as the bell rings for Matins on the day of Epiphany, honest people, both old and young, gather to the river to make the Jordan - an ice-hole in which the blessing of water will take place. Craftsmen, having received a blessing from a priest, are busy on the river: with inconceivable zeal they cut a cross, candlesticks, a ladder, a dove, and a semicircular radiance in the ice.
Then cut around the Jordan and a groove in the form of a groove so that the water flows into the "bowl". So the hour of divine service is approaching, the clergy stands beside the bowl, and when the time comes to read the litany, one person from the entire gathered crowd of people cuts through the bottom of the bowl with a strong, sharp blow. Water fountains out of the river, jubilant, freed from the shackles of ice, and rushes along the recesses, after which the cross seems to float above the water and glistens with matte silver, shimmers on its surface. Here is the celebration, here is the purification! And how not to come and wash with holy water, washing away all the dark and unkind! How not to drink it, not to pray! How not to jump into an ice-hole with a wonderful, healing power! And let the frosts crack, the blizzard sweeps, January is fierce, but today is the Epiphany!
Bride
“I’ve been walking for the last time. I’m a young boy: After Epiphany, they’ll get married, My funeral will end,” - sing, don’t sing, but the time has come for the “maidens”: be kind, accompanied by mothers and matchmakers, to go “to look out”. They looked out either in the church during the liturgy, or on the square, where mothers and daughters rode in a sleigh, and the grooms stood like a wall - they watched. Or blushed and discharged, the girls lined up in a long row near the Jordan after the consecration of water, flaunting and emphasizing all their merits. And the guys, surrounded by their parents, walked among the brides, "Slavushnits", choosing their betrothed. And there was plenty to choose from!
The outfit of every girl who came to the bride in all its glory consisted of several shirts. The lower one had two red stripes, on top of it there were four or five more decorated shirts, then only a sundress, and with him three or four aprons, embroidered like shirts. A sheepskin coat trimmed with fur was put on top. What a beauty - lovely sight! And the caring parent of the groom, know yourself not only closely examines the attire, but also checks the dresses by touch.
And it happened that one of the women, chosen by several grooms, pushed the skirts of the fur coats to the Slavushnits, showed aprons, shirts down to the bottom with stripes - after all, the grooms should judge the ability of the future bride to weave, sew, embroider.
And the girls are standing, flaunting, albeit with bare hands without mittens, so that each parent can take their hands and find out if they are too cold. And if cold hands are a chilly bride, bad, unfit for the harsh peasant life.
So they fasted with the whole world, cleansed themselves, washed themselves in the Jordan, made themselves out with crosses, went to the bride. So the day of Epiphany was met, consecrated and blessed with prayer. You look, and the meat-eater can begin!