Holy Week in 2021 traditionally falls before Easter. The Orthodox reverence this time very much, because the Week became the decisive test during the life of Jesus Christ: the Lord went through the bitterness of betrayal, arrest and was crucified on the cross. Since Holy Week is an important church event, it involves the observance of long-standing traditions and rituals. Find out what you can and cannot do with it, as well as what signs exist by day.
Holy Week begins on Monday, April 26 and ends late Saturday evening, May 1. This period is not fixed and changes every year. It all depends on when Easter comes. A week always precedes it. Every day of the week is usually called with the prefix “Great”, except Friday and Saturday. They are called "Passionate" because they represent the death of Jesus and his funeral. Throughout the Week, you need to adhere to certain rules in order not to sin, and Christians follow them impeccably.
Folk signs for Holy Week before Easter by day
Most of the actions taken are aimed at purifying thoughts, soul and body. Signs and superstitions are filled with deep meaning.
Girl in church
Maundy Monday
When you wake up, you wash your face using dishes made from silver or gold. This will bring health and wealth.
The week starts with a massive cleanup. Old things are sorted out, old trash is thrown away. Items that occupy useful space are disposed of.
Anything that is broken but not thrown away needs to be fixed.
A supply of firewood and pet food is being prepared, which should last until next Monday. Cleaning up the yard and local area.
If you plant something on this day, even seedlings, the harvest will be rich. Weather conditions are taken into account. Cloudless, sunny weather means early sunrise and a generous summer. Lack of rain means weddings can be held within a year. A happy life without serious shocks awaits the newlyweds.
Windows are washed thoroughly. Meeting the Sunday holiday with dirty windows promises unfavorable events.
Believers spend time reading the Old Testament sections about Joseph, who committed treason for profit. They remember the fig tree and its Lord’s curse.
The menu consists of fruit, vegetable dishes, and bread.
Dish for Monday of Holy Week
Maundy Tuesday
A suitable day for sewing, darning, washing, emptying cabinets and shelves of unnecessary items of clothing. They are recycled and donated to the poor. If you buy something new on Tuesday, it will last for a very long time.
They determine what products need to be purchased for Easter baking and meals and begin purchasing them. Choose a spotlessly clean, snow-white tablecloth.
A dirty, unwashed tablecloth for Easter brings bad luck.
Women prepare decoctions, teas, and infusions from stored herbs. Male intervention is not permitted. They can try ready-made drinks.
Fragrant herbs
Clear weather promises a generous wheat harvest, rainy weather promises an abundance of mushrooms.
Believers remember Christ's teachings for the scribes, Pharisees, the parables of Caesar, the 9 virgins, the end of the world, and the resurrection.
Great Wednesday
They buy Easter eggs, thoroughly clean and wash all the rooms, and wipe off dust from all surfaces. They beat out the carpets, wash the clothes, hang up clean curtains.
Thursday soap is being prepared. It is enough to leave it on the threshold outside the door and pick it up on Thursday morning before swimming. After washing, strong protection against the evil eye, damage, and disease is established.
Soap and herbs
An old ritual was used for healing. They scooped up a mug of water from a street barrel, well or river. Crossed each other 3 times and covered the mug with a new or clean towel. At 2 o'clock in the morning they crossed themselves three times and poured water from a mug, leaving a little at the bottom. Without drying ourselves, we got dressed. The remaining water was poured onto flowers or bushes until 3 am. After this, the body was considered reborn.
The priests remind the parishioners of Judas' betrayal.
Maundy Thursday
| Sign | Decoding |
| In the morning we looked out the window | The old woman was seen first - to failure. Saw a dog or a man - to happy events, well-being |
| Didn't have time to clean up until evening | You will have to live in dirt and uncomfortable conditions all year. However, you cannot clean for the next 6 days. |
| All family members washed themselves before dawn | Cleansing from the negativity accumulated over the year, preventing the evil eye and damage. To strengthen the spirit and maintain vigor, swim in an ice hole, lake, river, if the weather permits |
| They brought a candle from the morning church service | In case of a serious illness, a lit candle will speed up recovery |
| The ends of the hair were cut off | Health improvement, protection from ill-wishers, strengthening, softening, accelerating hair growth. Small children no younger than 1 year old get a full haircut |
| They counted the money three times and rearranged the furniture. | Prosperity will not leave the house |
| They gave me money, salt, bread | To anxiety, illness |
| A silver coin was placed in the water | Washing with this water on Easter Sunday attracts wealth and beauty |
| They fumigated the home and utility rooms with juniper branches, burned crosses on the ceilings and doors with a candle. | Protection from evil spirits and diseases |
| They took out all the rubbish | Old problems won't come back |
| They cut a tuft of fur from each of the pets and washed them with melt water. | Attracting well-being |
Thursday is the day on which it is customary to start coloring, painting eggs, baking Easter cakes and other flour products. The first cake turned out burnt - to troubles, ruddy - to good luck, happiness.
You can't eat Easter cakes before Sunday - it's a sin.
One of the popular signs is associated with Thursday salt. Regular salt is calcined in a frying pan while praying. Instead of calcination, you can collect the product in a bag - each family member should add a little salt. They take it with them along with Easter cakes to church services and store it until next Easter. The product helps cleanse energy and improve health.
A superstition for unmarried girls is associated with the towel that was used on Maundy Thursday. Donating it to the beggar along with Easter cake and painted eggs on Sunday is a favorable omen for marriage.
The traditions of Orthodoxy involve the mention of the Last Supper and New Testament stories associated with Holy Week.
Bath tub
Good Friday
The mournful day of Good Friday for Christians is spent quietly, in reflection. Any party or grand celebration will bring trouble. I'll have to cry all year.
One of the symbolic rituals is associated with wiping dust. If you do not wash or throw away the used cloth, you can apply it to your joints or lower back for pain.
Physical labor is excluded, except for culinary activities. Baked goods prepared on this day are especially tasty and healthy. Before cooking, they pray, reading the “Our Father” three times, ask God for blessings, and cross the products.
Believers do not eat anything until the Shroud is taken out, and after that they consume only water and bread. This is how the sorrow associated with Christ’s torment is expressed. A person who is thirsty until Saturday will not be harmed by any drink until next Easter.
Bread and water
Friday's weather will spread throughout the spring. If the night from Thursday to Friday turns out to be starry, a good wheat harvest is expected.
To determine whether there were things in the house that could cause damage, they used a half-burnt church candle. They lit it and went around all the rooms. In the place where the crackling of candles was heard, they looked for the damaged item.
Other superstitions:
- A child conceived on Good Friday will have poor health
- children weaned on this day will grow up to be cheerful and strong
- Friday ash left over after preparing Easter cakes is considered an effective remedy for melancholy, the evil eye, and alcohol addiction
- if you sow or plant something, you will be left without a harvest
- pierced the ground with iron, chopped wood - to misfortune
- did the laundry - you’ll never get rid of stains on your clothes
- broke a plate or other dishes - you will be happy and lucky
- consecrated the ring - became the owner of a strong amulet
Holy Saturday
By analogy with Friday, it is not customary to immerse yourself in fun, conflicts, make noise, lend and borrow money, work in the garden, at home. Free time is devoted to prayers. Believers grieving over Christ's death deny themselves food and any entertainment.
Preparations for the Sunday meal and going to church are being completed. The service begins on Saturday evening. They take Easter cakes, eggs, and salt with them for consecration. Before leaving for church, treats are left on the table for breaking the fast in the morning after returning home.
Service for Holy Saturday
Saturday signs:
- laughter, fun - to sadness throughout the year
- sunny, clear - summer will be hot
- went fishing, hunting - to troubles
- If you stood without sleep all night from Saturday to Sunday, you won’t get sick or be sad. Awake girls will be able to get married successfully, and boys will have success in business
Saturday ritual for money: they take a coin, pray over it to the holy saints, and ask for prosperity. It is sewn into the most frequently used items of clothing or placed in a wallet with the rest of the money.
Another ritual helps maintain good health, attractiveness, and energy. The blessed egg is kept in clean water. It is then used for washing.
What to do on Maundy Thursday
The day begins long before sunrise. Obligatory ablution with prayer will only bring health. Water cannot be drained. It is advisable to give it to animals or simply pour it out onto the street. Salt is consecrated in the temple, and then it is used to cleanse the home. By this time, the room should already be cleaned. Salt is scattered in the corners, a prayer is said, and then swept away with an old broom and thrown away along with it. Easter cakes are baked on Maundy Thursday and eggs are painted for Easter.
On a note
To protect against the evil eye, salt is sewn into a canvas bag and hung in the right corner near the front door.
Signs for Holy Week
There are special superstitions for different situations.
See an animal
Bird - a romance or a pleasant acquaintance awaits you.
A dog - to the predominance of a melancholy mood.
A cat means wealth.
If you haven’t seen a single animal, life will be cloudless for 3 months.
Tabby cat
Go to the bathhouse
The only day when, according to signs, bathing procedures are allowed is Maundy Thursday. The bathhouse was traditionally heated the evening before. During the washing process, silver utensils were used, which helped to wash away the sins accumulated over the year. First you had to confess and take communion.
Celebrate birthday
Holy Week is associated with grief, physical and mental restrictions. If you arrange a magnificent name day, you can incur the wrath of invisible forces and face troubles. It is advisable to consider the option of moving the holiday to another week.
Play a wedding
The Church sets restrictions regarding weddings throughout Holy Week. To ensure that unions were strong and happy, weddings in Rus' began on the first Sunday after Easter - Red Hill.
Applying makeup, cutting hair or nails
Girl with scissors
Getting rid of a large amount of hair or changing its color on any day of Holy Week makes a person vulnerable and worsens his energy.
If you need to tidy up your nails, it is better to do it on Monday or Tuesday. Friday, Saturday and Sunday are the least favorable due to the high risk of material losses and the machinations of the devil.
To shave
There are no strict restrictions regarding shaving. You can remove excess hair any day as needed.
Cry
According to signs, you can shed tears on Good Friday, sincerely repenting, mourning your sins, inappropriate thoughts and actions. At the same time, from a church point of view, crying for many days is regarded as despondency for which one will have to pay.
Get sick
If you're sick, look out the window on a Friday morning. The first one you saw was a man - you will recover soon, a woman - the disease will remind you of itself for another 3 months.
Die
During funeral events, the same rituals and ceremonies are performed as on other days of the year. The only point that the relatives of the deceased should take into account is the busyness of the clergy before the Easter service.
Give a birth to a baby
| Holy Week Day | Interpretation for the baby |
| Monday | Trust, integrity, non-acceptance of rudeness and hypocrisy, many friends |
| Tuesday | Good health, learning difficulties, tendency towards dangerous professions |
| Wednesday | Kindness, desire to help people, protect the weak |
| Thursday | Smiling, optimistic, generous, sociable |
| Friday | Difficult character, touchiness, vindictiveness, difficulties in communication |
| Saturday | Determination, resourcefulness, ability to overcome troubles and find a way out of any situation |
| Sunday | Happy destiny, good health, career success, family harmony |
Weather signs
We paid attention to the weather on Sunday:
- starry sky - to early frosts
- cloudy - for a rainy, cool summer
- clear, not cold – summer will be warm
- lack of snow - to a good harvest
- rain - the year will be prosperous
- thunderstorm - late autumn
Money signs
Money
On Thursday you should count your savings 3 times - after sunrise, at noon, at sunset. You need to do this alone, otherwise you can frighten off your wealth.
Debt is an obstacle to cash flow. You should not borrow or lend any amounts.
