The essence of Lent is to eliminate evil thoughts, and to strengthen the will. These days are for the spiritual and physical purification, in this regard, there are many traditions and customs.
Lent many of us identify with abstinence from animal food. But this is not enough. During fasting should be cleared my mind of unjust thoughts, jealousy, avoid profanity, pray, attend the temple and to abstain from carnal pleasures. Without all this, Lent is converted to a regular diet.
Girl praying in the temple / istockphoto.com
Interesting traditions and signs of Lent
The most stringent restrictions are the first and last week of Lent. These days, it is desirable to visit the temple every day and constantly pray for the salvation of soul and body.
Note that our ancestors responsibly to observe Lent, and it involves a lot of will and traditions. Depending on the days and weeks, they were different.
First week
The first days of Lent especially stringent. So, on the first day should be absolutely refuse to eat, and the next 4 days to eat only bread and water. The first week you need to spend in prayer.
In the first week of Lent, our ancestors determined what the weather will be in the summer. For example, if the sky is clear and starry, the summer will be dry, if the fog and cloudy - the cold, and if the snow and storms - the summer is expected rainy.
Especially our ancestors were listening to the noise of water in rivers and springs on Wednesday of the first week of Lent: if the water is very noisy, That summer, expected to be very rainy and with frequent thunderstorms, and when he heard a voice like a man, then the harvest will be good.
If the noise the water in the river, the summer will be rainy / istockphoto.com
second week
During the second week of Lent, young girls and their mothers were engaged in needlework, namely, spun, embroidered veil, made brooches and jewelry, as well as going over pearls.
third week
On Friday of the third week of Lent young son-in-law called to visit and arrange "obzhornaya" Friday. The main feast of this day was the pea pudding, seasoned with hemp oil.
fourth week
On Monday of the fourth week of Lent in our ancestors was the tradition of dipping into the water yarn: it was thought that it would make her stronger and whiter.
Wednesday of the fourth week - it's the middle post. Our ancestors believed that the post of "break in two" in the front corner Svetlitsa, and in this day pike "destroys tail" ice in the river.
The main fun for the kids mid-Lent was a game of hide and seek with his mother: a woman hiding under a table or bench and knocked on it with a mallet.
Fifth week: Commendation
Tuesday Meritorious week the couple were preparing a feast for relatives and friends of a young wife. On Wednesday, our ancestors arranged farewell the winter, and on Saturday - a wake recently deceased relatives.
Sixth week: Verbnaya
For the palm must go to the river in the evening on the eve of Palm Sunday / istockphoto.com
On Saturday Palm weeks (day of the resurrection of Lazarus) was accepted to go to the river for the palm that sanctify Sunday. This week - the penultimate in Lent, so it will take a lot of connected:
- if Palm week every morning frost, the grain harvest will be good;
- frost in Palm week - a good sign and means that early frosts in autumn there will be no harvest is not lost;
- to the prosperity of the family had, on Monday week Palm mom came to visit his wife with gifts.
Seventh week: Good
Holy Week ends with the great feast of Easter. So, on Tuesday, watering livestock and prayed that the Lord saved him from disease and mortality. On Wednesday, pets accepted was to wash melt water with salt.
Saturday our ancestors called the Great or dyeing, because in this day need to paint and paint the eggs.
On Good Saturday decided to paint eggs / istockphoto.com
Signs of the seventh week of Lent:
- If this week's Full Moon crouches, then there may be floods and floods;
- the weather on Maundy Thursday, this will be on the Ascension;
- Holy Thursday there is no frost in spring and summer will be warm;
- light breeze on Thursday means that there will be a good crop of nuts, fruits and berries;
- Holy Saturday if the weather is clear, the summer will be good, if overcast - in the summer months can bring thunderstorms and hurricanes;
- night before Easter quiet - expect a good harvest of peas, and if clear - the summer will be fruitful.
You will also be useful to get acquainted with Orthodox Calendar posts and meals in 2019.
A photo: https://www.istockphoto.com
