Feast of the Holy Trinity. Signs for Trinity Celebrating Trinity in Rus'

Trinity is one of the most beautiful religious holidays. People love it just like Easter and Christmas. After all, the Orthodox Trinity is a holiday whose traditions are closely intertwined with pagan rituals. Coinciding with the day of Jewish Pentecost, considered the day of the birth of the Church of Christ the Savior, Trinity also coincides with mermaid week, the time of fortune telling, and the ancient Slavic festival of fertility.

The Essence of the Trinity

According to Old Testament legends, on the day of Jewish Pentecost, the Holy Spirit descended on the apostles, and the trinity of God became obvious and understandable to them. In honor of this event, the apostles established Trinity Day, which has been celebrated for many centuries in a row on the 50th day after Easter.

On this day, believers glorify God the Father, God the Son and the Holy Spirit, their trinity is consubstantial, equivalent and beginningless. The Holy Trinity is a time to express gratitude for rebirth to new life through baptism, a time to fill the heart with love for all that exists and lives.

Trinity Sunday in 2013 falls on June 23. But believers prepare for her arrival in advance and celebrate the whole next week.

On the eve of Trinity Day, churches and houses are decorated with greenery and flowers. Traditional decoration for Trinity - birch branches. Sometimes they are replaced with branches of oak, rowan, and maple. The main thing is fresh greenery, symbolizing regenerating life. Grass covers floors and decorates shutters and doorways. They go to the morning ceremonial service with bouquets, they are also illuminated by loaves and gingerbread cookies baked for the festive table. Icons in the house are decorated with consecrated flowers and kept for a whole year. These flowers are used to scare away evil spirits and remove damage. The grass and flowers brought from the church were brewed and drunk as a healing potion.

After the festive service, believers on Trinity Day visited each other, treating each other to sweets and exchanging gifts. And on the streets there were certainly folk festivals and fairs with songs and dances. Now many Trinity traditions are being revived, finding their place in modern life.

Today, most of the fortune telling used by our ancestors has been forgotten. There is nothing surprising in this, because we have numerous horoscopes at our service. In glossy magazines and modest newspapers, on television and radio broadcasts, on the Internet - everywhere we are offered forecasts from astrologers. Look at your horoscope for today - and act in accordance with the location of the stars. Practical and convenient!

But in ancient fortune-telling there is a much greater romance, terrifying and attractive at the same time. And maybe it’s worth trying to check your fate once a year with ancient rituals?

Pagan rites of the Trinity are mainly feminine. In the villages they chose the most beautiful girl (Topolia), decorated her with beads, ribbons, branches, flowers and took her around dancing and singing. Meeting Topol was considered to great luck, and she herself wished with a bow a good harvest, love and prosperity to everyone she met.

To preserve family happiness We prepared special scrambled eggs for Trinity. They took 2 Thursday eggs for her, symbolizing a married couple. While frying a dish in a round frying pan, the hostess says a prayer over it: “Holy Trinity, have mercy on us. Cleanse, Lord, our sins, Holy Spirit, heal our weakness, for Thy name's sake. Lord, have mercy (three times). Glory to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, now and ever and ever. Amen".

No spices other than salt are placed in this amulet. But they season it with herbs: feathers of garlic, onions, parsley sprigs. The most important thing is that the greens are not chopped, but placed whole, thereby denoting the integrity of one’s family.

The finished scrambled eggs with herbs are placed, without cutting, into a round rye loaf, blessed in the church. This loaf is the only thing that can be cut, but only in half (lengthwise). It turns out to be a kind of “sandwich”, which is wrapped in an embroidered towel and taken with you to the birch grove. There, under a pre-decorated birch tree, you need to eat this loaf together with your beloved spouse. If desired, the amulet of family happiness can be supplemented with boiled potatoes and bread kvass.

Unmarried girls on Whitsunday guessed for love, for marriage. Wreaths woven from flowers and grass were thrown into the water and conclusions were made about the future by how they floated. The wreath floated smoothly - and life would turn out measuredly and smoothly. Swinging on the waves, spinning - life will be stormy, restless. He quickly disappeared from sight - to get married in distant lands, and if he lingered near the shore - to remain unmarried for another year.

Girls also told fortunes on the eve of Trinity, “curling” a birch tree. A thin tree was “broken”: it was bent to the ground, its branches were intertwined with grass, decorated with ribbons. On Trinity Day, girls went to the birch trees to look at their wreaths and develop the trees. Several branches were cut off and placed under the pillow with the sentence: “My betrothed, mummer, come and curl the birch tree together.”

You can tell fortunes about the Trinity to fulfill a wish. For this purpose, for example, a chain that you wear all the time is suitable. But remember that you can only guess using the same chain once! When you go to the morning service, the chain must be on you. Be sure to light a candle for the health of your rivals, ill-wishers, and envious people. When leaving the church, make a donation as much as you can for the needs of the temple. When you get home, make a wish and count the links on the chain. If their number turns out to be even, the wish will come true. If an odd number comes up, alas, do not wait for it to be fulfilled. The chain cannot be worn for three days after fortune telling.

In different areas of Russia there are various rituals and fortune telling for the Trinity, there are a great many of them. One thing can be considered common: Trinity is a bright and beloved national holiday. Days of warmth, love and joy. And any ritual only works when they believe in it. And let the predictions be only good!

In 2017, Trinity Day is celebrated on June 4. The Day of the Holy Trinity, Trinity, Pentecost, Descent of the Holy Spirit is one of the main Christian holidays, included in Orthodoxy among the twelve holidays. The Orthodox Church celebrates Trinity Day on the 50th day after Easter, Sunday.

On Trinity Day, one of the most solemn and beautiful services of the year is held in Orthodox churches. After the liturgy, Great Vespers is served, at which stichera glorifying the descent of the Holy Spirit are sung, and the priest reads three special lengthy prayers:
- about the Church;
- for the salvation of all those who pray;
- about the repose of the souls of all the departed (including those “held in hell”).
While reading these prayers, everyone (including the clergy) kneels - this ends the post-Easter period, during which no kneeling or prostration is performed in churches.

According to Russian tradition, the floor of the temple and the houses of believers on the Day of the Holy Trinity is covered with freshly cut grass, the icons are decorated with birch branches, and the color of the vestments is green, depicting the life-giving and renewing power of the Holy Spirit. Trinity is a very beautiful and beloved holiday among the people.

Rituals for Trinity

Trinity Day is one of the most important holidays among the Eastern Slavs, especially loved by girls. In folk tradition, Trinity Day is part of the Semitsko-Trinity holiday complex, which included Semik (the seventh Thursday after Easter two days before Trinity), Trinity Saturday, and Trinity Day. In general, the holidays were called “Green Christmastide”. The main components of the Semik-Trinity festivities were rituals associated with the cult of vegetation, maiden festivities, maiden initiations, commemoration of the drowned or all the dead.

Among the Slavic peoples, the holiday of the Holy Trinity is also closely associated with seeing off spring and welcoming summer:

During Trinity (Semitic) week, girls 7-12 years old they broke birch branches and decorated the house with them outside and inside.
Thursday (the next day) children's morning fed scrambled eggs, which was then a traditional dish: it symbolized the bright summer sun. Then children went into the forest to curl a birch tree: it was decorated with ribbons, beads, flowers; The branches were tied in pairs and braided. Children danced around the decorated birch tree, sang songs, and had a festive meal.
On Saturday, on the eve of the Holy Trinity, the Slavs have one of the main memorial days. This day is often called “stuffy Saturday” or parent’s day.
On the day of the Holy Trinity, everyone went to church with flowers and birch branches. On this day, houses and temples were decorated with a green carpet of leaves and flowers. After the festive service in the church, the youth went to develop a birch tree. It was believed that if this is not done, the birch tree may be offended. After the birch tree had developed, they repeated the meal, again danced in circles and sang songs. Then the tree was cut down and carried around the village singing. Often a birch tree could also be sent down the river, believing that the tree would give up its strength to the first shoots in the field.

Traditions for Trinity

As usual in Russia, Orthodox holidays are closely intertwined with folk traditions:

So, leaving the church, people tried to grab grass from under your feet, to mix with hay, boil with water and drink as a healing medicine. Some made wreaths from the leaves of the trees that stood in the church and used them as amulets.

Beautiful Trinity tradition Decorating houses and temples with branches, grass, and flowers has been around for centuries. The ritual of decorating for Trinity is not accidental. In folk tradition, greenery symbolizes life on Trinity Day. Traditionally, decorating houses on Trinity Sunday with branches, herbs and flowers, people express joy and gratitude to God for reviving them through baptism into a new life.

Historically, to decorate temples and houses, according to folk traditions, birch branches are used. We can say that the Trinity holiday without a birch is the same as celebrating Christmas without a tree. At the same time, in some areas the tradition of decorating houses and churches on Trinity Day may be slightly different and oak, maple, rowan can be used for decoration...

The people revered Trinity as a great holiday, they carefully prepared for it: they washed and cleaned the house and yard, put out dough to prepare dishes for the festive table, and prepared herbs. On this day, pies and loaves were baked, wreaths made of birch (in the south made of maple) and flowers were made, guests were invited, and young people held parties in the forests and meadows.

The girls wore their best outfits, often sewn specifically for these holidays. Everywhere heads were decorated with wreaths of herbs and flowers. Dressed up girls usually walked around during a general meeting of the people - the so-called "bride's viewing". For a long time it was believed good omen to get married on Trinity. The wedding took place in the fall, on the Feast of the Intercession of the Virgin Mary. Many still believe that this helps family life: those married on Trinity, they say, will live in love, joy and wealth.

On this day, roes were baked for the girls - round cakes with eggs in the form of a wreath. These roe deer along with scrambled eggs, pies, kvass made up a ritual meal, which the girls arranged in the grove after curling the birch tree, that is, decorating it with ribbons, flowers, and weaving wreaths from its thin branches.

The girls worshiped through these wreaths- they came up in pairs, kissed each other, sometimes exchanged pectoral crosses and said: Let's kiss each other, godfather, let's kiss each other, we won't quarrel with you, we'll be friends forever. For the ritual of nepotism curled the tops of two birch trees, intertwined them with each other. Then the girls split into pairs and walked under these birch trees, hugging and kissing. Having thought about each other, they formed one big round dance and sang trinity songs. Then we went to the river. When we approached the river, everyone threw their wreaths into the water and used them to tell fortunes about future fate. After this, the birch tree was cut down and carried to the village with songs, they placed it in the center of the street, they danced around the birch tree and sang special, Trinity songs.

What not to do on Trinity Sunday - popular beliefs

A whole cycle of beliefs and prohibitions was associated with the Trinity Days, the violation of which was strictly prohibited under the threat of misfortune:

It was forbidden to make birch brooms on Trinity;
for a week it was forbidden to fence the fence or repair harrows so that “ugly-looking domestic animals would not be born”;
it was strictly forbidden to work on the first three days of Trinity - however, you can prepare a treat, as well as invite guests to a festive meal;
It was impossible to go to the forest for a week, to swim - swimming on Trinity Day is undesirable, because, as our ancestors believed, that Trinity Day belongs to mermaids - if you swim, the ancient Slavs believed, you will go to the bottom. Starting from the “Green Christmastide” and until Peter’s Day (July 12), mermaids come out of the pools, hide in the forests, in the trees, luring travelers with their laughter.

Signs for Trinity

There are other beliefs and traditions for the Trinity. Let's now find out what signs there are on Trinity Day.

If it rains on Trinity, then expect a mushroom harvest.
Flowers and medicinal herbs collected on such a day are considered healing and can cure any ailment.
It is believed that from Monday - Holy Spirit Day there will be no more frosts, warm days are coming.
On the Day of the Holy Spirit, it is customary to give away all the change to the poor, thereby protecting yourself from adversity and illness.
There was also such a belief that an honest person could find a treasure, as if hearing its call from the depths of the earth.
There was a belief that plants on Trinity are endowed with special magical powers, which was reflected in the custom of collecting medicinal herbs on Trinity night.

Trinity Celebration

Trinity passes noisily and cheerfully. In the morning everyone rushes to the temple for the festive service. And after it they organize folk fun with round dances, games, and songs. Loaves were definitely prepared. They invited guests to a festive dinner and gave each other gifts. Fairs were held in some areas. With the revival of faith in Russia, the traditions of celebrating Orthodox holidays are also being revived. And already in our time, folk festivities are organized in the cities of the country on Trinity Day.

In this material you will find out when the Trinity holiday is celebrated in 2019, and you will also be able to get acquainted with the most current information about the traditions, signs and prohibitions of the holiday.

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There is a special date in the June holiday calendar: this is the holiday of Trinity. In 2019, Trinity is celebrated on June 16. This day has a long history, which is also carefully intertwined with traditions that have great love among the people.

What can you do on Trinity Sunday?

Christians should try to use the day off not only for, but also to remember the descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles - after it, the Lord’s disciples spoke in different languages and dispersed all over the world to talk about Jesus Christ. Just for the Trinity holiday, you can gather the whole family around a large table - there are no restrictions on food on this day.

What not to do on Trinity

We have already told you what you can do on Trinity Sunday, and now it’s time to find out what you can’t do on Trinity Day. There is a lot of talk among people about what not to do on Trinity. Many of the prohibitions make you smile, because they are associated with paganism and have nothing to do with the holy holiday. They say that on Trinity you cannot do physical work, as well as clean the house, sew or do a lot of laundry. Such activities are not sinful, but it is believed that everyday fuss should not distract us from the main essence of the holiday.

Young parents are interested in the question of Is it possible to baptize your child on Trinity?. There are no specific prohibitions on baptism on this day, but due to the fact that holiday services will take place in the church, an important procedure may be postponed to a more suitable period. Therefore, it is better to immediately plan a christening not for the Trinity holiday.

About, Is it possible to go to the cemetery on Trinity Sunday?, they say without stopping. But everyone unanimously agrees that it is worth going to church on this day, and special memorial days are allocated for the cemetery.

Trinity rituals and wreath weaving

Previously, it was customary to organize mass celebrations on this day - such a program was part of the rituals for Trinity. Young people sang songs, danced in circles, lit bonfires and even told fortunes. On this day, the young men looked for brides for themselves with all seriousness. But it is worth noting that girls could also choose their groom on this holiday. To do this, all unmarried girls wove wreaths on Trinity and put them on the head of the one who was dear to them. This ritual on Trinity was considered a kind of engagement.

The Feast of the Holy Trinity is an important day for every Orthodox person. According to legend, it is from this date that the formation of the true Christian faith begins. Folk customs and signs of the Trinity have been carefully passed down from generation to generation for several centuries.

The Trinity has long been a sacred symbol for every Orthodox Christian. This image embodies the unity of God the Father, God the Son and the Holy Spirit. In all churches on this day, a solemn liturgy is held, festive canons and prayers of thanks are read.

The color green becomes a symbol of external and internal renewal: priests traditionally conduct services in green robes, and the church premises are decorated with cut birch branches and mown grass.

The people accepted the holiday of the Trinity and passionately loved it: signs, customs and traditions, carefully collected and passed on from generation to generation, have survived to this day.

Signs and beliefs on the day of the Holy Trinity

It is believed that if it rains on Trinity Day, then the summer will be rainy and dank.

According to legends, all plants on this day have healing powers. Medicine men and herbalists tried to prepare as many plants as possible at dawn and dusk.

It is believed that a person encountered in the forest on Trinity Sunday may turn out to be a forest spirit. You must be extremely polite and courteous with everyone you meet, otherwise you can bring disaster upon yourself.

You can appease evil spirits on this day by floating on water or leaving bread and fresh milk in the forest.

On the morning of Trinity, you need to go out into the field and put your ear to the ground: it is believed that then the field spirits can reveal the future to those who listen.

If thunder roars and lightning flashes on Trinity Sunday, this means that all evil spirits will be expelled from the face of the earth by the evening.

Finding a dead bird on the road on this day is a sign of imminent illness.

To ward off troubles, on Trinity Sunday they wear a bunch of spicy plants around their necks.

It is believed that on this day you can receive news from deceased relatives. To do this, you need to come to the cemetery, decorate the graves with cut birch branches and talk to the dead as if they were alive. When leaving, be sure to leave a treat at the grave.

If the weather is clear and sunny on Trinity Sunday, then the year will be fertile.

After the church service, it is necessary to set the festive table. If there are unmarried girls of marriageable age in the family, then after dinner the tablecloth should be folded and hidden separately, without washing. It is believed that she will “attract” a worthy groom within one year.

On this holiday, the icon of the Holy Trinity has special power. Orthodox Christians believe that prayers before her can heal many illnesses and help change lives. We wish you a wonderful mood and peace in your soul. Be happy and don't forget to press the buttons and

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The Day of the Holy Trinity in 2017 will be celebrated by the entire Christian world on June 4 - the fiftieth day after the Holy Resurrection of Christ, which is why the holiday is also called Pentecost.

This is one of the 12 main church holidays - it is dedicated to the gospel event - the descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles and the glorification of the Holy Trinity.

What is the essence of the holiday

The Zion Upper Room, in which the Holy Spirit descended on the apostles in the form of tongues of fire, became the first Christian temple.

Since ancient times, Trinity has been considered the day of the founding of the New Testament Church on earth, since the Holy Spirit endowed the apostles with special power so that they could preach the Gospel throughout the world and convey to everyone the message of Jesus as the Savior of all mankind.

In honor of the descent of the Holy Spirit, the holiday received this name: this event denoted the trinity of God. The three hypostases of the Holy Trinity - God the Father, God the Son and the Holy Spirit - exist in unity, creating the world and sanctifying it with divine grace.

The holiday in honor of the Holy Trinity was established by the apostles - they themselves annually celebrated the day of the descent of the Holy Spirit and commanded it to all Christians. There is an indication of this in the Apostolic Constitutions.

But the holiday was officially established at the end of the 4th century after the adoption of the dogma of the Divine Trinity. Over time, Trinity Day has become one of the most beloved and revered holidays among the people.

The roots of Trinity Day go back to the times when Rus' was still pagan. The week at the beginning of summer marked the final victory of nature over the forces of darkness, the victory of spring over winter and the beginning of a hot summer.

Therefore, in addition to church ones, many folk traditions and customs appeared, which were closely intertwined with pagan ones, which became an integral part of this day.

Traditions

They prepared for the holiday of the Holy Trinity in advance - housewives began general cleaning in the house and in the yard a day or two before the holiday. We got rid of unused things, especially those that may remind us of unpleasant moments in life.

People who have their own gardens and vegetable gardens try to clear them of various kinds of weeds. They uproot weeds and stick their tops into the ground, then it is believed that these weeds will no longer litter their land.

On Trinity Sunday, houses and churches are decorated with branches of various trees, grass, and flowers, as young plants symbolize prosperity, wealth and continuation of life.

On Trinity Day, the whole family went to church in the morning, where a festive service was held that day. On this day you cannot ask anything from the Holy Spirit; it is only important to thank him for being the savior and faithful protector of human souls.

After the temple, everyone went home and had a festive dinner. The feast was rich and varied: porridge, pancakes, all kinds of pies, jelly and decoctions - the holiday was not a fast day, so everything was allowed.

On this day they also visited cemeteries and commemorated the dead, leaving treats.

In the villages, towards evening, a real celebration began - they organized round dances, sang songs, danced, and performed ritual ceremonies. Also, fairs were often held for the whole week, where there was also a lot of entertainment.

On Trinity Sunday it is still customary to visit people and give gifts.

Rituals and beliefs

The celebration of Trinity in Rus' lasts several days, but on the first day, which is popularly called Green Sunday, people should be especially attentive and careful.

Therefore, it is customary to decorate your homes with various aromatic herbs, and icons with birch branches, in order to protect yourself from various mythical creatures, such as mermaids, Mavkas, goblins and other evil spirits.

In the old days they believed that these days mermaids came ashore and lured guys. To avoid this, fires were burned along the banks of rivers and lakes for several nights in a row - it was believed that the hot fire was supposed to stop evil spirits.

The symbol of the Trinity was wreaths floating along the river - this is how girls told fortunes about their betrothed and, according to some beliefs, paid off mermaids and mawoks who also wanted to dress up. That’s why wreaths were very useful.

Another Trinity ritual was associated with greenery - a girl in love had to weave a wreath of meadow grass and birch branches for her boyfriend. Giving it means declaring love or at least sympathy.

Such a wreath could become not only a decoration and a symbol of tender feelings, but also protection from mermaids, who on Trinity night acquired the greatest power and were able to lure any guy to them.

The wreath was to be turned into a talisman by branches of wormwood, especially the flowering one, which, according to legend, repels any evil spirits, including mermaids, mermaids, and mawoks.

Trinity was also celebrated in forests, fields, and gardens - they sang songs and played fun games. Unmarried girls used their own woven wreaths to tell fortunes on this day. They threw wreaths into the water and sang songs; if the wreaths matched, then the girl would be wooed this year.

People believed that on a festive night they had prophetic dreams, which were usually given special significance.

There was also a belief that an honest person could find a treasure on this day, as if hearing its call from the depths of the earth.

Signs

A good omen for Trinity was matchmaking - it was believed that if they matched on Trinity and got married on the Intercession, it meant that these spouses would have a long, happy life, in love and harmony.

Flowers and medicinal herbs collected on such a day are considered healing and can cure any ailment, and the collected dew has a special power that can heal and give strength.

People believed that rain on Whitsunday would bring the harvest, mushrooms, and warm weather. It was a bad omen that if it was hot that day, it meant that the whole summer would be dry.

People believed that after Trinity the weather would stabilize and warm, sunny days would come.

On the Day of the Holy Spirit, it is customary to give away all the change to the poor, thereby protecting yourself from adversity and illness.

The material was prepared based on open sources