Seven weeks after the miraculous resurrection of Jesus Christ, His disciples awaited a new, incomparable joy - the descent of the Holy Spirit of the Comforter on them. This was the fulfillment of the promise made by him by the Master before His ascension to Heaven. From now on, filled with God's Grace, they became the foundation of a new collegiate and apostolic church, straightening the gates of hell and opening the way to eternal life.
Pentecost Orthodox and Jewish
The holiday established in honor of this event - the Orthodox Trinity - is often referred to as Holy Pentecost. There are several explanations for this name. In addition to the fact that the descent of the Holy Spirit took place precisely on the fiftieth day after Easter, which served as the basis for its name, it was also the day of the Jewish holiday, also called Pentecost. It was established in memory of the granting of the Law to the Jews, written on the tablets and received from the hands of the prophet Moses on the fiftieth day after they left Egyptian slavery - Jewish Passover.
We learn about it from the works of many ancient authors. One of them, Josephus Flavius, talking about this holiday, which is also associated with the beginning of the harvest of wheat, calls it Pentecost. A similar name is found in the writings of the Greek and Byzantine historians that have come down to us.
Prototype of the New Testament
Thus, the Old Testament, concluded by the Lord with the Jews on the fiftieth day after the Passover, and called the Sinai, became the prototype of the New Testament, concluded in the Zion's Upper Room by the descent of the Apostles of the Holy Spirit. This expresses the inextricable connection of the New Testament with the Old. Of all the holidays established by the holy church, only Easter and Pentecost have Old Testament roots.
New Testament explanation of the holiday
To fully understand what the feast of the Trinity means , you should turn to the texts of the New Testament. It follows from them that death has dominated people since the time of original sin, but Jesus Christ, through his suffering on the cross and the subsequent resurrection from the dead, revealed eternal life to people. The Christian church, born on the day of the descent of the apostles of the Holy Spirit, appeared as a gateway to it.
The second chapter of the book of the Acts of the Apostles describes how the disciples of Christ spent ten days following his miraculous ascension, stayed in Jerusalem and, together with the Blessed Virgin Mary, gathered daily in the chamber, which was called Zion. All their time was filled with prayers and divine thought. On the tenth day, as the scripture reveals, suddenly a noise was heard, similar to what is born from gusts of wind. Following him, flames appeared over the heads of the apostles, who, having described the circle in the air, rested on each of them.
Gifts of the Holy Spirit
This non-material fire was a visual image of the Holy Spirit. Overwhelmed by Him, the apostles were reborn to a new life. From now on, their minds were opened to comprehend the secrets of the kingdom of heaven. But, in addition, by the Grace of God they were given the strength and ability necessary to preach true doctrine among various nations. From now on, their mouths were broadcast in languages previously foreign and unknown to them. Such a miracle confused the witnesses of their first sermons. With great amazement, foreigners recognized the sounds of their native language in their speeches.
Since then, apostolic succession has been established. Each next generation of priests through the sacrament of ordination gained grace, which enabled them to perform the sacraments themselves, without which the path to eternal life is impossible. That's why this is a joyous holiday - the Orthodox Trinity - is rightfully considered the birthday of the Church of Christ.
Features of the Trinity service
The celebration of the Trinity is accompanied by one of the most beautiful and memorable church services of the entire Orthodox annual cycle. At the Great Vespers, solemn sticheras are performed, singing the Holy Spirit and its coming upon the apostles, and upon their completion the priest reads special holiday prayers, asking God for the blessings of His holy Church, the salvation of all her children and the repose of the souls of the departed. The service for the Trinity also includes a special petition offered up to those whose souls are in hell before the Last Judgment. During the reading of these prayers, everyone present in the temple kneels and hears the words of the priest.
The traditions of the Trinity festival are unusually rich and poetic. Since ancient times, it is customary to cover the floors in churches and apartment buildings with fresh grass, and in the church premises to put birches specially cut for the holiday. Icons are usually decorated with birch twigs, and during the service, the clergy are ordered to be dressed in green, which symbolizes the life-giving power of the Holy Spirit. The internal appearance of the temples on this day takes on the appearance of a spring grove, where everything glorifies the Creator in His indescribable wisdom.
Folk traditions and rites
The folk traditions of the Trinity festival are rooted in pre-Christian times. It so happened that often in the deepest consciousness of the people Christian and pagan side by side. This is especially clearly seen in ancient customs. Trinity Day is no exception. The traditions of this holiday, one of the most important among the Eastern Slavs, include the so-called Semitsko-Trinity cycle. It includes Thursday and Saturday in the week preceding the holiday, as well as Trinity Day itself. In general, it is popularly called the "Green Christmas time".
The folk traditions of the Trinity festival are closely connected with the rituals of commemoration of the dead, especially the drowned. In addition, they reflected the ancient cult of plants and everything related to girlish fortune-telling, festivities and all kinds of initiations. If we add here the spring fare and the summer meeting, adopted by the Slavs, it will be clear how diverse this holiday is in its semantic shades.
Week before the holiday
The whole week before the holiday was perceived as his joyful vestibule. These days, young girls of 8-12 years old went for birch branches to decorate their homes. On Thursday, it was customary to enjoy a fried egg, symbolizing the summer sun. In the forest, children performed a special ritual - curled a birch. She was preliminarily decorated with ribbons, beads and flowers, and then her branches were braided into braids, tying them in pairs. Around the birch dressed up in such a way, round dances were conducted - as it is done around the Christmas tree.
Saturday before the Trinity was the day of remembrance of the departed. It has long been called Parental Saturday. So it is called in our days. The Orthodox Church included it in the number of days of special remembrance. In addition to the prayer commemoration in the church and at home, visit to cemeteries, grave care and just heartfelt prayer for those who passed away but remained close and dear to us on Parent Saturday. The Holy Church teaches that God does not have the dead, so for those who have gone into eternal life, our remembrance will be like congratulations on the Holy Trinity.
Holiday traditions
Saturday before the Trinity, with its quiet sadness over the deceased, was replaced by a joyous holiday day. After the solemn service in the temple, young people went to the forest, to those birches that were curled at the Trinity (Semitsky) week. Now it was supposed to develop them, otherwise the birch trees could be “offended”. Round dances were played again, songs were sung, congratulations were received with the Holy Trinity. It ended with a festive meal. Birches themselves were cut down. They were carried around the village with songs, and, finally, they were allowed to sail along the river. It was believed that their vitality will pass to the first shoots of the new crop.
The traditions of the Trinity festival assigned rivers and lakes a special role. On this day, the girls decided to guess how their personal life would develop in the near future. To find out these secrets exciting young hearts, weaved wreaths of spring flowers and lowered them into river streams. If the wreath was drowning, this meant that the girl would have to be patient and wait for her bridegroom until next spring. If he stayed on the water, and especially if he was swimming against the stream, then it was possible to prepare with confidence the wedding outfit - the groom was somewhere nearby.
Holiday Restrictions
But, according to ancient beliefs, all reservoirs in the days when the celebration of the Trinity took place, fraught with a special danger. It was noticed that on Trinity Day, mermaids left their usual whirlpools and came out of the water. Hiding in the foliage of coastal willows, they lured with laughter and aukan to careless passers-by and tickled them to death, carried them along into the water depths. For this reason, swimming on the feast of the Trinity was considered complete madness.
In general, this holiday was accompanied by many restrictions. In addition to swimming, it was not recommended to walk alone through the woods, since nothing good could be expected from goblin. Throughout the Trinity week it was impossible to knit birch brooms, which is understandable, given the sacred role assigned to the birch on the day of the holiday. It was also believed that those who will build a fence or repair harrows in the Semitsky week, the cattle will bring an ugly offspring. It is difficult to say what kind of connection there is, but if it’s impossible, then it’s impossible, it’s better not to risk it. Well, of course, as in every holiday, it was impossible to work.
Trinity Day yesterday and today
Among scholars there is an opinion that only at the time of the Monk Sergius of Radonezh the holiday of the Holy Trinity was fully celebrated in Russia. The traditions and customs inherent before the Semitsky week gradually passed to the Trinity, which is not uncommon in historical practice. A vivid illustration of this is the Orthodox Christmas of Christ, traditionally accompanied by numerous ceremonies that have come down to us from pagan times.
Speaking about what the Trinity feast means today and what it meant for our ancestors, it is necessary to highlight the main thing - and then and now it is the triumph of life bestowed on us by the Savior. Today we approach it more meaningfully. Thanks to the opportunities that the age of technological progress has opened up before us, the works of the Holy Fathers and popular theological articles have become available to everyone. Much of what the long-gone generations of Slavs believed in has become for us only poetic folklore. But on the other hand, the greatest humanism of Christ’s teaching was opened for our understanding in all its strength and beauty.