On a new style on February 15, celebrate the Feast of the Meeting of the Lord, about the signs and rites of which will be told in this article. Today it is considered a Christian holiday, glorifying the meeting of the righteous Simeon, and in his person and the entire human race and Jesus Christ. But, as before the era of Christ, so today this day symbolizes the end of winter and the beginning of a warm pore, when no longer waited for frost, and were preparing to meet the first spring drops.
What does the Lord's Day mean and what are its signs?
According to the ancient tradition on this day there was a cold winter and a hot summer. With the first warm days garden work began, so most people will be associated with weather, agriculture and harvest. Here are some of the signs for the Lord's Savior:
- what kind of weather has set on the Slyonka, such will be the whole of spring;
- if February 15 is warm, then spring should wait early, but if the cold is wrapped, the winter-winter will not soon surrender its position;
- snow on Sretenie promises a long and rainy spring;
- a quiet and cloudy day gives hope for a good harvest of fruits and wheat;
- The sky, strewn with stars, on this day promises a late spring.
Customs and Traditions for the Savior of the Lord
The Christians believed that the wind blowing towards the Shenya carried away the whole unclean spirit from the trees, so the stronger its impulses, the more the people rejoiced. In many villages and villages continue to follow the custom and help the wind in its hard work - shaking the trees in the gardens. Waking up on the morning of February 15, the housewives went to the coop to feed the chickens properly. In the course of the conversation there was a saying: "Feed the oats in the Surren chicken - in the spring and summer you'll have an egg."
Customs and ceremonies of the Conception
But the most important ritual is associated with the manufacture of a luminous candle. The ancestors of the Slavs believed that February 15 is the only day of winter when thunder can strike and traditionally on this day huge bonfires burned near the roads as a sign of respect for the elements of fire and the wife of the god Perun Lightning. Later they began to make candles, calling them luminaries. To do this, they collected wax from neighbors, made one candle out of numerous pieces and kept it as the apple of the eye for images, lighting only on the occasion of some extraordinary event and unimportant, sad or joyful. The candles were not allowed to burn up to the end, but they left the cinder and built up a new one, storing before the "vow" holiday - Varvara, Nikola winter, etc.,
Today Sretensky candles continue to be sold in churches, which they use to clean their homes. It is enough to walk with her along the walls, reading the prayer of Christ, and the house became free from evil eye , spoiling and evil spirit.
The Signs and Plots of the Conception
It is believed that the water consecrated by the priest to the Steniya has an extraordinary strength, therefore, various conspiracies for recovering the patient, returning to the family of the husband, etc. are often read over to the family of the husband, etc. To current rites and signs on the Sylo include this: on a piece of paper write your main problem , which you want to solve, roll it into a tube and cut it into three equal parts. Make two protective circles, with a distance of 30-40 cm between them. For
Crossed the water circle, begin reading the 90th Psalm and burn all three parts of the leaf. While they are smoldering, you need to say "Hallelujah" 40 times. The next day, you should come to the temple and put 12 candles, and complete the ritual of a three-day fast.