What a service on Maundy Thursday evening. Maundy Thursday or Maundy Thursday? What you need to do on this day, and what not

Swimming in the font is a Russian tradition on Clean Thursday

The history and essence of the holiday

Maundy Thursday is celebrated by Christians annually three days before Easter. This day is very important in the lives of believers. It symbolizes the last days of Christ and in particular the Last Supper.

According to the biblical tradition, this evening Jesus showed his disciples an example of great humility. He washed their feet, thereby preaching equality and brotherly love.

The Gospel testifies that at the Last Supper Jesus performed the ceremony of Holy Communion. This event was subsequently accepted by all followers of the Christian church. Believers eat bread and taste wine, which symbolizes the body and blood of the Savior. From Maundy Thursday until Easter, people read the Bible, remember the deeds of Christ on earth and his undeserved suffering.

On this day, every believer seeks to free himself from the burden of problems, to cleanse himself of negative thoughts, envy, and anger. Orthodox Christians try to forgive all insults to their enemies, calm their souls and receive humility.

Celebration by Orthodox Christians

In cathedrals on this day, during the divine service, the rite of ablution is held: the bishop rinses the feet of 12 monks or priests. This act symbolizes the action of Christ at the Last Supper, which became an example of service to one's neighbor and true humility.

Thanks to this rite, Maundy Thursday has become associated with cleanliness for many. People strive to clean houses and apartments, get rid of unnecessary things. But it is important not to forget that the priority task during this period is spiritual cleansing and repentance.

The ministers of the church on Maundy Thursday read prayer texts containing memories of the Last Supper, of the betrayal and suffering of Christ. During the service, Orthodox Christians experience grief over the upcoming torment of the son of God.

Maundy Thursday: signs and traditions for gardeners

During the existence of Christianity, there have been many customs and rituals associated with this day. It is believed that on Maundy Thursday morning, the water in the reservoirs is saturated with beneficial power. Before sunrise, our ancestors went to the river to plunge, cleanse themselves of mental and body dirt, and gain strength.

Today, many people replace this action with bathing in the bathroom, or in the bath. In Russia the best way to cleanse is considered a cold bath after a steam room. If there is still snow on the street, after the bath you can rub yourself with it, or swim in the ice hole.

The main traditions of Maundy Thursday among gardeners:

• spring cleaning of the site, summer cottage, private house;
• washing, new use of old things to decorate the garden;
• washing the body, going to the bathhouse, cleansing with frost in the font, or ice-hole;
• baking Easter cakes, pasta, preparation for Easter;
• visiting church during the service;
• reading holy scripture.

According to the signs, on this day you can not give anything from home, so as not to lose your well-being for the whole year. To protect the family from misfortune, the Old Believers brought juniper and heather into their homes.

Maundy Thursday is of great importance for gardeners. On this day, they are trying to put in order the land plots, remove garbage, prepare the territory for the future planting of horticultural crops. There is a sign that all plants planted on Maundy Thursday will grow and bear fruit well.

The priests do not prohibit gardening on this day, but the work should not be hard and exhausting. If you plan to plant seedlings or planting in open ground and this is facilitated by weather conditions, it is imperative that these works be completed before Good Friday.

Outcome

Maundy Thursday is an important day in the life of believers. It symbolizes repentance, purity and humility, so you need to watch your thoughts on this day, enjoy life and all living things, and avoid negative emotions.

- such a naming of the Thursday of Holy Week is well known among the people. Even completely non-church people respect this day.

I know many people far from the Church, who nevertheless start cleaning their homes every time on Maundy Thursday - wiping something, washing windows, vacuuming, thus giving a kind of unconscious religious tribute to Maundy Thursday.

All this in itself is not bad. But our task - those who call themselves Christians - as far as possible to explain to our relatives and friends (if, of course, they ask and are ready to listen to us) the Christian meaning of Maundy Thursday.

Maundy Thursday is Thursday in Holy Week, which seems to us all to be a single event. And among these days, Maundy Thursday stands out especially. Monday, Tuesday are tense days, days of preaching, days of struggle, Wednesday is the betrayal of Judas, Friday is the terrible day of the crucifixion.

Each day of Holy Week has its own meaning, its own special sign, and a tragic sign. And Thursday is a clean, bright day.

Of course, he is sad, but this sadness is inside, it is only in the Savior's heart. He again and again says to his disciples: “I am in My Father, and you are in Me, and I am in you”; “I called you friends”; “I loved you” is a very large degree of friendly love. And right up to the Garden of Gethsemane, where He asks the disciples to stay close, He is with them.

And He sees that they are like children - He says that He will suffer, and it seems that they feel something, but they don't really understand anything. And He cannot explain to them in words what is happening, why death awaits Him, why He cannot escape death, since the disciples have not yet grown up, have not received the Holy Spirit.

I imagine the following situation: Russia, 1937, husband and wife are sitting at home, and they know that tonight they have to come for their husband, that he is the next one ... Children play around them, who do not understand what is happening - the mother will cry furtively, father tries to joke, tries to be affectionate, gentle, but inside they know what will happen next, and they cannot hide the alarm ...

This is the family atmosphere of the Passover Seder, during which Christ and his disciples celebrate Passover, the holiday of the exodus of the people from Egypt, and at this celebration the Lord "fulfills the truth" and brings the situation to an end.

He not only remembers that event, but says: I brought you out of Egypt. It is I who give you My Body and My Blood. He completely surrenders everything that only God can give to man.

And now the second half of the task remains - God gave something, and man needs to accept all this. If a person does not accept, everything will be wasted. It is a great mystery, a great tragedy and a great joy that the relationship between God and man is the relationship between the Father and the son, the relationship of those who love each other, and not just the Creator and His creation.

And so, when the Lord and his disciples gathered at the Last Supper, He said that He had come not to be served, but to serve Himself. The disciples ask: how to serve, we do not understand?

And He gives them a sign, a ritual Jewish sign - washes their feet. Any traveler who was tired walked a long distance in the heat, over the stones, as a beloved guest was shown this sign of respect, love and reverence. As in our country, for example, we would have allowed to lean against the stove in winter and warm up.

And the Lord washes the disciples' feet, serves them, and then blesses the Passover meal - he breaks the bread and blesses the wine, saying: "This is My Body, this is My Blood." And this common meal at the table is the highest moment of unity.

Often orthodox peoplewho are fasting beyond measure and beyond reason, have a certain Manichean attitude to food - food is almost filthy, something corruptible, carnal. This is certainly not the case. Food is a blessing of God, the foundation of our life.

Another thing is that in our spoiled world food is spoiled - in the fallen world food has also fallen. And the Lord at the Last Supper restores, cleanses the process of food, corrects the ancient sin of gluttony - that disgrace when Adam and Eve ate the fruit from the tree of Eden. He says that food is holy, because the most important food, the first one on your table, is "My Body and My Blood."

As a mother who, due to biological reasons, gives mother's milk, a part of herself, the Lord gives His Body and Blood, but not because of some mechanical reason, but out of love, because He is absolutely free, He can do everything. A mother cannot give herself up to be eaten by children, even if she really wants to, but He can, and He does it.

And it turns out that sitting at the table, eating together is not an everyday routine and partying, which some Orthodox Christians are used to condemning, but a supper of love, a sacred rite. Moreover, the sacred rite is not like a set of signs that remind us of something (like, for example, the ripida, which the deacon waves, representing the action of the Holy Spirit. This image remained from the fan in the East - in the heat there were many flies, and it was necessary to fan the priest and throne with ostrich feathers during the celebration of the Liturgy), but real, simple and understandable without translation: I give you food with love.

And this attitude remains among many peoples, for example, the Georgian feast. Remember how Okudzhava sang: "I will bury the grape seed in the warm earth, and kiss the vine, and pick ripe bunches, and I will call friends, I will set my heart for love, otherwise why do I live on this eternal earth"? This is roughly an ancient archetype, not in the sense of a sign, but a living action that is still alive in us: to sit down at the table together, to break bread together.

In many nations, people, even enemies, who visited your home and with whom you broke bread, are from now on your friends, you must protect them at the cost of your life, because the sacred custom of hospitality and breaking bread is much higher than our earthly strife.

And the same thing happens on Maundy Thursday - a sacred, living rite that does not need to be explained - the Lord gives Himself.

And, of course, Maundy Thursday is the day when the sacrament of the Eucharist was established. Although we know that the Passover Seder was performed earlier for many centuries in memory of the Exodus from Egypt, it was the Son of God Himself who came into the world who revealed its true meaning, completed it to the end.

Not that this meaning was hidden - the prophets spoke of it in secret, it is constantly reminded of it in the Old Testament - but there was no one to fulfill it. Until he came, the God-Man Himself was not born, there was no one to put this last piece on top, pour the last drop of wine into the cup, pick it up, serve it and say: “This is My Body, this is My Blood, which I give you, for the remission of your sins ".

Therefore, of course, it would be good for people who come to church these days to remember this. Whether their Orthodox relatives will remind them of this by sending them to church that day, whether they will read about it in a book, or in some other way, I don’t know.

But we know one thing - for those who love God, everything advances for good, and a person who really wants to know the meaning of what happens in the church on Holy Week will always find an opportunity to find out.

Maundy Thursday is precisely the day of purity, because this is the day of brotherhood, love, this Easter meal. Even if the heart of the Savior himself is bitter, painful and a presentiment of anxiety, because He knows what will happen next, but He gives His Love.

On this day of the Easter meal, on the day of purity, Christians, as always, try to approach the Lord's Chalice with clean hands, that is, to cleanse the soul in the sacrament of confession and repentance. And the custom to clean up and wash the apartment on Maundy Thursday is not bad in general. But, washing floors, windows and sweeping away the cobwebs, it would still be good not to forget about the cobweb in our own soul.

Great is the Thursday of Holy Week, the week before Easter - the bright Sunday of Christ. Maundy Thursday 2018 falls on April 5th. Some people call this day Maundy Thursday, and here it is necessary to clarify. Maundy Thursday is the day of the week before any twelve feast day, and Maundy Thursday is the Thursday of Holy Week.

Maundy Thursday is dedicated to the memory of the Last Supper, the last meal of Jesus with his disciples, during which the Son of God gave everyone, through food, to touch God. All believers and clergymen in rituals experience this most important moment in the life of Christ and his disciples, and churches are packed to capacity with visitors. The main event for any believer - communion, that is, the most complete union of the soul with God, may not take place on Maundy Thursday, but it is on this day that it carries a special meaning and depth.

Orthodox services on Maundy Thursday

Church services are dedicated to remembering and replaying those difficult events that the Son of God once experienced on this day.

Maundy Thursday

The Liturgy celebrated on this day has its own characteristics: all believers, priests, the choir repeat a special prayer read before communion. In some, usually in large temples, the ritual of washing the feet is performed. The bishop, just as this Jesus Christ did to his disciples, washes the feet of the priests.

Also on this day, Gifts are stored in the church for the communion of the sick and the weak, that is, those who do not have the opportunity to receive communion in the church. Bread and wine (the Body and Blood of Christ) consecrated at the Liturgy are preserved in a special Tabernacle standing on the altar. From it, priests can take Gifts for communion outside the walls of the temple throughout the year.

On Maundy Thursday, the Patriarch blesses myrrh (fragrant oil of a special composition), which is necessary for the rite of anointing, through which the believer receives the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Miro is kept in a special vessel, and with each new consecration, a new portion is added to it. Then myrrh is delivered to all dioceses and parishes, which once again emphasizes the unity of the church and the community of all believers. Each person who has passed the rite of chrismation can be sure that he received the same gifts of the Holy Spirit as any other anointed one.

Maundy Thursday evening is dedicated to a long service, during which those passages from the Gospel are read that are most directly related to the events of this day. This is a sad and tragic story. It reveals the plans of the high priests, who planned to kill the Son of God. Then it tells about the evening in Bethany and the anointing of Jesus himself with the peace, about the treacherous plans of Judas, about how Jesus washed the feet of his disciples. After that, the story moves on to the Last Supper itself and those dramatic events that occurred after it: prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, the betrayal of Judas, the arrest of Jesus, the trial of the Sanhedrin, mockery, and then a conversation with Pontius Pilate, the abdication of the Apostle Peter.

The custom that has survived to this day is remarkable. During the reading, parishioners hold burning candles in their hands. It is customary to take them home burning and put them in front of home icons.

Traditions and customs on Maundy Thursday

Many rituals were performed in Russia on Great Thursday.

On this day, you should prepare the house for the holiday - it's time to do the cleaning and decoration. Cleansing concerns not only the world around, but also your own soul.

Preparing the house for the holiday

Many folk customs adopted on this day are associated with renewal. A new fire was brought from the church to replace the old one; with a candle from the evening service they lit fire in the stove and lamps. Bread baked that day, salt cooked, new fire were endowed with special magical powers that could heal and protect.

Water on Maundy Thursday is special, capable of washing away all sins. Before sunrise, you should go to the bathhouse. Our ancestors attached special meaning to ablution on this day. The water must be running; women brought it from the river on purpose. It was believed that ablution on this day is extremely useful and can bring health and strength for the next year.

On Maundy Thursday, the girls themselves went to the river and enchanted their beauty, at dawn dropping their hair into the water and uttering a special saying in which a request for girlish beauty sounded. Whether it helped or not, bathing in clean water in the morning and firmly believing that it would be beneficial could not be useless. There is another tradition - on the night from Maundy Thursday to Good Friday, put silver things in the water, and in the morning wash with this water. This will protect for the whole year ahead from the intrigues of the unclean.

On the Thursday before Easter, the hostesses must wash all the dishes, clean the house, wash and iron their clothes. On the same day, you can do the cleaning in the garden, in the garden, in the yard. After all, for the next six days, the believers are not engaged in cleaning and household chores. They believe that it is on this day that cleaning the house is able to bring gifts from the Lord. And reality confirms this. Spring cleaning helps to find many lost and forgotten, but favorite things.

On this day, it is customary to disassemble and throw away unnecessary things, wash curtains, knock out carpets and rugs, trying to let more light into the house. An interesting custom has survived to this day, connected with putting things in order in the house. The owners caught three cockroaches or other "domestic" insects and carried them out into an open field, believing that other insects would leave on their own, following the "chosen ones." On Maundy Thursday, they also decorate the house, our grandmothers hung elegant curtains, paths, beautifully embroidered towels.

On Maundy Thursday, a special Thursday salt was prepared. Ordinary salt was baked in an oven with leavened grounds, then pounded. It was believed that such salt is healing. It was stored throughout the year and was used only for salting consecrated Easter eggs and as a medicine, it was just that such salt was not used for food. There are other ways to make Thursday salt. It is fried in a frying pan, stirring continuously and while reading a prayer. If the salt is cracking, then enemies have spoiled you, continue stirring the salt and frying it until it is completely cleansed. Or this way: ask three friends or neighbors for salt and stir it. Store such salt in the best earthenware.

Easter eggs coloring

After the house is cleaned up, you can start cooking Easter cakes and painting Easter eggs. The hostess, who has put things in order, cleansed her soul and body, will receive beautiful and tasty Easter cakes.

There are also popular beliefs related to wealth in the home. If you count all the money in the house three times on Maundy Thursday, then throughout the year they will be in full abundance. Calculations should be done in the morning, at noon, and closer to the night, hiding not only from outsiders, but also from those who permanently reside in the house.

Money can also be talked about. Throw a handful of coins into the water, saying "Money, run around - do not transfer, grow, multiply, do not get the enemy!" Water will acquire special properties that attract money. Doors and windows are washed with this water. Then the coins should be removed from the water and put in the house, in some inaccessible, but clean and washed corner and kept there for a week. The water in which the coins lay is poured over the trees near the house, not missing a single one.

Around Maundy Thursday (Thursday of Holy Week - the week preceding Easter), a whole complex of beliefs and rituals was concentrated among the Eastern Slavs many centuries ago. Some of them still exist. The most famous, probably, can be considered the widespread belief in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus in the need to wash, wash and perform "general" cleaning in the house on Great ("Clean") Thursday. Many consider this tradition almost a requirement of the Orthodox Church.

In addition, in recent years, in some orthodox churches In Russia, the practice of taking home candles with which they stood at the service of the 12 Gospels on Maundy Thursday evening became widespread among parishioners. These candles are popularly called "Thursday" (there is also the name "Thursday fire"). Sometimes parishioners want to bring the candle home so that it does not go out. It is believed that at home from the "Thursday" candle you need to light an icon lamp (or even use the stub of this candle to light an icon lamp throughout the year). There is also a belief that with the smoke from the "Thursday" candle it is necessary to draw a cross over the door at home - "for protection from evil."

It should be noted right away that in the liturgical literature of the Orthodox Church, we will not find any indications of the need for such actions with a church candle. “According to Orthodox liturgical books,” writes priest Mikhail Zheltov, “the service of the 12 Gospels, performed on the evening of Great Thursday, that is, on the eve of Good Friday, is called in a very special way:“ Following the holy and saving passions of our Lord Jesus Christ ”“ ... The 12 Gospels "go back to the practice of the Church of Jerusalem of the IV and subsequent centuries to spend the night from Maundy Thursday to Friday in a vigil, which consisted of prayers, chants, readings of the Gospel stories in various places of the Holy City, associated with the Passion of the Lord, and processions from one such place to another. " "In the darkness of the night, with lamps in their hands, believers walked in the footsteps of the Lord in unceasing prayer."

Today the service of the 12 Gospels is a special service of Holy Week, which includes 12 passages from all four Gospels. These passages tell about the sufferings of the Savior, starting with His last conversation with His disciples at the Last Supper and ending with His burial and the placing of a military guard at His tomb. According to the instruction of the modern Russian Typikon, during the reading of each Gospel, all worshipers must hold lighted candles in their hands. "Carrying out" the same from the temple and the special veneration of the "Thursday fire" is one of the folk traditions associated with the Eastern Slavs on Great Thursday.

Is it obligatory to wash on Maundy Thursday?

In folk life on Holy Thursday, many inherently pagan rituals were performed, designed to ensure well-being in the family and household for the entire coming year.

Speaking about the perception of Maundy Thursday in the Russian folk tradition, V. G. Kholodnaya notes: “The idea of \u200b\u200bpurifying the spiritual and physical permeates the entire holiday, which is extremely rich in various folk customs and rituals that had a prophylactic, preventive (warning), productive and purifying nature. They are of pre-Christian origin.In terms of their number and importance, Great Thursday is sometimes compared with the Old Russian New Year, celebrated in early March ...

In the 19th century. the ritual of Maundy Thursday was to a greater extent associated with the idea of \u200b\u200bthe border separating Lent, a period of timelessness, when life manifestations were minimized, from the period of rebirth and renewal of nature, which began with Easter. A similar line in antiquity separated the old agricultural year from the new one on the eve of spring economic work. At the moment of transition from the old year to the new, the old world became unstable, collapsed, losing its usual structure, and beings from the other world penetrated into human space: ancestors and evil spirits. To confirm and re-establish the lost order, it was necessary first of all to protect oneself from evil spirits, to cleanse human space from it, thus eliminating the cause of misfortune, at the same time there was an opportunity to enlist the support of higher forces or ancestors, to acquire prosperity and well-being. "

Among the Eastern Slavs, Holy Thursday was almost universally called Clean. In many Russian provinces on this day, the hostess went to the nearest source - a river or stream - for water to wash. They had to go for water before sunrise. The woman tried not to meet anyone on the way, and if she did, she kept complete silence.

In order to increase the magical purifying properties of water, in many localities a silver (and, if they could, a gold) object was dipped into it at home: a coin, ring or earrings. All household members washed themselves with this water in order to be healthy throughout the year and not suffer from various skin diseases (boils, scabs, abscesses, etc.), and also to "live richly all year round." Washing themselves off the silver, the peasant women would say: "As silver does not deteriorate, does not rust, so would my life go well." The girls washed their faces in the hope that the Thursday water would give their face a special whiteness.

The water collected on Maundy Thursday was usually poured on the street, despite the fact that at this time of the year it was still quite cold. For small children, the water was slightly warmed up and then bathed in a hut. In the southern Russian provinces, it was customary to wash or swim in running water, in streams and rivers, in order to "wash away diseases." In the Vyatka province at dawn, baths were heated and washed, and the children were sprinkled with the water left over from the first steam.

In some places, washing on Maundy Thursday was combined with the ritual of the clicking of spring. In the Buisk district of the Kostroma province, girls at sunrise three times plunged into the water with the words: "Spring water, healthy! Give us health", - then they tumbled three times on the ground and, climbing onto the roofs, sang songs in honor of spring. In the neighboring regions the girls, having entered the river up to their waist, led a round dance and sang: "Spring, spring is red, come spring, with mercy, with great goodness!" (if there was still ice on the river, a round dance was led around the hole).

The cleansing rites of Maundy Thursday concerned not only the person himself, but also his immediate environment, primarily the house and utensils. At dawn on this day or on the eve of its mistresses, they whitewashed the stoves, washed and scrubbed floors, walls, ceilings, tables and benches, cleaned lamps near icons, steamed milk dishes, shook straw from beds, etc.

As S. V. Maksimov noted, among the people, Clean Thursday "is recognized not just as the day of Holy Week, but as some kind of special saint of God, patronizing cleanliness and neatness. On this day, according to popular belief, even" ravens bury their ravens in a puddle. " On the same basis, the women consider it their duty to wash the children, and sometimes the pigs, as well as to clean the huts. "If you wash on Clean Thursday," they say, "the whole year will be kept clean in the hut" ... In addition to general washing, peasants are trying to coincide with Maundy Thursday and the slaughter of cattle and pigs intended for the festive table and for preparation for future use.This is done on the same basis as washing the hut: God's saint Maundy Thursday saves meat from spoilage, especially if you turn to it with the next short prayer: "Maundy Thursday, from worms and from every reptile, save and have mercy for a long time."

Some actions on this day were aimed at updating individual utensils that symbolized well-being in the relevant area of \u200b\u200bthe economy. Such rituals include washing the bowl, known among the Russians of the Kursk province. On Maundy Thursday, the hostess “dressed up” the bowl: she washed it, covered it with a clean piece of rough canvas - “dezhnik”, girded it with a red belt, as if she were going to the market. The whole day the bowl was "dressed up", and in the evening they put dough for cakes - "swaddling clothes" ...

Thus, "washing on Maundy Thursday had ritual significance, and the water was endowed with special magical powers. Thanks to washing, pouring or bathing, Russian peasants strove to cleanse themselves of misfortunes and ailments, ward off diseases, acquire health and beauty." The cleaning of the hut was also of ritual importance.

In other words, the obligatory “general” cleaning on Great Thursday is not a “prescription” of the Orthodox Church, but a pagan custom in origin.

"Consecrated fire" and the magic circle

Above it was said about the rituals of Maundy Thursday associated with the water element. Many of the cleansing rites of Holy Thursday were also associated with fire, primarily in the Russian North and Siberia. In Siberia, in some places, the so-called "wooden fire" was extracted by friction, which was considered sacred. They set fire to "Bogorodishnu grass" or litter collected before dawn from an anthill and ants, and sometimes manure, and fumigated cattle with smoke in order to protect it from plague and spoilage.

Fumigation (as one of the ways to purify and drive out evil spirits) was widespread everywhere. In forest places on Maundy Thursday before sunrise, they specially went to the forest for juniper (heather), which was considered to have miraculous powers. In some places, the peasants said that it was necessary to enter the forest with the words: "The king of the forest and the queen of the forest, give me good health, fruit and family," then you must go "without washing, without praying, and observe the strictest secret so that no one At home, the brought should be scattered around the yard and barns, and only in this case no attack will befall the family and no misfortune will befall the cattle. " However, in some localities, for example, in the old Novgorod region, these measures were considered insufficient, and, for the final calm and confidence, the following had to be done: in the middle of the hut, on the floor, and all family members are jumping through this fire, stocking up on health for the whole year and fumigating from the devil, which is especially troublesome and mischievous on this day. " Livestock and farm buildings were also fumigated with juniper.

The preparation of certain substances and objects, which, according to legend, had healing powers, was timed to coincide with Holy Thursday in Russia. So, the properties of healing various diseases and protection from the evil eye were endowed with "quaternary salt". Healing power was also attributed to the remains of the bread baked for Holy Thursday; they said that the Lord Himself blessed this bread. The peasants of the Tobolsk province believed in the special miraculous power of a torch, which in the evening on Great Wednesday they took out the "first fire" from the oven, lighting a candle or lamp with it. This burnt torch was called "four-sided stub" and, according to the peasants, protected livestock from water and wood gobies. So that they would not touch the cattle, they put crosses on the hooves and foreheads of the animals, letting them graze for the first time.

On Maundy Thursday, the ancient rite of delineating the magic circle was performed in many places, associated with the establishment of an invisible border, designed to ensure the protection and well-being of the peasant family and economy. In the Vyatka province at dawn, the owner walked around the house, reading the 102nd psalm of David - "from thieves." In some localities they walked around the hut with an icon in their hands. But more often the house, yard, vegetable garden or field was “circled” three times on a stick - a stick, a broomstick, a grapple or a poker. The owner or hostess had to do it alone early in the morning, before sunrise, on an empty stomach, trying not to be seen by anyone, uttering "conspiracy words" in order to protect the household and family from misfortune and protect them from the tricks of evil spirits and sorcerers.

One of the ways to establish the magic border was the so-called "baptism" (also known on other holidays, for example, Epiphany). In the Novgorod province, in order to prevent evil spirits from entering the house, the owner drew crosses in the hut and in the barn in front of the mother with a knife according to the number of "holes" in the house and in the yard (doors, windows, stove, etc.) and sentenced three times: "In the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen!" ... These actions were supposed to protect the "holes" in the house, which were perceived as the most vulnerable places for the penetration of evil forces.

Often the object with which a ceremony similar in meaning was performed was the "Thursday" candle. In a number of provinces there was a custom on the evening of Maundy Thursday to bring a candle from the church, with which they listened to the reading of the Passion of the Lord. The fire of this "Thursday" candle was considered holy among the people. They tried to carry the "Thursday" candle to the house so that it would not go out. They believed that if the candle went out, misfortune would happen to the person, and the one who brought the light to the house intact would calmly live until next year. To protect it from the wind, the candle was sometimes surrounded by a red, yellow, or orange paper lantern. At home, they first lit a lamp from it, and then smoked crosses with it on the mat, above the front door and windows. With a burning candle in his hands, the owner walked around the house, courtyard, barn, looking into every dark corner, lighting it up. "Bypassing with a candle and baptism were designed to protect the household and family from the evil eye and evil spirits, to reinforce and redefine the boundaries of the inner space inaccessible to evil spirits, to protect it from the dangerous influences of the outside world at the moment when the border between the otherworldly and the real worlds was opening."

The "Thursday" candle was supposed to be lit on especially important occasions, for example, during summer thunderstorms and storms, in order to save the house from lightning strikes. This candle was given into the hands of the dying, placed in front of the icon during difficult childbirth. She was credited with the power to destroy the spells of sorcerers and heal fevers.

"Thursday" candle was also called "passionate" or "terrible". However, sometimes the peasants said that not every Thursday candle can be called a passionate one, and actually a passionate candle was considered the one that burned at least "on three passions."

The same as the "baptism" of candles with soot, the purpose was to smear crosses with tar on the doors of huts and barns in order to block the way for sorcerers.

"Baptism" was often combined with the conclusion of the economy in a magic circle. So, in the Vyatka province, the hostess, riding on a bath poker - "burned", went around the house, scribbling it from a tat and a dashing person. Stopping in the courtyard in front of each door and gate, on their upper lintel she drew crosses with the burnt end of the "burn".

In general, writes T. Zolotova, in folk rituals "water, fire and the cross had a universal purifying and protective meaning." Therefore, in all calendar and ritual cycles, the techniques of kindling fire, fumigation, sprinkling, bathing, and the use of a cross to scare away evil were used.

Let's return, however, to the "Thursday" candle. As S. V. Maksimov noted, “Russian people attach great importance to the so-called“ consecrated fire. ”This is the fire taken out of the church after the great sacred rites,” during which, according to popular belief, he received special strength and exceptional grace. "The importance is attached not only to the fire, but even to the candles." The superstitious veneration that surrounded the "Thursday" candle is an example of how the elements of pagan fire worship were transferred to the "consecrated" (according to the ideas of the people) in the church fire - and, accordingly, to the candles.

The properties of a magic amulet were endowed in the popular consciousness not only with the "Thursday", but also with the "Easter" candle (with which they went around the church during the procession on Easter), as well as the "Epiphany". Beliefs similar to those that surrounded the "Thursday" candle in Russia, in Greece refer to the "Easter fire", and in the Catholic countries of Europe - to the candle consecrated on the feast of the Presentation of the Lord.

So, popular ideas about "sanctified" fire and the miraculous power of candles date back to pagan times. The liturgical tradition of the Orthodox Church does not know any "consecration" of the "Thursday fire" or the rite of putting crosses with soot over the doors of a house.

St. John Chrysostom, speaking of magic techniques, warned: "If the name of the Holy Trinity is called upon in such actions, if there is an invocation of the saints, if the sign of the cross is induced, it is proper for such to flee and turn away." Also, the church authors of ancient Russia had to oppose the superstitious, magical use of the sign of the cross.

"They think of themselves as Christians, but they do nasty things ..."

Typical of the East Slavic folk rituals of Maundy Thursday, the desire to protect themselves from evil forces in all possible ways is due to the fact that, as mentioned above, pagan ideas about the "borderline" period, the time of the invasion of beings from the other world: dead ancestors and evil spirits, were concentrated around this day. It was believed that on the night of Maundy Thursday, sorcerers and witches "have the most important dates with evil spirits ... And there is no day in the year most convenient for those who wish to see evil spirits and learn their future from it." Vologda residents said that at night you need to come to the forest, take off your pectoral cross, bury it in the ground and then say: "Lord of the forest, I have a request for you," and the goblin will not hesitate to appear to reveal all the secrets and tell about future.

Before the adoption of Christianity, the Eastern Slavs had a special Naviy day, the day of commemoration of the dead. With the spread of the Christian faith, it was timed among the people for the Thursday of Holy Week. This is where the Ukrainian name for Great Thursday comes from: Navskiy Velikday (or Mavskiy Velikday, Deadly Velikday), and the Belarusian Naski Vyalikdzen, that is, "Easter of the dead".

In the literature of ancient Russia, we find information about the so-called "movi navyam" - a ritual performed in honor of the ancestors in the early morning of Great Thursday. The fact is that it was customary to heat the bathhouse (mov or movnitsa) not only for the living, but also for the dead - "parents". An ancient Russian author wrote about the superstitions of his time: "They think of themselves as Christians, but they do pagan [pagan] deeds and pour ashes in the middle of the dish. They leave dead meat, milk, butter, eggs and everything necessary for demons on the stove. They hang the movnits. After washing themselves, they kiss the cert [here: oven] and bow ", after which they leave the bathhouse. Ashes were poured on the floor to see the trail left by those who washed. Another ancient Russian teaching says: "The demons laugh at their evil [who heated the bath] and, entering, wash and float [that is, roll around] in that ashes. Like chickens show their traces on the ashes to deceive them. And they wipe themselves with covers and cloths. And those who drowned the dish come and look for a trace on the ashes. And when they see a trace on the ashes, they say: "They came to us to wash ourselves."

The products intended for the dead were eaten by the owners themselves at Easter, believing that the dead who had stayed had already tasted the offerings. The purpose of such food sacrifices was to appease the deceased ancestors, to enlist their protection.

The Stoglavy Sobor (1551) condemned those who, on the morning of Maundy Thursday, invited their dead ancestors: “But on Great Thursday, they burn straw and call the dead; On the week of Thursday after Velitsa, the days [Easter] are kept there and that salt is given for healing by people and cattle. And that is the answer. The commandments on Great Thursday would not burn straw and call the dead, and the priests would not put salt under the throne on Great Thursday and they would not have kept days until Thursday, Velitsa, for this is still the Hellenic charm and heretical blasphemy. And who the priest will do that, and that to be according to the sacred rule in excommunication and in the final eruption. "

The custom of leaving a bucket of water and a broom in the bathhouse for the "parents" or for the "owner" (bathhouse) existed in Russia until the end of the 19th century. As an example of the remnants of pagan ideas about the dead, one can also cite the belief among Ukrainian peasants that on Maundy Thursday, "the dead rise from their graves and gather in church at the sound of a bell that strikes only once. Having gathered together, they stand in front of the temple. A priest comes out from among them and loudly pronounces some kind of prayer, at the end of which the doors of the church open by themselves.After that, the dead enter the church and the cathedral of priests begins to celebrate the Liturgy ... ... The priest says a prayer, after which the doors of the church close by themselves and the dead return to the cemetery. "

As I. P. Kalinsky wrote, in folk beliefs and customs, dated to Maundy Thursday, “the ancient pagan concept of our ancestors about the healing power of fire and water and the effect of these elements on human health is clearly breaking through, especially in view of the coming spring, which is considered a time excitement and revitalization of all the forces of nature.

It is not in vain that Stoglav strongly rebelled against these rituals and called them "the delusion and blasphemy of hereticalism."

Today, Archpriest Maksim Kozlov, speaking about superstitions, "which in the popular consciousness accompany the church tradition, but have nothing to do with it," notes, in particular, the idea that "Maundy or Maundy Thursday is the day when wash everything ", clean the house, etc. “Neither this nor in the following days does the church tradition imply concentration on everyday life, but it warns us directly against overestimating everyday preparations,” says Fr. Maxim . "The most important thing in Holy Week is Christ," recalls Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeyev). "In general, Christ is the most important thing in the life of the Church, in the spiritual life of a Christian. Unfortunately, this is often forgotten."

Taking into account the above, it also becomes clear why Bishop Sergiy (Sokolov) of Novosibirsk, when asked whether he would take the "Thursday fire" for himself, answered: "I am not a fire-worshiper."

Notes:

Zheltov M.S., priest. Composition of the 12 Gospel service (Matins of Good Friday)

Http://www.bogoslov.ru/text/398799.html

Valentina Zander. Christ is New Easter. Explanation of the services of Holy Week and Easter.

Http://azbyka.ru/tserkov/o_postah/strastnaya_sedmitsa/zander_obyasnenie_sluzhb-all.shtml

See: M. S. Zheltov, priest. Composition of the service of the 12 Gospels (Matins of Good Friday).

Http://www.bogoslov.ru/text/398799.html; he is.

General composition of the services of Holy Week. http://www.bogoslov.ru/text/397608.html;

Good Friday. http://www.pravenc.ru/text/150067.html;

Archpriest Seraphim Slobodskoy. God's law for families and schools. M., 1991 [Reprint]. P. 682; Typicon. http://www.holytrinitymission.org/books/russian/typokon_r.htm;

On the Divine Service of Holy Week. Handbook of the clergyman.

Http://azbyka.ru/tserkov/bogosluzheniya/liturgika/nastolnaya_kniga_svyaschennosluzhitelya_23-all.shtml#33d.

The Russian Orthodox authors of the XIX-XX centuries. there are attempts to give a symbolic interpretation of the tradition of lighting candles while reading the passionate Gospels. Thus, Archpriest G. S. Debolsky wrote: “Every reading of the Gospel is proclaimed with the gospel, and at every reading those who are standing light up lamps: this signifies The Lord, going into voluntary suffering and death, Himself foretold: now the Son of Man is glorified, and God is glorified in Him.If God is glorified in Him, then God will glorify Him in Himself, and will soon glorify Him (John 13, 31-32), that is, "together with the cross," says John Chrysostom. The sufferings of the Lord for our sins were, as grievous, just as glorious for the Lord ... "(Great Friday of Passion Week of Great Lent. Http: // www .pravoslavie.ru / put / 1701.htm). The reading of the passionate Gospels is listened to with lighted candles, according to S.V. Bulgakov, "as a sign of fiery love for the suffering Lord and like the Gospel virgins who went down to meet their Bridegroom with firm faith that He will not leave them sires (orphans), but" will go forth from the coffin to the holy ones "" (S.V. Bulgakov. Handbook for clergy. Lenten Triode. http://www.holytrinitymission.org/books/russian/triodion_bulgakov.htm). The most famous is the interpretation of Archpriest Seraphim Slobodsky: "During the reading of the Gospel, believers stand with lighted candles, showing on the one hand that the glory and greatness did not leave the Lord during His suffering, and on the other hand, ardent love for their Savior." (Archpriest Seraphim Slobodskoy. The Law of God for the Family and School. M., 1991 [Reprint]. P. 682).

Tatiana Agapkina. Easter Holidays // Homeland. 1996. No. 4. P. 75

S. V. Maksimov. Unclean, unknown and cross power. M .: TERRA, 1996.S. 209

V.G. Cold. Maundy Thursday (Maundy Thursday).

Http://www.ethnomuseum.ru/section62/2092/2089/4087.htm

V.G. Cold. Maundy Thursday (Maundy Thursday). http://www.ethnomuseum.ru/section62/2092/2089/4087.htm; Tatiana Agapkina. Easter Holidays // Homeland. 1996. No. 4. P. 75

V.G. Cold. Maundy Thursday (Maundy Thursday). http://www.ethnomuseum.ru/section62/2092/2089/4087.htm; Tatiana Agapkina. Easter Holidays // Homeland. 1996. No. 4. P. 75. For more details on "Thursday" salt, see: What is "Thursday salt"? http://halkidon2006.orthodoxy.ru/Bogoslovie_10/01127_Chto_takoe_chetvergovaya_sol.htm

V.G. Cold. Maundy Thursday (Maundy Thursday) .http: //www.ethnomuseum.ru/section62/2092/2089/4087.htm;

Tatiana Agapkina. Easter Holidays // Homeland. 1996. No. 4. P. 76

It was otherwise called "four-pronged", "passionate" candle, "evangelical fire"

V.G. Cold. Thursday candle. http://www.ethnomuseum.ru/section62/2092/2089/4096.htm

I. P. Kalinsky. Church and People's Months in Russia. http://fb2lib.net.ru/read_online/124489; V.G. Cold. Maundy Thursday (Maundy Thursday). http://www.ethnomuseum.ru/section62/2092/2089/4087.htm; Tatiana Agapkina. Easter Holidays // Homeland. 1996. No. 4. P. 75; S. V. Maksimov. Unclean, unknown and cross power. M .: TERRA, 1996.S. 116

V.G. Cold. Maundy Thursday (Maundy Thursday). http://www.ethnomuseum.ru/section62/2092/2089/4087.htm

Tatiana Zolotova. Begone, evil spirits! .. How did Siberian old-timers defend themselves against "evil forces" // Rodina. 2003. No. 2, p. 76

S. V. Maksimov. Unclean, unknown and cross power. M .: TERRA, 1996, p. 115

See: Olga Bogdanova. The radiance of Greek Easter. http://www.taday.ru/text/367302.html

See: "Sretensky" candles and the rite of their consecration. http://halkidon2006.orthodoxy.ru/Hram_i_bogosluzhenie/01128_Sretenskie_svechi.htm

Cit. Quoted from: Archpriest Alexander Novopashin, Valery Melnikov. Answers of the Holy Fathers of the Church to the questions of the laity. http://azbyka.ru/vopros/svyatye_otcy_otvety_09-all.shtml.

See also Matthew Vlastar. Alphabetic Syntagma. About sorcerers.

Http://www.agioskanon.ru/sintagma/012.htm#m1.

See: B.A. Rybakov House in the system of a pagan worldview.

Http://www.i-u.ru/biblio/archive/ribakov_jas3/00.aspx

S. V. Maksimov. Unclean, unknown and cross power. M .: TERRA, 1996.S. 208

V. [V.] I [vanov], V. [N.] T [support]. Nav // Myths of the peoples of the world. Encyclopedia: in 2 volumes. M .: NI "Great Russian Encyclopedia", 1997. T. 2, p. 195

Elena Gruznova. A place where everyone is equal. Socio-cultural phenomenon of the Russian bath // Rodina. No. 9. 1995. P. 102

Stoglav. http://www.kopajglubze.boom.ru/stoglav/stoglav_text.html

V.G. Cold. Maundy Thursday (Maundy Thursday). http://www.ethnomuseum.ru/section62/2092/2089/4087.htm

A. Balov. Bell ringing in folk beliefs // Picturesque Russia, 1903. No. 142. P. 446. Quoted. Quoted from: Encyclopedia of Superstitions. M .: Myth, Lokid, 1995. S. 262. See also: Demonology. http://rus.ridna-ukraina.com.ua/demon

I. P. Kalinsky. Church and People's Months in Russia. http://fb2lib.net.ru/read_online/124489

A press conference on "How to properly prepare and spend Easter" was held in Moscow. http://www.patriarchia.ru/db/text/1126687.html

Bishop Hilarion (Alfeyev): Christ teaches us to live in peace and preach His resurrection to the world. http://www.pravmir.ru/article_2857.html

Prot. Nikolai Afanasyev on the origin of the deacon ministry.

Http://deacon.ru/forum/viewtopic.php?f\u003d8&t\u003d843&sid\u003d929cb7ff255babb21ca2d26fe6dcfca2&start\u003d30

Maundy Thursday in Orthodoxy is the fourth day of Passion Week before the celebration of Easter (the Bright Resurrection of the Savior). In 2019, the date for this church event will be April 25th.

What is Maundy Thursday for Orthodox

Maundy Thursday is generally considered a passing Christian custom. This day is dedicated to the Last Supper, where the last meal of Christ took place with the disciples. Here the Son of God personally gave the consecrated bread and wine to the apostles, allowing them to touch the Creator.

Last supper

Divine services are held within the church walls with chants and the reading of the Holy Scriptures. On this day, believers take a mental part in biblical events, approaching the knowledge of God.

On other days of Holy Week:

Believers who are in a special mood of spirit and who have come to church services, as well as clergymen, are experiencing this grandiose moment in the life of the Savior. On Maundy Thursday, there is a large increase in Christian ascetics in the walls of churches.

Important! The Sacrament of the Sacrament is one of the main events in the life of a religious ascetic. It is the moment of union of the individual soul and God. On Maundy Thursday, the ritual of communion has the deepest benefits for a person.

Maundy Thursday prayers

The liturgy differs in some peculiarities: both parishioners and priests sing a specific prayer before communion. In large churches, the ritual of washing the feet is performed, where the bishop, imitating the activities of Christ, washes the feet of church officials.

On a note! At the Last Supper, a significant event took place, which is called the rite of the Eucharist. The term translated means "good" or "respect". The ritual consists in the consecration of pieces of bread and vessels with wine with a special prayer. By eating such divine food, Orthodox believers get the opportunity to join the Body of the Lord and find a better life.

Continuation of services

The Liturgy, named in honor of St. Basil the Great, is combined on Maundy Thursday with Vespers, so the ancient custom allowed it to be read only in the afternoon. This divine ministry is the "guide" of those present in the main theme, and the stichera "Lord, I cry" condemn the fall of Judas. One text draws a parallel between the betrayer of Christ and the envious Israelites who began to blaspheme the Lord as they crossed the desert.

Further, the clergy read three paremias: about the dialogue between the people of Israel and God; about the conversation between the Creator and Job; about prophecies, repeating the passion of Christ. These sections bring the audience in a significant way to the theme of the Last Supper.

• In the Exodus, Christians note that God's people were already facing in fear of the decision of the Most High Creator. On Maundy Thursday, He Himself descended and distributed the Body and Blood to His beloved disciples.
• The text about Job says that God personally appeared to him. All doubts of this righteous man were dispelled after he heeded the words of Heavenly Father.
• The third paremia is the prophecy of Isaiah, including details of the suffering on the cross. The power of the Messiah lies in the fact that He always loved even enemies and did not respond to mockery and humiliation.
• After that, they read the Gospel, where they choose plots that include the background and consequences of the Last Supper. During the dismissal of the liturgy, the prayer behind the ambo is read and the ritual of washing the feet is performed. Simultaneously with the act, the Gospel of John is sung.

Foot washing rite

Permissions and prohibitions