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Feast of the Ascension of the Lord signs rituals. How to celebrate the ascension of the Lord

On the 40th day after Easter, the Orthodox Church celebrates one of the main 12 holidays of the year (twelfth holidays - UNIAN.) - the Ascension of the Lord.

The full name of the holiday is the Ascension of the Lord God and our Savior Jesus Christ.

history of the holiday

The Ascension of the Lord is the day when Christ ascended into heaven and sat down "to the right of the Father." After his resurrection, he appeared to his disciples, talked to them and taught them, ordered them to wait for the coming of the Holy Spirit. He ascended with his disciples to the Mount of Olives, where he blessed them for the last time and ascended to heaven.

Ascension date 2018

Traditions, signs and divination:

According to the Slavic folk tradition, from this day spring ends and the transition to summer begins, so you can no longer be afraid of cold snaps.

It is believed that if on Ascension good weather, then it will last until November 21, Michaelmas Day. A rainy day, according to signs, portends crop failure and disease in livestock.

If you swim on the Ascension in the river, your health will be strong.

If a chicken laid an egg that day, it must be hung under the roof of the house so that it protects the residents from misfortune.

Hearing the cawing of a crow on this day is a good sign.

On this day, they washed themselves with dew: it was believed that on the Ascension of the Lord it becomes healing.

It is customary to pray for well-being and health: on this day, before ascending to heaven, the Lord, as is commonly believed, listens to all the requests of people and fulfills them.

Also on this holiday, you should ask for forgiveness from everyone with whom you are in a quarrel.

On Ascension, there is a custom to "walk at the crossroads" - to visit relatives and friends and give them "ladders" baked from wheat dough with honey and with sugar patterns, symbolizing the path to heaven.

On Ascension, it is customary to set the table and prepare symbolic pastries - bread in the form of a "ladder" / photo angelvalentina.livejournal.com

To find out the fate of a sick person, birch branches were woven on Ascension, several of which were braided. It is believed that if the branches do not wither 10 days before the Trinity, then the mysterious person will recover. In the same way, the girls guessed at the future marriage.

If for 40 days (from Easter to Ascension) you help the destitute and feed the poor, the year will be successful in every way.

What not to do on Ascension:

swear, swear;

Engage in gluttony and have fun;

Taking out the trash;

Spit on the ground (Jesus on a holiday continues his earthly journey along the roads);

Refuse strangers;

Have sex;

On this day, the dead are not buried;

Do hard work around the house (it is believed that this distracts from thinking about the Lord);

You can not say the words "Christ is Risen", because on this day the shroud is taken out of the temples.

All true believers know that on the fortieth day (or on the sixth Thursday) after the main Christian celebration - the Resurrection of Christ, one of the great twelfth holidays - the Ascension of the Lord - is established. It was on this day that Jesus ascended from the Mount of Olives to heaven in the presence of his apostles and the Most Holy Theotokos.

It is quite natural that such an event, significant for all Orthodox Christians, has long been surrounded by various rituals, signs and traditions.

Folk customs on the Ascension of the Lord

As with any holiday that has been celebrated for several centuries, on Ascension, in addition to attending a church service, it is customary to observe all sorts of rituals and prohibitions.

On this holiday, many traditionally visit the cemetery, visiting the graves of loved ones and deceased relatives. After all, this is the last of the forty days after Easter, when the doors of hell and paradise remain open, which allows the souls of the righteous and sinners to meet, and the latter to rest from constant torment.
In the Ascension, it was customary to bake special pancakes called "onuchki" or "Christ's bast shoes". It was believed that this flour product is a symbolic "staff on the path" for Jesus Christ.
Another special meal was also prepared - “ladders” made of rye or wheat flour, which necessarily consisted of seven crossbars, symbolizing the seven heavenly levels of the Apocalypse.
Among the traditional holiday pastries, a special place was occupied by pies with an indispensable green onion filling and decoration in the form of a ladder. After all, it was by this time that the first spring greenery finally appeared in abundance.
It was considered obligatory to visit close relatives on this day, bringing traditional pastries as a gift. In the people, the custom was called "walking at the crossroads."
Another unshakable tradition was associated with alms to the poor and homeless. It was considered a serious sin to refuse them alms not only on Ascension Day, but throughout the entire post-Easter period.
Few holidays in Rus' were complete without festivities, and therefore the spring celebration was also never complete without games and round dances. Guys and girls after the church service went outside the outskirts or onto the square. All day long, until dark, songs and laughter sounded in cities and villages, fun sparkled.
In the Ascension of the Lord, it was considered a sin to engage in any kind of work. The hostesses did not wash their clothes and did not wash the floors, even urgent gardening worries were postponed until the next day.

Rituals established in connection with the holiday

Ascension Day was one of the signals to start summer season. At this time, the first greenery was already breaking through with might and main, migratory birds flew in, trees dressed in young foliage, and summer loudly declared its rights with hot sunbeams and warm weather.

The brightest rite, symbolizing the inviolability of the transition from spring coolness to summer heat, was a fire, which was customary to build in the late evening.
Unmarried women and girls have always treated unmarried members of the opposite sex with home-made pastries. It was believed that this ritual attracts potential suitors and promising suitors. For the same purpose, birch branches were woven into the hair. If they were not sluggish until the morning, then before the end of the year one could even hope for marriage.
For young men in love, there were also love spells for a girl they liked. One of the most effective was a bouquet of primroses, placed on the threshold of the chosen one. As soon as she picked up and sniffed lilies of the valley or pansies, a response immediately arose in her heart.
An obligatory tradition for the weaker sex was decorating yourself with wreaths of the first wildflowers. Ladies and girls believed that such an uncomplicated headdress keeps health, freshness and attractiveness for the year ahead. But for gaining thick and beautiful hair, it is incredibly useful to take a walk with uncovered hair under the “holiday” rain.
Traditional "ladders" were also participants in various rituals. They were crushed on the field to guarantee a future high harvest, they were taken to the graves of relatives so that the souls of the dead would go to heaven faster. Often, a freshly baked "ladder" was dropped on the floor near the oven and looked to see if it would break. If the baked goods remained intact, then those who threw them were guaranteed to go to heaven.
There was a ceremony to lure wealth. To do this, it was enough to bury a small coin or banknote in the ground. It was believed that after such manipulation, the well-being of the family would certainly rise to a new level.
If a person had a cherished desire, then the Ascension of the Lord was the most suitable day to guarantee its fulfillment. It was enough to state your dream on a piece of paper, bake it into a ritual pastry and take it to the temple.

Beliefs associated with the Ascension of the Lord

A lot of folk signs are associated with a wonderful holiday, both weather or fruitful, and household.

Our ancestors were sure that on this day you should not borrow money. After all, in this case, they will most likely never be returned to you. If a person needs funds, and you are ready to give them, then simply reschedule the meeting for one or two days.
A showdown on a solemn day is considered a very bad omen. You should not quarrel with relatives or colleagues, so as not to invite a long conflict that can last a whole year.
People believed that the dew collected on the Ascension of the Lord had miraculous properties. If you wipe a wound that does not heal for a long time with it, then it will immediately begin to heal, and the patient, who has drunk a sip of magical moisture, will immediately recover.
Among the weather signs, the most common was "rainfall on Ascension". Precipitation on this day predicted bad weather on Trinity, a lean year, illness and failure for all people. The lack of rain promised drought for six whole weeks in advance, but it promised good health and a rich harvest.
There were also “feathered” beliefs for the holiday. If a magpie gave a voice under the window of a childless couple, then one could hope for the appearance of an heir. Crows croaking predicted bad news, and cooing pigeons predicted a romantic date.
The pre-holiday night is popularly called the "nightingale" for a reason, since it is during this period that the vociferous birds sing louder and more melodious than usual. The one who dares to catch a careless soloist at this time will certainly be haunted by terrible misfortunes until the very end of the year.
A person born on the feast of the Ascension of the Lord was considered the chosen one of fortune. His fate promised to be incredibly successful, and his life - long and happy.

The Ascension of the Lord is celebrated annually on the fortieth day after Easter, so it always falls on Thursday - in 2018 the twelfth holiday will be celebrated on May 17.

The Orthodox Church on the feast remembers the gospel events associated with the last period of the Savior's stay on earth after His Bright Resurrection.
At this time, Jesus Christ completes the work for which he came to earth and ascends to his Father.

Ascension of the Lord

The Gospel tells that on the fortieth day after the Resurrection, Jesus Christ gathered the apostles in Jerusalem and led them out of the city to the Mount of Olives. There He commanded them not to disperse, saying, "A few days after this, you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit." Then Jesus ascended to heaven, blessing the disciples.

When a bright cloud hid the Savior, two angels appeared to the disciples. They told the apostles that the Lord would come to earth again just as they saw Him ascending into heaven. After worshiping the ascended Christ, the disciples returned to Jerusalem.

The apostles told people about what they saw, and they understood that death is not the end, but the transition of the soul to another world, where the Lord awaits it and delivers it from vices and temptations. It is the open heavens that give believers hope for the redemption of sins and finding a home in the Kingdom of God at the end of the journey.

The essence of the holiday is that human nature, through the Ascension of the Lord, is elevated to infinite divine life. The Ascension ends the wide celebration of Easter, which is why the holiday is also called "the giving of Easter."

The footprints of Jesus were left on the Mount of Olives, on a large stone on which He stood. One of the traces was cut down and taken away as a precious shrine, and the second remains there to this day.

According to the teachings of the Church, the earthly sojourn and ministry of God the Son ended with the Ascension.

Holiday traditions

Believers on the feast of the Ascension of the Lord traditionally bake bread, an oblong shape, which is called "ladder" and pies stuffed with green onions.

Bread got its name because it is baked with seven steps - strips are formed from the dough, which are laid out in the upper part of the loaf.

They bake "ladders" for Christ on the road, as the steps symbolize the seven heavens. Pies and bread are consecrated in the temple.

According to tradition, on the feast of the Ascension of the Lord, fried eggs are also fried, eggs are boiled and pancakes are baked.

On holiday, ancient tradition, remember the dead parents and ancestors. People believed that from Easter to Ascension, the gates of heaven and hell are open - the edges are erased and the worlds are united. That is, the torment of sinners stops, and they can have fun with the righteous.

From Easter to Ascension, according to tradition, people try to treat the poor with great attention. The legend says that at this time, in the guise of a beggar, Jesus walks around the world. People, for the same reason, especially carefully monitor the cleanliness of the streets - the Son of God can walk on them.

People believe that for all forty days the Savior's foot steps on the Earth, forcing nature to come to life, grass to turn green, plants to bloom. By this they explain that by the feast of the Ascension of the Lord, everything around is green and blooming.

Signs and beliefs

In the old days, there was a sign that whatever you ask of God on the feast of the Ascension of the Lord, it will be fulfilled. At the same time, it is impossible to ask for wealth, prosperity. It was possible to ask for money only for the treatment of the patient.

Weather from the Ascension of the Lord, to folk omens, becomes more constant and gives only warm, sunny days.

Rain on the Ascension of the Lord - portends, according to signs, a modest harvest and ailments of domestic animals. Although prolonged rains gave hope that troubles would pass by.

If the weather is warm on the Ascension of the Lord, people go to swim in the reservoirs. According to signs, after bathing, no ailment will take them.

The song of the nightingale on the eve of the holiday sounds louder - the trills of the nightingale, according to signs, announce the Ascension of the Lord. The night before the holiday is called the nightingale, and catching these birds on the Ascension of the Lord is a bad omen.

Everyone who wanted to be beautiful and healthy gathered for the Ascension of the Lord morning dew, drank it and washed. Dew, according to legends and signs, is the tears of the earth about Jesus Christ, who leaves it on this day.

Healers on the Ascension of the Lord went to harvest medicinal herbs, as according to signs, the power of medicinal plants collected on this day increases.

There is a sign that it is impossible to work on the feast of the Ascension of the Lord, including cleaning. The holiday was traditionally celebrated by the whole family.

According to signs, even chickens do not lay eggs on the Ascension of the Lord. But if a chicken laid an egg, it means that its owners will be very happy. A laid egg, according to an old tradition, is spoken for good luck, taken to the attic, to protect the house from troubles, and family members from illness, evil eye and damage.

Prayer

"Lord Jesus Christ, our God, who descended from the heavenly heights for our salvation and nourished us with spiritual joy on the holy and bright days of Your Resurrection, and again, after completing Your earthly ministry, ascended from us into heaven with glory and sits at the right hand of God and the Father!

On this “clear and all-bright day of the Divine ascension to heaven” of Thy “the earth celebrates and rejoices, heaven also rejoices in the Ascension of the Creator of creation today,” people praise unceasingly, seeingly erring and fallen nature on Thy frame, Savior, earthly and ascended to heaven, The angels rejoice, saying: Who is this, who came in glory, mighty in battle. This is truly the King of Glory?!

Grant us the weak, the earthly still wise and carnal pleasures, create unceasing, Your ascension to heaven is terrible thinking and celebrating, carnal and worldly, lay aside cares and from Your Apostles to heaven now look with all your heart and all your thoughts, remembering that there are in heaven woe is our dwelling place, but here on earth we are exactly strangers and aliens of Esma, who has departed from the house of the Father to the land of sin far away.

For this sake, we earnestly ask Thee, by Your glorious Ascension, Lord, revive our conscience, even if there is nothing more necessary in the world, raise us from the captivity of this sinful flesh and world and make us wise on high, and not earthly, as if we would not please anyone and to live, but we will serve and work for You the Lord and Our God, until we have renounced the bonds of the flesh and passed through the air ordeals without restriction, we will reach Your heavenly abodes, where, standing at the right hand of Your Majesty, with the Archangels and Angels and all the saints we will glorify Your All-Holy Name with the Beginningless Thy Father and Most Holy and Consubstantial and Life-Giving Thy Spirit, now and forever and forever and ever. Amen".

Material prepared on the basis of open sources

06.06.2019, 11:05

Signs, traditions and superstitions for the Ascension of the Lord 2019

Christians celebrate the Ascension of the Lord 40 days after Easter. In 2019, the Ascension of the Lord is celebrated on June 6th. What to do on Ascension, what signs and traditions exist in Ukraine - read on No Taboo.

Ascension of the Lord - big religious holiday at the Christians. Ascension is celebrated 40 days after Easter, and it always falls on a Thursday. In 2019, the Ascension of the Lord is celebrated on June 6.

It is believed that on the day of the Ascension, the Savior led the apostles from Jerusalem to Bethany on the Mount of Olives. There he blessed them and told them that soon the apostles would be baptized with the Holy Spirit and would continue to spread the truth throughout the world. And then he ascended into the sky and disappeared behind the clouds.

This is the last day that Jesus was on earth. After that, two angels announced that Christ would return to earth to judge the living and the dead.

For Orthodox Christians, this holiday is one of the most significant. Many signs, traditions and customs are associated with the Ascension of the Lord.

It is believed that after the Ascension, you can no longer be afraid of cold snaps - a full-fledged summer is coming.

It is also believed that from this date it is already possible to safely swim in rivers and lakes and not be afraid to get sick.

Signs for the Ascension of the Lord:

Ascension signs are largely related to the weather, because on this day summer folk traditions is fully within its rights. For Orthodox people, the holiday is of particular importance. Therefore, the traditions and signs of this day are given a special place.

Ancestors believed that if a chicken laid an egg on that day, it should be hung under the roof of the house and it would protect the inhabitants from troubles and misfortunes.

If the weather is good on Ascension, then it will last until St. Michael's Day.

If the holiday turned out to be rainy, there will be many diseases in livestock and crop failure.

If you swim in the river that day, your health will be strong.

Hearing the croak of a crow is a good sign.
If the chirping of a magpie is heard, this is for money, but you need to pronounce a special conspiracy so that it brings good to the house.

The main traditions and celebration of the Ascension of the Lord

In the old days, a fire was kindled on Ascension in the evening, which symbolized the onset of the passage and the flowering of nature. They led "spikelet" or round dances, the first "cumenia" at green Christmas time.

Dew on this day was considered healing, and the healing properties of herbs were enhanced and preserved until the onset of Ivan Kupala (the night of July 6-7).

In the forty days between Easter and Ascension, the poor and sick people were especially revered. It was forbidden to throw garbage and spit on the street, because "you can fall into Christ, come to houses under the guise of beggars."

Previously, special pancakes were baked on Ascension, which they called "God's wrapping", "granddaughters", "Christ's bast shoes". In some regions, housewives treated home-made cakes with cottage cheese filling, the edges of which were bent in the form of steps.

Ascension is considered by girls to be one of the favorite holidays for divination. Whether there will be a wedding in the near future, you can find out if you braid a few birch branches into a braid. If the branches remain green before the Trinity holiday, the girl will go down the aisle in the near future. Another version of fortune-telling: if the pigtail comes out even, the branches are smoothly woven into it, and the braid holds tight for a long time, then the wedding is just around the corner. If the braid unwinds, then the girl is not destined to marry in the coming year.

In Christianity, magnificent celebrations are not welcome. It is best to stay with family. It is not customary to work on this day.

On Wednesday, before the holiday, Christians begin preparations for Ascension Day. Do a general cleaning of the apartment or house. They bake holiday cakes. According to legend, on a festive Thursday, Jesus can honor every clean house with his visit.

Signs, traditions and superstitions for the Ascension of the Lord 2019

Ascension symbolizes the end of spring and the beginning of summer. Therefore, traditionally this Thursday is considered the beginning of the swimming season. On this day, the best tradition in every modern family can be honoring the memory of deceased parents, grandparents and other relatives. After all, it was believed that if you honor the memory of the dead on Ascension, you can count on their protection.

Fried eggs and sweet pancakes were baked in honor of the ancestors. According to one of the main traditions for this holiday, you need to bake pies with green onions. The shape of the pies should be oblong. The oval shape represents the road to Heaven. It is better to decorate them with crossbars, long lines from the same test. The number of lines should be no more than seven. You can also bake cookies in the form of ladders. In the church, the pies are consecrated, after which part of the pies remains in the church, the other is distributed to the poor.

What can not be done on the Ascension of the Lord:

slander
sort things out and swear,
to gossip,
fall into despair
wrap yourself in negative thoughts
ignore when asked for help,
do housework,
blaspheme,
throw out the garbage from the apartment outside the house,
pronounce the phrases "Christ is Risen", "Truly Risen".

"Ascension of the Lord". Painting by Rembrandt Van Rijn. / Photo from open sources

After that day, people boldly went to swim in the reservoirs, not being afraid to get sick. Moreover, people believed that if you swim on the Ascension in the river, your health will be strong.

Ascension weather tips:

If the weather is good on Ascension, then it will last until St. Michael's Day (November 21);
If the day turned out to be rainy, there will be many diseases in livestock and crop failure.

There is another row beliefs related to birds. For example, it was believed that if a chicken laid an egg that day, it must be hung under the roof of the house so that it protects the inhabitants from troubles and misfortunes. Hearing the croaking of a crow on this day is just a good sign, and the chirping of a magpie is for money, but you need to pronounce a special conspiracy so that it brings good to the house ("Forty hovered over the forests and fields, collected jewelry and goodness, but did not take it to its nest , but she brought it to me. The barns are full of grain, the sheds of goods are full. So be it!").

How to celebrate the Ascension of the Lord

This is the day of reconciliation: it is worth asking for forgiveness from everyone with whom a person is in a quarrel. At the same time, on the Ascension of the Lord, every believer can turn to the Lord with prayer words, repent of their unseemly deeds and ask for help from the Higher Powers.

By folk beliefs, on this day they washed themselves with dew: it was believed that on Ascension it becomes healing. Medicinal properties herbs that day also intensified, remaining until Ivan Kupala (the night of July 6-7).

In the evening on Ascension, a fire was kindled as a symbol of the onset of the passage and the flowering of nature. During the festivities, round dances or "spikelets" were led, the first "cumulations" at green Christmas time.

On Ascension there is a custom to "walk at the crossroads", that is, to visit relatives and friends. At the same time, it is customary for the owners to give "ladders" baked from wheat dough with honey and with sugar patterns. Such "ladders" symbolize the path to heaven. In some regions, housewives treat this day with homemade cakes with cottage cheese filling, the edges of which are bent in the form of steps.

And in the old days, special pancakes were baked on Ascension. They were called "God's wrapping", "Christ's bast shoes", "granddaughters".

The commemoration of the deceased relatives is held in the family circle.

Ascension of the Lord: what not to do

Ascension of the Lord. Icon / Photo from open sources

For this day, there are a number of prohibitions:

you can’t greet people with the words “Christ is risen!”, since the Easter period ends the day before, and on this day the Shroud is already taken out of the temple;
it is not recommended to do housework, as the day of physical labor distracts from spiritual reflections about God;
on this day, the dead are not buried, and memorial services are not served in churches and temples;
you can not quarrel and scandal;
excessive gluttony fun is not encouraged;
you can not drink alcohol;
you can not have sex;
it is forbidden to throw rubbish and spit in the street, because "you can get into Christ, who comes to houses under the guise of beggars."

Ascension: divination

To find out the fate of a sick person, birch branches were woven on Ascension. Several of them were braided, and if 10 days before the Trinity the branches did not wilt, then the hidden person will recover, if not, it is worth preparing for the worst.

Similarly, the girls guessed at the future marriage.