Holidays in various religions perform a special function for both believers and secular people. For a religious person, such a day is special, as it recalls some significant event. As for those who prefer to believe in the Almighty in the soul, for such people, holidays are also important. After all, they help to escape from everyday worries, take a break from work stress for a while.
Traditions of Christmas in Orthodoxy
At all times, religious holidays played a special role. One of the most important solemn days for representatives of different religions is Christmas.
In Orthodoxy, this bright day is celebrated on January 7. The day when there is intensive preparation for the holiday is Christmas Eve. According to the strict rules of the Orthodox Church, believers need to refuse food before the first star appears. Christmas is preceded by Lent.
Which religious holiday is the most important? It is difficult to answer this question. Each of these days has a special mood. As for Christmas, according to popular belief, on the night before Christmas two forces are fighting - good and evil. One invites people to carol and celebrate the birth of the Savior, and the second invites witches to the Sabbath. Once this evening, a carriage went around the yards - disguised young people in masks of animals. They magnified the owners of the house, not sparing beautiful words. Of course, such traditions had nothing to do with church ones.
Traditions for Holy Evening
In different countries, this religious holiday is celebrated in its own way. For example, in Ukraine, celebration begins on Holy Evening, Christmas Eve. Before this holiday, the Orthodox Church also prescribes fasting. One of the distinguishing traditions is a dish called “kutia”. This is wheat or rice porridge, in which dried fruits, honey, poppy seeds, raisins are added. Altogether, 12 different lenten dishes should be served on Holy evening. At Christmas itself, people almost did not go to visit. Only adult married children (with daughters-in-law or sons-in-law) could visit their elderly parents - take "grandfather dinner".
Do Muslims have Christmas?
And what about the celebration of Christmas in Muslim countries? For many, this question is very interesting. Of course, none of the theologians of Islam calls to celebrate this religious holiday. Moreover, Muslims have their own “analogue” of Christmas - the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad. It is celebrated on the 12th day of the third month according to the Muslim calendar, and every year falls on different holidays. However, since Jesus Christ is also considered a prophet within the framework of this religion, Muslims congratulate their neighbors and close Christians on this holiday.
The main Muslim holiday
One of the most important religious holidays of the year for all Muslims is the holiday of Eid al-Adha. It begins 70 days after the end of the Ramadan fast, and lasts 3-4 days. The main tradition of this holiday is the lamb sacrifice. A ritual ceremony is performed on each day of the celebration. From the meat of the animal solemn dishes are prepared, which are eaten at a meal, or distributed to the poor.
Christmas at the Catholic Church
In many countries, Christmas is both a national and religious holiday. In the Catholic tradition, Christmas is celebrated according to the Gregorian calendar, from January 25 to January 1. This bright day is preceded by the period of Advent - fasting, during which believers confess in churches. On the eve of Christmas, a special Mass is laid in Catholic churches, which begins at exactly midnight. Christmas trees are supposed to be installed and decorated with Christmas trees. This tradition was first born among the German peoples, who considered spruce a symbol of wealth and fertility.
Easter customs
One of the most ancient religious holidays in Russia is Easter. He is one of the most important, and marks the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is believed that almost all the traditions of this holiday first appeared in worship. And even festivities are always associated with one of the main traditions - conversation after Lent.
One of the main traditions for Easter is special greetings. Among Orthodox believers, it is customary to christify - to express greetings with the words "Christ is Risen!", "Truly Risen!" Words are accompanied by a threefold kiss. This tradition dates back to the time of the apostles.
Main rites for Easter
During Great Saturday and immediately after the Easter service, the consecration of Easter cakes, eggs, and all the food that was prepared for the festive table. Easter eggs symbolize the birth of the Savior. There is a tradition according to which Mary Magdalene donated an egg to the Roman emperor Tiberius, symbolizing the resurrection of Christ. The emperor doubted the history of the resurrection of Christ. He said that just as white eggs cannot turn red, so the dead are not able to resurrect. At that moment, the egg turned red. Despite the fact that today eggs are painted in different colors, the prevailing shade is traditionally red, symbolizing life and rebirth.
One of the traditions in the pre-Easter week is the preparation of the so-called Thursday salt, which has excellent healing properties. To do this, on Pure Thursday (the last Thursday before the celebration of Easter), put the usual salt for 10 minutes in the oven or in the oven. Then she is consecrated in the church. According to legend, salt is not only able to heal diseases, but also to maintain peace in the family, to get rid of the evil eye.
Nativity of the Virgin - September 21
One of the major religious holidays for Orthodox believers is the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This holiday is celebrated on September 21, and it was established by the church in the IV century. On this day, the days are getting shorter and the nights are getting longer. Depending on the weather on the day of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, people determined what autumn would be and made assumptions about the coming winter. For example, it was believed that if on this day the birds rose high in the sky, then the winter would be cold. If the weather was clear, then it was believed that it would last until the end of October.
This religious holiday was not allowed to quarrel. It was believed that quarrels against the Virgin especially angered the Lord, because they upset the Virgin Mary. Drinking wine on this day is not permitted. Anyone who drinks on this day will suffer a whole year. September 21, it is also customary to respect all women, mindful of the original divine spark in every person.
There were special traditions in this Orthodox religious holiday. Usually newlyweds visited the Virgin, taught them to avoid life mistakes. The hostess baked a holiday cake and treated the guests.
Young on this day also visited their parents. They dressed in beautiful clothes, took a baked cake with them, and set off for the village. The young wife attached a ribbon with the letters “P” and “B” (“The Nativity of the Virgin”) to her hairstyle, which was supposed to protect her and her family from the evil eye. In the event that the ribbon was untied, it was believed that someone envied the young, did not want good.
One of the most important religious holidays of the year is Baptism. It is celebrated on January 19th. The main tradition on this day is the blessing of water in temples. It was once believed that any tap water on this date becomes holy. However, the clergy emphasize that in any case, the water must be blessed in the church. This water can treat wounds and diseases. She is put in a corner of the house so that the whole year in the house there is order and peace. It is also necessary to remember that holy water may lose its useful properties if, when gaining it or applying it, a person swears with someone.