Maria, Tyumen

What date should Easter be celebrated in 2017?

Hello! Tell me, please, what date is the Orthodox Easter holiday this year? Does it coincide with Catholic and Jewish, and is usually moved a week ahead in this case? Perhaps there are examples of such a coincidence both in our times and in pre-schism times. Or the teachings and interpretations of the holy fathers on this topic. Help me to understand.

Answer:

In 2017, the Orthodox celebrate April 16, and the Jewish holiday of Passover (Jewish Passover) falls on April 11–17 this year. Thus, many thoughtful Christians wonder: “ Why in 2017 Orthodox Christians celebrate Easter together with Jews?. This question comes from the 7th canon of saints, which literally reads like this:

If anyone, a bishop, or a presbyter, or a deacon, celebrates the holy day of Easter before the spring equinox with the Jews, let him be expelled from the sacred rank.

It turns out that allegedly this year all Orthodox Christians will violate the 7th Apostolic Canon? In the minds of some Christians, a whole “ ecumenical tangle”, when in 2017 Orthodox, Catholics and Jews celebrate Easter on the same day. How to be?

To resolve this issue, you should know that disputes about calculating the day of Easter in the Orthodox Church, in fact, ended with the approval of the Orthodox Paschal on First Ecumenical Council. Easter Tables make it possible to calculate the day of Easter calendar-wise, that is, without looking at the sky, but using calendar tables that cyclically repeat every 532 years. These tables have been compiled so that Easter satisfied two apostolic rules about Easter:

• Celebrate Easter after the first spring full moon (that is, after the first full moon that occurs after the vernal equinox);
• not to celebrate Passover with the Jews.

Since these two rules do not unambiguously define the day of Easter, two more auxiliary rules were added to them, which, together with the apostolic (main) rules, made it possible to determine Easter unambiguously and compile calendar tables of the Orthodox Easter. The auxiliary rules are not as important as the apostolic ones, and moreover, one of them began to be violated over time, since the calendar method of calculating the first spring full moon, embedded in Paschal, gave a small error - 1 day in 300 years. This was noticed and discussed in detail, for example, in the Collection of Patristic Rules Matthew Vlastar. However, since this error did not affect the observance of the apostolic rules, but only strengthened them, shifting the day of Easter celebration a little forward according to the dates of the calendar, the Orthodox Church decided not to change the Paschal, approved by the fathers of the Ecumenical Council. In the Catholic Church, Paschal was changed in 1582 in such a way that the auxiliary rule, which had lost force, began to be fulfilled again, but the apostolic rule about not celebrating with the Jews began to be violated. As a result, Orthodox and Catholic Easter diverged in time, although sometimes they can coincide.

If you look at the two apostolic rules given above, it is striking that one of them - about non-celebration with the Jews - is not stated entirely strictly and requires interpretation. The fact is that Jewish Passover celebration lasts 7 days. Orthodox Easter, in fact, is also celebrated for 7 days, throughout Bright Week. The question arises: what does “ not to celebrate with the Jews"? Should Easter Sunday not coincide with the first day of the Jewish Passover? Or should we take a more strict approach and not allow Easter Sunday to be imposed on any of the 7 days of the Jewish holiday?

In fact, carefully studying Paschal, one can suspect that before the First Ecumenical Council, Christians used both the first (weak) and second (strong) interpretation of the apostolic canon. However, the fathers of the First Ecumenical Council, when compiling Paschal, most definitely settled on the first interpretation: Bright Resurrection should not coincide only with the first, main day of the Jewish Passover, but it can coincide with the subsequent 6 days of the Jewish holiday. This was the opinion of the First Ecumenical Council, clearly expressed in Paschal, which the Orthodox Church still follows. Thus, in 2017, the Orthodox do not violate the 7th rule of the saints about celebrating Easter with the Jews, because Christian Easter does not coincide with the first day of Jewish Passover, and on other days such “ overlays“are not prohibited, especially since similar cases have occurred before.

Every year, Bright Sunday of Christ is celebrated out of date. This means that this holiday is more closely tied to the day of the week (Sunday) closest to the calculated date. Orthodox Easter is usually celebrated a week after the celebration of Catholic Easter.

Orthodox Easter will be celebrated —

• in 2016 May 1,
• in 2017 April 16,
• in 2018 April 8,
• in 2019 April 28.

Catholic Easter will be celebrated —

• in 2016 March 27,
• in 2017 April 16,
• in 2018 April 1,
• in 2019 on April 21.

• The holiday is, of course, very bright, and it is especially important from an early age, because children absorb all the kindness and all the pleasant events that happen, and when they grow up they will do even more good deeds.

  The date of Easter in 2016 falls on May 1, and before that, from March 14 to April 30, Lent will take place.

  Since Easter, both Catholic and Orthodox, does not have a constant calendar date, the dates of the Easter holiday change every year.

  Easter is a moving Orthodox holiday and is celebrated every year on different days.

  Here you can watch all the moving Orthodox holidays until 2099.

  To determine the date of celebration of Easter and other transitional Orthodox holidays The so-called Easter is in effect, i.e. calculation system. Taking into account the fact that Easter is celebrated on the first Sunday after the spring full moon, Easter, according to these calculations, falls between April 4 and May 8 according to the new style (old style from March 22 to April 25). Specifically by year and according to the new style, we get the following dates for the next 5 years:

  I am not a theologian and I somehow don’t understand why it is impossible to establish a specific date for the Resurrection of Christ. After all, there is an exact date. Although it’s even interesting. For me personally, Easter is my favorite church holiday from childhood to this day. I remember how in the 50s, where our family lived, it was impossible to celebrate Easter. Therefore, my mother secretly colored the eggs, and before throwing the colored shells away, they wrapped them in newspaper so that no one would see.

  According to the lunar-solar calendar, Bright Resurrection is celebrated annually on moving dates and the main celebration falls in April. 2016 is an exception, Orthodox Easter Sunday will be a late holiday - May 1st. In 2017, the Catholic and Orthodox Church will celebrate Easter on the 16th. In the next two years, the Catholic Church will celebrate Easter a week earlier than the Orthodox Church - 2018 - April 1 and 2019 - April 21.

  Orthodox Easter occurs on different dates every year.

  Orthodox Easter is preceded by 7 weeks of Great Lent.

  

  

  

  

  Orthodox Easter falls by year:

  And Catholic Easter always falls a week earlier than Orthodox Easter.

  Every year Orthodox Christians celebrate Easter on different dates, which are calculated according to church rules:

The main holiday of Orthodox Christians - the Holy Resurrection of Christ, Easter - is celebrated on the first Sunday after the first spring full moon - between April 4 (March 22, old style) and May 8 (April 25, old style).

On Easter Day, we remember the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead on the third day after His crucifixion on the cross.

Easter is the crown of Lent

Easter is celebrated immediately after Lent, the last week (week) of which is the strictest, Passion.

Easter is celebrated for seven days, all week. Every day of the week is called Light. During Bright Week, daily services are held with the Royal Doors of the iconostasis open (which are closed during the usual liturgy) as a sign that Jesus Christ has forever opened the gates of the Heavenly Kingdom to people.

The entire period before the Feast of the Ascension, which is celebrated on the 40th day after Easter, is considered Easter, and Orthodox Christians greet each other with the greeting “Christ is Risen!” and the answer “Truly he is risen!”

Painted eggs, Easter cake and cottage cheese

It has long been accepted that the first meal after Lent should be blessed colored eggs, Easter cake and Curd Easter.

An explanation of the custom of painting eggs red for Easter can be found in early Christian literature, but is not included in the biblical canon. These sources tell about the conversion of the Roman Emperor Tiberius to Christianity. Wanting to stop the preaching of St. Mary Magdalene, Tiberius declared that he would rather believe in the transformation of a white egg into red than in the possibility of reviving the dead. The egg turned red, and this became the final argument in the controversy, which ended with the baptism of the Roman king.

The custom of exchanging colored eggs became firmly established in the life of the church. The red color of the egg symbolizes all-conquering Divine Love.

© Sputnik / Konstantin Chalabov

Easter cake is shaped like artos. Easter artos is a symbol of Jesus Christ himself. The Easter cake, transferred to the festive table, contains baking, sweetness, raisins and nuts. Properly prepared Easter cake is fragrant and beautiful, it does not go stale for weeks and can stand without spoiling for all 40 days of Easter. Kulich on festive table symbolizes God's presence in the world and in human life. The sweetness, richness, and beauty of Easter cake express the Lord’s care for every human being, his compassion and mercy for people.

Curd sweet easter is a prototype of the Kingdom of Heaven. Her “milk and honey” is an image of endless joy, the bliss of saints, the sweetness of heavenly life, blissful Eternity. The shape of Easter in the form of a mountain symbolizes the foundation of the new heavenly Jerusalem - a city in which there is no temple, but, in the words of the Apocalypse, “The Lord God Almighty Himself is its temple and the Lamb.”

Divine service and procession

Since apostolic times, the church has celebrated Easter services at night. Like the ancient chosen people, who were awake on the night of their deliverance from Egyptian slavery, Christians are awake on the sacred and pre-holiday night Happy Resurrection Christ's. Shortly before midnight on Holy Saturday, the Midnight Office is served, during which the priest and deacon approach the Shroud (a canvas depicting the position of the body of Jesus Christ in the tomb) and take it to the altar. The shroud is placed on the throne, where it must remain for 40 days until the day of the Ascension of the Lord.

© Sputnik / Igor Russak

The clergy put on festive vestments. Before midnight, the solemn ringing of bells - the bell - announces the approach of the Resurrection of Christ.

The procession of the cross means the procession of the church towards the risen Savior. Having walked around the temple, the procession stops in front of its closed doors, as if at the entrance to the Holy Sepulcher. Then the priest, holding a cross and a three-branched candlestick in his hands, makes the sign of the cross with them. closed doors temple, they open, and everyone, rejoicing, enters the church, where all the lamps and lamps are burning, and sing: “Christ is risen from the dead!”

The subsequent service of Easter Matins consists of the singing of the canon composed by St. John of Damascus. Between the songs of the Easter Canon, priests with a cross and censer walk around the entire church and greet parishioners with the words: “Christ is Risen!”, to which the believers answer: “Truly He is Risen!”

At the end of Matins, after the end of the Easter canon, the priest reads the “Word of St. John Chrysostom,” which describes the celebration and meaning of Easter. After the service, all those praying in the church greet each other with Christ, congratulating each other on the great holiday.

Sputnik

Immediately after Matins, the Easter Liturgy (divine service) is served, where the beginning of the Gospel of John is read. On Easter, all those who pray, if possible, partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ. Before the end of the liturgy, Easter bread - artos - is blessed.

After the end of the festive service, Orthodox Christians usually break their fast with blessed colored eggs and Easter cakes at the temple or at home.

History of Easter celebration

The word "Easter" originates from the name of the Old Testament holiday of Passover, which was named from the Hebrew word "passover" ("passes by") - in memory of the ancient event of the exodus of the Jews from Egypt and from Egyptian slavery, when the angel who struck the Egyptian firstborn At the sight of the blood of the Passover lamb on the doors of Jewish homes, he passed by, leaving them untouched. Another ancient interpretation of the holiday connects it with the consonant Greek word"suffering."

In the Christian Church the name "Easter" was special meaning and came to signify the transition from death to eternal life with the Savior - from earth to heaven.

This ancient holiday of the Christian Church was established and celebrated in apostolic times. The ancient church, under the name of Easter, combined two memories - the suffering and the Resurrection of Jesus Christ - and dedicated the days preceding and following the Resurrection to its celebration. To designate both parts of the holiday, special names were used - Easter of suffering, or Easter of the Cross, and Easter of the Resurrection.

© Sputnik / Vitaly Belousov

The resurrection of Jesus Christ testifies that he was “risen like God.” It revealed the glory of His Divinity, previously hidden under the cover of humiliation, shameful for that time, death on the cross like the criminals and robbers who were executed along with him.

Having risen from the dead, the Savior sanctified, blessed and approved the general resurrection of all people who, according to Christian teaching, will also rise from the dead on the general day of resurrection, just as an ear grows from a seed.

In the first centuries of Christianity, Easter was celebrated in different churches at different times. In the East, in the churches of Asia Minor it was celebrated on the 14th day of Nisan (March - April), no matter what day of the week this date fell on. The Western Church celebrated Easter on the first Sunday after the spring full moon. An attempt to establish agreement between the churches on this issue was made under Saint Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna, in the middle of the 2nd century. The First Ecumenical Council of 325 determined that Easter should be celebrated everywhere at the same time. This continued until the 16th century, when the unity of Western and Eastern Christians in the celebration of Holy Easter and other holidays was disrupted by the calendar reform of Pope Gregory XIII.

TO happy holiday Almost everything is traditionally prepared for Easter. Every housewife strives to restore perfect order in the house, put fragrant Easter cakes and colored eggs on the table, and delight her family and guests with bright and festive dishes. You need to prepare thoroughly for this important day of the year: not only think through the holiday menu, but also celebrate the Resurrection of Christ with great trepidation, a pure soul and an open heart.

Easter is Svetlov's holiday Christ's Resurrection, the victory of life over death. In order for this day to be saving for the soul, you need to prepare for it with special prayer, fasting and worship. During fasting, a Christian should confess and receive communion. You need to realize your sinfulness, strengthen yourself in good deeds mercy and compassion, true faith in the Risen Lord and in all loved ones.

Preparations for the holiday - baking Easter cakes and dyeing eggs - take place during Holy Week, the last week before Easter. It is advisable to bake Easter cakes until Thursday or on Thursday; it is not advisable to bake them on Friday: this is a special, passionate day. The consecration of Easter cakes and colored eggs takes place the day before on Saturday or on the day of Holy Easter.

On Easter days, you need to greet each other with the words “Christ is Risen! Truly He is Risen!”

Easter magic.

“As children, we always looked forward to the magical holiday of Easter. They put on new outfits and ran out into the streets, taking paints with them. At home, on a white tablecloth, there was a huge dish, in its center was grandmother’s Easter cottage cheese, and around it were painted eggs. How delicious this Easter was, even though it was prepared from the simplest ingredients!”

Rub through a sieve 1 kg cottage cheese. Add 5 eggs, 200 g butter, 400 g sour cream, put on fire. Heat, stirring, until the first bubbles appear. Remove from heat, refrigerate and stir with a wooden spoon until cool. Add 400 g sugar, mixed with vanilla, And cinnamon, mix. Place in a mold lined with a linen napkin. Place under pressure. When the whey has drained, place the Easter egg on a plate. Garnish with grated chocolate or multi-colored marmalade. It is also fashionable to add dried apricots And raisin taste.

What Easter dishes are prepared in Europe?

IN Great Britain The main Easter dish is baked stuffed lamb. And eggs for the holiday are taken not only from chicken, but also from goose and ostrich.

IN Italy It is customary to cook lamb for Easter. A mandatory attribute of the holiday is the colomba. This is something like our Easter, but with lemon flavor and almond glaze.

IN Poland On the table they put the famous white pork sausage, “bab” made from sweet yeast dough and “mazuriki” - shortbread pies decorated with sugar eggs, cream flowers and chocolate.

IN Germany The main Easter dish is baked fish, and chocolate cookies are served for dessert. There should be a bouquet of daffodils on the table for Easter - the Germans consider them a symbol of the holiday.

What date does Easter fall on in 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020?

How to calculate the day of Easter?

Easter (Orthodox Easter) is determined according to the rule that was established at the First Ecumenical Council (325), in the city of Nicaea. According to this rule, Easter occurs on the first Sunday after the spring full moon and after the Jewish Passover. The resolutions (canons) of the Ecumenical Councils cannot be changed.

The Roman Church separated from the Orthodox Church in 1054. Since then they have made many changes. One of them was the introduction of the so-called “new calendar”. Protestants also followed the Roman Church. Because of this, it happens to them that the Jewish Passover occurs after their Passover, which is a violation of the resolution of the First Ecumenical Council.

Christian Easter is celebrated in the spring, but the day of celebration is not a specific date, it is determined according to the lunisolar calendar. This day falls between April 7 (March 22) and May 8 (April 25).

To calculate the day of Easter, you can use Paschals - special tables compiled by the Orthodox Church. The dates of Easter depend on the dates of other holidays, the dates of which change every year. These are moving holidays: the Ascension of Christ - the fortieth day after Easter, Trinity (Pentecost) - the fiftieth day after Easter, the Day of the Holy Spirit - the next day after Trinity.

Orthodox Easter is calculated according to the Alexandrian Paschal.
Full Moon(Y) = March 21 + [(19 + 15)/30].
where is the remainder when dividing a by b.
If the value is Full Moon(Y)< 32, то дата полнолуния будет в марте;
If the value of Full Moon (Y)>= 32, then subtract 31 days, and you will get a date in April.

Gauss formula for calculating Easter: -division remainder;
a = + 15) /30] (for example, = 12, a= [(19 12 + 15)/30]= 3, Full Moon (2007)= March 21+3=March 24)
b = [(2 + 4 + 6 a + 6) / 7] (for example, = 3,=5, so for 2007 b=1)
If (a + b) > 10, then Easter will be (a + b − 9) April Art. style, otherwise - (22 + a + b) March art. style. We get 22 + 3 + 1 = March 26 (old style) or March 26 + 13 = April 8 (old style)
The date of Easter can fall in the period from March 22 to April 25 according to Art. style. (In the 20th-21st centuries, this corresponds to the period from April 4 to May 8, New Style). If Easter coincides with the Feast of the Annunciation (April 7), then it is called Kyriopascha (Lord's Easter).

Orthodox Christians include the descent of the Holy Fire in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, which occurs on Holy Saturday before Orthodox Easter, as a miraculous evidence of Easter.
You can calculate the timing of Easter yourself. The German mathematician Gauss in the 18th century proposed a formula for determining the day of Easter according to the Gregorian calendar. The calculation is made according to the value of mathematical quantities, designated (for simplicity) by the letters a, b, c, d, d. Each letter is equal to the following value:
a - the remainder of dividing the number of the year by 19;
b - the remainder of dividing the number of the year by 4;
c - the remainder of dividing the number of the year by 7;
d - the remainder of division by 30 of the expression 19a + 15;
d - the remainder of division by 7 of the expression 2b + 4c + 6d + b.

The found values ​​of “g” and “d” are used for final decision tasks.
Easter is celebrated after the vernal equinox and therefore falls in March or April.

If the expression g + d is less than the number 9, this year's Easter will be in March according to the old style, and its day will be 22 + g + + d.
If g + d is greater than 9, Easter will be in April (according to the old style), and the date of its celebration is equal to g + d - 9.
When making calculations, we should not forget that in 1918 our country switched to a new calendar style, which “overtook” the old style by 13 days. Therefore, 13 must be added to the calculated number.

Lenten menu for Lent by day.

What you can eat in the first week of Lent:
Day 1 – abstaining from food

What can you eat during the second week of Lent:

Day 2 – boiled food without oil
Day 3 – raw food without oil
Day 4 – boiled food without oil
Day 5 – raw food without oil
Day 6 – boiled food with butter and wine
7th day - boiled food with butter and wine

What can you eat in the third week of Lent:
Day 1 – raw food without oil
Day 2 – boiled food without oil
Day 3 – raw food without oil
Day 4 – boiled food without oil
Day 5 – raw food without oil
Day 6 – boiled food with butter and wine
7th day (Annunciation Holy Mother of God) - boiled food with butter and wine.

What can you eat during the fourth week of Lent:
Day 2 – boiled food without oil
Day 3 – raw food without oil
Day 4 – boiled food without oil
Day 5 – raw food without oil
Day 6 – boiled food with butter and wine
7th day - boiled food with butter and wine

What can you eat in the fifth week of Lent:
Day 1 – raw food without oil
Day 2 – boiled food without oil
Day 3 – raw food without oil
Day 4 – boiled food with butter
Day 5 – raw food without oil
Day 6 – boiled food with butter and wine
7th day - boiled food with butter and wine

What can you eat during the sixth week of Lent:
Day 1 – raw food without oil
Day 2 – boiled food without oil
Day 3 – raw food without oil
Day 4 – boiled food without oil
Day 5 – raw food without oil
6th day (Lazarus Saturday) – boiled food with butter, wine, caviar
7th day ( Palm Sunday) - fish allowed

What can you eat in the seventh week of Lent:
Day 1 – raw food without oil
Day 2 – raw food without oil
Day 3 – raw food without oil
Day 4 – boiled food with butter, wine
Day 5 – don’t eat anything
Day 6 – boiled food without oil

Easter. It is allowed to eat fast food.

Easter eggs, fragrant Easter cakes, church services - all this awaits us on Easter 2017. Read more about the numbers, signs, rituals and history of this holiday further in the article.

On Easter, the entire baptized world celebrates the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, which is why the traditional Easter greeting “Christ is Risen!” The history of the holiday, according to historians, goes back to Ancient Egypt.

The name of the holiday comes from the Hebrew verb “passover”, which means “pass over”. This refers to the exodus of the Jews from Egypt under the leadership of Moses. To protect your children from the tenth plague, in last night In all the houses where there were children, the crossbars of the doors were smeared with the blood of lambs. The lamb itself had to be eaten without breaking any bones. This sacrifice became a symbol of the Jewish Passover.

According to the Bible, the Last Supper was held on Easter. Instead of the lamb described in Exodus, Jesus sacrificed himself as a “Passover new Lamb, slain for the purification of the people once and for all.” Three days after the crucifixion, Jesus resurrected and this event is celebrated every year.

Christian Easter in 2017

Christian Easter 2017 is celebrated on Sunday April 16. The church doors will be open all night before the holiday to attend services, light eggs and Easter cakes. Easter cottage cheese is also a traditional Easter treat. According to the ritual, those who kept a strict fast until Easter must first taste the blessed egg, then the Easter cake, and then proceed to the rest of the dishes.

A favorite tradition for children and adults is the battle of eggs. The one whose egg survived wins, but the loser can safely enjoy the treat. Traditionally, eggs need to be painted on Maundy Thursday.

Today they use for decoration:

• various thermal stickers
• hand painted
• colorful crayons
• decorative elements

Catholic Easter in 2017

In 2017, Catholic Easter falls on April 16. This is a rare case when both Catholic and Orthodox Easter are celebrated on the same day. Traditional symbols are Easter eggs and the Easter bunny, which is not in the traditions of the Orthodox Church. It is believed that the Easter Bunny visits homes secretly and places treats in baskets.

Church services begin on Thursday and are held until the Great Resurrection. The evening of Holy Saturday is illuminated by the Liturgy of Light, the priest lights the Easter candle from a fire lit near the church. Then the priest brings the candle into the dark temple and the rest of the candles are lit from it.

Another tradition is called the Liturgy of Baptism, adults undergo the rite of baptism the night before the holiday.

Jewish Passover 2017

The Jewish Passover is celebrated for 7 days, it begins this year April 11 and will last until 18. Its second name is Passover.

Passover is celebrated in memory of the exodus of the Jews from Egypt, and on this day it is necessary to tell children about these events. The first and last days of Passover are officially considered public holidays in Israel. You need to prepare for the celebration in advance, clean your apartment or house and get rid of any fermentation products. Some families even set the table with special dishes for this holiday.

Holy week before Easter

The name “passion” symbolizes the suffering of Jesus Christ, and the entire week is devoted to preparation for the great holiday.

• All preparations begin at Monday, you can already start cleaning the house in order to get it done before Thursday. Fasting during Holy Week is the strictest; you cannot eat eggs, meat, dairy products and fish.
• Tuesday can be dedicated to reconciliation with relatives and friends, as well as preparing and sewing seven new clothes for Easter.
• IN Wednesday They are engaged in making Easter symbols from branches and straw - this decoration is hung in the middle of the room.
• IN Thursday It is necessary to complete all the preparations at home for the holiday, prepare Thursday salt and paint the eggs.
• Friday dedicated to prayer, any housework is prohibited.
• IN Saturday it is necessary to prepare for the all-night service, put Easter cakes and eggs in baskets.
• IN Sunday We celebrate the holiday of Easter with joy and joy. You definitely need to meet with your parents and relatives, christen yourself and beat eggs.

What do you do on Maundy Thursday before Easter?

On Maundy Thursday the main preparations for Easter begin. You definitely need to clean your house or apartment and wash yourself. On Thursday they also do a lot of laundry, change bed linen, curtains, tablecloths, and prepare the house for a bright and clean holiday. When washing windows, coins are placed in a basin of water so that there is always money in the house. It is important to note that cleaning the rest of the days before Easter is considered a bad omen.

One of the signs says that money counted three times on Maundy Thursday will bring prosperity to the family. Housewives can start preparing Easter cakes, Easter cakes and painting eggs. Believers visit Temples for prayer and Communion.

Rituals on Maundy Thursday before Easter

According to the behests of our ancestors, observance of all rituals and customs foreshadowed a comfortable year, peace and harmony would reign in the family, and unmarried girls would meet their betrothed.

The most common rituals:

1. Rite of Ablution, it is important to get up before dawn and wash before the first rays.
2. The ritual of washing the silver, then the evil spirits will not come close.
3. Love spell for a loved one, if there is not enough man in your life, then while tidying up, make a place for him, for his future toothbrush, razor, clothes.
4. In Rus', a ritual of “sowing money” was often carried out; coins were placed in a sieve and on the street, while no one was looking, it was necessary to scatter them.
5. The ritual of preparing Thursday salt, which cures diseases and brings happiness and good luck into the house.

Folk signs for Easter 2017

Based on how Easter goes, they used to be able to predict the future, for example:

• Great luck awaits the one who comes home from church first
• A married couple should celebrate Christ in private so as not to bring quarrels into the house
• Hearing the sound of a woodpecker means finding your own home
• Wash with red water colored egg- preserve beauty and youth for a long time
• Thunderstorm at Easter for late and dry autumn
• Frost on Easter for a fruitful summer
• Seeing a man first in the window on Good Friday means three months of happiness and luck

When are Maslenitsa and Easter in 2017?

Maslenitsa is celebrated in the last week before Lent; in 2017 it falls from February 20 to 26. Maslenitsa is celebrated 7 weeks before Easter, and the countdown starts at reverse side from church holiday Resurrection of Christ. Maslenitsa, unlike Easter, has pagan roots and glorifies the Sun God - Yarila, and the pancakes, which are always baked all week, symbolize the solar disk.

Why is Easter celebrated on different days every year?

Easter is celebrated on the first full moon of spring and, depending on the solar-lunar calendar, this date falls between April 4 and May 8. The holiday will mark the end of the 48-day Lent.

When is parent's day after Easter?

Radonitsa, or parent's day, is celebrated on the second Tuesday after Easter or on the ninth day after it. In 2017, Radonitsa falls on April 25. On the day of special remembrance of the dead, it is customary to visit the graves of departed relatives, bring them colored eggs and Easter cakes, sharing a meal with them and celebrating Easter.

What do you do on Good Friday before Easter?

According to the Bible, on the Friday after Passover, Jesus Christ was crucified on Calvary. Believers must attend church on this day. The churches hold morning and evening services, and the doors are open to everyone.

On Good Friday you cannot:

• clean the house
• prepare
• wash
• have fun
• work with the earth
• listen to loud music
• overeat

The whole day should be devoted to spiritual improvement and prayer.

Compliance with all signs and rituals, exact fulfillment of the instructions of the church is always at your discretion. May this holiday be bright and bring peace, harmony and prosperity to your family! Christ is risen!

Video: What to do for Easter, signs