Having met the feast of the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem with a consecrated willow in their hands, the Orthodox the next day begin to prepare for the Passover. Passionate, frightening among the people, week is the time of the hardest fasting, the week of remembrance of the suffering of the Lord, darkness and death, which are invariably replaced by light, salvation, resurrection.
"Scary" Monday
Throughout the week, from Monday itself, all baptized Rus was washed and cleaned: huts, courtyards, and vegetable gardens were put in order, so that the day of Christ's Bright Sunday was celebrated in cleanliness and order. "From Great Monday to Great Day, a whole week, to the throats of women."
Great Tuesday
On Great Tuesday, as on all days of Holy Week, the Orthodox Church remembers the events of the last days of Jesus' life on earth, and celebrates solemn and lengthy services.
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In the folk tradition, each day of the Last Week is marked by special beliefs and customs, often due to economic, domestic needs. On Tuesday, it was supposed to make "juicy milk". Early in the morning, before dawn, hemp and flaxseeds were swept through the bins, mixed, pounded in mortars and diluted with water - the "milk" is ready!
This potion was given to livestock in order to protect them from diseases, they were given it again until sunrise. It is curious that women in no way showed "juicy milk" to men, otherwise "there will be no point in the treatment."
Great Wednesday
On this day, Judas Iscariot betrayed his Teacher for 30 pieces of silver, of which he repented after the crucifixion and hanged himself.
And the Russian peasant has all the troubles and worries: as a precaution, in order to protect the cattle from the evil eye, it was necessary to take the animals to the yard, pour them in melt water collected from the ravines, sprinkled with last year's healing "Thursday" salt. So they turned away any attack from the court, protected "our own" from the unclean, unknown "stranger" that lurked everywhere in the Terrible days, until life triumphs over darkness.
Maundy Thursday
“Take, eat: this is my body,” said Jesus, breaking bread during the Last Supper. Then he gave the disciples a cup of wine and said: “Drink from it all. For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. So the Savior sacrificed himself, his words and actions became the basis of the sacrament of the Eucharist, communion, which is celebrated before Easter on Maundy Thursday.
In the popular belief, bodily and spiritual cleansing was achieved through everyday actions and rituals. On this day, the hostesses washed especially zealously, scrubbed the floors, benches, windows, washed dishes, shook out the rugs, washed linen, bedding and household utensils - nowhere was there a speck of dust or a speck! On Maundy Thursday - that's why it is clean - they heated the bathhouse, all the household washed, and also "invited" the deceased parents to take a bath. To drive away diseases and evil spirits, they fumigated residential and farm buildings, people, cattle. They drove out cockroaches and bedbugs from the house. They outlined the house with a magic circle, "baptized": they painted with charcoal or soot from Thursday Wednesday crosses on the doors, windows, stove damper, mother - everything to protect from bad influence.
On Maundy Thursday, they burned salt in the oven, which, according to popular belief, is healing in itself, and “Thursday” salt is especially. From that day on, they began to cook Easter festive food: they baked Easter cakes, made cottage cheese Easter, painted eggs, brewed beer, prepared meat dishes.
Good friday
The day of the crucifixion and torment of the Savior, the day of the strictest fasting, the day when the shroud is taken out of the altar, the veil with the image of Jesus taken from the cross is placed in the center of the temple. The priest censes the shroud, says prayers, then it is decorated with flowers, candles are lit, after which parishioners come up to “say goodbye to the Savior,” kissing the image of Christ.
On Good Friday, a Russian person did not work - it is a sin.
Great Saturday
Great Saturday, preceding the Bright Resurrection of the Lord, peasants in Russia before dusk conjured frost matinees, asked them not to ruin spring bread, flax and hemp.
On this day, they began to sanctify Easter treats, remembering the stay of Jesus Christ in the tomb.
Bright Sunday of Christ
"Christ is Risen! Indeed he is risen! " - words of jubilation, purification, enlightenment, with which we greet each other, congratulations on the Holiday of Holidays - on the bright day of Easter. Coming to the consecrated morning Easter meal, breaking the fast after the longest and most strict fast, the Russian peasant, filled with inexplicable joy, identified the resurrection of the Savior with the rebirth of nature. Mother Nature triumphed together with man, celebrated the great evangelical event - a bright victory over the darkness of death.
Everywhere there was a fame-rumor about "solar flirting": as if the red sun, rising above the earth, purified by the resurrection of Christ, joyfully plays and dances with its rays. “Little sun-bucket, look out the window! Sunshine, show yourself, red, equip! " - this is how children and young people met the first rays of the sun, and after the song and dance, and round dance, and also round dance. Round dances and merry festivities were famous for the Bright Easter week, which came to replace Passion.