Epiphany Christmas Eve. Holy water. Conspiracies. Does it happen that holy water "does not help"? What is prosphora and what does it symbolize

On January 7, Orthodox Christians celebrate the feast of the Nativity of Christ. This is one of the most important Christian holidays, in terms of its importance it is the second after the bright holiday of Easter.

Its name speaks for itself - the Nativity of Christ - means the birthday of Jesus Christ the Son of God, who came into our world to save people's souls.

According to Christian beliefs, Jesus was sent by God to earth to atone for sins and save mankind. The day of his birth divided history into “before” and “after”: from that moment the modern chronology began - “our era”.

Gospel story of the birth of Jesus Christ ^

In the small town of Bethlehem, not far from Jerusalem, the Virgin Mary was born into the family of pious parents. From the age of three she was brought up in the temple. When she left the temple at the age of 14, she made a promise to never marry and serve only God. The priests entrusted her to the 80-year-old old man, the widower Joseph of Nazareth, who had adult children, and Mary became the father's place.

Soon, the archangel Gabriel appeared in the house of Joseph, where Mary lived, and said to her: “You will give birth to a son and name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him a throne ... "

In the country of Judea then ruled King Herod, subject to Rome. By decree of the Roman emperor Augustus, a census began in Judea, and everyone had to take a census where their ancestors lived. Joseph and Mary left Nazareth for their parents' homeland, Bethlehem.

Due to the large concentration of people who arrived in the town, they were forced to take refuge outside the city, in a cave where shepherds kept their cattle in inclement weather. At night, the Virgin Mary gave birth to a baby - the Son of God. Maria swaddled him and put him in a manger where they put fodder for livestock.

The Bethlehem shepherds were the first to know about the birth of the Savior of the world. In the field where they pastured their flocks, an angel appeared in a bright light. He said to the frightened shepherds, “Don't be afraid! I proclaim to you great joy: today the Savior, who is Christ, has been born. You will find a baby in swaddling clothes lying in a manger.”

The shepherds found the cave and bowed to the baby lying in the manger, and then, joyful, returned to their flocks. On the eighth day after the birth of the baby, Joseph and Mary gave him the name Jesus, which means "God saves" or "Savior"

How to celebrate Christmas ^

Everyone is looking forward to the day of the eve of the Nativity of Christ, called Christmas Eve, which ends with the holy night (December 24/January 6) all year long. By tradition, it is on Christmas Eve after the first star in the sky (in memory of the wonderful Star of Bethlehem, which announced the birth of the “divine child” to the whole world) that the strict Christmas fast ends, which begins on November 28 and ends on January 7.

Since the last day before the fast falls on the day of memory of the holy Apostle Philip, the fast itself is usually called Filippovka (Pilipovka). The Advent fast was established so that by Christmas people would be physically and spiritually cleansed by repentance, prayers and abstinence from food, passions, vices, insults, evil and other sins.

In general, the holidays of the Christmas cycle begin on January 2, on the day of Ignat. The girls carefully tidy up the house. By January 4, the day of Anastasia, the house should be festively cleaned. It is on this day that everything is prepared for the preparation of the future festive dinner. Often a pig was pricked on Anastasia, that is, they carried out a “fresh”. And, in the end, - the culmination of the holiday - Christmas Eve or, in other words, Rich Kutia (January 6).

On the eve of the Nativity of Christ on January 6, it is customary to sit down at a generous but fasting table. One of the main traditions of celebrating Christmas is Holy Evening. After putting things in order in the house, twelve festive dishes are prepared in honor of the twelve apostles.

Our ancestors cooked borscht, fish, cabbage, dumplings and pies with apples (cabbage), as well as other Lenten dishes on Christmas Eve. According to tradition, only when January 7 comes, meat can be put on the table. So homemade sausage, boiled pork, ham, stuffed goose, duck or piglet, jelly, gingerbread, etc. were served on the table.

• It is not customary to have breakfast and lunch on January 6, only children are allowed a light snack.
• It is necessary to sit down at the Christmas table with the appearance of the first star. The Holy Evening begins with a prayer and the lighting of a Christmas candle. In the company of the whole family, including babies, the owner of the house blesses the dinner.
• According to tradition, each member of the family should be at home this evening, and you should not be late for the festive table, since it is believed that you will wander all year round.
• During dinner, you can not leave the table and talk loudly.
• The festive table should amaze with its diversity, but we must not forget that fasting is still ongoing, so lovers of a glass will have to wait a bit.
• None of the dishes should be left untouched.
• You can not clear the table until Christmas on January 7th.

• The main dish on the table of this evening is, of course, kutya. Throughout all the holidays, up to Epiphany, kutya should stand in the most honorable place in the house.
• After the dinner was over, the children carried the dinner to their godparents, the adults prepared for the evening church service.
• Only the girls, who always want to know about their fate, had no peace. The evening gradually ends and a magical Christmas night begins, during which you can’t sleep, as you can “sleep through” all the happiness.
• On the morning of January 7, people joyfully greet with the phrase “Christ is born!”, And in response they hear - “We glorify him!”.

What not to do at Christmas

• Under fear of all sorts of troubles, on Christmas it was impossible to bend, weave or sew anything.
• The legs of the dining table were tied to each other with a rope so that the cattle would not run away from the herd.
• The remains of the evening meal were taken out of the fence - "so that the wolves do not harm the peasant cattle."
• A folk proverb says: Whoever slaughters cattle on Christmas Day will die in three years.
• You cannot lend on Christmas Eve anything that is connected with fire, for example, flint, matches, a lighter, a bucket of coal or firewood, etc., otherwise misfortune will befall you.
• Never sew, wash your hair, wash or lend on the three-day holy holidays (Christmas, Easter and Trinity), otherwise you will make yourself tears and poverty.
• On Christmas Eve, bread, salt and money are not borrowed from home, otherwise all good things will go past your hands.

• Do not cut hair and do not spin wool.
• Do not wash or boil clothes.
• Believers must finish all the dirty work by this day on Maundy Thursday, and whoever “pulls” dirt on Christmas Eve will sit in it all year for this.
• You can’t sit at the Christmas table in mourning, that is, in black clothes - you’ll call trouble.
• If on this bright day a dog howls in your yard, then be in trouble. To get rid of it, you need to immediately go up to the dog, untie it and say: “As the rope does not hold you, so the trouble would not hold on to my house!”.
• Do not buy ropes on January 8, on the second day of Christmas, so that there will never be hanged or strangled people in your family.
• Do not cook or eat jelly on this day, so as not to invite the deceased to the house.
• On the ninth of January, on the third day of Christmas, do not chop wood until sunset.

What to do for Christmas

According to popular beliefs, in order for your loved ones to be happy and healthy for a whole year, on the feast of the Nativity of Christ on January 7, ask the oldest family member to treat all relatives with milk. Bringing milk to someone, he should say every time: “The Lord was born, the people were baptized. Be cheerful and healthy. Amen".

On the eve of Christmas, in the old days, food was taken out and left for needy people or treats were distributed - it was believed that in this way all deceased ancestors who did not have time to eat before their death satisfied their hunger.

• After the festive feast, the food was not removed from the table, so that the souls of dead relatives would eat the festive food, and for this they would pray for you.
• In that family where there is no peace and harmony, on Christmas night they put a bucket in the frost, and in the morning they put it on fire and say: “The ice will melt, the water will boil, and [so-and-so] soul will ache for me.” This water is given to the husband to wash or in the form of tea / soup, and also wash the husband's linen in it. Holy Christmas water always helps a woman's trouble.
• Ask God for Christmas what you really need. Ask seventy-seven times and you will be given. Whoever asks God for something on Christmas at three o'clock in the morning, it will be given to him.
• If on Christmas night you look out for a flying star in the sky and make a wish, then it will surely come true.
• On January 7, in the cold, jump out into the street lightly and, as soon as goosebumps appear on your body, say: “There are a lot of pimples on my skin, so that I also have so much money.”

Christmas traditions and signs ^

These days were considered special, since the still fragile, unbaptized world was inhabited by spirits ready to tell people about the future, about their fate. Therefore, since ancient times, Christmas time was accompanied by fortune-telling, following signs and magical rites.

caroling

From December 25, guys with a star made of paper and a nativity scene walked for a whole week. A arshin-sized star was made of paper, painted and lit from the inside with a candle. Nativity scene - a two-tiered box in which wooden figures depicted scenes related to the birth of Christ.

Arriving under the windows of the house, they first sang the troparion and kontakion for the holiday, and then the grapes; meanwhile, the star revolved incessantly in a circle - Having sung grapes, the owner and hostess were congratulated on the holiday, and finally, they exclaimed to the glory of God, thereby asking for food. Then the owner allowed one of the worshipers to enter his house and gave him money.

mummers

Mummers went from house to house. Fortune-telling and other amusements were arranged. Everyone dressed up - young and old, men and women. They dressed up as a soldier, a peasant, a gypsy, a mistress, a coachman, etc.

• Married and young women went disguised to other villages, indulging themselves in what in ordinary times was considered reprehensible and even very indecent.
• In order not to be recognized, the face was either painted with soot, or mustaches and beards were glued from tow, or homemade masks were put on.
• Necessarily among the mummers were a bear with a guide.
• In the evenings, with an accordion and a balalaika, the mummers went to visit friends and relatives, sang, danced, called the hosts.

carols

"Carols" were also called cookies, which were baked in the form of figures of animals and birds - "cows", "roes", etc.

• The largest "carol" was taken to the barn and left there until Epiphany.
• On Epiphany, they crumbled her into holy water and fed the cattle so that they would not get sick, be fruitful, know the house.
• The Komi-Permyaks kept bread "kozulkas" until Baptism in a shrine, and then they also fed them to animals, which this or that "kozulka" depicted.
• The rest of the "carols" were awarded to mummers and carolers who came to the house for their songs.

Signs

There are a lot of Christmas signs:

• If the weather is good at Christmas, snow is for the harvest year; the day is warm - the bread will be dark, thick.
• If Christmas is in the new month, then the year will be lean.
• At Christmas, a snowstorm - the bees will swarm well.
• What is the weather after Christmas, the same will be after St. Peter's Day (July 12).
• At Christmas, it was believed that it was not good if a woman (from strangers) entered the house first - the women in that hut would be ill all year.
• At Christmas, they usually put on a nice, clean shirt, but not a new one, otherwise don't wait for the harvest.
• It was considered great luck for the whole year if a sheep brought a lamb on Christmas night. Sheep were generally revered in Christianity in memory of the birth of the baby Jesus, who was born in the shepherds' cave and was placed in a sheep's manger.

When is Christmas celebrated

The celebration of the Nativity of Christ among the Orthodox occurs after the Catholics due to differences in the calendars: the old Julian and the new Gregorian. It is generally accepted that the Gregorian calendar more accurately reflects the movement of the Earth around the Sun, therefore it is more consistent with the change of seasons and seasonal changes in temperature.

• Calendar reforms, however, like the calendars themselves, were initially perceived by people in a religious context. The discussion of the "new style" took place in 1563 in the Reformed Western Church at the Council of Trent.
• The use of the new calendar was prescribed by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582, and it is with this man that the name of the calendar itself, the Gregorian, is associated. Pope Gregory XIII made an offer to support his innovation to all Christian sovereigns.
• When the offset of dates was corrected in 1582, 10 days were immediately added, due to which, after October 4, the 15th immediately followed.

The society did not immediately accept the new calendar, as at first they perceived it as an incomprehensible papal idea. It was not until the 18th century that the Gregorian calendar was adopted by Protestant countries. The Orthodox, on the other hand, adopted the new calendar at the turn of the 19th-20th centuries, and for many, such a transition to the “Catholic” chronology seemed almost an apostasy.

Today, the Gregorian calendar is perceived by us as a conventional conventional calendar. In our country, the Soviet government introduced a new style, but the Russian Orthodox Church, remaining in the old calendar, deliberately did not want to obey the laws of the non-Christian state in those days.

Therefore, it so happened historically that we celebrate public holidays, such as February 23, March 8 or May 1, according to the new calendar, and we observe religious holidays, as well as fasting, according to the old chronology.

magic time

RITUALS, RITUALS AND SPELLS FOR CHRISTMAS!

Rituals, rituals and conspiracies for Christmas!

So that money flows all year

This plot is read on the evening of the first day of Christmas, when the first Christmas star appears in the sky. The light in the house should be turned off, and a candle should be lit in each window.

Write a plot on paper, go to the window that faces east, look at the evening sky and the stars and read this plot:

“Glory to God, glory to Christ! Angels, praise, you yourself know: Christ was born, Herod was indignant, Judas strangled himself, the world rejoiced. The glory of the Lord stands forever, does not break, and silver money is added to me. Lord, I praise Your Christmas! hour, at the same time my Lord Jesus Christ was born for me, endured crucifixion and suffered death.O Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, at the hour of my death, receive Thy servant, in the wandering of being, by the prayers of Your Most Pure Mother and all Your saints, as if blessed Thou art forever and ever. Amen."

After that, burn the paper with the written plot and put 3 five-ruble coins in the ashes. In the morning, you need to take them out of the ashes and rub the remaining ashes into the coins thoroughly. Put them in your wallet and wear them throughout the year.

Christmas conspiracy for wealth

"In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit!

As a son of God, he is merciful and patient with everyone.

How He forgives everyone on earth,

He loves everyone, pities, blesses,

So fate would have been merciful and supportive to me.

Key, lock, tongue. Amen."

Christmas conspiracy for monetary wealth

Read for Christmas:

"I will go with the cross, being baptized and praying.

Bowing to Jesus Christ, Our Heavenly Father,

Clean water, mother earth.

And all four corners of the world.

I look at the high sky

No one counts the stars in the sky

Don't sell them, don't buy them.

Lord, let it be so with me

Don't waste them and don't give them away.

Amen!"

Ritual to Achieve a Goal (for Christmas)

The ritual, simple to perform, but very effective in its occult power, will help you in the new year. achieve the desired, cherished goal, to fulfill everything that you have been dreaming about for so long and what you wholeheartedly expect.

At the bottom of a deep plate (it should be without any drawings), reproduce the symbol below with a green marker.

At 24 o'clock (on the night of January 6-7), pour some holy water into a plate and immediately take it out into the street (into the yard or onto an open balcony), let it stand until the morning.

Immediately after sunrise, bring it into the house (apartment). Light a small (thin) church candle and drive it over the plate (clockwise), while reading the plot twelve times:

"The Savior was born, the world was transformed,

Salvation has been found, the solution has come.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, help me

help the slave (e) (your name) solve the matter,

achieve goals, overcome obstacles.

Let (shortly state the essence of the problem you want to solve)

decide according to your word. Amen. Amen. Amen".

Put the candle in the candlestick, let it burn out to the end. And wash your face with water before you leave the house for the first time on January 7 (for any business).

(The desire should not be about a specific person falling in love with you)

Rituals for Christmas: ritual - amulet

Today I want to give you a wonderful Christmas ritual.

This is a fairly simple and effective ritual. It does not require any special attributes to execute. It is only necessary to have faith in your words and faith that you, my good ones, can change all your unwanted emotions yourself and find your strength. And while the ritual itself calls on Jesus to help you, it also awakens the realization that Jesus lives in each of us. This ritual will help you remember that all is one.

To carry out this ritual, it is necessary on Christmas Day, in the evening, to face the Star of Jesus and read aloud the following conspiracy-prayer:

If you have the opportunity, then print this picture and, as a talisman, carry it with you, periodically referring to it. Thus, you tune in to the currents that pass through you and connect yourself with higher powers. This amulet will keep you from your own negative thoughts and actions.

I do not claim that he is omnipotent and will immediately solve all your problems and eliminate all your troubles. There are no such conspiracies. Yours is also necessary to take into account in creating your destiny. But this conspiracy will help you find the strength in yourself that is sleeping and that is ready to come to your aid.

Conspiracies of the Siberian Healer

Natalia Stepanova

Birth towel

There are days in which they create (make) amulets for their kind. This amulet also includes a generic towel. On January 6, on the eve of the birth of Jesus Christ, they buy a new linen towel and speak it for healing from various, including serious, diseases. If later in the family someone gets sick, then the patient should be wiped with this towel, and he will definitely recover.

Conspiracy on a birth towel from diseases

In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

I speak from 77 ailments,

From any pain, from the night light,

Pretending dryness, from cancer that travels,

Falling fit,

From spoilage, from night cramps.

The Mother of God washed her Son,

Wiped with a linen towel.

God bless my linen too.

In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Whom I (name) will wipe with this flax,

Since then, I will erase all 77 ailments.

Key, lock, tongue. Amen.

Amen. Amen.

Fortune telling for Christmas on a birch branch

Guessing should be on an empty stomach and alone. Go to the birch, make a wish and break the branch. Before you break her, say:

Bless, Trinity, Holy Mother of God.

Branch, break off,

And to the servant of God (name), fate will appear.

In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Count all the buds on the branch. If their number is even, then your wish will come true.

Divination for Christmas by candlelight

Anyone who has ever used this divination is convinced that it is always true. Buy in advance in the church during the service seven candles of different colors. From the church you need to go home without going anywhere. Before lighting the candles, put on a buttonless shirt and let your hair down. Hang a mirror and curtain the windows.

When you light the candles, read the plot for true fortune-telling three times, and then extinguish them with your breath. Put the candles under your pillow, and in the morning, without looking, take out three candles. In the evening, sign which of the candles (by color) will mean what you called her.

In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Now and forever and forever and ever. Amen.

Recipes for the Christmas table

Wheat kutia with honey and poppy seeds

Layout: wheat - 400 g, milk - 1 cup, walnuts - 100 g, pitted raisins - 200 g, sugar - 1/2 cup, honey - 1/2 cup.

Rinse the wheat well and pour into boiling water. Bring to a boil and strain into a sieve. Then pour over the grain with cold boiled water and pour boiling water over it again and, having covered it, put it in the oven so that the wheat can rest (until soft). When the finished grain has cooled, put crushed poppy seeds, sugar, honey and chopped walnuts into it. Mix everything well and sprinkle with raisins on top. Kutya is ready.

Rice kutia with almonds and raisins

Layout: rice - 500 g, raisins - 200 g, almonds - 100 g, cinnamon and sugar - to taste.

Rinse rice and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil, and then drain in a sieve. Rinse the rice with water and, again filling with water, cook until tender. You don't need to stir the rice. Drain the water and cool the rice. Grind almonds scalded with boiling water and mix with sugar. Pour some water into the almonds and stir into the rice. Then add cinnamon, rinse the raisins and mix everything thoroughly again.

Notes for January

♦ The dog stretches on the floor and sleeps with its paws spread out - to warm weather.

♦ In January, many frequent and long icicles hang - the harvest will be good.

♦ As the day grows in January, so does the cold.

♦ In January, the snow will inflate - the bread will arrive.

♦ If January is dry, frosty and the water in the rivers decreases greatly, then the summer will be dry and hot.

Today is a very special day, and it is called Christmas Eve. In the house where believers live, there is perfect cleanliness all around, the expectation of the miracle of the birth of the Divine Infant, the Savior of the world, Jesus Christ is felt in everything! Pious people carry the last day of their fast and, according to an old tradition, do not eat food until the first star appears in the sky. In the evening, a candle is lit by the oldest in the family and placed on the windowsill, and this is a sign of love for God, a sign that everyone in this house is ready to receive the Divine Infant Christ with His Blessed Mother, recalling the gospel story about how They did not find that day for a shelter in ancient Bethlehem. The old people said: “Whoever has a candle burning on the window on Christmas Eve, God will never leave him!”

Today I want to tell you how they laid the table on Christmas Eve.

In general, believers pay special, one might even say, reverent attention to Christmas Eve, because this is the eve of the Nativity of Christ (January 6). All Christians keep a particularly strict fast on this day and keep it until the first evening star. It is important that the whole family gather in the house, and in no case should anyone raise their voices, be rude or reproach for anything. All disagreements are not for this Holy Day, but whoever sins with swearing and scandal on this day will “like a dog bark (swear)” for a whole year, as the old people used to say in Rus'. All week until this day, the housewives washed, scrubbed, washed and cleaned, so that on Christmas Eve there would be grace and purity in the house. In the evening, straw is placed on the table, and a snow-white tablecloth is placed on top. In the center of the table, a Christmas kutya is certainly placed, and most importantly, there should be twelve dishes on the table - in memory of those who were with Christ at the table of the Last Supper. Wealthy people have always strived for the Christmas table to be as rich and sophisticated as ever, as this, in turn, also affects whether the new year will be rich or not. Here is an approximate menu of the Christmas feast: kutya, pork head with horseradish, jelly from pork and beef legs, fish, pancakes, homemade sausage, aspic, suckling pig stuffed with porridge, roast, honey gingerbread, corned beef and broth. Having waited for the first star, the family, crossing themselves and praying, sat down at the table. The meal began with kutya and pancakes. Everything was done slowly, sedately and without fuss. On the same day, carols began, and from this table food was also given to those who caroled.

Epiphany water is otherwise called the "Great Agiasma", that is, a shrine. Believers have a special relationship with water consecrated for the holiday: they use it, as a rule, on an empty stomach, with reverence and prayer.

We will tell readers about some important or little-known facts regarding the Great Agiasma.

1. How did the rite of the Great Blessing of Water arise?

Initially, water was consecrated for the Sacrament of Baptism. Already St. Irenaeus of Lyons (+202) calls the water for Baptism "holy", and Tertullian (+c. 220) says that the water is sanctified by invoking the name of God. St. Basil the Great (+379) generally speaks of the consecration of water as the most ancient oral Tradition of the Church.

The rite of consecration of water on the feast of the Epiphany is based precisely on the baptismal consecration of water. It arises in the V-VI century in the Christian East.

Symbolically and in its grace-filled properties, the epiphany consecration of water is similar to the consecration of water at Baptism. By the way, baptismal water is called the same as baptismal water: Great Agiasma.

2. How many times should water be blessed on the feast of the Baptism of the Lord?

The question is not as strange as it seems. It is known that the Great Blessing of Water takes place twice - after Vespers on Epiphany Christmas Eve and after the Liturgy of the holiday itself. In general, in the history of the Church, there was once an extensive controversy on this issue.

So, for example, Patriarch Nikon demanded, under pain of a curse, that water be blessed only once - on the Eve of Epiphany. He based his statement on the fact that the Savior was baptized only once. By the way, this strange demand, coupled with an incommensurable punishment for refusing to fulfill it, became one of the accusations against Nikon at the Moscow Council of 1667, when the Patriarch was deposed.

3. Sacrament or rite?

We are accustomed to traditional sacramentology (the doctrine of the sacraments), according to which there are seven church sacraments: Baptism, Chrismation, Repentance, Communion, Unction, Priesthood, Marriage. Meanwhile, the validity of this division is questionable.

The Serbian theologian of the 20th century believed that all church life is mysterious, up to the small blessing of water. Even if the reasoning is not so radical, one should not forget that the gradation of the sacraments was different at different times. St. Theodore the Studite considered monastic tonsure a sacrament, the author of the Areopagitik (texts attributed to St. Dionysius the Areopagite, written several centuries later, but having the authority of the patristic) - burial and chrismation ...

In one of his sermons, he makes the following suggestion: “The consecration of water is not just a rite. Although it is not one of the seven sacraments, but, like in every sacrament, matter is transformed in it, for ordinary water, which we pour from a tap, is transformed and becomes holy. As in every sacrament, here there is a meeting of a person with God, which means his sanctification and renewal.

Something much more is happening than what happened to people who came to John the Baptist. When people came to John, they received the baptism of repentance and received the remission of sins. And through communion with holy water, we ... come into contact with the Living God.

It is difficult to disagree with this thought.

4. Are believers obliged to bathe in reservoirs with baptismal water?

“An even weirder question. Who can oblige to this? - one of the readers will think, and will be wrong.

Many pious Christians quote the following text: “Whoever does not take a bath on the day of the Baptism of the Lord, let him be excommunicated from the holy mysteries for 40 days. If anyone drags [others] with him, let him be expelled from the Church until he repents. For those who refuse to remember the grace-filled Baptism of the Lord, to be renewed in the holy and honest waters in which the Lord Himself dwelt, having sanctified them with His nature, are heretics who deny both the Church and Baptism, ”as if these words belong to St. Athanasius the Great and are contained in the epistle to Epictetus .

In fact, there is no such paragraph in this text - this is a “folk” interpolation, an attempt to explain the folklore tradition with reference to an authoritative saint. Bathing is nothing more than a pious custom.

5. What do the saints say about holy water?

Maybe the saints did not teach about holy water at all? Perhaps the veneration of Agiasma is nothing more than a tradition that has not been sanctified by church authority in any way?

We hasten to reassure our readers - John Chrysostom already speaks about the miraculous properties of baptismal water at the end of the 4th century. “A clear sign occurs: this water in its essence does not deteriorate over time, but, drawn today, it remains intact and fresh for a whole year, and often two, and three years, and after a long time is not inferior to waters just drawn from sources,” teaches the Antiochian saint.

Another teacher of the Church, St. Epiphanius of Cyprus, compares the change in the "nature of the waters" with the transformation of water into wine in Cana of Galilee.

And besides, according to the ancient rules, hagiasma should be a consolation for those who cannot take communion.

6. Why can't you use holy water?

It's simple: you can't sin. It is categorically unacceptable to use baptismal water for divination, love spells and other pagan and occult rites! By the way, ablutions, popular among the people, were originally performed precisely by those who thus sought to wash themselves from the sin of sorcery, which, alas, many performed at Christmas time ...

It is impossible to support superstitions associated with holy water (that for greater grace it is necessary to draw water from three churches, that on the Eve of Theophany the water is more holy than on the feast itself, and vice versa). One should not rudely push away brothers and sisters who come to the temple for water.

Of course, one should not treat baptismal water without reverence. If the water nevertheless bloomed or otherwise deteriorated, it should be poured into an impregnable place.

7. "A drop of the sea sanctifies", or do you need a five-liter canister?

Often one has to observe an unpleasant picture: people come to the temple for water with a large number of huge bottles, just not with buckets. As a result - pandemonium near the barrels and bowls, huge queues, irritation with each other ...

Meanwhile, Epiphany water in such a huge amount is not needed. It has already been said above that in some cases agiasma is used as a consolation for those who are unable to receive communion (for example, those who are under penance or those who cannot reach the temple and call a priest home). So, it is the image of the sacrament of the Eucharist that can explain this miraculous quality of baptismal water.

Just as the whole Christ abides in the entire Chalice, and for Communion to Him, one drop of wine and one crumb of bread is enough, under the guise of which His Blood and Body are served to us, in one drop of Baptismal water is contained all the grace of the Jordan who revealed the Lord.

There is a pious tradition of the "correct" dilution of agiasma. Epiphany hymns (troparion, kontakion, magnification) or any well-known prayer to the Lord are read or sung over a container with ordinary water. After that, a little baptismal water is poured: crosswise, with a prayer: “In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen".

8. Why and where is holy water blessed?

And this question is really funny, but it's worth answering.

With the fact that holy water rarely spoils, even many atheists do not risk arguing. Then pseudo-scientific arguments are used: for example, about changing the composition of water through silver ions, allegedly due to the consecration of water with silver crosses.

The assumption does not stand up to criticism: water is consecrated both by wooden crosses and in huge reservoirs. It is not a material force that sanctifies water, but God Himself. This is one of the great many works of His grace.

But in water taps, water does not become holy, “because it is perceived as consecrated in the church that which is consecrated in the church. Orthodoxy does not know miracles as tricks, does not practice them. Like the Savior himself, he refused to perform miracles as tricks before King Herod. So do not be too lazy to go to the nearest church to take holy water,” Archpriest Maxim Kozlov explained at a press conference on baptism.

9. Do non-Orthodox churches bless the water?

The tradition of consecrating baptismal water exists in almost all Christian communities. Let's mention some of them.

In the Roman Catholic Church, water is not “consecrated”, but “blessed”. Moreover, the blessing of water is performed not only on Theophany, but also on other holidays: on Easter, the day of remembrance of St. Agates, etc. On the feast of the Epiphany, along with water, a blessing is pronounced on chalk and incense.

In the Ethiopian Church, the Great Blessing of Water takes place in the evening, before sunset. Believers dance, immersion in the water of the cross is accompanied by shooting, and at sunset everyone goes into the water and bathes, listening to the prayers of the priest.

10. Living water?

“Today the nature of the waters is sanctified,” the Church sings at the Great Blessing of Waters, and thus affirms the eschatological nature of the holiday. Yes, on the feast of the Epiphany, we enter into the life of the future age, in which all creation, all the elements are transformed.

When Christ, who did not need any purification, entered the streams of the Jordan, "fulfilling all righteousness," He thereby cleansed by Himself all the water element that gives life to man.

The Kingdom of God comes in power, and the nature damaged by sin, "the Lord was baptized in vain," acquires miraculous properties.

Congratulations to all Christians on Epiphany Christmas Eve!

Conspiracies

Strong conspiracy of holy water for weight loss.

As I pour water into myself, I will immediately drive the fat off her. I will melt the excess weight from the legs and arms, from the sides and neck. Lose weight, get younger, get fitter. There will be healing water in the help of the essential laudatory. Let it be so. Amen! Amen! Amen!

Conspiracy of water for desire.

I charge the water with desire and dream. I invite good luck to her. Let the dream come true, and the desire come true. I'll drink, I'll drink some water, the desire will come true. Let it be so. Amen! Amen! Amen!

Conspiracy for the money of holy water.
With candles lit, whisper a magical conspiracy to holy water, clearly imagining what you want to receive.

How holy water is, pure, like a tear and healing, and miraculous in wealth. I charge water for money, for transactions, for earnings. As water pours into the womb, so drop by drop accumulate wealth. Money to money, business to words. Let it be so. Amen! Amen! Amen!

Holy water conspiracy for beauty.
I whisper, I whisper, I'm working on it. I charge water for the sweetness of beauty, I drink it in sips. There will be ruddy cheeks, a blooming face, and youthful beauty. Voditsa, voditsa, let me wash myself with beauty. Amen! Amen! Amen!

To attract the power of beauty, you should drink holy water and sprinkle your face with it. Soon you will feel how the skin becomes elastic, and you will look beautiful and attractive.

Water conspiracy for health.

Holy water, Queen of all moisture. I charge you with health, I drink a sip. I wash away illnesses, drive away ailments. Let it be so. Amen! Amen! Amen!

They say the sky opens tonight
You can even guess whatever you want.
On the day of the Epiphany of the Lord the bells will ring,
Everyone will be blessed, big and small!
Let the water cleanse the soul, resurrect faith in the heart,
And the Lord will hear us all and forgive us our mistakes.

Epiphany Christmas Eve ends with Christmas time - the holidays after the Nativity of Christ.
Be healthy, beautiful and attractive!

January 7 (according to the old style, this is December 25) is the great feast of the Nativity of Christ and our Savior Jesus Christ. At Christmas, there are many different signs and rituals that I think will be interesting for you to know!

Signs and conspiracies for Christmas.

Conspiracies for Christmas

Conspiracy for wealth
On Christmas you need to knock a nickel on the window glass
and say: “Christ was born, Piglet showed up.
As he showed up with me, So he would never be translated.
Christ is born, my money multiplies.
Key, lock, tongue. Amen. Amen. Amen".

Conspiracy from 9 misfortunes
They read at Christmas, standing on the threshold facing the house:
“Take away, Lord, nine arrows from me, from water, a noose, fire, judgment, a knife, a thief, from a slander, from an encroachment on the body and shelter, and damage to the blood. In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen".

On the night of January 6 to 7, draw a bucket of water and slander all the bad and unpleasant things that happened to you last year. After that, throw it out over the threshold (outside the door, out of the gate, or through the window or from the balcony)

Conspiracy for health

On the morning of January 7, before washing your face, say three times: "The Savior has appeared, the light of the world has appeared. I will also be saved (name) through Jesus Christ. In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen."

Rite of desire. At Christmas, take holy water from the church and drink it at midnight in small sips, while mentally thinking about your cherished desire. You need to go to sleep in silence and continue to think about the desire - it will come true.

If there is nowhere to take holy water, then you can pour water into a glass and put a silver spoon in it. Such water should stand overnight.

Signs and traditions

On Christmas you need to bake a cake and bake a coin in it - and whoever gets a piece with this coin will have great monetary luck in the New Year.

January 7 is the best time to visit and receive guests. It is important to communicateit is better for Christmas only with those people who can bring happiness to you - happy families, or those families who are expected to have an addition, or a new family member has already been born.
At Christmas, it is customary to light more candles, lights, a fireplace - if any. Candles bring warmth and wealth to your home. If you have pets, then at Christmas you need to feed them plentifully - then the whole year will be satisfying and financially successful.

One, special candle must be lit for the deceased relatives - then they will help you attract good luck and prosperity in the coming year.

What not to do on Christmas.

From Christmas until the very Epiphany, throughout the days of Christmas time, certain prohibitions apply, which are due to the ideas that go back centuries about the holiday as a stop of time, a kind of temporary pause during which one cannot engage in productive labor and everything that is associated with birth, beginning, development. Therefore, a significant part of the prohibitions concerns crafts related to spinning, sewing, knitting, weaving, weaving, that is, everything related to thread (rope). The thread is a symbol of life and destiny.

On Christmas weaving bast shoes - a crooked one will be born, sewing - a blind one will be born.

From Christmas to Epiphany, it is a sin to hunt animals and birds - misfortune will happen to the hunter.

You can't swear on a holy day. Whoever swears takes away the hope of salvation from his ancestors.

There is a widespread belief associated with the arrival of the first guest. If at Christmas a strange woman enters the house first, then women in this family will be ill all year.

Christmas rules also applied to clothing: At Christmas, you need to put on a new shirt, you can’t clean (but already worn), otherwise wait for a crop failure.

On Holy (Easter Week) the shirt is at least inferior, but white; for Christmas, at least harsh, but new [Dal. Proverbs, 900].

For the owner of the house special behavior aimed at preserving livestock was envisaged:

It is not good for the owner to leave the yard on Christmas Day - the sheep will get lost.

They tie the legs of the table at Christmas so that the cattle do not run.

It is impossible to do bent work (they do not repair hoops, skids, etc.), otherwise there will be no offspring of livestock.

Signs and superstitions

At Christmas, folk signs and superstitions acquire special power, as if nature itself and every object are trying to tell us something: how to live, what to fear. Here are just a few of them.

Prosperity note. If you lose something at Christmas, this means that you may be in for losses next year. But if you find a thing and even some kind of jewelry, then money is already rushing to you in full swing!

A sign of good luck. If you accidentally spilled tea or coffee at the Christmas table (this does not apply to alcohol), then this is good news and great success for all your endeavors.

Mirror superstition.If on Christmas Eve or on Christmas night you drop a mirror and it cracks, it's a disaster. Cracked or broken mirrors should never be kept in the house. But at this time, the crack on the mirror must be carefully sealed (you can even use a band-aid or tape), wrap it in a towel and then throw it away.

Signs for happiness and good luck. Seeing a man with a hump at Christmas is a great happiness, and even better if you can touch this hump with at least one finger. Also, a meeting with a big dog, a great dane or a German shepherd promises no less luck. Moreover, as it is not surprising, but if you step into manure on Christmas (excrement of your favorite neighbor's dog may well act as manure) - and this is good luck.

A sign of possible financial losses. If you happen to see a mouse on Christmas night, it's very bad. You need to be very careful when signing contracts, concluding new contracts or taking loans. You may face financial losses.

natural signs

At Christmas, the weather, snow - for the harvest year (Penz.).

The snows are deep - so will the herbs be good and the bread.

Sumety stuffed high - for a good year (pinezh.).

About the same and numerous proverbs and sayings:

Winter without snow - no bread.

The snow is deep - the year is good.

A lot of snow - a lot of bread; water will spill, hay will be collected.

Inflate the snow - the bread will arrive.

The snowy year will bring bread.

At Christmas, the day is warm - the bread will be dark, thick.

At Christmas, a snowstorm - the bees will swarm well.

If Christmas is in the new month, then the year will be lean.

At Christmas, frost is a harvest for bread, the sky is starry - a harvest for peas.

Frequent kurzhaks on the trees, patterns on the windows, similar to rye ears, curls down, and not sticking out - to the harvest.

Dark Svyatki - dairy cows, light - nosy hens.

A good toboggan run is a harvest for buckwheat.

And once again, Merry Christmas to you, my dear readers! I hope this article was helpful for you! Happiness, Love to you and Peaceful sky above your head! May love and understanding always reign in your families!