At night, when everything freezes around, light fluffy snow begins to fall silently onto the sleeping land. Hiding everything dirty and bad with a white blanket, nature as if invites people to start the morning, as they say, with a clean slate. And there is something magical, otherworldly in this …
I accept the first snow to be healthy for a century
In the old days, it was believed that the snow begins to fall because of the angels who were engaged in clearing the road of the future in the sky. And therefore, leaving the house in the morning and seeing a fresh white blanket sparkling in the rays of the sun, covering the gardens and roads, our ancestors believed that by it one could judge what awaited them in the coming months. If in the yard and in the garden a new snow blanket has not yet been spoiled with their footprints by the birds, it means that in the near future, at least until spring, a person was not expected to have any special problems and various kinds of troubles.
Particularly superstitious and impatient people left the house at night right during the snowfall, left their footprints on the street, and checked them early in the morning. If they remained intact, the angels promised abundance in the family for a whole year. If one of the early travelers already had time to trample them, this was considered an unkind sign and threatened, in particular, with discord between the spouses.
Especially strong miraculous properties were given to the first snow. They tumbled in it "for a long life", the girls washed themselves with it to preserve their beauty, and the first snowflakes, making a wish, were caught with their mouths.
In order not to get sick in winter, during the first snowfall they put a pot or pan on the porch, and then brought it into the house and drank melt water, repeating the following conspiracy words several times: "I take the first snow to be healthy for a century!"
There were other interesting rites as well. In order, for example, to “attract” money, the merchant with the first snow went out into the street, opened his wallet and, while snowflakes were falling inside him, three times slowly and with an arrangement he said: “How many snowflakes fall on the ground, so much money in my chest will fall! After that, the wallet was closed, and on that day not a single penny was spent from it.
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Girls who dreamed of getting married as soon as possible, at the first snow, put on some kind of sheepskin clothes and walked in it on the street until the clothes completely turned white.
After returning home, they completely shook off the snow from the sheepskin on the threshold, and the following conspiracy was pronounced: “As many snowflakes have stuck to my clothes, so the same number of suitors may stick to me and not come off until I choose one and only one. My word is strong, but my work is sturdy. Amen, amen, amen!"
By the way, the first blizzard, even if it was strong and prickly, which swirled the newlyweds when they left the church, testified not to troubles, but to the well-being of the concluded marriage.
In the frost in what the mother gave birth
New Years and Christmas, of course, also did not go without "snow" signs and fortune-telling. On New Year's Eve, people threw snowballs behind their backs on the street, having previously made a secret wish.
It was believed that if a snowball, falling to the ground, remains intact, the envisioned will certainly come true. It will break in half - you will have to make a lot of efforts to make your wish come true. Well, if it completely crumbles, then it means that you should not even dream of what you have planned,
If a snowstorm raged on New Year's Eve, the fortuneteller stood up facing the wind and, taking a handful of snow, slightly crushed it and threw it far ahead. The snow croup, which almost completely returned to the face, indicated that the plan would definitely come true. If she flew to the side, then along with her, desires flew around the person.
At Christmas, young rural people, having chosen a more or less voluminous snowdrift, lay down in it with their backs, and in the morning they watched how the snowy imprint of their body survived the night. The one who remained safe and sound promised a quick wedding, and the crumbling one - another year of waiting.
On Epiphany Eve, the girl's fortune-telling continued. The most courageous and, most importantly, hardened, having undressed in the bath in the evening, jumped out in what their mother gave birth to in the cold and threw handfuls of snow over their shoulders to the four cardinal directions. After that, shivering from the cold, they stood for a few more minutes and, holding their breath, listened - in which direction the dog would bark or another sound would be heard. According to him, they judged where the future spouse lives.
Another version of the same fortune-telling was as follows. The girl, chattering her teeth from the frost binding her naked body, cut the snow with a knife and whispered: "Damn, damn, help, damn, damn, tell all about my betrothed, will I cry in front of him?"
The sonorous barking of a dog foreshadowed a kind and cheerful husband, a rude one - evil and quarrelsome, but the howl said that married life would be short-lived.
Snowflake from freckles
In the past, there was no house in the village that did not have special ritual pots with the so-called Epiphany snow.
The containers were stored in the cellar in winter, and on the glacier in summer, and the snow from them was used in extreme cases, when it was not possible to raise the patient to his feet by other means. According to numerous beliefs, Epiphany snow had the power to heal almost any ailment.
He also passed on to pets. The horses were fed with snow so that in the spring, on arable land, they did not get tired ahead of time, and the chickens were added to their food so that they began to rush as early as possible.
With the help of Epiphany snow, widows defended themselves from the Fiery Serpent, which loved to visit single women, flying in through the chimney and turning around in the house as a deceased spouse.
The snow falling for Epiphany was also used to judge the future grain harvest. Morning snow promised early ripening, daytime - usual, and evening - later.
If, on January 19, snow fell all day without interruption, capturing the night as well, it was believed that both cereals and all other crops would be born, and there would also be a large collection of honey.
Our ancestors believed that the snow collected on March 14 - on Saint Eudokia also has special healing properties. It, however, unlike Epiphany, was immediately melted, but the resulting snowflake was also kept for a year in pots and given to those suffering from eye diseases to drink.
She also wiped off the children - so that they would grow up healthy, and the walls of the dwelling - to remove the accumulated negative from them. In turn, the girls washed themselves with a snowball in order to get rid of freckles.
Svetlana NIKIFOROVA. Anomalous News N ° 2-3