Catherine’s name day: history, traditions and some fortune-telling

The name of a person is its integral part. The great poet, nurtured by Russian land, asked: "What is in my name to you?" We will answer: holiday. As you know, most people have holy patrons. Name defines them. And each saint has his own day of remembrance, the day of reverence - a name day. Today we will talk about such a holiday, which is honored in many countries of the world - this is the day of Catherine’s name day .

What kind of saint is hidden behind this name, what does it mean?

Ever since the days of the ancient Greeks, the name Catherine meant purity and purity. It came from the Greek "katarios". But the patron saint of this name lived in Alexandria. The Orthodox name day of Catherine is the day of veneration of the holy Great Martyr Catherine of Alexandria. According to legend, this saint was an example of true chastity and purity. Despite her wealth, nobility and a living mind, she remained innocent: once she had a dream in which she was married to Christ himself. The next morning she had a ring on her finger, which a divine husband gave her in a dream.

St. Catherine of Alexandria throughout her life has helped many Christians. According to legend, she saved sacrifices during the pagan rituals of the zealots of Christianity. Once she converted to her faith the philosophers sent by the emperor seduced by her. Among the scientists was the emperor’s wife. All of them were executed for treason.

For all this, the emperor sentenced Catherine to execution by wheeling. But when the saint approached the cannon, a blow from heaven broke it into pieces. The emperor was still not afraid. So, for their true faith in the Holy Trinity and the refusal to follow passions, the great martyr was beheaded in 305.

For a long time, Catherine’s name days have been celebrated on the church calendar: December 7 and 17 - according to the rules of the Orthodox Church. And February 2 and 13, March 9, 22 and 24; April 5 and 28; November 25 - according to the rules of the Catholic.

Catherine’s name day is not only a day of reverence for the holy martyrs and one virgin who bore this name. It is also a folk traditional rites associated with this day. For example, on the night of December 7, girls in Russia wondered. One of the favorite types of fortune-telling was this: on the night of Katerina, a cherry branch was ripped off and placed in water. If she bloomed - then the girl will marry next year. Another popular fortune-telling method is on bread. After dinner, the girl left a piece of bread and put it under the pillow, so that in a dream, the narrowed one came to “break bread”. It was believed that with the girl who dreamed she would share the bread - she would marry him.

Also on the name day of Catherine opened a toboggan ride - this was the first day of festivities. Young people arranged fun, gave each other gifts and ran racing in the snow. The holiday was called "Catherine the Sannitsa." By this day, the sled was painted and decorated in every possible way, new ones were rolled in, old ones were repaired.

On December 7, many celebrities celebrate Catherine’s birthday. From ancient times, this name was used to call girls in a wide variety of population groups: from queens to serfs. Throughout the world, this nickname has gained great fame: Katherine, Katarina and others - all derivatives of Katarios.