I sprinkle ashes on my head the meaning of expression. What does it mean to sprinkle ashes on your head - the meaning of the word to sprinkle ashes on your head

As you know, some stable phrases contain information about various folk traditions that have been or are doing to this day. These include the expression "sprinkle ashes on the head." In this article, we will consider what it means, how it appeared, where, when and why it is used in speech and whether it is possible to pick up synonymous phrases for it.

"Sprinkle ashes on your head": the meaning of a phraseological unit

The interpretation of the expression is to grieve strongly because of the misfortune that has happened, the loss of something valuable. This is what it means to "sprinkle ashes on the head." This expression conveys deep grief at loss, trouble. For example, if there was some great grief, be it the death of a loved one or other major loss.

Literally fixed expressions should not be taken. To understand their meaning, it is necessary to consider the etymology of the phrase. With its help, the expression takes on meaning and becomes clear.

The history of the origin of this phraseological unit

To find out where this stable phrase came from in our speech, it is necessary to open the Bible. In it we learn about the unusual tradition of the Jews, which they committed at the death or other great misfortune of their loved ones, as well as during their own troubles. At such moments, they poured ash or earth on their heads. Such a ritual showed their grief and despair. It was iconic and had a deep meaning.

Now, after getting acquainted with the etymology of the expression "sprinkle ashes on the head," the meaning of the phraseological unit seems to us quite clear and explainable.

Synonyms for a stable phrase

The phraseological unit we are considering can be replaced with various verbs and expressions. For example, use the following words and combinations instead: grieve, grieve, yearn, become despondent. Or it can be replaced with another stable expression: "to tear your clothes on." Its meaning is the same as the phrase "sprinkle ashes on the head." The meaning of the phraseological unit also expresses the extreme degree of despair and grief. Moreover, its origin is also associated with folk tradition. Only it no longer belongs to the Jews, but to the ancient Greeks and Slavs. Some other peoples also borrowed it. As a sign of grief, they tore their clothes off.

Oddly enough, but such an archaic tradition is still observed by some peoples. It is also worth noting that they tore not only clothes, but also hair. This expressed complete despair. It is no coincidence that there is such an expression as “pulling your hair out”. It is also a synonymous phraseological unit for the phrase we are considering.

Using an expression

It is unlikely that in modern colloquial speech we can hear the phrase "sprinkle ashes on the head." The meaning of the phraseological unit, even if it is known to someone, few will dare to use such a phrase. It can beautify their speech and can just as well embarrass the other person. Rather, this phraseological unit should be used in the media and fiction.

Journalists and writers love to incorporate various stable phrases into their works. In this way, they bring their work to life, make the language brighter and the descriptions more profound. As an example, we can cite an excerpt from the novel "Get Up and Go" by the writer Yuri Nagibin. "And the fact that after my father's arrest I was deprived of my Sunday ruble was more a ritual gesture, like sprinkling ashes on the head, than a necessity." As we can see, the writer used the expression we are considering in his story. Thus, he was able to show the readers that the gesture was ritual, that is, although it was not justified, it was obligatory, like the tradition to sprinkle ashes on the head, like the ancient Jews.

Conclusion

Having considered this expression, we learned its meaning, history of origin, selected synonyms for it and found out the scope of its application.

Ash Wednesday

Value Celebrated Date In 2017 Traditions Associated With

Ash Wednesday

Dusting ash on the head. (Y. Falat. "Ash Wednesday" 1881.)

first day of Lent

western Christians

Ash Wednesday [d]

sprinkling the heads of believers with consecrated ashes

the beginning of Lent

Ash Wednesday at Wikimedia Commons

Drawing on the forehead by ashes of the sign of the cross Karl Spitzweg. "Ash Wednesday"

Ash Wednesday (lat. Dies Cinerum) - the day of the beginning of Lent in the Latin rite of the Catholic, Anglican and some Lutheran churches. Celebrated 46 calendar days (1.5 months) before Easter. In Catholicism, a strict fast is prescribed on this day. In Orthodoxy, it corresponds to Clean Monday.

Value

The Gospel reading of this day is a fragment from the Sermon on the Mount from alms and fasting (Matt. 6: 1-6, Matt. 6: 16-18). The liturgical color is violet.

At the Catholic masses of this day, a special rite of sprinkling the heads of believers with consecrated ashes is held (sometimes, instead of sprinkling ashes on the head, the sign of the cross is applied to the forehead with ashes). This rite marks the contrition and repentance required of Christians during fasting. During the ceremony, the priest says to each believer, “Repent and believe in the Gospel” (Mark 1:14), or “Dust you and to dust you will return” (Gen. 3:19). Ashes, according to tradition, are obtained from the burning of branches that have been preserved from the last Palm (Palm) Sunday.

Ash Wednesday is preceded by the so-called Fat Tuesday, which is the last day of the carnival period, the time of festivities and entertainment before Lent (Mardi Gras).

This custom has an ancient biblical origin - in the Old Testament, sprinkling ashes on the head was a symbol of repentance and humility.

Story

Ash Wednesday is the beginning of Lent, which came into use only in the 4th century. Initially, fasting was 40 days, but then in the 8th century a few more days were added to it, so that it began on Wednesday. Although there is evidence of earlier sporadic practice, sometimes Ash Wednesday traditions are associated with Gregory the Great. However, the very practice of sprinkling ashes on the head appeared much later, in the 10th century. Elfric of Ebingdon, Archbishop of Canterbury, 995-1005, wrote:

We read in the books of both the Old and New Testaments that people who repented of their sins sprinkled ashes on themselves and clothed their bodies in rags. Let us do this little at the beginning of our Lent, sprinkle ashes on our heads in commemoration of the fact that we should bring repentance for our sins during Great Lent.

Slavic traditions

For more on this topic, see Ash Wednesday in the Slavic Tradition.

Ash Wednesday in the popular mind was the border separating the meat-and-mouth merry celebrations and dressing up and a strict long fast. In the folk tradition, Myasopust ended: despite the church prescriptions, the Slavic Catholics often continued meat-eating games and entertainment on this day.

Dates

Days on which Ash Wednesday falls in the coming years:

• 2014 - March 5
• 2015 - February 18
• 2016 - February 10
• 2017 - March 1
• 2018 - February 14
• 2019 - March 6
• 2020 - February 26
• 2021 - February 17
• 2022 - March 2
• 2023 - February 22

Where is the vulgar expression "sprinkle ashes on my head"? And what does it mean?

From the Bible. Found in many places in the Old Testament (Pentateuch, Book of Job, Book of Esther, etc.). Everywhere refers to the ancient custom of the Jews to sprinkle ashes or earth on their heads, mourning the misfortune of their own or their loved ones. Thus, in the Book of Esther (ch. 4, v. 1) it is said that a certain man named Mordecai, upon learning that King Artaxerxes issued a decree on the extermination of all the Jews, “tore his clothes and put on himself sackcloth and ashes ; and went out into the middle of the city, and cried out with a great and bitter cry ... "
"Sackcloth" in translation from the Old Slavonic language means "rags" and "old, shabby clothes".
Queen Esther does the same, having learned about this news (Book of Esther, ch. 4, v. 17): “And Queen Esther ran to the Lord, seized with mortal grief, and, taking off her clothes of glory, put on the garments of sorrow and lamentation, and, instead of valuable overalls, she sprinkled ashes and dust on her head ... "
It is used as an allegory for extreme grief, sadness or disappointment, for regretting their wrong actions.
An analogue of another well-known expression is “pulling your hair out”.

Antalya

This is the story of the Bible about the righteous man Job. All that he had was taken away from this man of God, they wanted to test him for his loyalty to God. When Job lost all his wealth, 10 children, friends, health, he sat down on the ground crying and sprinkled ashes on his head ...
But Job in this situation did not anger God, did not complain, did not take offense. He got 10 times more than he lost

Can anyone explain IN YOUR OWN WORDS what does the expression "sprinkle ashes on your head" mean? Thank you in advance!

Tamara kolykhanova

Repent. Repent of what you have done.
When Christians repent, they sprinkle ashes on their heads (they equal themselves to the ground, below the plinth, they say, me!), Put on rags (coarse, unattractive clothing that scratches skin to the point of blood - for the same purpose.).

User deleted

It depends on whose head you sprinkle ashes :-)))
In general, it seems that the widows sprinkled ashes from the funeral pyre on their heads - the highest expression of grief, it is also good to tear off one's clothes.
But for men, this resulted in tearing a shirt on their chest, and they usually sprinkle ashes on someone else's head to explain how correctly you should grieve for him.

User deleted

Sprinkle ashes on my head
From the Bible. It is found in many places of the Old Testament (Pentateuch, Book of Job, Book of Esther, etc.) Everywhere refers to the ancient custom of Jews to sprinkle ashes or earth on their heads, mourning the misfortune of their own or their loved ones. Thus, in the Book of Esther (ch. 4, verse 1) it is said that a certain man named Mordecai, upon learning that King Artaxerxes issued a decree on the destruction of all the Jews, “tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the middle of the city and cried out with a great and bitter cry ... "
"Sackcloth" in translation from the Old Slavonic language means "rags" and "old, shabby clothes".
Queen Esther does the same, having learned about this news (Book of Esther, ch. 4, verse 17): "And the queen Esther ran to the Lord, seized by mortal grief, and, taking off the clothes of her glory, put on the garment of sorrow and lamentation, and , instead of valuable overalls, she sprinkled ashes and ashes on her head ... "Used as an allegory for extreme grief, sadness or disappointment, for regret about their wrong actions.
An analogue of another well-known expression is "to pull your hair".

This article will talk about the expression that each of us had to listen to: "sprinkle ashes on our heads." What does it mean and where did this expression come to us, the meaning of which is so deep and ambiguous, and will not leave any person indifferent?

As they say, a person can turn gray in one night, and ashes in the hair on his head symbolize seal and sorrow. This is repentance and acceptance of all torment on your shoulders.

History of origin

It was customary to sprinkle ashes on heads in ancient times among representatives of the Jewish nationality. Moreover, the described action can be found in the Bible. The book of Esther tells about Mordecai, who, as a sign of grief and despair from the grief that overtook him, sprinkled ashes on his head when he learned about the death of the Jewish people, who had been massacred by order of King Artaxerxes.

In ancient times, the Jewish people had such a custom: to sprinkle earth or ashes on their heads in connection with the death of relatives and friends. It was customary on the day of the funeral or at the moment of receiving terrible news to violently show their feelings: to scream loudly, cry. Perhaps the feeling of guilt absorbs the person who suffered the loss, so sprinkling ashes on the head was regarded as the last "sorry". The reluctance to part with a loved one and a loved one, leaving for the damp earth, looked like a ritual of a possible connection with the deceased.

Value

To sprinkle ashes on your head is in other words: grieve, grieve, cry loudly about the death of a loved one, the loss of which causes two strong emotions that act alternately, in waves: sadness and grief. Grief splashes out violently, it protests, revolts against the loss, demands to return everything to normal, and sadness - a feeling of humility and awareness of the grief that has overtaken. Sadness is passive, it keeps a person captive for a long time, grief is like a wave hitting a stone rock with incredible force, which immediately releases its prey, but completely deprives it of self-control.

The meaning of the expression "sprinkle ashes on the head" is similar to the feeling of sadness. It is possible to survive this difficult period only in the presence of those people who together are able to share the bitterness of loss. The meaning of this sad event becomes deep and significant if you tell other people about it, see their reaction to what happened. Interpreting the meaning of “sprinkling ashes on the head” can be extremely important, it is like a signal that a person “normally, and most importantly, correctly” reacts to grief. Anxiety should not be caused by crying and tears, but by the absence of those, which indicates a lack of awareness of the fact of the loss of a loved one, which can lead to psychological problems in the future.

Today is

Currently, it is not customary to violently or openly express their emotions about the loss of a loved one. It seems inappropriate for us to act as our ancestors did: to tear off our clothes or sprinkle ashes on our heads. What people have not come up with, what have not been invented! But no one will give clear instructions on how to cope with grief, what to do, what to do? As they say: life goes on and cannot be stopped, the sun rises in the same way, children are born, young people laugh. A sense of humility, repentance take possession of the soul.

It is worth mentioning that, although an expression of this kind is used in a colloquial form, its semantic meaning is distorted in comparison with ancient times. When they say “sprinkle ashes on the head,” they can mean that a person takes on a deliberately unhappy look, flaunts his grief, as one of the options in order to pity.

Conclusion

In conclusion, summing up what has been said, I would like to note that a person's life consists of ups and downs, happiness and grief, loss and gain. Experiencing difficult times in life, people have learned to convey in a few words that abyss of grief that everyone living on Earth will have to experience at least once in their lives. No one will be able to alleviate this feeling, but it is worth knowing that suffering for a deceased loved one is a process of acceptance and awareness.

As you know, some stable phrases contain information about various folk traditions that have been or are doing to this day. These include the expression "sprinkle ashes on the head." In this article, we will consider what it means, how it appeared, where, when and why it is used in speech and whether it is possible to pick up synonymous phrases for it.

"Sprinkle ashes on your head": the meaning of a phraseological unit

The interpretation of the expression is to grieve strongly because of the misfortune that has happened, the loss of something valuable. This is what it means to "sprinkle ashes on the head." This expression conveys deep grief at loss, trouble. For example, if there was some great grief, be it the death of a loved one or other major loss.

Literally not worth taking. To understand their meaning, it is necessary to consider the etymology of the phrase. With its help, the expression takes on meaning and becomes clear.

The history of the origin of this phraseological unit

To find out where this stable phrase came from in our speech, it is necessary to open the Bible. In it we learn about the unusual tradition of the Jews, which they committed at the death or other great misfortune of their loved ones, as well as during their own troubles. At such moments, they poured ash or earth on their heads. Such a ritual showed their grief and despair. It was iconic and had a deep meaning.

Now, after getting acquainted with the etymology of the expression "sprinkle ashes on the head," the meaning of the phraseological unit seems to us quite clear and explainable.

Synonyms for a stable phrase

The phraseological unit we are considering can be replaced with various verbs and expressions. For example, use the following words and combinations instead: grieve, grieve, yearn, become despondent. Or it can be replaced with another stable expression: "to tear your clothes on." Its meaning is the same as the phrase "sprinkle ashes on the head." The meaning of the phraseological unit also expresses the extreme degree of despair and grief. Moreover, its origin is also associated with folk tradition. Only it no longer belongs to the Jews, but to the ancient Greeks and Slavs. Some other peoples also borrowed it. As a sign of grief, they tore their clothes off.

Oddly enough, but such an archaic tradition is still observed by some peoples. It is also worth noting that they tore not only clothes, but also hair. This expressed complete despair. It is no coincidence that there is such an expression as “pulling your hair out”. It is also a synonymous phraseological unit for the phrase we are considering.

Using an expression

It is unlikely that in modern colloquial speech we can hear the phrase "sprinkle ashes on the head." The meaning of the phraseological unit, even if it is known to someone, few will dare to use such a phrase. It can beautify their speech and can just as well embarrass the other person. Rather, this phraseological unit should be used in the media and fiction.

Journalists and writers love to incorporate various stable phrases into their works. In this way, they bring their work to life, make the language brighter and the descriptions more profound. As an example, we can cite an excerpt from the novel "Get Up and Go" by the writer Yuri Nagibin. "And the fact that after my father's arrest I was deprived of my Sunday ruble was more a ritual gesture, like sprinkling ashes on the head, than a necessity." As we can see, the writer used the expression we are considering in his story. Thus, he was able to show the readers that the gesture was ritual, that is, although it was not justified, it was obligatory, like the tradition to sprinkle ashes on the head, like the ancient Jews.

Conclusion

Having considered this expression, we learned its meaning, history of origin, selected synonyms for it and found out the scope of its application.

Sprinkle ashes on the head (book) - indulge in extreme grief, mourning on the occasion of a disaster, the loss of something valuable, sacred (from the Hebrew rite, symbolizing folk mourning, mentioned in the Bible). "I sprinkled ashes on the head, from the cities I fled a beggar." Lermontov... (Explanatory Dictionary (1935 - 1940), "Ashes")

Sprinkle the head with ashes - about the expression of extreme grief; (outdated and ironic). (Explanatory Dictionary of the Russian Language (1992), N. Yu. Shvedova, "Ashes")

An expression from the Bible, which describes the custom of the Jews to sprinkle ashes or earth on their heads during mourning or some kind of misfortune. This custom was typical of other peoples of the South and East.

The expression is often found in the Old Testament (Pentateuch, Book of Job, Book of Esther, etc.). For example, the Book of Esther (ch. 4, v. I) tells how Mordecai, having learned that King Artaxerxes issued a decree on the extermination of all Jews, “tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and ashes; and went out into the middle of the city, and cried out with a great and bitter cry ... ".

Queen Esther did the same (Book of Esther, ch. 4, v. 17):

“And the queen Esther ran to the Lord, engulfed in mortal grief, and stripping off the garments of her glory, put on garments of sorrow and mourning, and instead of costly garments, she sprinkled ashes and ashes on her head...»

Examples of

"And when he saw his son lying, he fell to the ground and sprinkled ashes on my headm and beat himself in the face and pulled out his beard. "

"He uttered a cry, from which his spirit parted from his body, and the slaves cried out:" Alas, our master! "- and sprinkled earth on their heads and wept even more. "

"They put on their worst clothes then, sprinkled ashes on heads - and, gathering in crowds in the squares, shed tears, bitterly murmured at the muse that had left them. "