Trinity Holiday 2021: what not to do, signs and traditions

One of the twelve holidays in Orthodoxy is Trinity (Pentecost), the celebration of which falls on the 50th day after Easter Sunday.
The date is not fixed, since it is tied to the date of Easter, which changes every year. In 2021, Easter Day is May 2, which means the Holy Trinity is celebrated on Sunday, June 20. The holiday reflects the meaning of the Christian teaching about the trinity of God - at the same time he exists in the hypostasis of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. God the Father is the source of the divine will; God the Son carries out the will together with the Holy Spirit.

Traditions and customs

In churches decorated with branches of birch, maple, linden, and green mown grass, services are solemnly held on Trinity Sunday. The life-giving and creative power of the holiday is reflected in the symbols (birch branch), but also in the green vestments of the clergy.

Parishioners come to church for morning and evening services, consecrate birch branches, read prayers, and ask God that the grace given at baptism will always be with them. They also pray for forgiveness for sinful acts, for the salvation of the souls of the dead. You can pray in front of the icon at home - everything that is said sincerely, from the heart, will be heard.

Folk customs:

• bring birch branches from church - they are considered a talisman, bringing prosperity and happiness;
• make wreaths from birch or maple branches;
• decorate your head with a wreath of wild flowers and grass;
• telling fortunes with wreaths, organizing festivities in the forest, at the edge of the forest, near a river;
• invite friends and family to a festive table, be sure to make a dish of eggs - the golden color resembles the sun;
• matchmaker - those matched on this day will live in love and prosperity;
• help the disadvantaged, the needy, give alms.

Trinity greenery symbolizes a soul blossoming after the winter cold, awakened by the touch of the grace of the Holy Spirit. The branches (soul) are alive as long as they hold on to the Vine (Christ). Believers, having decorated the house with green branches, flowers, grass, thank God, who through baptism revived them to a new life.

Trinity Day in 2021, what date?

Trinity is one of the 12 main Orthodox holidays. It is celebrated annually on Sunday, the 50th day after Easter. In 2021, Trinity Sunday falls on June 20th. The official church name of the holiday is Holy Trinity Day. Pentecost. It was established in honor of the descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles and the Virgin Mary on the 50th day after the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The holiday symbolizes the unity of the Holy Spirit, God the Father and God the Son.

What not to do on Trinity

If some action does not harm the soul and body, then there are no prohibitions on it, whether it is an ordinary day or a holiday, for a Christian. The main thing for Pentecost is to live the day like a Christian, that is, go to church, take communion, read prayers, pay attention to others and relatives.

Any activity, according to the clergy, is not sinful, it’s just better to free the holiday from any business, not to fuss, so as not to be distracted from the essence of the holiday.

But since ancient times, there have been prohibitions on some works and activities, which many believers try to observe. For example, the following is prohibited:

• hard physical work, hectic household chores that can be done another day;
• fortune telling on cards, spells;
• quarrels, bad thoughts, insults, foul language.

The prohibition is due to the fact that it distracts from thoughts about God and prevents you from concentrating on prayer. It’s better to leave all the things for later or do them in advance so that they don’t interfere with the celebration.

The history of the holiday

The history of Trinity Day, which is familiar to the modern Orthodox Church, is different. The main meaning of the holiday is associated with the great miracle - the descent of the Holy Spirit to the apostles and the Mother of God. This celebration has a special meaning - it is the 50th day after the Resurrection of Jesus that is considered the date of the formation of the Christian church. At that moment, people learned that the Lord is one and three at the same time.

On the day of Pentecost, the Jewish followers of Jesus separated from the festivities and found solitude in the Upper Room of Zion. So, they gathered daily by order of their abbot. While still alive, before his execution, the Son of God informed them about the upcoming event and asked them to believe in a miracle. The Savior told his followers that the Holy Spirit would descend upon them after he died on the cross.

It was on the 50th day after the Resurrection of their savior that the disciples heard a loud noise that filled the small house within a few seconds, and it was impossible to hide from it. After this, tongues of fire appeared in the room, touching and separating everyone. It is believed that this is how the novices received a special gift - to speak different languages ​​of the world and bring faith in the Great Savior to the masses.

The Holy Trinity is the Son of God, the Lord Father and the Holy Spirit. It was they who came to the disciples of Jesus, who guided them on the true path during their worldly life. They are considered the founders of Christianity. All Orthodoxy rests on belief in them and their help, but not everyone interprets this correctly. Such an incident proves that God is one, but is threefold. He is without beginning and creation, the Son of God was created by him, and the Holy Spirit comes from the Lord Himself.

The residents who came to the house because of the loud noise did not see the tongues of fire, but from the dungeons they heard the apostles talking to each other in an incomprehensible speech. The first thing they thought was that the people inside were simply crazy or drunk. But the Apostle Peter immediately came out to them and dispelled all doubts. He said that the Holy Spirit came to them and it was their privilege to spread the faith among Christians.

Attention! The Holy Spirit came to the apostles in the form of illuminating and sanctifying fire. This phenomenon made it possible to learn to speak unfamiliar languages ​​and dialects. After this, Christianity spread throughout the world.

Preachers called by the Lord for a responsible mission dispersed throughout the world and began to introduce ordinary people to the Christian religion in many cities and countries. They communicated with residents in their native languages. Jesus' disciples were in the countries of the Middle East, Asia Minor, and India. They visited the territory of modern Crimea and Ukraine. Of the 12 apostles, only one survived - John. All the rest were found to be of different religions and were executed.

Superstitions

The roots of superstitions that have survived to this day go back to distant pagan times, when many events were associated with otherworldly or divine forces. They tried to find answers to pressing questions in fortune-telling, and performed rituals to avoid something.

Examples of superstitions for the Trinity:

• do not make a broom from birch - you cannot desecrate the symbol of the holiday;
• Throughout Trinity week it is forbidden to fence fences so that the offspring of domestic animals are not born deformed;
• it is advisable not to swim - this is a mermaid’s day, when evil spirits that live in the water and are capable of taking away a person’s life energy are activated;
• cutting hair, nails, shaving, sewing - you can bring trouble, discord into the family.

Superstitions have nothing to do with the Church, so whether to believe them or not is a personal matter.

Trinity rituals for love and marriage

To speed up the meeting with their betrothed, the girls performed the following rituals:

• A bouquet of meadow herbs was blessed in the church, and at home they crushed it and prepared a decoction. While washing with it, they said: “Ant-grass, bring me a groom. Let life boil, and let your soul burn with love”;

• they wove a wreath from branches of herbs and leaves, and at midnight they threw it into the water, saying: “Betrothed-mummer, find the wreath and bring it to me” (if the wreath drowns - there will be trouble, it spins in place - the girl will be unmarried for a year, they float with the flow - wait for the groom);
• Before going to bed, they put a bunch of meadow grass under the pillow so that they could see their betrothed in a dream.

Folk signs for Trinity

Previously, long-term forecasts were made based on the weather on a certain day of the year. Some signs of Trinity Day have reached our time:

• rainy weather promises a fruitful, warm, mushroom summer, dry weather - summer and autumn will be stormy;
• dew has fallen - frost will begin early;
• a thunderstorm promises favorable times;
• if it is windy, then cherries, pears, and apricots will not grow;
• sunny - there will be a lot of apples;
• the power of plants and flowers that have medicinal properties is maximum on the night of Trinity;
• walk in the dew - gain health, beauty, well-being for the whole year;
• after Trinity the frosts will stop and warmth will come;
• saw a rainbow, got wet in the rain - good health, prosperity for the house for the whole year;
• if the ashes from burnt birch branches are buried in a field, then the year will be blessed with a harvest;
• As long as the cuckoo calls, so many days will the girl be in her father’s house;
• You will protect yourself from adversity and illness if you give alms to the homeless and rootless.

How to celebrate, traditions

In all churches on Trinity, services are held, which include the Divine Liturgy and Great Vespers, and on the evening before this event, services are held, which are called festive all-night vigils. According to custom, temples and houses are decorated with flowers and herbs. All parishioners and even clergy wear green clothes - a symbol of life and eternal rebirth.

It is also customary to bring birch branches to church services on Trinity Day for lighting and decorating houses. This tradition exists to protect the home from evil forces. Birch branches are usually placed near icons. Round dances are held on Trinity Sunday, which give special power to the earth. It is believed that this makes it more fruitful. Old people and children are not accepted into round dances.

On this bright day, believers traditionally:

• they don’t clean the house or sew;
• organize celebrations;
• arrange matchmaking;
• bake a loaf;
• collect herbs.

To celebrate the Holy Trinity, it is customary to clean up several days in advance. On the Saturday before the holiday they remember the dead and go to the cemetery. Relatives and friends are invited to the Trinity feast. It is believed that the best time to get married is Intercession, so it is customary to arrange matchmaking on Trinity Sunday. Tradition as the key to a happy married life.

On a note!

A good day for a rich feast; on Pentecost you can prepare a variety of dishes; fasting is not required.

Preparation for Trinity

Before the holiday, women clean the house, garden plot, bake bread, and prepare holiday food. Traditionally, houses, churches, and courtyards on Trinity were decorated with herbs, flowers, and fresh branches, which symbolized well-being, prosperity and fertility. On the eve of Trinity, it is customary to remember the dead and visit cemeteries and churches; for this purpose, the day before Pentecost, Trinity Parents' Saturday is held. Also on Saturday evening, an all-night vigil is held.

Parents' Saturday

This year it will take place on June 19th

Fortune telling and rituals

• Bread baked on Trinity Day was used for crackers and saved until the wedding; it was believed that if they were added to the wedding cake it would bring family happiness to the newlyweds
• By placing birch branches under the pillow, young girls could see their future groom in a dream.
• Fortune telling on a wreath. A birch wreath woven in the evening was left overnight; if it withered by morning, it meant difficulties; if it was still fresh, it meant prosperity and good luck.
• Fortune telling on a wreath for relationships. A burning candle is inserted into a woven wreath and immersed in the river: if it drowns near the shore, the relationship will quickly come to an end; drowns in the depths - to a successful relationship; washes ashore - for the wedding in the near future.

• Fortune telling using St. John's wort helped to find out whether a man had feelings. After twisting a bunch of St. John's wort, you need to pay attention to the color of the juice - transparent means indifference, but red speaks of love feelings.
• The long-awaited pregnancy will attract charity: you can distribute baked goods, money or clothes to those in need. Also, such a desired event can be brought closer if a woman asks to babysit the child of a friend or close relative.
• To add twins to the family, on Trinity Sunday a woman drank from a pair of vessels (for example, two mugs).
• Fortune telling with rings. Four different rings are taken, each one will mean a wish, then the rings are buried in a container with millet. An elongated ring will show which wish will come true.
• Also, do not forget about fortune telling with chamomile.

Trinity: how to understand it

The word “trinity” appeared in Christianity with the light hand of St. Theophilus of Antioch in the distant 2nd century. This is a key term in theology, reflecting the doctrine that God is one and at the same time threefold in Persons (hypostases):

1. God the Father: has no beginning (not created by anyone, not created, not born from anyone).
2. God the Son: born of God the Father.
3. God the Holy Spirit: comes from God the Father.

Each of the three Persons has the fullness of existence and is itself God, and not 1/3 of it. Moreover, all 3 Persons are one God. This is such difficult theological mathematics!

Church teaching excludes the idea of ​​God as having three heads. 3 divine personalities unite, do not exist one outside the other, but do not merge.

One in 3 persons, God is an eternal, living, omnipresent incorporeal spirit that cannot be seen.

Orthodoxy allows for a symbolic depiction of this incomprehensible theological category; the generally recognized icon of the Trinity is an image created by the icon painter Andrei Rublev. Here the emphasis is on the equality of the 3 figures, differing only in their faces and clothes.

The word "trinity" or anything similar does not appear in the Bible. If you read carefully, you can find 2 texts that hint at this concept. One is hidden in the Gospel of Matthew, the second is known as the “John verse”.

It is believed that the dogma of the Holy Trinity cannot be expressed rationally, and therefore is incomprehensible to the human mind. It is impossible to understand this, all that remains is to know and believe.

What should ordinary people do on this day?

In addition to church rituals, Pentecost is filled with unique traditions , not all of which are approved by priests.

For a long time, on this day, people decorated their homes with greenery: birch branches, herbs, flowers. They are placed near icons and placed in vases in all rooms. It is believed that this way the household will be provided with natural protection.

Hospitable family meals are welcome : there is no fasting. Loaves, pancakes, pies - baking is a priority, and also fried eggs, decorated with sprigs of greenery. It is advisable to lay a new tablecloth on the table. If guests come, they are received with honors. We should not forget that gluttony still remains a sin, and the essence of the holiday is not food. In general, moderation is important here, especially when it comes to alcohol.

This bright holiday should be filled with good thoughts and deeds coming from the heart; it is great for charity. But to indulge in despondency, quarrel, use foul language, and plot evil - this is something that cannot be done on Trinity.