There are holidays that are not marked with special honors at the state level, but they are sincerely loved and honored ordinary people, trying to celebrate them according to all the rules year after year. One of these days was Maundy Thursday - the last Thursday before Orthodox Easter, falling on Holy Week. This day is also called Maundy Thursday and is dedicated to it every year. high hopes, because it is on this day that you can cleanse yourself of sins, blossom in soul and body.

When will Maundy Thursday be in 2017?

Because The date of Maundy Thursday changes annually, and it depends on the date of Easter, which in 2017 will come quite early - April 16, then Maundy Thursday will also come a little earlier than usual - April 13 .

Origin of the holiday

It was on this day that the Last Supper took place, at which all 12 apostles and Jesus Christ were gathered. During the supper, Jesus washed the feet of all his disciples-followers as a sign of his gentleness and respect for them, as a wise teacher did for his disciples. It was also on this day that Judas decided to betray his teacher for 30 pieces of silver. Also today, Jesus prayed to God - his Father, because he knew that the most difficult days for him were coming - crucifixion and death.

Traditions of celebrating Maundy (Maundy) Thursday

From the very morning, even before the sun rose, the housewives went to fetch water. They should have brought enough water to wash themselves and to have enough left over for all family members. Adults were doused with water brought from a river or lake right at the doorstep of the house, children and the elderly were bathed indoors, and the water for ablution was heated.

After cleansing the body, one should cleanse the space around oneself. Housewives cleaned the house in every corner in order to have time before Easter to clear their home not only of garbage, but also of evil spirits and all the negative things that could have accumulated over the long years of life. The men went to improve life in the garden, straightened the sheds and roofs, and cleaned up the garbage in the yards.

Preparing for Easter

Maundy Thursday falls on the last Thursday of Lent, and therefore still refers to the days when Orthodox believers devote themselves to prayers with special zeal, watch their diet and abstain from bodily pleasures. However, it is from Maundy Thursday that the direct ones begin - the largest and long-awaited holiday of the entire Christian denomination, personifying immortal life and forgiveness.

On Maundy Thursday they began to prepare for Easter: they baked Easter cakes and painted eggs. But eating all this was not yet allowed. Finished products made from traditional recipes, did not spoil for several weeks, which is why the housewives were not afraid that their labors would be in vain.

Signs and customs for Maundy Thursday 2017 - video

Thanks for 2017, find out what date the next important day will be celebrated Orthodox holiday.

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Once a year, three days before Easter, a very significant day comes - Maundy Thursday. This is not a bright festive event, but it occupies an important place in the life of Orthodox citizens. On this day, Christians should know what they need and can do, and what they should refuse.

Customs and traditions on Maundy Thursday

It is important to know well what customs, prayers, and traditions accompany Maundy Thursday. It is believed that on this glorious day that precedes Good Friday, every believer is obliged to part with all his fears, problems, worries and sinful thoughts. You should not carry this “load” on your shoulders on the bright holiday of Easter. How to get rid of all problems? What should you do on Maundy Thursday?

Thursday of Holy Week has great magical power. On this day there are many different signs and, of course, rituals.

Immediately after waking up on Maundy Thursday, each family member must wash himself with silver , that is, from a silver coin or spoon. According to legend, such washing gives a person not only good health, but also beauty. On Maundy Thursday, the sick are washed with silver coins borrowed from neighbors.

Cleaning the house on Maundy Thursday. Every Orthodox Christian faces the task of purifying himself. You should achieve cleanliness in your home, body and soul. It is necessary to take out all the rubbish from the house, collect trash, cobwebs, everything that for many years stored in hidden corners and awaiting its finest hour. If an item has not been used for 12 months, then it is time to throw it in the trash or give the item to people in need. This procedure will help remove all the negativity from the house that has accumulated over time. for a long time, and also prevent evil spirits from loosening “their hands and tongues.” Please note that trash accumulates where littering occurs. And in an uncomfortable house, where it is dusty and weedy, negative thoughts begin to arise, scandals, squabbles, and angry words appear. People forget about love for their neighbors and lose faith.

Swimming before sunrise on Maundy Thursday. To stay happy and successful until next Maundy Thursday, you need to cleanse your body. You need to swim before sunrise. This early morning, the water in the reservoirs is saturated with beneficial power. Bathing on Maundy Thursday will lead to the fact that accumulated fatigue, anxiety will go away, and pain will be forgotten. Before ablution, you need to say a prayer, your words of gratitude for what you have now, you need to repent. Before the sun dawns on Maundy Thursday, according to what customs require, we get into the shower and imagine that the water not only washes the body, but takes away with it a whole series of troubles.

While bathing, you need to read the spell to attract good luck. It is necessary to say: “Water, water, flow, pour, cleanse my face, cleanse my body and cleanse my soul, fill me with beauty and health.” After this, bathing ends with pouring cool water over yourself from a ladle.

On Maundy Thursday you need to bake Easter cakes and Easter cakes. The main custom of Thursday of Holy Week is associated with baking Easter cakes. From the very morning, all housewives put out the dough “so that it rises.” And in the late afternoon, after reading all the necessary prayers, they begin the festive baking. Popular beliefs They say that by how the Easter cakes turned out, you can judge how will pass all one year until next Easter. If Easter cakes turned out lush and tasty, then next year will only bring joy. But if baking fails, then the year ahead will be difficult.

Maundy Thursday is the fourth day of Holy Week. At this time, believers are preparing to celebrate Easter, remembering church and folk traditions inherited from our ancestors.

Maundy Thursday is a moving holiday church calendar. This means that its date changes every year. In 2017, Maundy Thursday will occur on April 13th. This is quite early, but this year the entire Great Week before Easter is also considered early. As for Easter, we will celebrate it on April 16.

Folk traditions of Maundy Thursday

Most of the rituals of this day are associated with cleansing, both spiritual and material. It was believed that it was necessary to clean the house, wash, and maintain purity of thoughts. These traditions were followed with great care.

We tried to swim before dawn. Then the water washed away everything bad, and one could celebrate Easter with a light heart.

General cleaning on Maundy Thursday helped to get rid of false thoughts, bad decisions, negative experience past. The ends of the hair were sometimes cut for the same purpose. And if during cleaning you find something long ago lost item- this is for luck and luck.

The rituals and signs of Maundy Thursday were associated not only with bathing and water. In the old days, it was believed that a candle lit in church at Thursday service would bring good luck if you brought it home like that and lit other candles and lamps there with its help. Repeating this these days is difficult and quite dangerous, but lighting candles at home is not forbidden.

On Maundy Thursday they tried not to lend money, as this, according to folk superstition, promises poverty. And you definitely need to count your money three times.

Our ancestors gave special power to Thursday salt, which can be prepared on Maundy Thursday. Thursday bread was also endowed with healing and protective properties.

And, of course, Easter was getting closer. They started painting on Maundy Thursday easter eggs and bake Easter cakes.

Church celebration of Maundy Thursday

On this day, churches will host the Liturgy of St. Basil the Great, as well as services dedicated to Maundy Thursday. This Thursday is associated with the events of the Last Supper and the origin of the sacrament of the Eucharist - communion with bread and wine.

If you were unable to attend church on this day, remember the prayers and read those that are closest to your heart. On our website you can find out more about this sacrament. The most important thing is not to hold evil in your heart, not to think with hostility about the world around you and not to cause trouble for anyone.

Many traditions and rituals associated with Maundy Thursday have remained unchanged to this day. So you can celebrate this day according to the behests of your ancestors. We wish you good luck, and don't forget to press the buttons and

28.02.2017 07:55

Our ancestors noticed that many amazing things happen before Easter. With the help of folk signs...

Maundy Thursday is the fourth day of Holy Week, associated with many traditions and customs. To properly...

Orthodox Christians continue Holy Week, which in 2017 will end on the night of April 16 with the main Christian holiday - Easter.

It should be recalled that Holy Week is the final and most severe week of Lent, when parishioners not only fast, but also prepare for Easter in order to accept it according to all the rules, according to customs and traditions.

Maundy Thursday 2017: preparation for Easter

On Maundy Thursday symbolic meaning has everything related to washing, cleaning, water and bathing. According to tradition, on this day the villagers rose before sunrise and washed or bathed in open reservoirs (especially if Easter was late and the weather was favorable). It was believed that bathing on Maundy Thursday was akin to Epiphany - a person seemed to wash away his misdeeds and illnesses, stocking up on health for the whole year.

On Maundy Thursday it was also customary to go to church for confession and communion. And after returning from the temple, the housewives began to prepare the house for Easter: they carried out a general cleaning, cleaning all corners of the home, washed the floors, benches, kitchen utensils, walls and ceilings, did a big wash, cleaned and shook out all the rugs: in Rus' it was believed that if in On Clean Thursday, thoroughly clean the house, then it will be clean all year, including spiritual cleanliness.

As usual, after Thursday spring cleaning the housewife no longer swept the floor and did not clean the house until Easter. After cleaning the home, the housewives began to cook: they baked Easter cakes from pre-prepared dough, cooked cottage cheese Easter and other holiday dishes, baked meat.

Also on Thursday evening it was customary for the whole family to color eggs. Beliefs strictly prohibit giving away anything from home on Maundy Thursday. Even if a neighbor comes to you for salt, find a reason to refuse her, otherwise, along with the salt, you can give her prosperity and peace from your home.

Clean Thursday 2017: conspiracies, what to do

For a long time in Rus', on Maundy Thursday, the whole family prepared the so-called “Thursday” salt. To do this, each family member took a handful of salt with clean hands and placed it in general bag. Then the salt was calcined and used as a “cure” for all ailments (it was believed that it was life-giving) or added to water when washing floors to keep the house clean. Bags of Thursday salt were also used as amulets for the home, barn, garden, field, etc.

Also on that day, it was customary to count money three times - in the morning before dawn, at lunch and at sunset. It is believed that this ritual helps to lure wealth into the house. There is another popular Maundy Thursday conspiracy for prosperity, wealth and good income. To do this, they threw a handful of coins into the water intended for washing the house before Easter, saying: “Money, keep going, don’t transfer – grow and multiply, don’t get to the enemy!”

It is believed that if the hostess's Easter cake and Easter were a great success, the year will be nourishing and happy, but if the dishes are not successful, you need to be on alert - there is a high chance of all sorts of troubles.

Clean Thursday 2017: conspiracies for girls

On Maundy Thursday, girls specially cut the ends of their hair. It was believed that after this the hair grows better and becomes more voluminous.

To all the girls and women who are unlucky in love or family life, it was necessary to go waist-deep into the river on the night of Maundy Thursday. However, in our climate it is better not to use this method, otherwise women’s diseases will not be added to the troubles in your personal life.

On Maundy Thursday, the girls left some water prepared for cleaning the house. A silver object (a spoon or a coin) was placed in this water, and on Easter morning the girls washed themselves with this water. It was believed that washing this way would bring beauty, health and well-being, including in family life.

If the beauty stayed too long as a girl, she would take the towel she used to dry herself on Maundy Thursday and secretly put it in a basket with colored eggs and Easter cake, which were given as alms on Easter. It was believed that after this it was possible to wait for matchmakers.

There are days in Orthodoxy that, although not major holidays, are still extremely revered by the people, and even people who are not zealous believers know about the special significance of these dates. This time we're talking about about a holiday, the sacred meaning of which most of us have known since childhood. What day is this and when is Maundy Thursday in 2017? On what date do Orthodox Christians celebrate this date? We will try to give answers to these questions in this review, along the way making an excursion into the religious roots of this day.

Religious meaning of Maundy Thursday

Maundy Thursday falls on April 13th in 2017. This is one of the days of Holy Week - last week Great Lent. During this week, believers are supposed to fast especially strictly and devote a lot of time to prayers, because the main Orthodox holiday is approaching - Easter, which marks the main sacrament of faith - the triumph of life over death. Each of the days of Holy Week is endowed with a characteristic meaning. The same applies to Thursday, nicknamed the Great and Pure.

This day of the Last Supper, when the Savior, in his greatest meekness and kindness, washed the feet of his followers, when Christ broke bread for the last time with his disciples, when he prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, asking his father for mercy to avoid the impending execution, and the day when Judas decided to betrayal of his teacher for 30 pieces of silver...

It was from this day that the sacrament of the Eucharist - Communion of the Holy Mysteries - the Body and Blood of the Lord was established in Orthodoxy. Therefore, it is advisable for every true Christian believer to visit the temple on this day, take communion and undergo the rite of anointing. After all, it is on this day that the Patriarch carries out the rite of consecration of myrrh - a special oil for the Holy Sacraments. And by eating mallow and church wine, we accept the sacrifice of Christ and realize the importance and greatness of His sacrifice.

Special liturgies and services are held in churches; in some churches the tradition has been preserved when the highest church rite washes the feet of those below him. With the Word of God, the clergy remind parishioners of the events of this day, conveying the oppressive atmosphere of an impending catastrophe that cannot be changed. But at the same time, there is constant mention of the triumph of the great sacrifice, that through this sacrifice everyone is given eternal life.

Folk customs

Among ordinary people From time immemorial, Maundy Thursday was considered the day of general cleaning of the house before the upcoming Easter holiday. The home was thoroughly put in order, all the dirty linen was washed, the utensils were cleaned to a shine, the trash was disposed of, so that in the coming days before Easter they would not return to this dirty work, especially since it is prohibited. On Friday and Saturday it was necessary to devote oneself to fasting and prayers, imbued with a special feeling of the sufferings of Christ.

Also, the most important custom of Maundy Thursday is swimming before dawn, “when the raven has not wet its wing.” For a long time, the housewife went to fetch water before dawn. Having collected water, she brought it home and doused herself first at the threshold, then all family members did the same. The little ones were washed in the house with heated water.

It is considered ideal to use running water from streams and rivers, but if this is not available, you can go to the bathhouse or wash in the shower. The main thing is to do this with the appropriate attitude, prayer, and imagine how, along with physical dirt, you are getting rid of resentment, anger, and hatred. And then the result of such ablution will really affect your well-being.

Having cleansed the body, our ancestors tried to cut their hair on this day, since it was believed that after this the hair would be thick and strong, and all illnesses would bypass the person.

It was on Maundy Thursday that women began baking Easter cakes, Easter cakes, and pies. The baked goods were not eaten, but stored until Sunday - the time of breaking the fast. By how good the Easter cakes and pies turned out, they determined what the wealth and well-being in the house would be next year.

Signs

Many interesting traditions have been preserved and will take place on Maundy Thursday 2017:

• A passionate candle is brought from the church service. There is a special requirement - the flame should not go out the entire way from the temple to the house, and then one could hope that the miraculous candle would help relieve illnesses and the evil eye throughout the year until next Easter.
• On this day, it was forbidden to give away anything from home, even small things like salt or, say, matches. It was believed that in this way one could give one’s own happiness and well-being into the hands of others.
• Thursday or “black” salt was prepared in a special way on this day. A piece of salt was calcined in the oven, causing it to turn black, blessed in the church, and brought home, stored in the red corner of the hut behind the icons. This salt was considered the best remedy from diseases and evil spirits, it was used little by little, given to the sick, or added to holiday dishes on holidays. Nowadays, salt can be heated in a frying pan, saying the Lord's Prayer over it with sincere faith - the result will be the same.
• All water on Maundy Thursday was considered miraculous; in order to enhance its effect, some silver object was added to it - a coin, a spoon, a cross. A coin... stolen, was given special powers. They kept it like the apple of their eye, not showing it to anyone, much less borrowing it, and using it only to enhance the properties of “Thursday” water.
• Cleanliness was considered the sacred duty of every housewife and owner. Women cleaned the house, men cleaned the yard and garden. This requirement was fulfilled in the most strict manner, because people said: on other days, cleaning up is “sprinkling dirty laundry in Christ’s eyes.”

Rituals

On Maundy Thursday they also observed some rituals and performed conspiracies. They were especially often used by girls of marriageable age.

• Unmarried girls could hope for a quick marriage by performing the following ritual: when giving alms, they had to give the towel with which she wiped herself on Maundy Thursday, wrapping Easter cake and eggs in it.
• On this day, people believed that the line between worlds was becoming thinner, and if you wanted, you could look at the brownie to find out what the coming year would be like. Of course, the church did not welcome this, but people’s craving for the otherworldly was great, and therefore they took a lighted candle and went up to the attic, waiting for the brownie. If the image that appeared was shaggy and shaggy, they concluded that there would be prosperity, but if, on the contrary, the keeper of the hearth turned out to be bald, then poverty and deprivation would ensue.
• For those who were especially desperate, there was also a ritual that only the bravest could resort to: they went into the forest to ask questions to the devil. The spirit should have been called by sitting on a snag and removing pectoral cross. He had to answer any questions the person had. However, you should not resort to such a custom - it’s very scary. And the roots of this ritual apparently came from ancient paganism.

As we can see, Maundy Thursday 2017 has very different signs and customs. All of them came to us from antiquity, saturated folk wisdom. Use them wisely, putting the right meaning, keeping what is important, and passing them on to the younger ones, and then goodness and prosperity will be with you.