Orthodox holiday "Peter's Day". Peter's Day: traditions, rites, rituals 12 07 18 Peter and Paul

On the popular Christian holiday of Peter's Day (July 12), Saints Peter and Paul are honored, the Kupala celebrations of the “top of summer” and summer weddings end, and intensive preparations are made for haymaking. As described in Christian doctrine, the Apostle Peter is the closest disciple of Jesus Christ. It was he who had the honor of being present on Mount Tabor and seeing the Transfiguration of the Lord. It is he who first proclaims Christ the son of the living God. It was Peter, after the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, who zealously preached His teachings and led the first Christian community. For all this (during the reign of Emperor Nero) he was crucified on a cross upside down.

And how Paul is revered by the Christian Church - the greatest preacher of Orthodoxy. After all, his moral teachings prompted the creation of a number of Christian communities in the Mediterranean. Saul (Paul had this name from birth) did not immediately recognize Jesus Christ as the Messiah as Christianity. And only after hearing God’s voice from heaven did he become a faithful Christian.

Traditions and rituals on Peter's Day recreate not only the Christian story of Peter and Paul, but also the customs of worshiping the Sun.

The custom of “watching the sun”

This special and vibrant celebration on St. Peter's Day and the night time preceding it was intended for youth entertainment. Residents of the villages gathered together and went to the outskirts of the village, chose the most elevated place and peered into the heavens with bated breath, waiting for the sun to rise. Boys, men, girls and women burned fires until dawn, on which they cooked porridge, danced to songs, and had fun. On the morning of Peter the Great, everyone wanted to see how the rising sun would sparkle in the sky, shimmering with rainbow hues.

Wedding game

Songs, games, dances, jokes, and festivities were characterized by love and marriage aspirations. Peasants from the regions of Southern Russia, anticipating an unusual dawn, played a wedding. The “groom” was one of the young men, and the role of the “bride” was chosen by a brave, fast and artistic middle-aged woman. They decorated two wheels on which the “groom” and “bride” were seated. And “wedding rituals” were performed, beginning with matchmaking and ending with wedding. As soon as the shimmering rays of the sun illuminated everything around, the woman-bride took off her sundress, unbraided her hair and ran around the whole village in just her undershirt, pursued by the young men. At this time the girls had to laugh, whistle, squeal, sing, and dance. The marital and erotic image of entertainment was dedicated to the great sun, the giver of life.

Youth outrages

The worldly Peter's holiday-feast continued with endless atrocities of the youth. With shouts, noise, squealing, and whistling, the young tribe ran through the streets of the village, blocking them with barrels, harrows, and tubs. The young men pulled out stakes from the fence, took away everything that was “bad”, climbed into gardens and vegetable gardens, picking fruits. Many ethnographers explain the outrages of boys and girls as a ritual aimed at identifying and exorcising evil spirits.

The traditions of Peter's Day are reminiscent of the rituals of the Slavs on Semik -, Peter's spell,. According to the hypotheses of ethnographic researchers in ancient times, all these celebrations were united into one holiday that lasted several days, dedicated to the summer solstice. But the Petrine fast, introduced by the church (began 7 days after Trinity), lasting until St. Peter's Day, separated the previously unified summer circle of pagan celebrations.

This was the calendar boundary of the year. Nature changed after it, preparing for the autumn season. After this, the peasants were afraid to harvest herbs and plants, break branches for brooms, explaining this by the fact that on St. Peter “trampled” all the grasses, the Slavs claimed that now it would begin to get colder, the sun had turned to winter, the birds would no longer have time to sing, and the grasses would no longer grow.

Among the southern Slavs, and especially in Croatia, on St. Peter's Day (along with Midsummer's Day) it was customary not only to light bonfires. Shepherds performed rituals aimed at protecting livestock. To do this, huge torches were set on fire, with which the shepherds walked around the pens with animals. Woven wreaths were placed on the heads of horses and cows. The same wreaths were displayed on paddocks, fences, and even on milk dishes.

According to Slavic traditions, it was unacceptable to eat fruits of this season, especially apples, before the feast of St. Peter. Serbian peasants were confident that the saints gathered for this celebration. Peter in Paradise distributes apples with his own hands to all the children. Mothers who violated the ban deprived their child of the fruit of paradise. Therefore, mother, they were in no hurry to taste the fruits, they carried them, first to the cemetery, to distribute to the poor, remembering the dead. And after this, the ban on eating fruit was lifted.

And Bulgarian folk beliefs described Peter as the key keeper of Paradise, whom God entrusted to guard the Garden of Eden. Saint Paul controlled thunder and sent hail to the earth, causing fires and floods.

The summer Kupala festivities ended with the worldly Peter the Great holiday-feast, organizing fraternities where “the whole world” brewed beer and slaughtered a bull (for the northerners, a deer). The Old Russian brotherhood was an ancient ritual meal, that is, a common rural feast at chapels, near churches, endless reception of guests and visiting guests. Only married and old people were allowed to participate in the evening feast.

Signs

It's cold for the skinny pig and Petrovka.
Petro-Pavel added stuffiness. The sun is playing in Petrovka.
Anyone who has grown up, after Peter's Day, hurry up to make hay!
If Peter has spikelets, Ilya will have spikelets.
The barley began to spike, the nightingale fell silent.
On Peter's Day, the cuckoo stopped calling: she choked on a cheesecake.
There is only rain on Peter - the hay is as hard as horsetail.

The Feast of Peter and Paul is a permanent holiday, which means it is celebrated every year on the same day. Thus, Peter's Day in 2018 will be July 12.

The Day of the Apostles Peter and Paul ends with the Apostolic or Petrine Fast, which in 2018 continues from May 4. At the same time, the feast of Peter and Paul itself is not included in the number of fast days. The full name of the holiday on July 12 is the Day of the Holy Chief Martyrs Peter and Paul, because, according to legend, on this day the apostles suffered martyrdom.

Peter's Day - what a holiday

Peter's Day is simply the popular name for an Orthodox church holiday established in honor of the apostles Peter and Paul.

Saint Peter, the son of a simple fisherman, was one of the twelve apostles - disciples of Jesus Christ. At birth, the future apostle was given the name Simon, but then from Christ he received the nickname Cephas, which in Aramaic meant “stone,” that is, firm in the faith. Later the name was translated into Greek, in Greek Peter is also “stone”.

According to the Gospel, Peter was a participant and witness to many biblical events; it was he who betrayed his teacher three times, but then atoned for his weakness and became a stronghold of faith and the creator of the Christian church. The Apostle Peter is considered to be the first Pope of Rome.

Saint Paul, whom Orthodox Christians also commemorate on July 12, was not one of the twelve apostles; in general, he was at first one of the persecutors of the Jews, but then, when he met the resurrected Jesus Christ, he believed in one God. Paul preached Christian teaching in the territory of Asia Minor and the Balkan Peninsula. His messages are included in the New Testament.

Church books claim that the apostles Peter and Paul died as martyrs on the same day - July 12 (June 29, old style).

According to legend, the Apostle Peter came to preach in Rome, where he was arrested and crucified upside down. The Apostle Paul was also executed in Rome, but since he was a Roman citizen, execution on the cross, which was considered shameful, could not be applied to him. Paul's head was cut off.

In the Christian tradition, the names of these two saints are closely connected - therefore in Rus' this holiday was sometimes called “Peter-Paul”.

What not to do on St. Peter's Day

On July 12, the Orthodox Church does not hold a wedding on Peter and Paul.
Work is not prohibited, but today it is still worth replacing hard physical labor with concern for the spiritual.
As on any other major church holiday, July 12 is not worth cleaning, working in the garden or vegetable garden.
In the morning you should go to service and pray.
And throughout the day you should not swear, think about bad things or wish anything bad for others.
On this day, it is customary to have festive family dinners and spend time communicating with loved ones in nature, but you cannot start a feast with excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages, because this is a religious holiday.
You cannot swim on Peter and Paul, as there are many deaths on the water on this day.

What to do on St. Peter's Day

Go to church for a service, having first washed yourself from three sources (this guaranteed Peter’s protection for a year).
Today we must definitely confess and take communion, thus ending Peter’s Fast. That is, to cleanse not only the body, but also the soul.
Cook the fish. Women believed that fish on the festive table was a guarantee of peace and happiness in the home.
On this day, our ancestors prepared the first “young borscht”, in which all the ingredients were from a new harvest - beets, cabbage, and tomatoes. And the borscht must certainly come with a young cockerel. This tradition guaranteed a prosperous life for a year.
On Peter's Day, mothers baked "mandriki" for their children - buns or donuts with cottage cheese and fruit. It was believed that on Peter and Paul “the cuckoo choked on its mandrik” and stopped cuckooing.
Ride on a swing. If you laugh at this moment, you will certainly be happy. And if you cry, your life will be shortened.
You should definitely go visit Peter and Paul. This is done so that in the bustle you don’t forget about family and friends.

Peter's Day 2018: traditions and customs

The Feast of Peter and Paul was popularly considered the turning point of summer, after which nature began to prepare for autumn. autumn. People believe that on Peter’s Day, St. Peter allegedly “spit” the leaves, so after this day they no longer harvested herbs and plants, did not break branches for brooms, etc.

The customs of Peter's Day resemble the rituals of the Slavs on Trinity and Ivan Kupala. The folk traditions of the holiday mixed both Christian and pagan rituals associated with the worship of the sun. Probably, in ancient times, all these celebrations were united into one holiday lasting several days, dedicated to the summer solstice. But the Peter's Fast, introduced by the church after Trinity and lasting until St. Peter's Day, separated the previously unified summer circle of pagan celebrations.

After Peter's Day, July 12, the days begin to rapidly decrease, the nights become cooler - the sun turns towards winter. On the eve of Peter's Day, boys, girls, women and men, waiting for the sun to rise, went to an elevated place outside the village, where they burned fires all night, cooked porridge, sang, and had fun. This custom was called “watching the sun.” It was believed that on the morning of Peter the Great the sun played in the sky, shimmering with different colors.

The songs, games, dances and jokes of the festivities had a pronounced love and marriage character. With sunrise, the women took off their sundresses, let their hair down and ran around the village in their shirts, pursued by the guys. At this time the girls whistled, shouted, sang, and danced.

On Peter's Day, as well as on the holiday of Ivan Kupala, bonfires were often lit. Shepherds lit huge torches and carried them around the cattle pens. This was intended to protect the animals. Also for this purpose, wreaths were woven, which were used to decorate cattle, corrals and fences, and wreaths were hung on dishes.

Before Peter's Day, many Slavic traditions observed a ban on eating new harvest fruits, mainly apples. They believed that on Peter's Day, Saint Peter shakes the apple tree in heaven, then gathers the children and treats them to apples; if someone's mother violates the ban, her child loses the apple. On Peter's Day, before eating fruit, they took it to the cemetery, gave it to the poor, distributed it in memory of the dead, or arranged a treat for neighboring children, and only after that the ban on eating fruit was lifted.

Signs and beliefs on St. Peter's Day

The holiday of July 12th is one of the important days of the year, when the time of harvesting and the weather until the end of summer were noted.

On Peter's Day, beetles and swallows fly low - expect rain.
Petrovka passed - a leaf fell, Ilya passed - two fell.
It is clear for Peter and Paul - the year will be good.
On Peter's Day, rain means the harvest is not bad, two rains are good, and three rains are rich. In Petra the lightning dawns on bread.
Fish jumping out of the water - bad weather;
If a dog rolls on the ground, toads croak hoarsely, ants clog the anthill, and mosquitoes bite with double force, then it will rain;
Petrok will come and pick a leaf.
If the weather is dry on Peter's Day, then it will be warm until the end of summer;
Rain in the morning means a bad harvest, in the afternoon a good one, and if it rains three times a day, the harvest will be plentiful and rich;
From Peter's day there is a red summer, green mowing.
Peter and Paul shortened the day and increased the heat;
We starve at Peter, we feast on Savior;
The nightingales sing until Peter, and the cuckoo crows.
On Peter and Paul the cuckoo stops singing;
Since Peter's Day, the field has been reaping (mowing).
If it rains on Peter's Day, the hayfield will be wet;
Petrovka - hunger strike.
If it rains on Peter's Day, then there will be bad weather for another 40 days.

Peter's Day is considered an Orthodox holiday and is celebrated every year on the same day, namely July 12. The holiday is named in memory of the two apostles Peter and Paul. The event is held in honor of the end of Peter's long fast. This day is widely known among Orthodox believers. Many of them are looking forward to this holiday in order to celebrate it cheerfully and in a good mood.

history of the holiday

Saint Peter was born into a poor family. His father was an ordinary fisherman. His parents named him Simon, but when he joined Jesus Christ and became one of the 12 apostles, Christ the Savior nicknamed him Cephas, which meant “stone,” with this word Jesus wanted to say that Peter was as firm in the faith as a stone. Afterwards, the name was translated into Greek, which means “stone” - this is Peter. It is associated with many important historical events in the Bible. It was he who betrayed Jesus the Savior three times, but then he realized and repented. Then he even created the Christian Church.

Interesting fact!

Saint Paul is also called one of the twelve apostles, but in fact he was not one of them. At first he was against the believers. He chased and beat them. After meeting the risen Christ, he finally believed in God and went over to his side.

Traditions of Peter's Day

On the day of Peter and Paul it is customary to go to church, since the day is considered a religious holiday. A festive service is held in the church. Parishioners usually light candles at the icons of the apostles and ask for well-being for the family and their loved ones.

In Rus', a great celebration was held on this day. Young people looked forward to Peter's Day, because for them it was an occasion for festivities, summer fun, dances, round dances and ritual games. The girls considered this day favorable for fortune-telling the choice of a betrothed with their eyes closed, with whom they then spent the rest of the day together.

On July 12, Orthodox Christians celebrate the Day of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul. In folk tradition - Peter's Day. It marks the end of Peter's Lent and is associated with many folk traditions. We decided to remember how to spend Peter's Day, what you shouldn't forget about and what it's better not to do.

Sing to the sun

The Church celebrates July 12 as the day of the common martyrdom of the two apostles. On most Christian icons, the apostles are depicted side by side. In modern Christianity, Peter is endowed with the power of God's key keeper, who controls the gates of the Heavenly Kingdom, or heaven, and therefore on many icons he is depicted with keys in his hands.
Peter's Day is the end of the green Christmastide and Kupala festivities.
Many of Peter’s songs begin with an appeal to the sun and God: “Sunshine! Petrova’s night is small, sunshine...” and “Sunshine! Petrova night, where is your daughter? Sunshine...", "Our God! Little Peter's Night, Our God...", "Our God! For the haymaking, honey honey, our God...", "Give, God, a little time for our work! This is to look for hay, and put it in a stack, and carry it into a heap...", "God, let Peter wait out, the boys will go looking for the girls...". Peter's Day is the day the fast ends, and therefore joyful songs are not only not prohibited, but are also encouraged by tradition.

Bake pies

Each family prepared in advance for Peter's Day: baked, fried, boiled and stored vodka. Mostly only married and old people took part in the festive drinking.
The village youth went to the fields in the evening. There, far from parental supervision, she spent the whole night, “watching over the sun.” According to popular belief, the sun on the day of Peter and Paul, as well as on the day of the Holy Resurrection of Christ, “plays,” that is, shimmers with different colors of the rainbow or jumps up and down across the sky. The custom of guarding the sun dates back to ancient times, when peasants drove away mermaids from the village, who on St. Peter's Day with their evil pranks caused a lot of damage to crops. Having met the sun, the youth braided wreaths on tree branches, mainly on birch.

To eat fish

Peter's Day was especially revered among fishermen; often it was called a “fishing” or “fishing” holiday, “fisherman”. In areas with a developed fishing industry and where fishing existed as an auxiliary trade, on July 12 religious processions and prayer services were held on fishing grounds, and money was collected from the population “for Peter the Fisherman for the World Candle,” which was placed in the parish church in front of the image of the saint . On this day, fishing villages were considered festive and received guests. For this occasion, old fishermen decorated their costumes with the Peter's Cross plant. The festive meal certainly included fresh fish dishes. In Siberia, for example, in the Angara River basin, it was considered obligatory to serve fish caught on the evening before Peter's Day at the festive table. From this fish they prepared fish soup - "sherba". At the beginning of the feast, one of the older family members proclaimed: “Peter-Paul! Sit down, eat bread and salt: porridge for you, bowl for us; fish for you, chips for us.” Among fishermen, Peter's Day is considered the beginning of the summer fishing season. In this regard, it was traditional to set new prices for goods and enter into transactions and agreements with fish traders.

Peter's Day is also a kind of boundary separating the types of economic activities of peasants. The new cycle of agricultural work included haymaking, removal of manure to the fields, and preparation for the harvest. The concerns of farmers at this time were associated with harvesting, while in the period preceding Peter's Day all efforts were directed toward growing, preserving and increasing the harvest. The significance of Peter's Day as a border in agrarian-magical terms is reflected in the belief about the cuckoo. According to signs, the cuckoo stops cuckooing no earlier than the barley has emerged, which is what happens, according to people's observations, in the period from Ivan Kupala to Peter's Day. Continued pooing means that the barley will be born “empty grain” and the year will be “bad”; the peasants said that in this case “you yourself will cuckoo like a cuckoo.” Tradition required that all field work, usually carried out in the spring and summer, be completed before Peter's Day; postponing it (for example, replanting vegetables and flowers) to a later time was prohibited. It was believed that this would be of no use. In addition, the main tools used in the new season were prepared for Peter's Day: rakes, pitchforks, devices for pulling hay and straw onto a cart. Peter's Day lifted the ban on eating fruits, which was strictly observed during the spring period. For example, in Siberia, it was from this time that it was customary to “take” strawberries.

Maintain and increase potency

To a greater extent, Peter's Day retained the significance of a youth holiday. The young people put on their best suits. They were assigned a leading role in ritual and gaming activities, while the rest of the population, as a rule, did not take an active part in it, but acted only as observers. During the holiday, some restrictions on relations between the sexes were lifted; the behavior of young people as a whole changed radically: it differed from traditional everyday norms. Erotic and wedding symbolism was clearly visible in youth rituals. This allows us to say that during the summer solstice, young people, who, according to traditional ideas, had powerful unspent energy comparable to natural energy, were attributed magical powers that contributed to the preservation and enhancement of life potency.

Listen to the cuckoo and prepare the pitchforks

In the folk tradition, Peter’s Day was also interpreted as the last day of girls’ and women’s festivities, which is reflected in the proverb “Women’s summer is before Peter, since Peter’s days are a time of suffering.” On July 12, in some places, some ritual actions characteristic of the Semik-Trinity period were still being performed: curling of birch trees, the final stages of the rites of baptism and funeral of the cuckoo, and cumulus. The last girls' fortune telling using greenery was timed to coincide with this day. After Peter's Day, round dances and swings were stopped everywhere. In local traditions, the holiday was considered the last day of revelry for mermaids, in whom they saw the souls of dead girls.

Treat people

Until Peter's Day, a ban on eating new harvest fruits, mainly apples, was observed. It was believed that on St. Peter's Day, St. Peter in heaven divides fruits among deceased children. The Slavs believed that on Peter's Day, Saint Peter shakes the apple tree in heaven, then gathers the children and treats them to apples. Moreover, if someone's mother violated the ban, her child was deprived of an apple. There was a whole ritual that was observed by all women who lost their children. On Peter's Day, before tasting the fruit, they took it to the cemetery, gave it to the poor, and arranged a treat for the neighboring children. In some areas, on Peter's Day, a collective slaughter of an animal was performed and a feast followed.

Orthodox Christians celebrate Peter's fast. It ends on the feast of the apostles Peter and Paul - one of the most revered Orthodox saints. the site tells you what date Peter's Day is and under what other names you might have heard about this holiday.

Anna Zaikova

When is Peter's Day in 2018?

The Orthodox celebrate the Day of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul on July 12. The date of the holiday does not change.

Peter's Fast ends on the Feast of Peter and Paul. The period of abstinence can be long, or it can be very short. The fact is that Peter's Fast begins on Monday a week after the Trinity Day, which does not have a fixed date and depends on Easter.

Peter and Paul Day, Peter's Day: what else is this holiday called?

The holiday in honor of the apostles Peter and Paul has many popular names: Peter-Paul, Petrok, Peters and Pauls, Worldly Candle, Green Mowing, Red Summer, Play of the Sun, Peter the Fishermen, Fisherman, Peter's Day, Petrovki, reports the magazine "Thomas" .

Who are the apostles Peter and Paul?

The apostles Peter and Paul preached Christianity in many countries. According to church doctrine, Peter was originally a fisherman, and Paul was a persecutor of Christians, and was not even one of Christ’s disciples during his earthly life. But having believed, they led many people to Christianity, and at the end of their lives they suffered martyrdom on the same day, one year apart.