Around Maundy Thursday (Thursday of Holy Week - the week preceding the Easter holiday), the Eastern Slavs concentrated a whole complex of beliefs and rituals many centuries ago. Some of them still exist. The most famous, probably, can be considered the belief that is widespread in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus in the need to wash, wash and do a "general" cleaning in the house on Maundy ("Clean") Thursday. Many consider this tradition almost a requirement of the Orthodox Church.
In addition, in recent years, in some Orthodox churches in Russia, the practice of taking home the candles with which they stood at the service of the 12 Gospels on Maundy Thursday has become widespread among the parishioners. These candles were popularly called "Thursday" (there is also the name "Thursday fire"). Sometimes parishioners strive to bring the candle home so that it does not go out. It is believed that at home from the "Thursday" candle you need to light a lamp (or even use the cinder of this candle to light a lamp throughout the year). There is also a belief that the smoke from the "Thursday" candle should draw a cross at home over the door - "to protect from evil."
It should be noted right away that in the liturgical literature of the Orthodox Church we will not find any indications of the need for such actions with a church candle. “According to Orthodox liturgical books,” writes Priest Mikhail Zheltov, “the service of the 12 Gospels, performed on the evening of Maundy Thursday, that is, on the eve of Good Friday, is called in a very special way: “Following the holy and saving passions of our Lord Jesus Christ” "... Service 12 Gospels "goes back to the practice of the Jerusalem Church of the 4th and subsequent centuries to spend the night from Maundy Thursday to Friday in a vigil, consisting of prayers, chants, readings of the Gospel stories at various places in the Holy City associated with the Passion of the Lord, and processions from one such place to another." "In the darkness of the night, with lamps in their hands, the believers walked in the footsteps of the Lord in unceasing prayer."
Today the service of the 12 Gospels is a special service of Holy Week, which includes 12 passages from all four Gospels. These passages tell of the sufferings of the Savior, starting with His last conversation with His disciples at the Last Supper and ending with His burial and the assignment of military guards to His tomb. According to the instructions of the modern Russian Typicon, during the reading of each Gospel, all worshipers should hold lighted candles in their hands. The "carrying out" of the temple and the special veneration of the "Thursday fire" are among the folk traditions associated with the Eastern Slavs with Maundy Thursday.
Is it necessary to wash on Maundy Thursday?
In folk life, on Good Thursday, many inherently pagan rituals were performed, designed to ensure well-being in the family and household for the whole coming year.
Speaking about the perception of Maundy Thursday in Russian folk tradition, V. G. Kholodnaya notes: “The idea of spiritual and physical cleansing permeates the entire holiday, extremely rich in a variety of folk customs and rituals that had a preventive, preventive (precautionary), productive and cleansing character. Many of them are of pre-Christian origin. By their number and significance Maundy Thursday is sometimes compared with the Old Russian New Year, celebrated in the first days of March...
In the 19th century The rites of Pure Thursday were to a greater extent associated with ideas about the border separating Great Lent, a period of timelessness, when vital manifestations were reduced to a minimum, from the period of rebirth and renewal of nature, which began with Easter. In ancient times, a similar line separated the old agricultural year from the new one on the eve of spring chores. At the moment of transition from the old year to the new one, the old world became unstable, collapsed, losing its usual structure, and creatures of the other world penetrated into human space: ancestors and evil spirits. In order to confirm and re-establish the lost order, it was necessary, first of all, to protect ourselves from evil spirits, to cleanse human space from it, thus eliminating the cause of misfortunes, at the same time it became possible to enlist the support of higher powers or ancestors, to acquire prosperity and well-being ".
Among the Eastern Slavs, Holy Thursday was almost universally called Clean. In many Russian provinces, on this day, the hostess went to the nearest source - a river or stream - for water for washing. It was necessary to go for water before sunrise. The woman tried not to meet anyone on the way, and if she did, she kept complete silence.
In order to increase the magical cleansing properties of water, in many places a silver (and if possible, even gold) object was lowered into it at home: a coin, a ring or earrings. All households washed themselves with this water in order to be healthy during the year and not suffer from various skin diseases (boils, scabs, abscesses, etc.), and also to "live richly all year." Washing with silver, the peasant women said: "Just as silver does not deteriorate, does not rust, so would my life go well." The girls washed themselves in the hope that the Thursday water would give their faces a special whiteness.
The water collected on Maundy Thursday was usually poured on the street, despite the fact that it was still quite cold at this time of the year. For small children, the water was slightly heated and then bathed in the hut. In the southern Russian provinces, it was customary to wash or bathe in running water, in streams and rivers, in order to "wash away illnesses." In the Vyatka province, at dawn, bathhouses were heated and washed, and children were sprinkled with water left over from the first steam.
In some places, washing on Maundy Thursday was combined with the ritual of calling spring. In the Buisky district of the Kostroma province, at sunrise, girls sank into the water three times with the words: “Spring water, healthy! Give us health too,” then they tumbled three times on the ground and, climbing onto the roofs, sang songs in honor of spring. In the neighboring regions, the girls, entering the river waist-deep, led a round dance and sang: "Spring, red spring, come, spring, with mercy, with great goodness!" (if there was still ice on the river, they danced around the hole).
The cleansing rites of Pure Thursday concerned not only the person himself, but also his immediate environment, primarily at home and utensils. At dawn on this day or on the eve, his mistresses whitewashed the stoves, washed and scrubbed the floors, walls, ceilings, tables and benches, cleaned the icon lamps, steamed the milk dishes, shook the straw from the beds, etc.
As S.V. Maksimov noted, the people of Maundy Thursday "are recognized not just as a day of Holy Week, but as some special saint of God, patronizing cleanliness and tidiness. On this day, according to popular belief, even" a crow washes its crows in a puddle " On the same basis, the women consider it their duty to wash children, and sometimes pigs, and also clean the huts. "If you wash on Maundy Thursday," they say, "the whole year the cleanliness will be found in the hut" ... In addition to general washing, peasants try to coincide with Maundy Thursday and the slaughter of cattle and pigs intended for the festive table and for harvesting for the future. This is done on the same basis as washing the hut: the saint of God, Pure Thursday, preserves meat from spoilage, especially if you turn to him with the next short prayer: "Maundy Thursday, save from worms and every reptile and have mercy for a long time."
Some actions on this day were aimed at updating individual items of utensils, symbolizing prosperity in the relevant area of the economy. Such rituals include washing the bowl, which is known among the Russians of the Kursk province. On Maundy Thursday, the hostess "dressed up" the bowl: washed it, covered it with a clean piece of coarse canvas - "dezhnik", girded it with a red belt, as if she was going to the market. The whole day the bowl stood "dressed up", and in the evening they put dough for cakes - "diapers" in it ...
Thus, "washing on Maundy Thursday had a ritual meaning, and the water was endowed with a special magical power. Thanks to washing, dousing or bathing, Russian peasants sought to cleanse themselves of misfortunes and ailments, drive away illnesses, acquire health and beauty." The cleaning of the hut also had ritual significance.
In other words, the obligatory holding of a "general" cleaning on Maundy Thursday is not a "prescription" of the Orthodox Church, but a pagan custom in origin.
"Holy Fire" and Magic Circle
Above it was said about the rituals of Maundy Thursday associated with the water element. Many cleansing rites of Holy Thursday were associated with fire, primarily in the Russian North and Siberia. In Siberia, in some places, the so-called "wooden fire" was mined by friction, which was considered sacred. They set fire to the "Bogorodishna Grass" or litter collected before dawn from an anthill and ants, and sometimes manure, and fumigated livestock with smoke in order to protect it from plague and spoilage.
Fumigation (as one of the ways of cleansing and expelling evil spirits) was widespread everywhere. In forest places on Maundy Thursday, before sunrise, they specially went to the forest for juniper (veres), which was considered to have miraculous power. In some places, the peasants said that you need to enter the forest with the words: "King of the forest and queen of the forest, give me good health, fruit and generation," then you have to go "without washing, without praying, and observe the strictest secrecy so that no one At home, what was brought should be scattered around the yard and stables, and only in this case no misfortune will befall the family and no misfortune will befall the cattle. However, in some areas, for example, in the old Novgorod region, these measures were considered insufficient, and, for final reassurance and confidence, it was necessary to do the following: “Veres brought from the forest, in the early morning, before sunrise, is lit in a frying pan or a tin sheet. in the middle of the hut, on the floor, and all family members jump through this fire, stocking up on health for the whole year and fumigating from the devil, which on this day is especially troublesome and mischievous. Juniper was also used to fumigate livestock and outbuildings.
The preparation of certain substances and objects, which, according to legend, had healing powers, was timed to coincide with Good Thursday in Russia. So, the properties of healing various diseases and protection from the evil eye were endowed with "Thursday salt". Healing power was also attributed to the remains of bread baked for Good Thursday; they said that this bread was blessed by the Lord Himself. The peasants of the Tobolsk province believed in the special miraculous power of the torch, with which the “first fire” was taken out of the oven on the evening of Great Wednesday, lighting a candle or lamp with it. This burnt torch was called the "four stump" and, according to the peasants, protected livestock from water and goblin. So that they would not touch the cattle, they put crosses on the hooves and foreheads of animals, releasing them for the first time to graze.
On Maundy Thursday, in many places, the ancient rite of outlining the magic circle was performed, associated with the establishment of an invisible border, designed to ensure the protection and well-being of the peasant family and economy. In the Vyatka province, at dawn, the owner went around the house, reading the 102nd psalm of David - "from thieves." In some areas they walked around the hut with an icon in their hands. But more often a house, a yard, a garden or a field was "circled" three times on a stick - a stick, a broomstick, a tong or a poker. The owner or hostess had to do this alone early in the morning, before sunrise, on an empty stomach, trying so that no one would see them, uttering "spell words" in order to save the household and family from misfortune and protect them from the tricks of evil spirits and sorcerers.
One of the ways to establish a magical border was the so-called "baptism" (also known on other holidays, for example, on Epiphany). In the Novgorod province, in order to prevent evil spirits from entering the house, the owner drew crosses in the hut and in the barn in front of the mother with a knife according to the number of "holes" in the house and in the yard (doors, windows, stove, etc.) and sentenced three times: "In the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen!" . These actions were to protect the "holes" in the house, which were perceived as the most vulnerable places for the penetration of evil forces.
Often the object with which they performed a rite of similar meaning was "Thursday" candle. In a number of provinces, there was a custom on the evening of Maundy Thursday to bring a candle from the church, with which they listened to the reading of the Passion of the Lord. The fire of this "Thursday" candle was considered holy by the people. They tried to bring the "Thursday" candle to the house so that it would not go out. They believed that if the candle went out, misfortune would happen to a person, and the one who brought the light to the house intact would live quietly until the next year. To protect from the wind, the candle was sometimes surrounded by a paper lantern in red, yellow or orange. At home, they first lit a lampada from it, and then they smoked crosses on the matitsa, above the front door and windows. With a burning candle in his hands, the owner walked around the house, yard, barn, looking into every dark corner, illuminating it. "The bypass with a candle and baptism were designed to protect the household and the family from the evil eye and evil spirits, to reinforce and redefine the boundaries of the inner space, inaccessible to evil spirits, to protect it from the dangerous influences of the outside world at a time when the border between the otherworldly and real worlds was revealed."
The “Thursday” candle was supposed to be lit on especially important occasions, for example, during summer thunderstorms and storms, in order to save the house from lightning. This candle was given into the hands of the dying, placed in front of the icon during difficult childbirth. She was credited with the power to destroy the spells of sorcerers and cure fevers.
The "Thursday" candle was also called "passionate", or "terrible". However, sometimes the peasants said that not every Thursday candle can be called a passionate one, and they considered the one that burned at least "on three passions" to be a passionate candle.
The same purpose as "baptizing" candles with soot had the purpose of smearing crosses with pitch on the doors of huts and barns in order to block the way for sorcerers.
"Christening" was often combined with the conclusion of the household in a magic circle. So, in the Vyatka province, the hostess, riding on a sauna poker - "burn", traveled around the house, drawing it from the aunt and the dashing person. Stopping in the courtyard in front of each door and gate, on their upper lintel she drew crosses with the burnt end of the "burn".
In general, writes T. Zolotova, in folk rituals "water, fire and the cross had a universal cleansing and protective meaning." Therefore, in all calendar and ritual cycles, the methods of lighting a fire, fumigating, sprinkling, bathing, using a cross to scare away evil spirits were used.
Let's return, however, to the "Thursday" candle. As S. V. Maksimov noted, "Russian people attach great importance to the so-called" consecrated fire ". This is the fire taken out of the church after the great sacred rites," during which, according to popular belief, he received special power and exceptional grace. "Important importance is attached not only to fire, but even to candles." The superstitious veneration surrounding the "Thursday" candle is an example of how elements of pagan worship of fire were transferred to the "consecrated" (according to the people's ideas) fire in the church - and, accordingly, to the candles.
In the popular mind, not only the "Thursday", but also the "Easter" candle (with which they walked around the church during the procession on Easter), as well as the "Epiphany" were endowed with the properties of a magical amulet. Beliefs, similar to those that surrounded the "Thursday" candle in Russia, in Greece refer to the "Easter fire", and in the Catholic countries of Europe - to a candle consecrated on the feast of the Presentation of the Lord.
So, the ideas about the "sanctified" fire and the miraculous power of candles, widespread among the people, date back to pagan times. The liturgical tradition of the Orthodox Church does not know any "consecration" of the "Thursday fire" or the rite of applying soot crosses over the doors of the house.
St. John Chrysostom, speaking of magical techniques, warned: "If the name of the Holy Trinity is invoked at such actions, if there is an invocation of the saints, if the sign of the cross is induced, it is fitting to flee and turn away." Also, the church authors of ancient Russia had to speak out against the superstitious, magical use of the sign of the cross.
"They think they are Christians, but they do filthy deeds ..."
The desire to protect oneself from evil forces by all possible means, characteristic of the East Slavic folk rituals of Holy Thursday, is due to the fact that, as mentioned above, pagan ideas about the “border” period, the time of the invasion of creatures from the other world: dead ancestors and evil spirits, were concentrated around this day. It was believed that on the night of Maundy Thursday, sorcerers and witches "have the most important dates with evil spirits ... And there is no day in the year that is most convenient for those who wish to see evil spirits and learn their future from it." Vologda residents told that at night you need to come to the forest, take off your pectoral cross, bury it in the ground and then say: “Lord of the forest, I have a request before you,” and the goblin will not be slow to appear to reveal all the secrets and tell about future .
Before the adoption of Christianity, the Eastern Slavs had a special Navi day, a day of commemoration of the dead. With the spread of the Christian faith, it was timed among the people for Thursday of Passion Week. This is where the Ukrainian name of Maundy Thursday comes from: Navsky Great Day (or Mavsky Great Day, Dead Great Day), and the Belarusian Naўski Vyalikdzen, that is, "Easter of the Dead".
In the literature of ancient Russia, we find information about the so-called "movi navyam" - a ritual performed in honor of the ancestors in the early morning of Great Thursday. The fact is that it was customary to heat a bathhouse (mov or movnitsa) not only for the living, but also for the dead - "parents". An Old Russian author wrote about the superstitions of his time: “They think they are Christians, but they do filthy [pagan] deeds and pour ashes in the middle of the movnitsa. They leave dead meat, milk, butter, eggs and everything necessary for demons on the stove. they hang the wives. Having washed themselves, they kiss the cert [here: oven] and bow, "after which they leave the bathhouse. The ashes were poured on the floor to see the trace left by the washed ones. Another ancient Russian teaching says: “Demons laugh at the wickedness of them [those who drowned the bathhouse] and, having entered, they wash and thrash [that is, wallow] in the ashes. Like chickens show their mark on the ashes to deceive them. And they wipe themselves with covers and ubrus those. And those who drowned the movnitsa come and look for a trace on the ashes. And when they see a trace on the ashes, they say: "The Navi came to us to wash."
The food intended for the dead was eaten by the owners themselves at Easter, believing that the dead had already tasted the offerings. The purpose of such food sacrifices was to appease the dead ancestors, to enlist their patronage.
The Stoglavy Cathedral (1551) condemned those who, on the morning of Maundy Thursday, invited - "clicked" the dead ancestors: "And on the Great Thursday they burn the straw and call the dead; some ignorant [ignorant] priests on Maundy Thursday put salt under the throne until On the seventh Thursday after Velitsa days [Easter] they keep there and give that salt for healing people and cattle. and they wouldn’t keep days until the seventh Thursday according to Velitsa, because such is the charm of the Hellenic and heretical blasphemy.
The custom of leaving a bucket of water and a broom in the bathhouse for the "parents" or for the "owner" (bannik) existed in Russia until the end of the 19th century. As an example of the remnants of pagan ideas about the dead, one can also cite the belief that existed among Ukrainian peasants that on Maundy Thursday "the dead rise from their coffins and gather in church at the sound of a bell that strikes only once. Gathered together, they stand in front of the temple. A priest comes out of their midst and loudly pronounces some kind of prayer, after which the doors of the temple open by themselves.After that, the dead enter the temple and the cathedral of priests begins to celebrate the liturgy ... At the end of the liturgy, the dead christ with each other and then leave the temple ... The priest says a prayer, after which the doors of the temple are closed by themselves and the dead return to the cemetery ".
As I. P. Kalinsky wrote, in folk beliefs and customs dedicated to Holy Thursday, "the ancient pagan concept of our ancestors about the healing power of fire and water and the influence of these elements on human health is very clearly breaking through, especially in view of the coming spring, which is considered a time of excitement and revival of all the forces of nature.
It is not in vain that Stoglav strongly rebels against these rites and calls them "the charm and blasphemy of heresy."
Today, Archpriest Maxim Kozlov, speaking of superstitions "which in the popular mind accompany church tradition, but are in no way connected with it," notes, in particular, the idea that "Maundy or Maundy Thursday is the day when you need to wash everything", clean the house, etc. “Neither on this day, nor in the following days, does church tradition suggest concentration on everyday life, but directly warns us against overestimating everyday preparations,” says Fr. Maksim . “The most important thing in Holy Week is Christ,” reminds Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeev). “In general, Christ is the most important thing in the life of the Church, in the spiritual life of a Christian. Unfortunately, this is often forgotten” ...
Given the above, it also becomes clear why Bishop Sergius (Sokolov) of Novosibirsk, when asked whether he would take home "Thursday fire", answered: "I am not a fire worshiper."
Notes:
Zheltov M.S., priest. Composition of the service of the 12 Gospels (Good Friday Matins).
http://www.bogoslov.ru/text/398799.html
Valentina Zander. Christ - New Easter. Explanation of the services of Holy Week and Easter.
http://azbyka.ru/tserkov/o_postah/strastnaya_sedmitsa/zander_obyasnenie_sluzhb-all.shtml
See: Zheltov M.S., priest. Composition of the service of the 12 Gospels (Good Friday Matins).
http://www.bogoslov.ru/text/398799.html; he is.
The general composition of the Holy Week services. http://www.bogoslov.ru/text/397608.html;
Good Friday. http://www.pravenc.ru/text/150067.html;
Archpriest Seraphim Slobodskoy. God's law for family and school. M., 1991 [Reprint]. S. 682; Typicon. http://www.holytrinitymission.org/books/russian/typokon_r.htm;
On the Divine Liturgy of Holy Week. Table book of the clergyman.
http://azbyka.ru/tserkov/bogosluzheniya/liturgika/nastolnaya_kniga_svyaschennosluzhitelya_23-all.shtml#33d.
Russian Orthodox authors of the XIX-XX centuries. there are attempts to give a symbolic interpretation of the tradition of lighting candles when reading the Passion Gospels. So, Archpriest G. S. Debolsky wrote: “Each reading of the Gospel is announced with the good news, and at each reading, the upcoming ones light lamps: this signifies the triumph and glory that accompanied the Son of God and during His extreme humiliation amidst reproach and suffering and testifies to His highest holiness and Divinity. The Lord, going to voluntary suffering and death, Himself foretold: Now the Son of Man is glorified, and God is glorified in Him. If God is glorified in Him, then God will glorify Him in Himself, and will soon glorify Him (John 13, 31-32), that is, "together with the cross," says John Chrysostom. The Lord's suffering for our sins was as grievous as it was glorious for the Lord..." (Great Heel of Holy Week of Great Lent. http://www .pravoslavie.ru/put/1701.htm). The reading of the Passionate Gospels is listened to with lit candles, according to S.V. Bulgakov, "as a sign of ardent love for the suffering Lord and like the Gospel virgins, who went to meet their Bridegroom with the firm belief that He would not leave them orphans (orphans), but" from the coffin to the light-bearers"" (S.V. Bulgakov. Handbook for clergymen. Lenten Triodion. http://www.holytrinitymission.org/books/russian/triodion_bulgakov.htm). The most famous is the interpretation of Archpriest Seraphim Slobodsky: "During the reading of the Gospel, believers stand with lighted candles, showing by this, on the one hand, that glory and greatness did not leave the Lord even during His suffering, and on the other hand, ardent love for their Savior" (Archpriest Seraphim Slobodskoy. God's Law for the Family and School. M., 1991 [Reprint]. S. 682).
Tatyana Agapkina. Easter holidays // Motherland. 1996. No. 4. S. 75
S. V. Maksimov. Unclean, unknown and cross power. M.: TERRA, 1996. S. 209
V. G. Cold. Maundy Thursday (Maundy Thursday).
http://www.ethnomuseum.ru/section62/2092/2089/4087.htm
V. G. Cold. Maundy Thursday (Maundy Thursday). http://www.ethnomuseum.ru/section62/2092/2089/4087.htm; Tatyana Agapkina. Easter holidays // Motherland. 1996. No. 4. S. 75
V. G. Cold. Maundy Thursday (Maundy Thursday). http://www.ethnomuseum.ru/section62/2092/2089/4087.htm; Tatyana Agapkina. Easter holidays // Motherland. 1996. No. 4. P. 75. About "Thursday" salt, see: What is "Thursday salt"? http://halkidon2006.orthodoxy.ru/Bogoslovie_10/01127_Chto_takoe_chetvergovaya_sol.htm
V. G. Cold. Pure Thursday (Maundy Thursday). http://www.ethnomuseum.ru/section62/2092/2089/4087.htm;
Tatyana Agapkina. Easter holidays // Motherland. 1996. No. 4. S. 76
Otherwise it was called "four", "passionate" candle, "gospel fire"
V. G. Cold. Thursday candle. http://www.ethnomuseum.ru/section62/2092/2089/4096.htm
I. P. Kalinsky. Church-folk calendar in Russia. http://fb2lib.net.ru/read_online/124489; V. G. Cold. Maundy Thursday (Maundy Thursday). http://www.ethnomuseum.ru/section62/2092/2089/4087.htm; Tatyana Agapkina. Easter holidays // Motherland. 1996. No. 4. S. 75; S. V. Maksimov. Unclean, unknown and cross power. M.: TERRA, 1996. S. 116
V. G. Cold. Maundy Thursday (Maundy Thursday). http://www.ethnomuseum.ru/section62/2092/2089/4087.htm
Tatyana Zolotova. Get lost, evil spirits!.. How Siberian old-timers defended themselves from "evil forces" // Motherland. 2003. No. 2, p. 76
S. V. Maksimov. Unclean, unknown and cross power. M.: TERRA, 1996, p. 115
See: Olga Bogdanova. The glow of Greek Easter. http://www.taday.ru/text/367302.html
See: "Sretensky" candles and the rite of their consecration. http://halkidon2006.orthodoxy.ru/Hram_i_bogosluzhenie/01128_Sretenskie_svechi.htm
Cit. Quoted from: Archpriest Alexander Novopashin, Valery Melnikov. Answers of the Holy Fathers of the Church to the questions of the laity. http://azbyka.ru/vopros/svyatye_otcy_answer_09-all.shtml.
See also Matthew Blastar. Alphabetical Syntagma. About sorcerers.
http://www.agioskanon.ru/sintagma/012.htm#m1.
See: Rybakov B.A. House in the system of pagan worldview.
http://www.i-u.ru/biblio/archive/ribakov_jas3/00.aspx
S. V. Maksimov. Unclean, unknown and cross power. M.: TERRA, 1996. S. 208
V. [V.] I[vanov], V. [N.] T[oporov]. Nav // Myths of the peoples of the world. Encyclopedia: in 2 vols. M.: NI "Great Russian Encyclopedia", 1997. Vol. 2, p. 195
Elena Gruznova. A place where everyone is equal. Sociocultural phenomenon of the Russian bath // Motherland. No. 9. 1995. P. 102
Stoglav. http://www.kopajglubze.boom.ru/stoglav/stoglav_text.html
V. G. Cold. Maundy Thursday (Maundy Thursday). http://www.ethnomuseum.ru/section62/2092/2089/4087.htm
A. Balov. Bell ringing in folk beliefs // Picturesque Russia, 1903. No. 142. P. 446. Cit. Quoted from: Encyclopedia of Superstitions. M.: Mif, Lokid, 1995. S. 262. See also: Demonology. http://rus.ridna-ukraina.com.ua/demon
I. P. Kalinsky. Church-folk calendar in Russia. http://fb2lib.net.ru/read_online/124489
A press conference was held in Moscow on the topic "How to properly prepare and spend Easter." http://www.patriarchia.ru/db/text/1126687.html
Bishop Hilarion (Alfeev): Christ teaches us to live in peace and preach to the world His resurrection. http://www.pravmir.ru/article_2857.html
Prot. Nikolai Afanasiev on the origin of the deacon ministry.
http://deacon.ru/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=843&sid=929cb7ff255babb21ca2d26fe6dcfca2&start=30
On Great, or Clean Thursday - the fourth day of Holy Week - the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill will wash the feet of 12 clergy, and the faithful will try to take communion. Great Thursday - this is how the Thursday of Holy Week is called in the Church - a day of intense worship. And besides the morning Divine Liturgy and the long evening service, when, during the reading of the 12 Gospel passages, the faithful stand with burning candles, it is on Maundy Thursday, once a year, that a unique event takes place in the Church - the rite, that is, a special rite, the washing of the feet .
But first things first. The further the Holy Week goes on, the more we plunge into the events of the last days of the earthly life of Christ. On Maundy Thursday, the Church brings us back to the Last Supper. An event that happened before Christ was taken into custody. The Last Supper is the last supper, the meal of Christ with His disciples on the eve of His suffering on the Cross. During the Divine Liturgy, four gospel events that took place on Thursday are remembered. The first is Christ's washing of the feet of His disciples before the Last Supper. This washing was a sign of Christ's deepest humility and His love for His disciples. During the same supper, as it is said in the Gospel, "the devil had already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot" the idea of betraying Christ. And Jesus, seeing the heart of the traitor, said this at the supper, as if giving Judas the opportunity to stop. This gospel episode is also remembered at the liturgy of Great Thursday.
The third event is extremely important for every believer. The fact is that it was during the Last Supper that Christ established the Sacrament of the Eucharist. The Greek word "eucharist" means "thanksgiving". In Christianity, the Eucharist is called the Sacrament of communion of the Body and Blood of Christ, the Sacrament of grace-filled (that is, perfected by the influence of grace), the union of the believer with God. Established by Christ during the Last Supper, the Sacrament is still performed in every church during every Divine Liturgy. Many believers try to take communion during the liturgy of Great Thursday.
And, finally, the fourth gospel event, which is remembered during the liturgy on Maundy Thursday, is the prayer of Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus knew what was ahead of Him, "His soul grieved to death," and, as it says in the Gospel, He prayed "until a bloody sweat." This prayer of Christ is often called the “prayer for the cup,” because, invoking God the Father, Christ asked that, if possible, “this fate pass from Him”: “Abba, Father! but then he added the words of complete humility before the coming fate and the will of God the Father: "however, not as I want, but as You."
These four most important gospel events are remembered in churches on Great Thursday of Holy Week during the Divine Liturgy. And in honor of the fact that before the Last Supper Jesus washed the feet of His 12 disciples, the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill performs the rite of washing the feet of 12 clergymen in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow. On the evening of Maundy Thursday, twelve Gospel passages are read in churches, telling about the sufferings of the death of Christ on the cross, the words of Christ on the cross, His crucifixion and burial are remembered.
According to a long-standing Orthodox tradition, while reading the twelve Gospels, believers stand in the temple with lit candles. And then, after the service, this light is brought home, and a cross is smoked on the window frames, on the doorposts. This custom has been going on since the Old Testament Passover. Believers who come to the temple in the evening on Maundy Thursday prepare in advance to bring a candle that has not been extinguished to the house, placing it in a special lamp for this.
It is no coincidence that Maundy Thursday is called Clean. On the one hand, this is the day of spiritual purification - it is on this day that everyone tries to confess and take communion, and on the other hand, this refers to the everyday side of our life. It is on Maundy Thursday, between or after church services, that believers clean their homes, cook Easter cakes and Easter, paint eggs for the Easter holiday.
Maundy Thursday is considered one of the most majestic and important Orthodox events. It is also called Maundy Thursday, emphasizing the divinity and sacred power of the holiday. According to legend, it was on this day, during the Last Supper, that Jesus Christ showed his disciples a lesson in humility and brotherly love by washing their feet. As for the date of the celebration, it is not constant from year to year, but depends solely on the day of another great holiday - Holy Easter. Maundy Thursday always falls on Holy Week, which takes place before Easter. Based on this, if the Resurrection of the Savior in 2015 is celebrated on April 12, then the celebration of Holy Thursday falls on April 9.
What are the traditions during the celebration of Maundy Thursday? First, it is very important to remember that Maundy Thursday is considered the most strict part of the fast, which lasts three days, until the onset of Easter. This means that you need to significantly limit yourself in drinking alcohol and smoking. If you are addicted to bad habits, try to refrain from them at least these days. The Orthodox Church also imposes many prohibitions on food, recommending strict fasting these days.
It is impossible not to mention economic affairs. During Maundy Thursday, believers do a thorough cleaning of the house and start washing. After all, neither the next day, nor the weekend, you can not do any business affairs. According to legend, if this tradition is neglected, then "dust and dirt can get into the eyes of Christ." After cleaning, you need to devote time to the Easter table: bake a variety of Easter cakes, cook Easter cottage cheese and paint eggs. The latter is very popular among the younger half of the population, so if you want to get close to your children, then be sure to paint and hand-paint eggs with them.
Based on the name of the holiday, one can understand another tradition. On this day, every believer should cleanse not only his home and wash his body, but also clean up his soul. This can be done if you have come to the Sacrament of Confession and Communion. During the service, parishioners honor the memory of the Last Supper by receiving prosphora and a small sip of sacred Cahors from the clergyman.
What does Maundy Thursday symbolize? Great Thursday for an Orthodox person is an integral symbol of complete spiritual and physical cleansing. As we wrote earlier, according to the rules, all Christians must attend church, take communion and confess their own sins. At the dawn of Maundy Thursday, everyone can swim in the running waters. It can be a lake or a river near your house, you can also go to the bathhouse. The Bible says that on the day of the holiday, water acquires powerful magical properties that will greatly help in strengthening the spirit and completely cleansing the soul. As for the bath, the hot steam on Maundy Thursday also gains strength, which has an impressive effect in the field of healing the body.
It is very important to realize the essence of this celebration - on this day Jesus wanted to show all people how to be tolerant, compassionate, sincere towards yourself and other people who surround you. Therefore, it is important to honor and remember all the traditions of Maundy Thursday and do not forget to attend church in order to become closer to God.
The most important part of the strictest of the fasts of the year - Great - is the last week before Easter. It is called Holy Week, since it was during this period that the sufferings of Christ, the Son of God, occurred in due time. Each day of the week before Easter has a special meaning and is intended to remind Christians of specific events of the past. On April 25, 2019, believers celebrate Great, otherwise Clean Thursday.
Features of Great (Clean) Thursday
The holiday of Great (Clean) Thursday, of course, is not of a solemn nature. Moreover, Maundy Thursday is an invisible starting point. This date is considered the beginning of the most rigorous part of Great Lent and preparation for the bright Easter of Christ.
On Maundy Thursday of Holy Week, the church remembers four gospel events that took place sometime on the mentioned day. This is about:
- the Last Supper (the last joint meal of Christ with the apostles), within which the Savior established the Eucharist - the New Testament sacrament of Holy Communion;
- the Lord's expression of love and meekness towards his disciples in the form of washing the last feet;
- Jesus offering prayers to his Father in the garden of Gethsemane;
- betrayal of the Savior by Judas, who sold the Teacher for thirty pieces of silver.
The listed plots of the life of Christ are woven into the services performed in Orthodox churches on Maundy Thursday. Thus, the liturgy of the latter directly marks the Last Supper in the Zion Chamber, and the believers present at it become symbolic participants in such an important action. The washing of the feet as a sign of service and love for the apostles, by the way, is reflected in the modern church charter: it is on Maundy Thursday that the rite, named by analogy with the biblical event, is performed by the Patriarch in the main temple of the country. In addition, this rite is practiced by the bishop in relation to priests in cathedrals and in some monastic cloisters. The main events of the last days and hours of Jesus' life are contained in 12 passages from the Gospel.
What other features does the liturgy have on the day of Maundy Thursday? This service is called the "liturgy of Basil the Great" and takes place after Vespers, with the Eucharistic canon. Such a "full" liturgy is characteristic only for specific days of the year: in addition to Maundy Thursday, for Holy Saturday, Christmas Eve of the feasts of Epiphany and Christmas. In local churches, the primates bless the freshly brewed myrrh, and true Orthodox Christians try to take communion on this very day.
How it was?
Not everyone has read the Bible carefully or read this great book at all, and therefore, in order to clarify, it is necessary to briefly consecrate the events of Great Thursday that preceded the crucifixion of the Savior of mankind on the cross.
So, Jesus Christ retires with his disciples on the eve of his own suffering and execution in the Zion chamber for the last (only he knew about this) a joint meal with them. It begins with the previously mentioned washing of the feet: the Savior performs the rites that slaves traditionally performed in relation to their own master. The apostles are speechless, seeing this, but they do not dare to stop the Teacher. Only Peter exclaims: “Lord! Do you wash my feet?" And he receives the following answer: “Now you don’t know what I am doing, but you will understand later ... If I don’t wash you, you have no part with Me.” In fact, this event is extremely symbolic: by his act, Jesus wanted to teach the apostles meekness and humility, service to one's neighbor.
At some point in the joint meal, the Son of God utters, addressing the apostles, the fateful words: “Truly, I say to you that one of you will betray Me.” The disciples are filled with great sorrow when they hear this revelation. Everyone asks the Master the question: “Is it not me, Lord?” Jesus says to them the following: “One of the twelve who dips with Me in the dish. However, the Son of Man goes as it is written about Him, but woe to that person by whom the Son of Man is betrayed: it would be better for this person not to be born. Here Judas gives his voice: “Am I not this traitor?” And Christ answers: “You said it ...” Thus, the Savior makes his disciple understand that he knows the truth, but at the same time, the traitor has a chance. One apostle, John, the favorite of Jesus, quietly asks the Master: “Lord! Who is it?" The answer follows immediately: "The one to whom I, having dipped a piece of bread, will serve." Christ dips a piece of bread in salt and serves a treat to Judas. By this, the Savior wanted to arouse in the soul of the traitor disciple a feeling of remorse for what he had done, but this act had the opposite effect...
The next of the four gospel stories concerns the establishment by Jesus of the sacrament of Communion or, in other words, the Eucharist. Here is the important passage:
“And while they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to them (the disciples), and said, Take, eat; this is my body. And he took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them: and they all drank from it. And he said to them: This is My Blood of the New Testament, which is shed for many.” By this action, Christ showed people the right way to save the soul and gain eternal life in paradise after death.
The prayer offered by the Son of God to his Father in the Garden of Gethsemane happened after a joint meal, the Last Supper, when the disciples Peter, James and John, whom the Messiah takes with him to the garden, are forgotten by a deep sleep. But Jesus asked them to stay awake while he prays to God until he sweats blood... Christ turns to the Lord with an ardent request to carry the cup of future suffering past him, if possible, but adds every time: “... but not what I want, and what are you. The same phrase is supposed to be pronounced by a Christian in the prayers with which he addresses God.
Signs and customs
Maundy Thursday is popularly called Maundy Thursday. Everyone knows that on Maundy Thursday you need to get up before dawn and wash your body with water, ideally - swim in the river, but both a bath and a shower are suitable for these purposes. Water on Maundy Thursday has a unique feature to wash away the illnesses and sins of a person, to renew his energy. Then you should devote time to the pre-Easter cleaning of the house: mopping, washing clothes and other work. According to tradition, such preparation for the bright Resurrection of Christ on Good Friday or Great Saturday is unacceptable, otherwise "dirt and dust can get into the eyes of Jesus."
One gets the impression that this is why Good Thursday is called Clean, because it is supposed to unlock housing and one's own body from dirt on this day. However, the meaning of the popular name of the holiday is different: it is important to cleanse yourself internally, that is, go to the temple, confess and take communion.
Easter cakes should also be baked on Maundy Thursday. The same goes for coloring eggs. Then the main treats happy holiday The Resurrection of Christ will serve as a talisman for the person who eats them.
And from the church evening service, you need to bring a lit candle home. It will protect housing from fire and households from troubles and diseases. In addition, you can count all the money that is in the house on Maundy Thursday. In this case, income next year will increase significantly.
(17 votes : 4.9 out of 5 )- Sermons. Maundy Thursday Archpriest Dimitry Smirnov
Maundy Thursday- popular name. On this day, the Church remembers the most important gospel event: on which Christ established the New Testament.
In commemoration of this event, the Holy Church calls upon its faithful children to come to the temple in the morning and take Communion, and in the evening to listen to the reading of twelve passages from the Gospel that tell about the Sacrifice of Christ on the Cross.
Teaching by personal example that in, which is not of this world, neither vain glory nor empty worldly grandeur is valued, but love and humility are valued, Christ Himself washed the feet of the disciples (). On Maundy Thursday, at the service, he remembers this event through the performance of a special sacred rite, during which the bishop washes the feet of the priests.
In former times, the custom was established in the Orthodox Church to perform the rite of ablution (holy meal) on this day. One of the earliest historical references to this matter (that have come down to us) dates back to the 7th century (it belongs to).
For a long time, on this day, cleaning was carried out in the temple, cleaning of church utensils. This tradition is connected with the memory of the preparation of the chamber where the Last Supper took place, the preparation of Easter by two disciples, and the washing of the feet of the apostles.
With this in mind, it is understandable why the believers sought to put things in order on this day in their private homes. In addition, on this day in some houses it is customary to bake Easter cakes and paint eggs.