Christmastide in 2021, what date, history and traditions, customs

When does Christmastide start and end in 2021?

Christmas time is the most unusual and mysterious time. During this period, the air is filled with special power and magical energy, so various miracles do not surprise people. Christmastide is called Yuletide Week, although it lasts somewhat longer.

The first day of the holidays begins the night before Christmas, January 6th, with the rising of the first star. The end of the festive period falls on the evening before Epiphany (Epiphany). This holiday closes the Christmas holidays.

The magical meaning of Christmas time

The significance of Christmas holidays is determined by the period of their celebration - at this time, the farewell of the old year and the welcoming of the new year take place. Daylight hours are getting longer. At the same time, evil spirits are activated and various magical events can occur.

Therefore, a huge number of ceremonies, rituals and fortune telling are associated with Holy Evenings - after all, you can not only attract good luck and prosperity to your side, but also learn about your future. Christmas time is the most favorable time for fortune telling.

History of origin and what kind of holiday this is

The first mentions of Christmastide date back to the 4th century. At this time, Greek Christians held lavish celebrations for 2 weeks after celebrating the Nativity of Christ. The holiday spread to Rus', but acquired its own traditions. Some of them are pagan; it was customary to dress up as mummers, dance and tell fortunes.

The Orthodox Church did not support the performance of pagan rituals by the Slavs. A solution to the issue was later proposed. Representatives of the clergy suggested that Christians wash away their sins at Epiphany. According to traditions, the ritual of washing away sins in an ice hole in the form of a Cross helped to cleanse the body and spirit, and drive away the Evil One who comes on Christmastide. This is still the case today. Baptism closes the series of Christmas festivities.

Christmas nativity scene

“Christmas time was very full of rites and rituals in which the entire community took part,” says Olga Lyapaeva, deputy director of the Nizhny Novgorod Architectural and Ethnographic Museum-Reserve “Shchelokovsky Farm”. — Until the 20th century, a puppet show on the theme of the divine birth of the baby Jesus Christ was extremely popular - the so-called Christmas nativity scene. The den was the cave in which Jesus was born, as well as the theatrical performance of this event itself. It is believed that the history of puppet theater in Russia begins with this Christmas puppet show . ”

Christmas nativity scene. Photo: AiF/ Elfiya Garipova

Wandering puppeteers walked around the courtyards during Christmas time and showed nativity scenes.

Many families staged puppet shows themselves. Adults and children enthusiastically made nativity scenes, dolls and acted out performances about the birth of the baby Jesus and the fight against the evil Herod. It was not difficult to build a nativity scene: it was a wooden box with two floors - heavenly and earthly. The heavenly tier was decorated with figurines of angels and the Star of Bethlehem and an icon of the Mother of God was placed there. The performance itself took place in the lower tier: through the slots, the participants in the performance moved dolls made of cardboard, rags or wooden blocks - as they liked. After a performance of the cruel King Herod killing babies and the salvation of little Jesus, the participants in the performance lit candles and sang Christmas songs.

Christmas songs are sung with candles. Photo: AiF/ Elfiya Garipova

Traditions and customs of the Russian people on Christmastide

During the Christmas season, people visit temples. Orthodox Christians are required to attend services on Christmas and Epiphany, undergo the rite of communion and confess. These days it is customary to be more tolerant and generous, give alms, and help those in need. We must not forget our own family. During the holidays, it is common to find time to visit relatives.

Attention!

For young people in Rus', Christmastide was the most fun time of the year. It was customary for them to give generously and sing carols, tell fortunes about their betrothed, sing and dance. Have fun in every possible way. sledging.

Celebration traditions in Rus' that were given

The tradition of giving gifts came to our ancestors from paganism. It was directly related to ritual offerings to the Deities. People meeting during the Yuletide period were expected to exchange various items with each other. These could be cheap souvenirs, homemade or expensive gifts. This tradition has survived to this day; people look forward to Christmas and other holidays that fall on Christmastide, because they know that they will not be left without a present. Today they give sweets, fruits, small gifts embodying warmth and comfort, children are presented with toys.

What did they put under the pillow on Christmastide in Kostroma?

To carry out a special ceremony, Kostroma girls placed a frying pan under their mother’s bed. They did this on the night before Christmas and Epiphany. In this way they tried to find out the name of the betrothed who came to the future mother-in-law for pancakes. It was believed that fortune telling involving the mother was more reliable.

The main difficulty is that the mother should not have known anything about the ritual, so the kitchen utensils had to be carried into her bedroom unnoticed. The next morning, the girls asked about their mother’s dreams and found out if she had a chance to treat some boy to rosy pancakes for an hour.

Games for Christmas and Epiphany

Carols were an obligatory element of the game. Young boys and girls and even children dressed up in new clothes embroidered with various decorations before the holiday. On the day before Christmas and the Epiphany of the Lord, they walked through the streets singing church hymns.

In the evening they visited the houses, sang the praises of the owners of the house, wished them happiness and goodness, a good harvest, and for this they received a coin or a treat. It was impossible to skimp. The well-being of the next year depended on how the owner of the house gave a carol.

The games did not stop at night. Single women rented out their houses to young people to have fun and enjoy good company. To ensure that teenagers behaved as expected, older women stayed in the houses and controlled order. The young people dodged in every possible way, got out of control, had fun with songs and dances.

There were other games for Christmas time, for example, dressing up. Women sewed beautiful sundresses and decorated them with beads, and men prepared military uniforms and suitable shoes. On the festive night, dressing took place. This was often done before traveling to neighboring villages, where strangers could be fooled. Girls in military uniform conquered young ladies from a neighboring village and persuaded them to marry. When morning came, the jokes ended, but young people remembered such fun for the whole year.

Yuletide fortune telling

The Church prohibits divination. Believes that trying to find out the future is sinful. However, girls at all times, without fear of the condemnation of the clergy, tried to find out their future. Christmas fortune-telling about the future was considered especially truthful.

To carry out fortune telling, girls went to an “unclean place”, for example, to a bathhouse. They unraveled their braids, took off their crosses and amulets, drew a protective magic circle, and began to guess:

Fortune telling with shoes. You need to throw your shoes over the roof of the house. The first one to transfer the girls will be the first to get married. And the direction of the toe of the shoe indicated the direction in which to get married.
Fortune telling with mirrors. You need to place mirrors opposite each other and peer into the opened mirror gallery. The one whose appearance she sees through the looking glass will be her future husband.
Fortune telling at the crossroads. You need to go out to the intersection at midnight and listen to where and what sounds are coming from. The sounds of merriment mean a happy year. Dogs barking - the husband will be angry. Hearing crying means a difficult year.
Fortune telling with matches. Insert two matches into a matchbox, light it and observe where the burnt match heads lean. They are getting closer - those who are being predicted will be together.
Fortune telling for wealth. Quickly place the burning wood chips into the water. If it goes out immediately, the next year will be difficult financially. If the fire rises, you should expect money.

Fortune telling with a cat. Make a wish and call the cat from the next room. If he crosses the threshold with his right paw, the wish will not be fulfilled.

Fortune telling with a rooster. A mirror, a handful of coins and a plate of water are placed. If the rooster approaches the coins, the groom is rich. If you look at the mirror, the groom will be loving and caring. To water - the groom will be a drunkard.

Folk signs and beliefs for Christmastide

For 7 days after the Nativity of Christ, it was forbidden to sweep the hut. According to legend, it is better to keep garbage in the house than to sweep it out of the hut - otherwise there will be quarrels. In order for the family to live in peace, the house was cleaned before Christmas, and then cleaned on January 14th. The collected garbage was swept out of the house and burned at the stake.

There are also signs for each day of Christmastide:

January 6 – if the first star appears early, the year will be prosperous; a late appearance of the star promises anxiety and problems;
January 7 - if a man enters the house first, there will be no quarrels all year, a woman comes in - all the girls will get sick;
January 8 - broken and chipped dishes are taken out of the house in order to live happily for the next year;
January 9 – aspen stakes were driven into the corners of the yard to protect against evil spirits;
January 10 – a blizzard on this day predicts a rainy summer;
January 11 - if you light a fire in the yard, it will burn away all illnesses and worries, the year will be prosperous;
January 12 – sunny weather for early warming;
January 13 - the more abundant the festive table, the richer the coming year;
January 14 – it is customary to wear new clothes to attract wealth;
January 15 – if a woman trips over a cat, expect her husband to cheat;
January 16 - you cannot boast and be proud on this day, you can bring trouble;
January 17 - clear starry sky to severe frost, clouds - Epiphany will be warm;
January 18 – the weather on this day will show what to expect on Maslenitsa;
January 19 - the opening of heaven, all prayers will be heard by the Lord.

What not to do during Christmas time

During the Holy Week, there are certain prohibitions that should be followed so as not to cause trouble. Basic Rules:

The strictest ban on marriage and engagement. It is believed that a girl matched at this time will be unhappy in marriage.
You cannot hunt or fish during this time. A miner who violates the ban faces trouble.
Handicrafts are prohibited. Violation of this rule will lead to health problems, including complete blindness.
You can't quarrel with friends and relatives. Scandals on these dates will lead to serious illnesses and can bring disaster to the entire family.
You should not borrow money - you will have to spend the whole year in need.
It is forbidden to clean the house, otherwise prosperity and happiness will leave it along with the garbage.

During the holy week, requests for help cannot be refused. We need to try to become kinder, find some funds and provide support to those who need it. All good deeds done from the heart are multiplied these days and allow you to atone for your own sins.

How Christmastide is celebrated, what you can do

Nowadays it is customary to celebrate Christmastide with family. In the first days of the celebration, you can go and visit your relatives. It is not customary to come to someone else's house empty-handed; you must prepare a gift for its owner. On the day of the Nativity of Christ and the Epiphany of the Lord, it is worth finding time to visit the temple and the rite of communion. It's better to spend holidays with your family, forgetting about work and household chores.

During the holidays, you should forget about problems and troubles. You can’t cry and be upset on holidays, otherwise, as superstition promises, you will have to shed tears all year long. All holidays should be spent in a good mood, with a smile, enjoying every day.

Christmas time is a magical time during which the most cherished dreams come true. On holidays, people experience prophetic dreams containing significant clues. There is goodness all around and it is strictly forbidden to commit unseemly acts - you can receive severe punishment for them.