Feast of the Holy Trinity: traditions, customs, rituals and folk signs. Trinity conspiracies

Faced with this very interesting topic, it is necessary first of all to plunge into the very essence of the holiday of the Holy Trinity. After all, its story has biblical roots. Many people associate this holiday with big festivities and fun. There are even signs for the Trinity, and they are very different, but more on that a little later.

history of the holiday

In general, the day is also called Pentecost, because the Orthodox celebrate it on the fiftieth day after Easter.

Before answering questions of interest on the topic “Trinity, signs and customs, conspiracies,” let’s come closer to the moment of the origin of the holiday itself.

So, after the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, his disciples lived in a constant sense of celebration, since their Teacher appeared to them for forty days - first to one, then to another, then to all at once. Saying goodbye to them for the time being, the Lord rose above the earth before their eyes. This is how he assured his disciples that when the last day of the world comes, he will appear on earth in the same way as he went to his Father. He said that he would send them a comforter - the Holy Spirit, who would come from God the Father. At first the apostles did not understand what this could mean, but they believed that everything would be so according to His word.

The emergence of the first temple

After all these events, they maintained this state of grace in their souls, like fire in the hearth. Day after day they gathered in a secluded upper room in Jerusalem and there they fervently prayed and read the Holy Scriptures. Thus, another prophecy of the Lord Jesus Christ was fulfilled: “The law will go out from Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.” This is how the Christian temple first appeared.

Not far from it was the house of one of the Lord’s favorite disciples - the apostle. In the same house, according to the will of Jesus Christ, she stayed mother of God- The Virgin Mary. Students always gathered around her. For all believers, she was salvation and consolation.

How did the holiday of the Holy Trinity appear?

And so it happened that on the tenth day after the Ascension of the Lord, on the day of the first Jewish harvest, when the apostles and the Mother of God were in the upper room, at three o’clock in the afternoon there was suddenly a strong roar, as if a storm was beginning. Tongues of fire appeared in the air, which were not material, but of the same nature as that blessed fire that comes out every time in Jerusalem on Easter and does not burn.

Having swept over the heads of the apostles, the tongues of flame descended into them and left them dead. And then, after the external phenomenon, the internal one immediately happened, which took place in their souls: “They were all filled with the Holy Spirit.” All the apostles and the Mother of God felt an extraordinary power that came to life in them. This is how the Lord’s disciples received the grace-filled gift of the verb and began to understand languages ​​that they had never spoken before. All this was necessary in order to preach the Gospel throughout the world.

holy gift

Gifted generously by the Holy One Spirit and feeling that these were not the last spiritual gifts of the Lord, they began to hold each other’s hands, while forming a new bright Church, in which God Himself became invisibly present, reflected and acting in their souls.

The beloved children emerged from the walls of the upper room of Mount Zion. United with the Lord the Holy Spirit, they went to preach Christ's teaching about love throughout the world.

And now, in memory of this wonderful event, the Feast of Pentecost can also be called the day of the appearance of the Holy Spirit, who came from God the Father, as God the Son promised the apostles. This is how the sacrament of the unity of the Holy Trinity appeared.

Trinity: signs and customs in Rus'

For some time now, the holiday of the Holy Trinity has become a favorite among the Russian people. Therefore, many folk signs, customs and rituals are associated with it, which the people adhere to, in addition to church celebrations.

Signs for the Trinity date back to ancient pagan times in Rus'. Many different superstitions were associated with Trinity, or “Semitskaya”, “Semikova” week.

This week was dedicated to the goddess of spring, who became the winner over the demons of winter. On this occasion, noisy national games and celebrations took place. The usual time for Holy Trinity is late May or early June, and it was especially suitable for spring holiday the revival of the earth, when fresh and lush greenery has not yet lost its beauty. The pagan month, which coincided with Christian holidays, contributed to their unification with each other.

Folk signs for Trinity

With time ancient custom the veneration of the spring goddess Lada was forgotten, and old rituals merged with new ones, creating an unusually beautiful and vibrant environment around the first summer holiday.

And now the Semikov (Semitskaya) week, the seventh after Easter, ending on the day of the Holy Trinity, began to be called “green Christmastide”, and it was also called “mermaid”, “soulful wake”, “heat”. And all this, of course, became a relic of Russian paganism.

This is what the Trinity used to mean for the Russian people. Signs and customs at this time were very different, but at their core they were large folk festivities. As they say in the folk joke: “Honest Maslenitsa invited Semik to visit, for which honor and praise be given to her!” Semik is Thursday in the seventh week after Easter before Pentecost.

Semik

What do they do on Trinity? The signs and customs of the spring holiday are similar to Maslenitsa. Only one holiday takes place at the end of winter, and the other at the end of spring, and both are celebrated in honor of the red sun.

Semik is primarily a girls' holiday, taking place three days before Trinity. Whole villages of girls with all sorts of delicacies gathered on the banks of the river and wove wreaths, which were no longer used as decorations, but as amulets against evil spirits. Some girls read fortunes on wreaths and threw them into the water: if the wreath drowns, the girl will not get married this year, or even be lost (die). if the wreath floats up and goes against the current. Then the girls sang and danced around a curly birch branch, which they cut down, dug into the ground and decorated with ribbons.

What not to do on Trinity

It is not for nothing that many are interested in the signs of Trinity, what should not be done on this day and how to celebrate it. The very first sign is that you cannot work on this holiday. On Trinity Day it is not recommended to carry out wedding ceremonies. Any earthwork is prohibited. However, it is very good to prepare various medicinal herbs on the day of the Holy Trinity. whole year, as it is believed that they will have triple the healing power.

In general, there are different, quite surprising signs for the Trinity. What else can’t be done? This frequently asked question, and it needs to be dealt with more carefully, because something irreparable may happen.

Again, since the times of paganism, it was forbidden to swim on Trinity Sunday, because from the next day the mermaid week began. It was believed that all aquatic evil spirits such as mermaids and mermen at that time lured careless people into their nets. Therefore, it was advisable to stay away from water. It was also forbidden to go into the forest alone.

The most important signs

Here are the most memorable folk signs for Trinity. The day before Trinity (it was customary to go to the cemetery to remember deceased relatives. If someone forgot to do this, it was believed that the dead, angry, could take one of the relatives with them. Therefore, before Trinity, a memorial dinner was held, clothes were given dead to ward off death.

Old women went to the graves on Trinity Sunday and swept them with birch brooms so that the evil forces would retreat, and at the same time the dead rejoice and contribute to calm, peace and harmony throughout the village.

Regarding the topic “Trinity, omens, conspiracies,” many people wooed on Trinity, and this was a very good omen. They said that if matchmaking is on Trinity, then on the Intercession there will be a wedding, which means that the newlyweds’ life will be in love and harmony.

Rain on Trinity means a good harvest year, mushrooms and warm weather.

And the day after Trinity was considered the Earth’s name day, when no one worked, and those who wanted to get rich went for treasure. To a kind person the earth from its depths could reveal something very valuable.

Main amulet

Signs for Trinity can be very different, and if you adhere to them, you can be protected from many troubles. However, the main talisman against evil spirits has always been pectoral cross, which you should always carry on yourself, especially on Trinity Sunday.

Now in the topic “Signs for Trinity, what is not allowed and what is possible,” much should be clear. On this holiday, you need to set the table and gather guests to relax and have a lot of fun with your family and friends.

Trinity Day

In the topic “Trinity, signs, conspiracies” it is necessary to note a very important thing: all healers and sorcerers know that on this day all herbs have triple power, but it is even more important to know that at all times Christians were ordered to spend this day in tireless prayer to the Saints Apostles and ask them for leniency and protection. Prayer always affects evil spirits much more powerfully than any witchcraft spell.

Continuing the topic “Trinity: signs and customs, conspiracies,” it should be noted that today customs have changed a little. Now it is enough to celebrate the evening or then spend time with the family, putting aside all worries, not being offended and not swearing, in order to celebrate the Trinity with dignity, then the Lord will give everything that this person’s family will need.

Conclusion

Signs for Trinity indicate that the culture of the Russian people is so rich that on this holiday right hand in church he prays to God, and with his left hand he holds a bouquet of herbs. After the service, the believer will leave the church and bow to all four cardinal directions. And then he will come home and weave a wreath of herbs with cherished words for good luck and health and put it behind the icon before next holiday Trinity.

This is how Christian and pagan views and traditions gradually merged into a single whole. And there was no contradiction here, everything was very coherent and harmonious.

The Day of the Holy Trinity, or Pentecost, is one of the closest Christian holidays to Russian people. By this time, and Trinity is celebrated on the fiftieth day after Easter, nature finally awakens, a new, full-fledged and full-blooded life begins. The floors of the temples are covered with freshly cut grass, the walls are decorated with birch branches, even the color of the priests’ clothes on this day is green.

This is a symbol of renewal, a symbol of beginning. After all, on this day our Church was born.

On this day, almost two thousand years ago, the apostles were sitting in the upper room (upper room) of one of the Jerusalem houses on Mount Zion. Whose house it was is unknown. But it was he who was destined to become the first Christian temple. Indeed, in the Zion upper room, Christ appeared to His disciples twice after His Resurrection, there He broke bread and filled the cup with wine, thus performing the first liturgy. In the Upper Room of Zion, the Holy Spirit descended on the apostles and the Virgin Mary - and this happened on the fiftieth day after the Resurrection of Christ and on the tenth day after His Ascension to Heaven.

By this time, the apostles were no longer confused and depressed, as after the crucifixion of Christ. The Savior's disciples already understood that He left behind not just a handful of followers, but the Church. Despite the fact that the apostles were not residents of Jerusalem (most of them were from Galilee), they had not gone home for fifty days, meeting daily in that same Zion upper room. After all, Christ Himself asked them not to leave the city and wait for the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

And then “suddenly there was a noise from the sky, as if from rushing strong wind, and filled the whole house where they were. And cloven tongues as of fire appeared to them, and one rested on each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance" (Acts of the Apostles 2:2-4). Thus, on this day in the Upper Room of Zion, the triune God appeared in his third hypostasis, hence the name - the Feast of the Holy Trinity.

God the Father created the world and sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to earth to show people the way to salvation, and God the Holy Spirit descended on the apostles, and through them, on each of us, to be close to people. The community of people in which the Holy Spirit is present is called the Church. Every Orthodox Christian prays “In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit...” In addition, on this day God gave the apostles the opportunity to speak in different languages. After all, if earthly history Christ ended, then the life of Christ's Church has just begun. The apostles had to go to different countries and tell people about the Truth that God brought to them in every possible way.

One morning, having heard a strange noise, the surprised residents of Jerusalem began to approach the house where the apostles had gathered, and were very surprised when they heard that the people inside the house were speaking different languages. They even thought that the people speaking were drunk. Then the Apostle Peter came out to the crowd and said: “...men of the Jews, and all those living in Jerusalem! Let this be known to you, and listen to my words: they are not drunk, as you think, for it is now the third hour of the day; but this is what was foretold by the prophet Joel: And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy; and your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams. And on My servants and on My handmaids in those days I will pour out My Spirit, and they will prophesy” (Acts of the Apostles 2:14-18).

Exactly what Peter said happened. Having received from God Himself the gift of prophesying, healing, and most importantly, bringing the Truth to people, the apostles dispersed throughout the world and preached in its farthest corners. The apostles were executed (only one of the twelve apostles, John, died a natural death), but what could the enemies do against those with whom the Holy Spirit is always present, Christians? Generations of people, rulers, and even entire states disappear from the face of the earth, but the Church has existed for almost two thousand years. Starting once with that very small group of people in the upper room on Mount Zion in Jerusalem...

The material uses a reproduction of K. Lebedev’s painting “The Descent of the Holy Spirit”

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Traditions of celebrating Trinity in Rus'

Trinity is a very beautiful holiday. Houses and temples are decorated with branches, grass, and flowers. And this is no coincidence. Greenery and flowers symbolize life. This is how people express joy and gratitude to God for reviving them through null baptism into a new life.

Historically, birch branches were used to decorate temples and houses. This tree is considered blessed in Rus'. It is not without reason that many poems and songs are dedicated to him. The holiday of Trinity without a birch is the same as Christmas without a tree. But Russia is a large country, with different climatic conditions, apparently, this can explain the fact that in some areas the holiday trees were oak, maple, and rowan. Trinity passes noisily and cheerfully. In the morning everyone rushes to the temple for the festive service. And after it they organize folk fun with round dances, games, and songs. Loaves were definitely prepared. They invited guests to a festive dinner and gave each other gifts. Fairs were held in some areas.

With the revival of faith in Russia, the traditions of celebration are also being revived Orthodox holidays. And already in our time in the cities of the country they organize festivities with games, performances, songs.

Trinity - Green Christmastide

Trinity Day has been one of the favorite holidays of the Russian people since time immemorial. Many folk customs and rituals are still associated with it, celebrated in addition to the church celebration. In ancient times, when the memory of the pagan past was still fresh in Rus', so many original manifestations were associated with the Trinity, or “Semitskaya” week folk superstition- like none of the other holidays except Christmastide. This week, dedicated to the goddess of spring, who defeated the demons of winter, has long been celebrated with noisy national games. The end of May and the beginning of June, on which Trinity Day falls, were especially suitable for celebrating the spring revival of the land, which by this time was covered with the most lush vegetation, which had not yet lost its charming freshness.

The pagan month of our distant ancestors, which in this case coincided with Christian holidays, gave rise to their unification with ourselves. Little by little, the ancient veneration of the goddess of spring - fair-haired Lada - was forgotten, and the customs that accompanied it merged with new rituals, creating an unusually bright atmosphere around the first summer holiday. Over time, the pagan spirit of this latter dissolved in the worldview of the new faith of the Slavs, enlightened by the desire for the mountain peaks of goodness; but the ancient customs that have survived the centuries-old past still show how strong the blood ties of the plowman people are with the surrounding life of their ancestors and the nature that surrounds their life from everywhere.

“Semitskaya” - the seventh week after Easter - the week ending with Trinity Day, is still called “Green Christmastide” in some areas (for example, in the Rybinsk district of Yaroslavl province). In the old days, she was called by this nickname everywhere in people's Rus', who also called it “rusal”, “green”, “clecal”, “suffocating wake”, “height” and others suitable names, - each of which finds its explanation in the remnants of Slavic-Russian paganism. According to a popular joke - “Honest Maslenitsa called Semik to visit”... and, - add the eloquent villagers, - “Honor and praise to her for that!” Semik, this is actually Thursday on last week before Pentecost. On this Thursday, dedicated by the ancient pagan Slav to the supreme god Perun the Thunderer, the most important preparations were made for the celebration of Trinity Day.

Everything was the same as in the remote wilderness, where this Thursday is still a welcome guest of unassuming rural youth, who, according to legend, pay spring tribute to the memorable relics of the past. In the Tula province, the Semitsk birch tree is still not even called anything other than “kumoyu,” and the word “kumoyu” back in the 40s and early 50s only meant kissing when passing under this very birch tree.
Semik is primarily (and in other areas exclusively) a girls’ holiday. nullIn the Volga region, upper and middle, everywhere on this day there is a maiden fundraiser in villages: eggs are collected, cakes are baked, delicacies are purchased. Girls, entire villages, go to the grove, to the banks of the river - to curl birch trees, “play songs” and feast. Wreaths are hung on birch trees, with which the Reds make wishes about their fate, throwing them into the water on Trinity Day itself. Following the feast, round dances begin, which stop from Trinity to Dormition.

Semitsk round dances are accompanied by special rituals dedicated to the “birch-birch tree”, which is given special honors - probably as a living personification ancient goddess spring. About fifty years ago, in the Voronezh province, a straw doll decorated with birch branches was brought to Semitsk feasts - in which, undoubtedly, a clear echo of ancient paganism was heard. In some places on Semik they wrap ribbons around some especially curly birch tree growing on the bank of a river, and sing to it an old song: “My birch, my birch, my white birch, my curly birch!..”, etc. In the Vologda province Semik is better known as “Polyany”. This is a consequence of the fact that all the customs associated with it are celebrated in the clearings.

Semitic customs were characteristic of more than just the Slavs. Even the ancient Greeks and Romans had special spring festivals dedicated to flowers and trees. The Germans had the so-called “festival of wreaths”, which had even more in common with our Semik. According to comparative data of pagan theology, Semik is a prototype of the union of heaven and earth.

Greenery and flowers still make up features Trinity Day celebrations; Everywhere in Rus', churches and houses are decorated with birch branches on this day - both in villages and in cities. In the old days, this custom was given special meaning, connecting two worlds - pagan and Christian. Games organized in honor of pagan deities existed in Poland even after five centuries from the adoption of Christianity; according to the Polish historian Dlugosz.

Dlugosz is a famous Polish historian who lived in the 15th century. He was born in 1415, and was educated at the University of Krakow; upon completion of the course (dialectics and philosophy) he was secretary of the Bishop of Orzhev - while being ordained to the rank of canon. In 1448, his diplomatic career began, bringing him closer to the royal court. From 1467, Dlugosz was entrusted with the task of educating the royal children. Before his death, he was elected archbishop, but death preceded his consecration to this rank: he died in 1480. Throughout his diplomatic and pedagogical activity he worked zealously historical monuments homeland. Of his works, the most thorough is the “History of Poland,” brought “from fabulous times” to the third quarter of the 16th century. The entire history of the Polish people is studied by Dlugosz - as a subject of glorification of Poland and a lesson in the state's service to the Church and its tasks] they were called “The Herd”. In Lithuania they existed even longer. White Rus' still has a lot in common with the Old Polish-Lithuanian folk customs in general and related to the celebration of Trinity Day in particular.

There is a belief that Slavic nymphs and naiads - mermaids living in river pools - emerge from the water this week. On the eve of Trinity Day, according to Little Russian belief, they run away into the fields and start their night games. - “Boom! Bang! Straw spirit! - they seem to shout: “My mother gave birth to me, she gave birth to me unbaptized!” Mermaids, according to popular belief, are the yearning souls of babies born dead or who died unbaptized. From “Green Christmastide” to Peter’s Day, they live in the forests, calling out travelers with hooting and laughter, whom they tickle to death. During the green mermaid week in Little Russia no one swims - for fear of falling into their hands; Semik is known here as the “great day of mermaids”. Wormwood and the herb “dawn” are considered to be a protective remedy against mermaid spells. In the Chernigov province, until recently, the custom of “mermaid send-off” existed, when river enchantresses were expelled by an entire village of boys and girls. In the Spassky district of the Ryazan province, the Sunday following Trinity Day is known as a “mermaid fast”; after seeing off the mermaids, games of “burners” and “duck” are stopped here until next spring.

In the old days, preachers especially rebelled against the belief about mermaids and the folk games and fortune telling associated with it, denouncing the people of pagan superstition. In contrast to the popular celebration of riotous Semik, it was established to commemorate the poor buried in the so-called “poor houses” and “poor houses” on this Thursday. But the cheerful celebration did not darken in popular life: laughter and songs quickly gave way to tears and sobs on the same day.

Of the ancient customs associated with this holiday, not all have reached the border of our days. Much has disappeared without even being included in the pages of folk studies. It was reported that in the Yenisei province. (Minusinsk, env.) peasant women, having chosen a curly birch tree at Semik and cut it down, dress it up in their best dress and they put her in a cage until Trinity, and then - with songs - they take her to the river. In Kazan province. (Chistopolsk. u.) on the eve of Trinity, a game is held in honor of pagan god Yarily. In the Penza and Simbirsk provinces, on the day following Trinity, girls, dressed in the worst, shabby sundresses, come together and, calling one of their friends “Kostroma,” put her on a board and carry her to the river for a bath and burial. Then they bathe and return home, where they change into all the festive clothes and dance in circles until late at night. In Oryol province. on Trinity Day they “pray for a loaf” baked from flour brought by all the girls of the village chipping in: they go to the grove with this loaf and sing over it. In the Pskov province: in many villages, graves are covered with bunches of flowers brought from the church from the Trinity mass. This is called “clearing the parents’ eyes.” In many places in Rus' in the old years, bride viewings took place on this holiday. The girls gathered in the meadow and, having gathered in a circle, slowly moved with songs. Grooms stood around and “looked out” for brides.

Many of the described customs have already disappeared, others have changed beyond recognition; but there are also many who still live out their lives with the same appearance with which they were created by the popular imagination in ancient days. Trinity Day during the time of the Moscow Tsars of All Rus' was accompanied by special solemnity in royal everyday life. The Tsar-Sovereign “appeared to the people” on this great holiday. The royal exit was furnished according to a special charter. The sovereign walked in royal attire: he was wearing the “royal cloth” (purphyry), the royal “caftan,” a crown, barms, a pectoral cross and a baldric; in his hand is a royal staff; on the feet are shoes studded with pearls and stones. The crowned pilgrim was supported by the arms of two attendants. They were surrounded by a brilliant retinue of boyars dressed in golden fairies. As the tsar walked to mass, the tsar's retinue walked side by side: people of lower ranks were in front, and the boyars and okolnichy were behind the sovereign. The bedsider and the attorneys carried the “concoctions”: a towel, a chair “with a head”, a footstool, a “solnushnik” - from rain and sun, and everything else that was required for everyday life.

In all the splendor of his royal vestments, the sovereign entered the Assumption Cathedral, accompanied by the boyars and all his neighbors. At the front of the entire procession, the attendants carried a bunch of flowers (“broom”) and a “leaf” (woody, without stems) on the carpet. The royal exit was announced by a resounding ringing from Ivan the Great “with all the bells ringing”; the ringing stopped when the sovereign took his royal place. On the steps of this “place,” upholstered in red satin with gold braid, nearby attendants supported the sovereign. The mass was celebrated solemnly. At the end of it, before Trinity Vespers, the cathedral key-keepers approached the Tsar with the appropriate bows and presented him on the carpet with a leaf of wood sent by the Patriarch. Having mixed it with the “sovereign leaf” and various herbs and flowers, they covered the entire royal place with it and sprinkled it with rose water. With the sheet taken from the sovereign, they went to cover the places of the patriarch and other spiritual authorities. The remainder was distributed to the boyars and other pilgrims throughout the temple. The Emperor knelt and - as they said at that time - “lay on the sheet,” reverently listening to the words of the prayer. When the Divine service ended, he left the cathedral in the same solemn way, “appeared to the people,” who greeted him with joyful cries, and - preceded by one of the nearby stewards, carrying the “broom” of the sovereigns, returned to his royal chambers. The ringing of the bells did not stop throughout its journey from the cathedral to the palace.

During Trinity Green Week, the princesses and the hawthorns had fun in the palace with games-null round dances, under the supervision, if not of the bright eyes of the Empress-Tsarina herself, then of the watchful gaze of the riding noblewomen and mothers. For games and round dances, both in the Tsarina’s and in the princess’s mansions, special spacious vestibules were allocated. There were also “fool jokers” assigned to the princesses, bahari, domrachei and party-goers with buffoons, everyone who was supposed to provide “fun” and “merry undertakings”. The princesses were amused by hay girls, “game girls”, with whom - probably - the same Semitic songs were “played” that were heard at that time under the birch trees over the water throughout Rus', which celebrated its ancient games in honor of the “Honest Semik” and the Trinity - Green Christmastide .

Folk customs and signs for Trinity

Trinity is Sunday, the fiftieth day after Easter, a holiday in honor of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Its other names are Trinity Day, Day of the Descent of the Holy Spirit, Pentecost.
By church calendar. The Day of the Holy Trinity is also called the day of the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles.
Pentecost is the second of the three great holidays of the ancient Jews, established in memory of the giving of the Law to the people at Mount Sinai.

According to legend, on this day the descent of the Holy Spirit took place on the apostles.
Jesus' disciples then all gathered together. Suddenly there was a noise from the sky, as if from a strong wind. At that moment tongues appeared and descended on each of the disciples.

And they began to speak in different languages. Multilingualism was revealed so that they could preach Christian teaching among various peoples. The Jewish holiday of Pentecost passed into the Christian church.

According to the folk calendar. Trinity Day can be with good reason call them green Christmastide. On this day, parishioners held masses in churches with bouquets of meadow flowers or tree branches, and houses were decorated with birch trees. Wildflowers that had been in the church were dried and stored behind the icons for various needs: they were placed under fresh hay and in the granary to prevent mice, in holes in the ridges from shrews and in the attic to eliminate fire.
Trees were transported to village streets in whole cartloads and decorated with them not only doors, but also window jambs, and especially the church, the floor of which was strewn with fresh grass (everyone, leaving the church, tried to grab it from under their feet in order to mix it with the hay, boil it with water and drink as healing). Some people made wreaths from the leaves of the trees that stood in the church and placed them in pots when growing cabbage seedlings.
Sunday was spent in the forest, around a birch tree.

In the villages, a loaf of bread was baked in the morning and guests were invited, for whom wreaths of flowers and birch had already been woven. And after lunch, the fun began for the young people. The beckoning grandmother called the girls to a party in the grove, where a tablecloth was laid out, on which loaves decorated with flowers were placed. The girls began to dance in circles, and the boys looked for brides in the dances. Trinity loaves, tablecloths and wreaths were of great importance for future marriage life. The tablecloth was secretly covered with the table under another, upper tablecloth at the bride's ceremony (it was supposed to chain the betrothed). The loaf was dried in breadcrumbs and stored until the wedding. These crackers were then mixed into a wedding loaf for the happiness and love of the newlyweds, and some girls secretly passed the wreath to their lovers as a messenger of the marriage vow. Fortune-telling was also carried out with the help of wreaths, which played just as important a role during the “green Christmastide” as during the winter ones. On Trinity Day, girls developed birch trees: a wreath is developed - the desired will not come true, a wreath withers - expect changes in life: marriage or (carry and have mercy!) Death, if the wreath is green - the continuation of girlhood, which in general rarely pleased anyone. And in the evening, when the fun gradually died down, they went to the river and threw wreaths into the slowly darkening spring water. If the wreath floats - this is a favorable sign; if it spins in place - the wedding will be upset or trouble will begin in the family, drowning - to great misfortune: to the death of relatives or the betrothed. And if the wreath stays in place, then there will be no wedding this year. After the fortune telling, happy or sad, they went home. And the next day, Monday, it fell new holiday- Day of the Holy Spirit, or Spirits The day from which, according to popular belief, a real warm summer began.

Birch

The birch tree became a symbol of the holiday, probably because it was one of the first to dress in bright, elegant greenery. It is no coincidence that there was a belief that the birch tree has a special growth power and that this power must be used.

They decorated windows, houses, courtyards, and gates with birch branches; they stood with birch branches at church services, believing that they had healing powers. On Trinity Sunday, the birch tree was destroyed - “buried”, drowned in water or taken out into a grain field, thereby trying to beg from higher powers for the fertility of the earth.
Curling a birch tree is a ritual from ancient times. The girls believed that they would tie their thoughts tightly with the guy they loved.
Or, curling birch branches, they wished their mother a speedy recovery. Birch branches were filled with healing power on these days. An infusion of birch leaves was also considered healing. Our ancestors also used birch branches as a talisman against all unclean spirits. Still in the grooves of the corners of the house in Vologda region peasants stick birch branches so that purity and healing spirit are transferred to the walls.
After mass, the girls changed their outfit, put fresh birch wreaths intertwined with flowers on their heads, and in this attire they went into the forest to develop a birch tree. Having arrived there, they stood in a circle near a curled birch tree, and one of them cut it down and placed it in the middle of the circle. All the girls approached the birch tree and decorated it with ribbons and flowers. Then a triumphal procession opened: the girls walked in pairs, in front of everyone one of them carried a birch tree. In this way they surrounded the birch tree around the entire village. On one of the streets they stuck a birch tree into the ground and began to dance around it. Guys joined them. By evening, they removed the ribbons from the tree, broke off one twig at a time, and then tore the tree out of the ground and dragged it to the river to drown. “Drown, Semik, drown angry husbands!” - and the unfortunate birch tree floated to where the current of water carried it (Vladimir province).

On this day, the girls parted with the wreath woven in Semik. They threw him into the water and watched. It was bad if the wreath sank: you won’t get married today, and maybe you’ll even die. If the wreath stuck to the other shore, a girl’s love will take root and stick to the heart of any guy.

The youth of the Novgorod region performed a ritual adapted specifically to the Trinity, called “shaking gunpowder.” During the festivities in the meadow, among round dances and games of ogaryshi (burners), one of the men would tear off his cap from young spouse, shook it over his head and shouted loudly: “Gunpowder on the tube, the wife doesn’t love her husband.” The young woman quickly responded to this cry, stood in front of her husband, bowed to him at the waist, took off the cap that was placed on his head at the moment of her appearance, took her husband by the ears, kissed him three times and bowed to him again in all four directions. At the same time, the villagers aloud assessed her qualities and let her different jokes addressed to her. The young women were usually shy and said: “When they shake gunpowder, it would be better to fall through the ground.”

On Trinity Sunday, the ritual of remembrance of the dead was performed. Only on Trinity Sunday were funerals held for the dead who had not been buried during the year. Thus, in times of war, plague, and famine, the dead were usually dumped in a common pit. During Trinity-Semitic week, the bodies of the dead were sewn into matting, coffins were made and buried.

On Trinity Day, old women went to the cemetery to sweep the graves with bouquets and birch branches, which they held in their hands, “to clean the eyes of their parents.”

On Trinity Sunday, dew was collected and used as a potent medicine for ailments and for sowing vegetable seeds.

Folk signs on Trinity

Rain on Trinity - a lot of mushrooms, warm weather.

If the birch trees placed on Trinity Day for decoration are still fresh after three days, then expect wet haymaking.

From Trinity to Dormition there are no round dances.

If they get wooed on Trinity and get married on the Intercession, it means that these spouses will have a long, happy life, in love and harmony.

The Monday following Trinity is Spiritual Day. They said: “Since Spiritual Day, warmth has been coming from under the earth from more than one sky.”

“The Holy Spirit will come, it will be in the yard, as on a stove.”

Trinity is one of the main Orthodox holidays. It is associated with the descent of the Holy Spirit, which was predicted by Jesus Christ. The holiday does not have an exact date; it is celebrated on the fiftieth day after Easter. Many folk rituals and ceremonies are associated with this day. Signs for the Trinity have always been given special attention.

Trinity in 2018

In 2018, Trinity will be celebrated on May 27. Previously, wide public festivities were organized in honor of the holiday. Now it does not have such meaning, but many folk signs, traditions and rituals have been preserved. They touch various fields life: love, prosperity, harmony, family life and so on.

Signs: do's and don'ts

If it rains on Trinity Sunday, then the weather will certainly be warm in the summer. Rain also indicates that there will be a rich harvest of mushrooms this year. It has long been believed that rainy weather on this holiday promises joy and happiness for all people. And if you get wet on this day, you can get rich very quickly in the near future. Heat, on the contrary, is considered bad sign. She says that the year will be lean.

If a lot of dew fell on the morning of the Trinity Day, this is good sign. You need to walk the towel over the grass and then squeeze it out into a bowl at home. You need to wash your face with the resulting liquid to attract good luck.

For unmarried girls, the Trinity holiday was especially important. On this day, one could tell fortunes about one's betrothed using wreaths. First they were woven, and then lowered into a pond. Then it remained to see what would happen:

If you already have a chosen one, you can give him a wreath. This must be done away from prying eyes. Such a gift will help maintain love and happiness in a couple.

You can't work on this holiday. It is necessary to forget about any physical labor for a day, except cooking. Also, you can’t swim in reservoirs, since on Trinity Sunday the rampage of mermaids begins, which can drag a person into their underwater kingdom.

You can't go into the forest, because not only mermaids start active life. Leshy and other creatures also wait for a random passer-by to wander in to them.

You should not get married or get married on this day - it is considered a bad omen. But wooing and proposing is not prohibited.

Rituals, ceremonies, traditions

On Trinity, it is imperative to arrange a festive dinner, to which only those whom the owners of the house are really happy to see are invited. The table should be covered with a green tablecloth, and among the treats there should be a lot of baked goods.

According to the custom of the Trinity, the rooms must be decorated with flowers, twigs, and young grass. They symbolize long life and prosperity. The more greenery there is in a house, the happier it will be to live in.

There are also many conspiracies associated with this day. Luck and success were spoken at dawn on Trinity morning. Standing on the street, they said: “I will get up, pray, go out, cross myself, climb a high mountain, look around in all 4 directions. How on the eastern side a black horse grazes in a green meadow, wild and violent. No one saddled him, no one rode him, that horse did not know the stirrups or reins. I will tame that horse, and he will walk under me obediently, carry me wherever I want. My will is strong, my word is true. Amen".

With the help of conspiracies, they not only attracted good luck, but also got rid of troubles. They also charmed money, cast love spells, and performed rituals that saved wives from quarrels with their husbands.

There are many signs and rituals associated with the Trinity. It is believed that for a happy life one should follow the rules that have long been established among the people.

The holiday has folk roots, although it is associated with religious ones - Pentecost.

What signs and beliefs exist on this day?

1. The most common sign is that you can’t swim on Trinity Sunday. But as church ministers claim, this is simply fiction. You can swim and it does not harm Orthodoxy.
2. You cannot visit the cemetery on Trinity Sunday. This is true, it’s better to go to church and pray.
3. You can't work. This sign has generally become a mandatory addition to any church holiday. But you can work for Trinity if there is such a need.
4. You can't get married. This is true. During the 12 major holidays after Easter you will not be married. But please baptize the child.
5. You can make a wish and it will come true. Well, to be honest, it's just superstition.
6. If it rains on Trinity Sunday, it means a harvest, but sunny weather promises drought.
7. Herbs collected on this day are considered medicinal.
8. On this day, it is customary to give away change to get rid of adversity.

What can you do on Trinity?

The best way to spend time on Trinity is in church among believers. But if you still have a question about what you can do on Trinity, we will be happy to answer:

• pray and rejoice;
• decorate the house with greenery;
• cover festive table;
• dress up;
• visit temples

What can't you do on Trinity?

How to celebrate Trinity?

There are several options for celebrating Trinity. For example, you can decorate your house with flowers, herbs and birch branches, dress up beautifully and set a festive table, celebrating this date with family and friends. At the same time, you should not get carried away with alcohol.

Well, a solemn service is held in the church on this day. Servants decorate the temple with freshly cut grass, and the icons with tree branches.

Every year on the fiftieth day after the Bright Resurrection of Christ, all Orthodox believers celebrate main holiday Summer - Holy Trinity Day. This holiday is also called Pentecost, since it is celebrated on the 50th day after Easter, and the Day of the Descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles. The Feast of Pentecost is the birthday of the church, i.e. God's chosen disciples were given special power to preach the gospel throughout the world and share the message of Jesus as Savior and Lord. Nowadays, the successors of the apostles are the clergy, who are considered mediators between God and people.

For the holiday of Trinity, housewives clean the house and bring it clean, decorate the rooms with flowers, young grass and green branches, which symbolizes the coming spring, prosperity and the continuation of life. Most often, branches of birch, oak, rowan, maple, calamus grass, mint, lemon balm, etc. are used for decoration. On Trinity Day, they attend a festive church service in the morning. Parishioners hold flowers, fragrant herbs and green branches in their hands, symbolizing renewal through the descending Holy Spirit.

Close people and relatives are invited to a festive dinner, treated to loaf, egg dishes, pancakes, pies, jelly and give each other funny gifts.
What not to do on earth.
On the holiday of the Trinity, under no circumstances should you plow, harrow, dig, dig, stick stakes, mow grass, cut down trees, or plant plants. Particular care must be taken with trees, since green trees are widely used in Trinity ritual events. It is decorated with ribbons, wreaths and flowers. The girls curl the young branches of birch, willow, linden, and maple trees and wonder about their future fate. Therefore, on Trinity you should not cut down trees, break branches, or chop wood.

By popular belief, in the week before Trinity there is a great danger of encountering mermaids and forest moths. This is the time when mermaids visit the world of the living, can freely stay on earth and are capable of harming people. According to popular beliefs, babies who were born dead, unbaptized children, or children cursed by their parents and carried away by evil spirits became mermaids and mavkas.

In order not to anger the mermaids, on this day you should never go into the forest or field alone, otherwise the mermaids and mermaids living there will be tickled to death. It is also forbidden to take horses and cattle into the forest or engage in field work, so as to avoid losses on the farm. Also, in order not to anger the mermaids, there is a ban on many things on the Trinity. women's work- you cannot spin, weave, sew, or bleach canvases. You also can't practice homework- clean the house, rinse clothes, wash, cut, get a haircut. On Trinity holidays it is forbidden to swim - mermaids can drag you to the bottom, and a person will drown. According to popular belief, rarely does the Trinity go without a drowned man. Nevertheless, people continue to swim on this holiday, as if they are trying to test this folk wisdom from their own experience.

On Trinity Saturday, in addition to deceased people, you can remember those who died by death other than their own. According to popular belief, such people were also related to evil spirits. Prayers and funeral services help their souls find peace.

Over the centuries-old history of the holiday, many signs and beliefs about the Trinity have appeared among the people. Perhaps the most famous sign is that it always rains on Trinity Sunday. People say that rain on the day of the Holy Trinity is tears for dead people, because the Saturday before Trinity is called parental Saturday. And on this day, from the very morning, it is customary to remember deceased relatives in the cemetery. On the day of the Holy Trinity and during the mermaid week, they were sure to observe numerous prohibitions, so as not to offend the dead people present on earth at that time and not incur their wrath. For example, it was forbidden to sew, spin, whitewash the hut and stove, work in the garden, or swim in the river.

The main symbol of the Trinity is popularly considered to be the birch tree, as a symbol of the coming summer. Its branches are blessed in the church, and then they decorate the house. After the holiday, birch branches were taken to the field, thereby begging nature for a rich harvest. In temples and churches on Trinity Day, after the liturgy, Vespers is celebrated, at which prayers are read with kneeling that the Lord would send us the grace of the Holy Spirit and remember all our departed relatives.

It is believed that herbs collected on the day of the Holy Trinity have a tremendous healing effect and work as powerful amulets. Thus, wormwood, picked on Trinity Day, reliably protects the home and family from all evil spirits and the machinations of sorcerers. With the help of lovage, the girls cast spells on the suitors and great love. Mint protected children from bad dreams and night cries. And the Bogorodsk herb, thyme, helped women get pregnant and bear a healthy baby.

Protective rite for Trinity.
For the Trinity holiday you need to take 3 bouquets: wormwood, St. John's wort and yarrow.

We take all this to church, where you can confess and receive communion if you wish.

Then you need to buy candles and light 7 candles for your health and read the Prayer to the Holy Trinity. Buy at church silver ring with the inscription "Save and Preserve". When you put it on, say: “Shield and protection for me for the Glory of the Trinity!”

After the service at home, light a sprig of St. John’s wort in an old bowl and fumigate the home with the words: “In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, come out, evil spirits, perish!”

Divide the wormwood in half: place one part under the bed, and the second above front door. We brew yarrow and take baths with its addition. St. John's wort can be brewed as tea. Take baths and tea for 3 days in a row.
In the morning and evening, be sure to read prayers to the Trinity! Usually after this many ailments and problems go away

Amulet for family happiness.
Since ancient times, it has been customary to cook special scrambled eggs on Trinity Day. It consists of two eggs, since both of its “eyes” should symbolize a friendly couple - husband and wife. While the dish is fried in a frying pan, the hostess reads a prayer: “ Holy Trinity, have mercy on us; Lord, cleanse our sins; Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities, for Thy name's sake. Lord have mercy (three times). Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. And now and forever and forever and ever. Amen".

Salt these scrambled eggs Thursday salt. Scrambled eggs are seasoned green onions, garlic and parsley. Moreover, the greens are not chopped, but placed in twigs or long green feathers along with the growing head of the onion. It was believed that thanks to this the integrity of the family was preserved. A round scrambled egg, shaped like a frying pan, along with green seasoning, was sealed into an identical round loaf of rye bread, which was necessarily consecrated in the church, cut in half. The loaf is the only thing that is allowed to be divided, but not into small parts, but only in two. The “sandwich” should be wrapped in a towel, taking some boiled potatoes in their jackets, go to the grove to a pre-decorated birch tree, under which this amulet for family happiness is eaten. They also simply ate these scrambled eggs with herbs at home and without adding bread. Only the bread was broken, not cut.

These are the signs and superstitions that have come down from antiquity to the present day. Believe them or not, decide for yourself. Just like celebrating Trinity, or treating this holiday as a relic, is also a business matter.