Good Friday before Easter

Holy Week before Easter is the last week of Lent preceding the holiday. The result is Good Friday. Consider what is allowed to do on this day, and what is prohibited.

Good or Good Friday before Easter is the day when Jesus Christ was judged, when he was crucified on the cross and died. On the same day, his body was removed and buried. This whole story is recorded in the Bible.

All days of the last week are called passionate. For example, Good Thursday or Maundy Thursday. This means that it is customary to clean the house on Thursday. They say the same about Friday and Saturday. Sometimes these days on the eve of the holiday are called Great. In other words, especially revered in Christianity.

They say that after the tragic event, the stones thrown at the cross split, and the day changed to night. The people watching this got scared. Many came to believe that Christ is the son of God, and not a swindler, of which he was accused. But Christ forgave people all their sins, because his last words were: "I forgive them, they do not know what they are doing."

It is on Dreadful Friday that the Orthodox honor the deed of God. Divine services are held everywhere, for many food is forbidden. They are grateful to Christ, ready to share the suffering of the Saint, to renounce their natural needs.

On this day, the hostesses begin to bake cakes, paint eggs. All the chores around the house have already been done: cleaning was done on Maundy Thursday. According to tradition, if you clean up on Friday, you can attract trouble and commit a sin. On Friday, you can not drink alcohol, engage in carnal pleasures.And all anniversaries and birthdays that fall on such a day should be rescheduled. Irritation and abuse are prohibited. Gossip, talk, empty gossip are unacceptable. As for food, on this day it is better not to eat eggs, meat, fish, dairy products.

On Thursday evenings, all temples hold Good Friday morning services. The main prayer is the 121 Passionate Gospels, which describe all the sufferings of the Lord. The Orthodox have lighted candles in their hands.

According to church canons, Good Friday has its own prohibitions and approvals.

The following foods can be consumed:

• herbal tea, but no sugar;
• raw fruits and vegetables;
• juice from any fruits and vegetables;
• canned or pickled vegetables and fruits.

This menu is for fast days: pastries, alcohol, meat, fish are prohibited. They say that if a person is fasting, then his Friday diet is a piece of bread and a glass of water. There are no strict restrictions on cooking: many housewives prepare traditional dishes for the Easter table. Although few can resist such temptations and smells.

According to biblical canons, Jesus Christ died at 15:00. Proceeding from this, true believers do not eat at all, do not drink water until the indicated hour.

There are concessions for some categories of people:

• toddlers and babies;
• lactating mothers, women who are expecting a replenishment in the family;
• aged people;
• citizens who have chronic, serious and incurable diseases;
• those whose work is associated with the hardest physical efforts.

According to the clergy, even if a person did not observe the fast from the very first day, he can join at any time. There are no prohibitions for this.

Believers have many questions about what can and cannot be done on the fifth day. Church representatives argue that this is the best day when you can meditate on the exploit of Christ. It is best to do a good deed or give alms. Usually, Orthodox Christians visit relatives, forgive offenses, and reconcile. In other words, there is always freedom of choice, but intentions must be good. It is important to spend this day correctly, to live it according to Christian canons.

On these days you can:

• participate in the removal of the shroud;
• praying while standing in front of icons;
• read a prayer book;
• study the laws of the Bible;
• visit temples;
• think and reflect on the fate of the Lord;
• limit yourself to food;
• go to confession;
• to offer grateful speeches to the Lord;
• bake cakes, prepare holiday food, if you did not have time to make it the day before;
• ask for the forgiveness of sins.

You can cry and be sad, but only if such emotions are caused by thoughts about the difficult fate of Jesus Christ. In general, at home you need to observe peace and quiet. This is not a day off, and no one should shirk the responsibilities of going to work. But Russia had its own bans.

• Don't touch the ground. All works of this kind are prohibited. Chopping wood was also considered a sinful business.
• Do not do needlework.
• You cannot bake, tidy up, wash, clean the house.
• It is not recommended to swim, get a haircut. Even heating the bath was forbidden.

On Holy Day, customs and conspiracies are valid. Believers in all kinds of rituals try to attract good luck, improve their position from a financial point of view.At this time, the magic is strong, and wishes and requests come true. According to custom, Easter and magical rites are incompatible. But this practice is present. Let's consider the most popular beliefs.

• It is no coincidence that many people bring home a burning candle after the service. The number of them should be 12. While a person goes home, the candle should burn. If it went out and was re-lit, then the fulfillment of desires, an improvement in the situation should not be expected.
• It was necessary to consecrate any ring during the service: it was then supposed to protect the whole family from misfortune.
• The candles must be placed in front of the icon, and there they must burn out. Only then will happiness and prosperity come to the house. And wealth and success will be with a person all year round.
• This is the time when knowledgeable people speak things up and throw them to their enemies. To find the lining, you need to take a burned out candle in the church, bring it home and light it again. It is recommended to go around all the rooms in the house: where the candle begins to smoke and crackle, and the lining lies.
• It is believed that it is on such days that a person can be cured of drunkenness. You need to take the ash, put it in a small bag. It is necessary to wait for the night and scatter it at the crossroads with the wish that the person would feel aversion from alcohol.
• Unmarried girls were looking forward to such a day. The day before, they cleaned houses and left a lot of empty space next to their shelf. It was believed that this is how they called their betrothed.
• It was said that if a girl sees a bird by the window early in the morning on Good Friday, she will soon meet her future husband.
• To attract financial luck, by the end of the day, a silver coin was lowered to the bottom of the container, poured with spring water. The next morning, the coin was sent to the wallet and carried all year, and they drank this water. Then the money was found all the time.
• They said that if you break the mirror, the money will be lost. All financial calculations were postponed to another day.
• Bad predictions and omens could be avoided by wiping the frames and corners of the doors with new towels in the morning before dawn. Then it was advised to remove the towel in a secret corner, keeping it all year round.
• In order to maintain peace and tranquility in the house, the hostess had to bake two loaves, and before kneading, ask the Lord to preserve her family and pray. When the bread was baked, one loaf was eaten by the family, and the second was kept behind the icons throughout the entire calendar year.

After a long time, the people had their own signs and superstitions on Holy Day. For example, they say that the bread that is baked on this day does not grow moldy and has healing power. They say that such a loaf is able to protect a house from misfortune, and a person on the way - from disease. It was considered a good sign if the bread baked at that time turned out to be beautiful, soft and with a ruddy crust. And if the bread is not baked or burned out, expect trouble.

Consider other folk signs.

• Fun and laughter on that cherished day were forbidden. Whoever laughs on Friday will cry all year.
• Grief will happen to the person who dares to pierce the earth with something. Even plants cannot be planted: they will die anyway. But parsley can please with a good harvest.
• You can't spit on the ground, otherwise all the saints will take up arms against you.
• No matter how much you wash your clothes on Friday, they still won't get clean.
• They say that the one who drinks on Friday will quickly get drunk, and if you conceive a child on those days, then he will be ill or some other misfortune will happen to him.
• But at that time, on the contrary, weaning a child from the breast was considered a good thing: the child quickly got used to adult life, and its health was very strong.
• Dreams in those days were also special: it was believed that they come true before noon, carry an important message or certain information. Dreams with incredible predictions come to those people who are experiencing difficulties in life. It is these dreams that guide a person on the right path, help to overcome doubts.You can ask for a hint: by evening you need to calm down, put your thoughts in order, pray, tell God about your request.
• Any clues and signs of the universe (voices, unusual light, omens) were considered a manifestation of omens. You need to remember everything, over time, the hint came by itself.
• If you want to stay healthy, you don’t need to cut your hair, carry out cosmetic procedures or paint.

The interpretation is as follows:

• birds promise new acquaintances;
• to see a dog - to longing;
• a cat - to profit and easy money;
• an old man or a sick person has health problems, failure in business;
• if a married couple is walking outside the window, then you can count on an early marriage, reconciliation with a loved one or replenishment in the family;
• to see a young guy - to the news of marriage;
• a young woman - to a happy year, a carefree existence.

It was forbidden to talk about what he saw until the moment when the prediction came true.

Regarding fortune telling, the church has an unambiguous opinion: these are all pagan prejudices that do not bode well. It was not welcomed, not only on Good Friday, but also on no other day. Church representatives still continue to assert that the Lord punishes people for such deeds.

As blasphemous as it may sound, death on Good Friday was a fortunate deed. After all, a person who believes in fasting takes communion, prays, confesses. He is pure in soul and body. Therefore, he goes to God with a light heart. And if a person started to get sick on Holy Day, then he quickly recovered. It was not for nothing that healers healed and cured people, made amulets and secret signs in those magical and mysterious days.

There were many signs. Here is some of them:

• the strongest wind has blown - wait for the rains;
• the horse snores - for rainy days;
• the cricket sang - it's time to start plowing;
• many cones on alder - there will be a lot of barley;
• if the sky is pink at dawn, the weather will be clear.