Is it possible to wash on Easter and before her?

Before the holiday of Easter, believers try to observe the traditions that have developed over the centuries. It is believed that Christians should devote almost all their time to prayer. Work is not prohibited, but it is recommended to give up everyday worries. So, you cannot wash on the eve of the holiday, as well as directly on Easter itself. But even here there were some exceptions.

In order to understand why you cannot wash on Easter, you need to remember the traditions associated with the holiday. At all times, home cleaning began on Monday during Holy Week. A they tried to finish all household chores by Maundy Thursday. That is why it is customary to call it Clean.

When the house cleaning was over, people washed themselves. And we tried to make it before sunrise. It was allowed to use only cold water for washing. There was a belief that the liquid washes away fatigue and illness, restores strength and beauty.

There was another interesting rite that took place on Maundy Thursday. Its essence was as follows.

1. Water was poured into a bowl, and any silver things were lowered to the bottom. It could be dishes, coins, or jewelry.

2. The face was washed from this bowl.

3. The rest of the water was poured onto the ground.

Of course, the rules have changed a bit now.It is unlikely that any of the modern people can do without a shower from Thursday to Monday next week. That's why the church does not prohibit washing all days of Great Week, except Saturday and Sunday. It is best to refuse from bath procedures these days.

It is especially not recommended to take a bath in the evening or on the night before the holiday, as well as on Sunday morning. The essence of the prohibition is simple: during these hours believers are supposed to pray for the forgiveness of sins, to praise Jesus Christ, and to ask him for a miraculous resurrection after death.

If a person is washing at this time, it means that he first of all thinks directly about himself, about bodily purity, and not spiritual. And there is also a belief that dirty water flowing from a person these days will definitely return to him in the form of illness and misfortune.

On the eve of the holiday, as well as on the second weekend of Holy Week, only brushing your teeth and washing your face is allowed. But the ban on shampooing these days remains in force.

There are exceptions to every prohibition and rule. So, the ban on washing is canceled in the following cases.

1. If on these days a person returned home after doing hard and dirty work, then he can wash. This must be done as quickly as possible.

2. It is not forbidden to wash small children these days, since the lack of hygiene procedures can harm the health of babies.

3. You can wash people with special needs. Many of them simply need hygienic procedures to maintain normal life.

But even in all of the above cases, there are also limitations. For example, if a person returned from work and needs to wash quickly, then it is recommended to do this at home: rinse quickly in the shower. It is not recommended to take a bath for several hours, and even more so to visit the bathhouse. That is, the essence of the prohibition is that a person should not get pleasure from water procedures. Everything is done exclusively to cleanse the body.

Even if it is necessary to redeem the child. This must be done as quickly as possible. It is not recommended to put him in the bathtub, where he will play with toys. It is best to just wash for 5-10 minutes, without attaching special importance to the procedure.

There are other prohibitions for modern people these days. So, it is not recommended:

• to cut hair;

• do some cosmetic procedures - face masks, dye eyebrows and hair, go for a manicure and pedicure;

• go for a massage (with the exception of cases when the procedure is carried out for medical reasons).

But it was not always so. Several centuries ago, on Easter, well water was consecrated, which was then used to wash all comers. They especially carefully tried to wash children and sick people, so that some would not get sick, while others would recover. Easter celebrations were not complete without water. On Easter, young people organized a kind of entertainment, the purpose of which was to push a guy or a girl into the river. Or sprinkle it with cold water unexpectedly.

But Orthodox Christians still try to devote these days to other matters and concerns. Believers are preparing for the upcoming holiday, cleaning the house, and visiting churches. On the holiday itself, they try to relax, visit their friends, relatives and friends with whom they have not seen for a long time, due to the heavy workload.

It is not recommended to swim and wash your hair on Easter. But this is far from the only prohibition. It is not recommended to clean the home, engage in any bad deeds, swear, use foul language, discuss one of the people.

It is best to go to the church for the night Easter service, have a little rest in the morning, and then go to visit. Lent ends on this day, so any food is allowed. Some go to cemeteries on Sunday, which is also wrong. For this, 7 days after Easter, another holiday will be celebrated - Radonitsa. It is on this day that you can visit the burial places of deceased relatives, friends and other people who were dear during their lifetime.