Municipal educational institution

"Kuyanovo secondary school"

Essay

Spring Russian folk holidays

Performed: Boyarinova Anna,

10th grade student

Supervisor: Moskvichekova N.P.,

Introduction

The life of Russian people in the distant past consisted of a series of everyday life and holidays. The alternation of everyday life and holidays was considered a necessary component of the normal course of life. It took place in accordance with the folk calendar. It was based on the church calendar - the calendar. Christian holidays served as points and landmarks for counting the annual time. The year was divided into four seasons: winter, spring, summer, autumn. The festive side of the life of the Russian people was sacred, and Russians treated it as the main event in the whirlwind of human life.

I learned about these pages of the history of the Russian people while attending the elective course “Russian Holidays” this year. This topic interested me very much, and I decided to study it in more detail. I decided on the topic of the essay shortly before February. And all because at the end of this month spring folk holidays begin. From year to year we celebrate Maslenitsa, Easter, etc. and we don’t think at all about how our ancestors celebrated, what the meaning of celebration is, the origin of these holidays, rituals, traditions. But all this is very interesting and one might even say mysterious. My choice of topic was also influenced by the fact that my mother, the head of the House of Culture, often organizes folk festivals for fellow villagers, and I participate in their preparation and holding. The knowledge that I will gain while working on my essay will be useful to me for organizing holidays at my school.

The purpose of my essay is to reveal the features of Russian folk spring holidays, determine the history of their origin, the content of rituals, and show the relationship between generations.

The tasks that I set for myself:

1) Collection of material on the topic of the essay and its processing.

2) Generalization of the processed material.

3) Conclusions about the work done.

4) Design of generalized material.

5) Preparing a presentation.

6) Presentation of the abstract.

My work consists of four chapters. I studied and processed materials from 13 sources, including educational, reference, scientific and encyclopedic literature and Internet sites. An application has been designed, which contains illustrative, dictionary, material, and a presentation made in the Power Point editor has been prepared.

1. Maslenitsa

Maslenitsa (Maslenka, Maslenitsa week, Cheese week, Syrnitsa, White Meat eater, Meat eater). The holiday of seeing off winter and welcoming spring. Maslenitsa was one of the agricultural holidays that formed a moving part of the folk calendar. The timing of it depended on the date of the main Christian holiday of Easter. According to Orthodox Easter, the celebration of Maslenitsa began 56 before Easter and fell during the cheese-free week preceding the beginning of Lent. This corresponded to the second half of February - early March. The first mention of Maslenitsa is known from the 16th century, although meat-eater was already mentioned in the Nestorov Chronicle when describing the epidemic of ulcers in Kyiv in 1090.

Among the many peasant calendar holidays, Maslenitsa occupied a special place. It was the oldest truly folk holiday, reflecting the duality of the peasant worldview, which absorbed elements of both Christian and pagan beliefs. Like any significant folk event that took shape over more than one century, Maslenitsa was a complex, multifaceted, regulated ritual with a large number of magical components. It absorbed the features of archaic agricultural and pastoral celebrations of farewell to winter and welcoming of spring, timed to coincide with the vernal equinox. They reflect the natural and biological cycles that have long determined the life of peasant society.

The timing of Maslenitsa, however, did not correspond to the time of year to which it was dedicated. Thus, the symbolic meeting of spring, which ritual actions were supposed to bring closer, occurred at a time when winter had not completely lost its strength and the actual arrival of spring was relatively far away. This was probably explained by the fact that initially Maslenitsa actions corresponded to the beginning of the new year, which fell on the lunar calendar in March, and the celebrations lasted more than two weeks, capturing the time when nature began to awaken. It was probably then that Maslenitsa began to be perceived as a holiday of seeing off winter and welcoming spring. The series of fasts introduced by the Christian church before and after Easter forced ancient pagan ritual actions, designed to stimulate nature on the day of the solstice, to be carried out before the forbidden time of fasting. Thus, the period of Maslenitsa was reduced to one week, and it was moved to the first week of light fasting, which in the church calendar was called “cheese” or “meat fasting” and was coming during Lent with its numerous restrictions that applied to the consumption of lean food, prohibiting all kinds of entertainment and amusement that affected various areas of family relationships, including the sex life of spouses, but also required the peasant to cleanse the soul and renounce all worldly temptations.

Maslenitsa has long been a national holiday that did not have any age, social, family or gender restrictions. Non-participation in the holiday could be justified only by a person’s injury, weakness or illness. She was joyfully greeted by both the population of the rural outskirts and the residents of the capital, large provincial and small district towns of Russia.

The main feature of Maslenitsa was the performance of rituals that are directly related to both winter and spring calendar holidays

During the Maslenitsa celebration, abundant hearty tables were set with a variety of dairy foods: sour cream, cream, cottage cheese, cow butter, milk, as well as eggs, fish, pies, pancakes, kvass, beer and wine. The rich Shrovetide food, its emphasized excess, probably historically had a direct connection with the magic of the first day of the new year. In addition to abundant food, a prerequisite for Maslenitsa was the performance of special rituals aimed at the well-being of the peasant community. Maslenitsa has absorbed a whole layer of diverse and multi-time traditions, ritual actions and entertainment. It intertwined agricultural and family rituals, echoes of pagan and Christian ideas about human beings and the structure of the world around us. The most important were the following:

1. Funeral rites associated with the commemoration of deceased parents and relatives and the consumption of ritual food: pancakes, flatbreads, pancakes, pies, brushwood.

2. Customs associated with newlyweds: viewings of newlyweds, visiting them with relatives and friends.

3. Maslenitsa entertainment: skiing from the ice mountains and horseback riding, building snow towns.

4. Farewell to Maslenitsa: lighting of bonfires, farewell-funerals, Maslenitsa trains, mumming.

They began to prepare for Maslenitsa from the middle of the previous week. At this time, the housewives cleaned all corners of the house - from the attic to the cellar: they refinished the whitewash of the stoves, scraped tables, benches and floors, prepared festive dishes, swept out garbage from the yard and in front of the gate. We bought a large number of products for the holiday: bags of different types of flour for pancakes, baked goods and pies, barrels of salted fish, gingerbread cookies, sweets and nuts for children; They collected milk, cream, sour cream and cow butter.

The Saturday before Maslenitsa was called “Little Maslenitsa.” On this day it was customary to remember deceased parents. Pancakes were baked for them and placed on the shrine, dormer window or roof, left in the cemetery on the graves, and distributed in churches to beggars and nuns. On the Sunday before Lent, meat was eaten for the last time. In the morning and evening, when sitting down at the table, they were sure to invite deceased relatives to share the family meal, leaving tables set for them all night.

Maslenitsa celebrations began on Monday. For the entire Russian population, the coming seven days were the most fun and favorite time of the year. Each of them had its own name: Monday - “meeting”; Tuesday - “flirts”; Wednesday - “gourmet”; Thursday - “revelry”, “turning point”, “wide Thursday”; Friday - "mother-in-law's evening"; Saturday - “sister-in-law’s get-togethers”; Sunday - “seeing off”, “farewell”, “forgiveness”, “forgiveness day”, “kisser”.

On the main territory of Russia, the meeting of Maslenitsa, as a rule, was not celebrated with special rituals and did not always even take place on the first day of the holiday. But they were waiting for her “arrival” and carefully prepared for it: steep slopes of the banks were poured for skating, high ice and snow sledding mountains were built, snow fortresses and towns, swings, and booths were built at fairs.

In some villages, the celebration of Maslenitsa was a special ritual of the honorable importation of a specially made stuffed animal, which personified the holiday, accompanied by fellow villagers. Sometimes several guys brought a sleigh into the village, in which the most beautiful girl stood next to the scarecrow of Maslenitsa. Behind them moved a whole line of sleighs and painted sleds with festively dressed girls. The holiday began on a high place in the village or on a specially erected ski mountain. Children, young girls and boys were the first to celebrate Maslenitsa. They were also the main performers of all subsequent rituals. There were a lot of expectations associated with the upcoming holiday, so they tried to celebrate it as cheerfully and affably as possible, hoping that Maslenitsa would respond in kind. The dear guest was welcomed; all actions were accompanied by lamentation songs: “Are you my soul, Maslenitsa, quail bones, your paper body, your sugar lips, sweet speech! Come visit me in the wide yard, ride in the mountains, roll around in pancakes, amuse your heart. Are you, my Maslenitsa, red beauty, light brown braid, little bird, little bird, you’re my little quail! Come to my wooden house to amuse your soul, have fun with your mind, and enjoy your speech. The honest Maslenitsa, the noble noblewoman, rode out on seventy-seven trump sleighs, in a wide boat, to the great city to feast, to have fun with her soul, to have fun with her mind, to enjoy her speech...”

After the necessary greetings were sung, a sleigh with a stuffed Maslenitsa accompanied by children shouting: “Maslenitsa has arrived! Maslenitsa has arrived!” - moved down. Girls and children began to ride downhill on benches, frozen baskets and sleds. From that moment on, it was believed that Maslenitsa had been met, and the holiday had begun. On this day, they went to relatives to agree on the order of visiting each other, joint entertainment and trips to fairs.

The most important were the last four days of the holiday, called “broad” or “rambunctious Maslenitsa”. The day before, you should have taken a bath in order to wash away all the hardships and misfortunes of the past year. They stopped all types of work in their homes, began to visit relatives and friends, ride from the mountains, and go to fairs. At this time, initiation rites were performed, mainly associated with the honoring of the “newlyweds” - young spouses who got married this year. They were rolled in the snow, rolled down the mountains on animal skins and sleighs, put on overturned harrows, and forced to “ransom” each other from their merry fellow villagers. Children and teenagers walked around the houses where the young people lived, singing carols and demanding treats from the owners:

In villages and at fairs, unique “newlyweds’ shows” were held, at which the newlyweds had to demonstrate love and affection for each other, thereby symbolically, as it were, consolidating their status as adult family people in the eyes of their fellow villagers. This goal was also pursued by the obligatory “visiting of the newlyweds” in the houses of the father-in-law and mother-in-law with the obligatory treat of pancakes, and visits by godparents and relatives on both sides.

Going to visit and eating all kinds of fatty, oily foods, the presence of pancakes in the Maslenitsa meal as an obligatory component, and giving gifts to relatives were an indispensable condition for a proper and worthy celebration of the holiday.

The holiday reached its greatest scope in the last two days. Young people rode down the mountains on sleds, benches, and ice skates. At this time, “conventions” were organized in villages and fairs. On the ice of lakes and rivers, entire battles were fought to capture and destroy “snow towns,” which probably personified the passing of the boring, hungry winter. Popular sports competitions, “fist fights” flared up, in which the entire male population of the village took part in a certain sequence, with the exception of the infirm, wretched and old people, and when one village fought with another. The blood shed here was supposed to sprinkle the land and contribute to a good harvest. Sunday was the last day of the holiday. Many significant ritual actions took place on this day.

Not the least role in the completion of Maslenitsa was played by cleansing rituals, the purpose of which was to rid the village residents of the influence of evil destructive forces on their destinies. In the northern regions, the culmination of the holiday was the lighting of a large ritual bonfire on an elevated place, on the ice of a lake or river. All village residents took part in its construction, bringing old unnecessary things: dried out tubs, old collapsed sleighs, dilapidated utensils, straw from old beds. A tall pole with a wheel or tar barrel on it was placed vertically in the center of the fire pit.

To see off Maslenitsa, a complex action was presented with the participation of a special Maslenitsa train made up of boats and sleighs. The main person in it was a Maslenitsa effigy made of straw or wood, dressed in a traditional peasant costume, or a person depicting him. The train's progress through the village was accompanied by performances. The performers were the participants in the procession, and everyone else was the audience. During Maslenitsa, things that were unacceptable in everyday life were allowed. This was reflected in the costumes, behavior and performances of the participants. Fantastic costumes of the mummers, the use of face masks, facial makeup with soot, frivolous jokes and actions performed by them, noise and fun - all this created a picture of the presence at the festival of representatives of a world alien to man. The scenes performed were often mystical in nature, but performances were also performed that ridiculed real events. After going around the village, Maslenitsa was taken outside the outskirts and there it was either destroyed and scattered across the fields, or drowned in the river, or set on fire. All participants changed into regular clothes and returned to their normal lives. The holiday was considered over, all its participants went home for the final ritual action, thanks to which the last day of the holiday received the name Forgiveness Day.

On this day, they visited the cemetery and the graves of deceased relatives, as well as all relatives, friends and acquaintances and asked for their forgiveness. The last to forgive each other were members of the same family. This happened at home after the last hearty dinner and evening prayer. All small treats remaining after the celebration of Maslenitsa were subject to destruction or burning on the eve of Lent. However, as a rule, they tried to finish them urgently. “Fear Maslen of bitter radishes and steamed turnips”; “Have a feast, woman, on Maslena, and remember about fasting!” - said Russian sayings.

In some localities, on the Monday after Maslenitsa week, it was customary to celebrate “the feast of the honest Madame Maslenitsa,” at which they ate Lenten pancakes with hemp or sunflower oil.

The birth of a new month on Maslenitsa, when it “dipped its horn in oil,” according to popular belief, was considered a good omen not only for the duration of the holiday, but also promised a rich harvest and a well-fed life throughout the year. If there was a snowstorm on that day, then the same was expected for the entire next week: “It was blown by a broom on Maslenitsa; The Empress Maslenitsa Blizzard will come.”

The presence of newlyweds as guests increased the social significance of the latter in the eyes of others, since the reproductive ability and fertility of young spouses, according to popular beliefs, promised success in agricultural and cattle breeding activities for the residents of the entire village.

For a well-fed existence of people in the coming year, it was necessary to “amuse Maslenitsa”, which meant to greet it generously and spend it with dignity: “At least pawn something from yourself, but spend Maslenitsa”, “Maslenitsa is a waste of money, tidy up the money.” Those who did not pay tribute to the holiday were subject to general censure; in addition, it was believed that he would live the rest of the year in bitter misfortune and need.

Fun as an obligatory part of the ritual action was probably supposed to provide all participants in the entertainment and performances with a prosperous, well-fed, comfortable existence throughout the upcoming new agricultural year.

During cheese week, it was no longer possible to eat meat, but cheese, butter, fish and eggs were still allowed.

2. Annunciation

Once again we welcomed spring at the Annunciation. This was the last spring holiday before the end of Lent and the great Christian holiday Easter.

It's so good that spring is coming!

The sun is shining now until late,

The snow slowly turns into puddles.

We just remember the cold today.

This holiday got its name in memory of the good news that the Archangel Gabriel brought to the Virgin Mary. He told her that she would have a son, who would be named Jesus.

This day has long been considered by people to be the beginning of spring, when the earth finally awakens from its winter sleep. Before the Annunciation, it was forbidden to disturb (dig) the earth. In the folk calendar of the 19th-20th centuries. The Annunciation was one of the most revered holidays. It was often compared with Easter, the most important holiday for the Orthodox: “Like the Annunciation, so is the Bright Resurrection of Christ,” and sometimes even put it above Easter: “The Annunciation is God’s greatest holiday, even sinners are not tormented in hell.” They said that once, when the Annunciation coincided with Easter, the priests, having forgotten to serve the Annunciation service, immediately began the Easter service. They served Matins and Mass of Christ, but they can’t wait for the light, the sun doesn’t rise. They took up the Easter service several times, but nothing helped until they decided to serve the Annunciation service, only then it began to get light. We took a closer look, and the sun was already in the west; it did not want to shine on people that day.

Recognizing the importance of the holiday, the people, however, did not celebrate it with fun, especially since the Annunciation most often falls during the period of Lent. A person’s behavior during this day should have brought him closest to God. This was facilitated by visiting church, strict observance of prohibitions, rest from everyday affairs, concentrated thoughts about the divine, and abstraction from pressing economic problems. Only measured conversations about sowing, plowing, and harvest were allowed. Violation of these regulations was considered a sin and threatened with misfortune.

Early in the morning, the peasants, dressed in their best, always clean clothes (otherwise it was considered a sin to touch the sacred), went to church for matins, and upon returning, sat down to dinner. To commemorate the holiday, the Church allowed some relaxation of fasting on this day: one could eat fish, fish pies and vegetable oil. The peasants also did not consider it a sin to drink wine on this day.

The Annunciation was also of great importance in popular ideas because it is one of the four key points of the year associated with the solar cycle: Christmas - the winter solstice, the Annunciation - the spring equinox, Midsummer - the summer solstice and the Exaltation - the autumn equinox. On the Annunciation, the earth “waked up”; the period of greatest activity of all living things began, which ended on the Exaltation, after which the earth again “fell asleep” for the winter.

Like all holidays of the transitional calendar period, the Annunciation was an important time boundary. The people who considered the Annunciation to be the beginning of spring said: “The pike breaks the ice with its tail,” “Spring overcame winter.” On this day, the earth, awakened from sleep, “opened” and released snakes, frogs, mice, insects, as well as evil spirits to the surface. This holiday is celebrated in the folk calendar as the time of arrival of birds, the awakening of bees, flies, and bears. But if they revealed themselves before the Annunciation, this promised a cold spring, a hungry year. For the same reason, before the Annunciation, it was forbidden to disturb the earth: dig, dig, sow, plant, install pillars or repair fences; go to the forest, hang clothes in the yard.

In many places, spring was not only welcomed at the Annunciation, but also invited, “clicked”, “hooked”, and invited with treats - bread and pies. On this day, girls always danced in circles with the singing of stoneflies. After the festive mass-liturgy, young people gathered on the street and played “round burners” or “burners” until late in the evening, after which the girls called out for spring in a drawn-out and plaintive manner. In the Penza province, as well as in some others, during the festivities the guys always played gambling: “toss”, “cards”, “at the bank”, which were considered a sin for ordinary days of fasting.

The peasants considered the “play” of the sun to be one of the signs of spring and said: “And the sun rejoices at the holiday,” when at sunrise it trembled, played with rays and shimmered with different colors. They also went to look at the sun on Easter and Ivan Kupala; by its “game” they predicted the nature of the coming year. Often, he was greeted with songs - chants, which in the past were an integral part of the ritual of welcoming spring. In the Saratov province, children who went early in the morning for the Annunciation to watch the sun “play” turned to him: “Sun, little bucket! Enlighten me, take a look: your children want to eat and ask for something to drink.”

In many places, and especially in cities, on this holiday it was customary to release birds from their cages and sing “stone flies.” According to the peasants, they could hasten the arrival of spring, beg for it from God

As the day of nature's awakening, the first day of a new economic season, the Annunciation foreshadowed or magically predetermined the entire next year. This was expressed both in signs for the weather: “If the day is red on the Annunciation, then there will be many fires all year,” “On the Annunciation it will rain and rye will be born,” and in a large number of prohibitions that the peasants had to observe so as not to incur trouble or hunger. The ban on any work was especially strictly observed; even going out to work was considered a sin. There are many stories about divine punishment for those who violated the ban. God turned the girl who was spinning that day into a cuckoo, and God cursed the cuckoo who made the nest and deprived her of her nest forever. The rook, having forgotten about the holiday, began to build a nest and “choked” (hanged himself) with a twig that he was trying to bring for his construction. In some places it was believed that if the bird did build a nest, then either lightning would strike it and kill the chicks, or the bird itself would lose its wings and it would walk on the ground until the next year's holiday. A person working for the Annunciation could expect failure, misfortune and even death: “Whoever does not honor the holiday and sits at work with fire will kill a close relative with lightning in the summer.” Therefore, even the necessary everyday activities, such as cooking and feeding livestock, were undertaken by the peasants only after the end of the service in the church.

The ban on lighting a fire on the evening of a holiday was known everywhere. Tula peasants explained it by the fact that fire or a burning kerosene lamp could smoke the face of God on this day and thereby cause God's wrath. At the same time, beekeepers feared that for violating the prohibition, God would strike the bees with blindness during the honey harvest. In many places, peasants believed that one should not light a fire in the house so as not to offend the holiday, otherwise the house would be struck by lightning or the wheat would get smut, and the bees would be attacked by lazy swarming, which would result in little honey. But in some places the opposite belief existed about the evening preceding the holiday. In the Tambov province, on the occasion of the Annunciation, the fires in the huts were not extinguished, believing that this would make the flax grow better, and if this was neglected, the crops could be burned by lightning.

The well-known saying: “On the Annunciation, a little bird does not build a nest, and a maiden does not braid her hair” was supported by a strict ban on braiding and combing hair, otherwise chickens could spoil the crops by “combing” the beds. If you sleep in the house during the day on Annunciation, you will “fall asleep” underground and the seeds will not sprout. In some places, there was a strict prohibition on lending anything for the Annunciation; peasants believed that with the given thing, prosperity would leave the farm, and some kind of loss would definitely happen (livestock would die or there would be a crop failure). The ban on swearing on this day was explained by the fact that they would have to swear all year. If a person ate honey, they said that he would make honey speeches throughout the year.

In many places, the Annunciation was considered a difficult and unlucky day, on which quarrels, scandals and all sorts of misunderstandings occur. The peasants believed that a child conceived or born on the Annunciation (“blagovestnik”, “holiday”) would be born crippled, weak-minded or a villain. The same idea extended to animals. There was a widespread belief that eggs laid on the eve of the holiday would hatch into ugly chickens. Peasant women said that if a cow brought her first calf to the Annunciation, then the offspring received from her will “not live” (the calves will die), although she may have a lot of milk. Even the day of the week on which the holiday fell was considered unfavorable throughout the year for starting any important business: plowing, sowing, driving livestock, building a house, but the day of the week following it became, on the contrary, happy for any undertakings. The idea of ​​the Annunciation as a time limit was reflected in the belief that all work that is completed before the Annunciation will be successful throughout the year, and a person who has completed important work will have good luck in this type of activity until the next Annunciation.

In many places, cleansing rites were held on the Annunciation. On the night before the holiday, old bast shoes were burned, and in Siberia, straw mattresses-beds on which the family slept. They jumped over this fire, which was supposed to destroy diseases for the whole year; they fumigated their clothes with its smoke in order to get rid of the evil eye and gain protection from the spells of sorcerers. In the Penza province, the straw “bedding” on which they slept was necessarily burned in a cage or barn, and the corners of the hut were fumigated with smoke in order to drive out evil spirits and protect themselves from diseases. To get rid of flies, fleas and other insects, on Annunciation, the Russians of Transbaikalia burned a rag underground. And in order to protect yourself from snakes, in the Penza province it was forbidden to pick up or even look at a spindle, a cross and yarn. In the Tula province, a similar ban applied primarily to harsh, unbleached yarn, and in the Perm province, for the same purpose, they tried not to look at any sharp objects (needles, awls, spindles). It was believed that if you see a needle, you will definitely meet a snake, and if you prick yourself, it will bite you.

The Annunciation opened the season of field work. Russian peasants said: “God blessed the land for sowing.” Therefore, in some places, the peasants themselves tried to consecrate the grain intended for sowing: for this, an icon dedicated to the holiday was placed in a tub of grain and they said:

Mother of God!

Gabriel the Archangel!

Bring good news, be kind,

Bless us with the harvest.

Oats and rye, barley, wheat

And everyone lives a hundredfold!

After this, the grain would certainly bring a rich harvest.

The Annunciation prosphora was of particular importance for successful sowing, the future harvest and the well-being of many other economic endeavors. Instead of prosphoras, in some places Annunciation cookies were baked in the shape of agricultural implements: a plow, a harrow and a sickle. At the same time, “sickles” were given to girls so that they could reap quickly, and “harrows” and “ploughs” were given to boys so that they would succeed in these activities. Such “ploughs” and “harrows” were taken with them into the field while plowing.

In some places, it was customary to prepare medicinal Annunciation salt for the Annunciation.

On the day of the Annunciation, the peasants not only noticed the weather, which predetermined the entire course of economic work, but also made fortunes. On the eve of the holiday, housewives hung a wet canvas or towel outdoors in a quiet, windless place; if it dried completely, they said that there would be a fruitful year; if it was half dry, the average harvest would grow; but if it remained wet or froze, they foreshadowed a rainy summer, and therefore a bad harvest. .

3. Palm Sunday

A week before Easter, Palm Sunday is celebrated. This day has always been celebrated in the Christian calendar as a bright holiday

According to the Gospel, Jesus Christ went with his disciples from Bethany to Jerusalem to celebrate Easter there. On the way to the city, he saw a young donkey tied to a tree and asked the disciples to bring it to him. The disciples laid their clothes on the back of the donkey, on which Christ sat. When he entered the city, the people enthusiastically greeted the Savior with palm branches. On the road along which Jesus was traveling, people threw palm branches and spread out their clothes.

In memory of this event, it is customary in all Christian churches to consecrate decorated tree branches on this day. Among the Russians, the place of the palm branch was taken by the willow; this is one of the first trees to bloom beautifully in spring, which gave the name to the holiday and the week before it: “Palm Sunday”, “Palm (or Variegated) Week”, “Verbnitsa”, “Verbich”.

In the popular mind, the willow symbolized health, vitality, fertility and offering. There is a legend that the willow was once a woman who had many beautiful, strong, healthy children. But, like any woman, she loved to boast about her offspring, and one day she carelessly said that her fertility was higher than the fertility of Mother Earth. The angry Mother Earth turned it into a willow with a huge number of children - fluffy buds that bloom in early spring, when other trees are still in hibernation.

In the cities of pre-Petrine Russia, the entry of the Lord into Jerusalem was celebrated with special solemnity. In the 16th – 17th centuries. in Moscow, Novgorod, Rostov, Kazan, Astrakhan and Tobolsk, the culmination of the celebration was a religious procession, during which the tsar or the head of the city administration led by the bridle a horse disguised as a donkey, on which the patriarch or local bishop sat. Processions were held annually until 1679 and were canceled by decree of Peter I together with the patriarchate.

Over time, the celebration became much simpler. On Saturday, and especially on Sunday, festive services were held in the church and a relaxation of fasting was allowed. In the villages on these days they tried not to work, and for the holiday they prepared a variety of fish dishes and pies - fishmongers. In cities and Siberian villages, caviar was a mandatory dish on the Saturday festive table. The eve of Palm Sunday was celebrated noisily and cheerfully by young people. In three to four days, the girls began to collect food, from which on Saturday they cooked mash, prepared fish chicken, porridge and baked buckwheat pancakes. At midnight, young people went out into the street singing songs. Near the gate of each house where the newlyweds lived, boys and girls stopped and shouted: “Open it, unlock it, young one, beat it with a camel, give it more health than before.” The young woman unlocked the gate, and the crowd entered singing: “If only there would be a harvest of grain, multiplying livestock.” In the hut they lightly hit the owner with a willow, saying: “Get up early, beat the ram”; “We hit to be healthy.” The last to be beaten was the young one when she bowed, escorting the singing youth out of the gate. Returning to the hut, where a treat had been prepared in advance, the youth had fun, ate pancakes and porridge, and treated the boys who came in the morning to congratulate them on the holiday with the leftovers. On the morning of the holiday, parents lightly whipped their children with willow, while saying willow sayings and sayings:

The willow is holy! The willow is holy!

Willow - whip - beats to tears,

The willow is white - it hits the ground running!

The willow is red - it hits in vain!

It’s not I who strike, the willow strikes, in a week there will be a great day.

Be healthy like water, be rich like earth!

A willow came from overseas,

The willow brought health!

Willow - whip, beat me to tears!

Palm Sunday was necessarily preceded by a palm market, when, according to tradition, people could prepare for this day and buy everything they needed. Little children loved these bazaars: there was so much to be had here - toys, sweets, entertainment, flowers, and willows...

On Palm Sunday, adults gave willow branches to children with the words:

And now Sunday has come,

The fluffy willow came on the wings of spring.

Our dear willow,

Blessed willow

Everyone will highly respect you,

Come to us with joy,

Give your children good health!

The Russians tried to convey the life-giving power of the willow to people, fields and animals. So, in some provinces on Palm Sunday they baked balls from rye dough with willow buds inside. The balls were fed to sheep to make them fertile, and to lambs to gain strength. They treated each other to dough balls to stay healthy. Women who wanted to have children had to swallow several willow buds, blessed in the church. It was believed that this would add vitality to them. Some spells were structured as if it was not people who were beating each other with willow branches, but the willow itself passing on its strength and health to them: “It’s not me who hits, it’s the willow that hits,” “The willow whips, hit them until they cry.”

Willow was considered a healing remedy for various diseases. The willow consecrated in the temple, according to believers and priests, is considered sacred and has magical powers. People swallowed willow buds to protect themselves from illness and to drive away any illness. The willow consecrated in the church was preserved until the first pasture of the livestock, and the hostess always used willow twigs to drive out the livestock. It was believed that this would add vitality to them. Some spells were structured as if it was not people who were hitting each other with willow branches, but the willow itself transferring its strength and health to them: “It’s not I who hit, it’s the willow that hits.”

They also believed that the willow has protective properties: it protects from evil spirits, protects a house from lightning, stops a fire, pacifies a storm, protects crops from destruction, helps a person in the hour of death, driving away the devil from him. That is why the consecrated willow was kept for a whole year on the shrine, and, having brought fresh from the church, the old one was lowered down the river or stuck into the ground in the field.

People noted that if the willow blooms well, the arable land will be successful. In the palm frost, spring bread will be good.

4.Easter

This holiday always occurs in the spring, but people who believe in God prepare for it all year long. The greatest holiday stands apart among Orthodox holidays. It has a very accurate popular name - “holidays Holiday”.

A long time ago, several thousand years ago, this holiday began to be celebrated in memory of the deliverance of the Jews from Egyptian captivity. The name "Easter" is a direct transfer of the name of the Jewish holiday, celebrated annually for a week, starting from the 14th day of the spring month of Nissan. The name "Passover" itself is a Greek modification of the Hebrew word "pesah", which was interpreted as "passing"; it was borrowed from the more ancient pastoral custom of celebrating the transition from winter to summer pastures.

And with the advent of Christianity, Easter acquired another meaning - the miraculous resurrection of Jesus Christ, the son of God, from the dead. The death and resurrection of Christ coincided with the holiday of Easter.

Jesus allowed himself to be crucified to atone for the sins of men, and three days later he rose from the dead. Early on Sunday morning, several women (Mary, Salome, Joanna...) went to the tomb to bring spices intended for the body of Jesus. As they approached, they saw that the large stone blocking the entrance to the tomb had been rolled away, the tomb was empty, and the Angel of the Lord was sitting on the stone. His appearance was like lightning, and His clothing was white as snow. Fearing the Angel, the women were in awe. The angel said: “Do not be afraid, for I know what you are looking for: Jesus crucified. He's not here. He has risen as he said." With fear and joy, the women hastened to tell the Apostles about what they had seen. “And behold, Jesus met them and said: Rejoice! And they came, grabbed His feet and worshiped Him. Then Jesus says to them: Do not be afraid; go, tell my brothers, so that they go to Galilee, and there they will see me.” And as before, His disciples saw the Risen One. On the bright holiday of Easter, the Church calls on believers to “purify their senses and see Christ, shining with the impregnable light of the resurrection, and, singing the song of victory, hear clearly from Him: “Rejoice!”

This happened on the seventh day of the week, which has since been called resurrection. Therefore, every Sunday (day off) people do not work in memory of the resurrection of Christ.

Easter is always celebrated on different days of the calendar, but always on Sunday. There is a rule by which church ministers calculate the date of the holiday. The calculation formula is as follows: Easter is always celebrated on the first Sunday after the first full moon, which occurs after the spring equinox between March 22 and April 25.

They prepared for Easter starting from Maundy or Maundy Thursday. On this day, the whole house was cleaned to sparkling cleanliness, eggs were painted and painted (Appendix), Easter was prepared, Easter cakes were baked (Appendix) and small flour products in the form of lambs, cockerels, doves; honey gingerbread, baked pig, lamb or ham, fried veal, sewed new outfits. Flowers were used to decorate dishes, as well as tables, icons and the house. According to ancient tradition, colored eggs were placed on a dish among specially sprouted oats, wheat, and watercress.

Many good customs and beliefs were dedicated to the holiday. For example, it was believed that good deeds done in favor of others, especially those deprived by fate, helped remove sin from the soul. Thus, in Russia it was customary to collect money to ransom debtors from prison.
The last week before Easter is called Holy Week. During Holy Week, they remember the events of the last week of Jesus Christ's earthly life from the moment he entered Jerusalem until the day he was crucified on the cross and resurrected on the third day. Food restrictions become much more strict during Holy Week, and on Good Friday - the day of Christ's crucifixion - believers do not eat at all, until the removal of the shroud, which symbolizes the moment of Jesus' atoning sacrifice.

On the night from Saturday to Sunday, the Easter service takes place, which is the logical conclusion of the service of all the previous days of Holy Week. Exactly at half past twelve, the festive service begins - the midnight office, followed by matins and a procession around the church, the liturgy. After the end of the service, the parishioners congratulated each other on the bright holiday, kissed three times and said the words: “Christ is Risen!” - “Truly he is risen!”, they exchanged eggs painted red. Red is the color of the blood of Christ shed on the cross, which redeemed the sins of the world. In the villages on Easter night, as soon as the bells ringing, announcing the resurrection, everything was immediately illuminated with lights. The church building and the bell tower were covered in the lights of lanterns hung the day before; fires flared up near the church; outside the village, at road intersections, on hills and high river banks, tar barrels were set on fire, which were sometimes raised on poles. The coals left over from the fires were collected the next morning and placed under the roof eaves to protect the house from lightning and fire. The candle, with which they walked around the church in processions of the cross, was also preserved, attributing magical properties to it. In many places, before the start and end of the festive liturgy, it was customary to shoot from guns. In some places, it was mostly hunters who shot, confident that they would certainly kill the devil with a shot, and at the same time wanting to ensure a successful hunt for themselves throughout the year.

After the service, the peasants, who did not have time to bless a variety of food for the Easter home meal on Holy Saturday, lined up in the church fence waiting for the priest. They stood in two rows, men with bare heads, women in festive clothes, each holding a tablecloth with an Easter cake on which a candle was burning. For the consecration of the paska, the peasants threw small copper coins - ten kopecks and nickels - into a bowl of holy water from which the priest sprinkled. In the north of the Novgorod province, after the end of the Easter service and the blessing of the Easter cakes, they ran home as quickly as possible to break their fast, because they believed that the one who runs faster would handle the harvest before others, and would collect every last grain from his field.

One of the most important moments of the holiday was the Easter morning meal. After a long and harsh fast, even adult peasants, and especially village children, were looking forward to “breaking their fast.”

As a rule, this was a family meal at which no guests appeared. On the table, covered with a white tablecloth, there must be a lamb made of dough, sugar and butter. This is a symbol reminiscent of the sacrificial death of Christ in atonement for the sins of all mankind.
For the Easter meal, they baked rich Easter cakes and prepared Easter cottage cheese. There were many different types of Easter: creamy Easter made from cream, red Easter made from baked milk, Easter made with yolks, pink Easter with raspberry jam, Easter made with flour. Cheese Easter was made from cottage cheese. In the old days, any sour milk was called cottage cheese. Throughout Lent, people gathered in villages in anticipation of the holiday. Over time, the curdled milk thickened, but not at all as much as when exposed to temperature. Studying church books, we realized that no one made Easter from real, according to our concepts, hard cottage cheese. Used aged sour milk. Therefore, it was airy, tender and fragrant. Cottage cheese Easter was made in the form of a truncated pyramid - a symbol of the Holy Sepulcher. On its sides are depicted the instruments of Christ’s suffering: a cross, a spear, a cane, as well as symbols of the resurrection: flowers, sprouted grains, sprouts, the letters “H.V.”

And of course they painted the eggs. Usually the eggs were painted on Thursday and taken to church on Saturday to be blessed. The custom of painting eggs came after Mary went to preach the teachings of Christ. She came to Rome, to the imperial palace. In those distant times, everyone who came to the emperor necessarily brought some kind of gift: the rich - jewelry, and the poor - whatever they could. Mary had nothing with her except her faith in Christ. She handed the emperor a simple chicken egg and immediately loudly pronounced the main news: “Christ is risen!” The emperor was surprised and said: “How can you believe that someone can rise from the dead? It’s hard to believe it, as well as the fact that this white egg can turn red!” While he was saying these words, the egg began to change its color: it turned pink, darkened and finally became bright red. This is how the first Easter egg was given. (Russian Easter)

Feasts continued throughout Easter week. Festive tables were laden with a variety of dishes. In addition to Easter, Easter cakes and eggs, baked piglets stuffed with nuts, hams, various sausages, and cheeses were served at the table. General joy, rejoicing, and a joyful mood prevailed. Bells were ringing in all the churches. The holiday lasted throughout Bright Week, the table remained set; they invited people to the table, gave them food, especially to the poor, and welcomed the sick and wretched.

In many places, any entertainment on Easter day: secular songs, dancing, playing the harmonica, drinking - was considered by the people to be indecent and a great sin. In the Russian North and Siberia, on the first day of the holiday, peasants tried to avoid all pleasures, sat at home, spending time eating, drinking and resting. Going to visit neighbors on this day was either generally considered indecent, or began only in the evening - “from puberty.” The main celebration, the beginning of youth festivities and games, took place on the next day of the holiday, which was replete with entertainment.

In many places, the legacy of church rounds, combined with the ancient tradition of protective and preventive rituals, was the rounds of the village by its inhabitants, mainly women and girls, on the second or third day of Easter. Early in the morning, neighbors with icons on towels (sometimes with a burning candle in a lantern) gathered on the outskirts of the village. They walked around the village singing “Christ has risen from the dead”; they did not enter the houses; at the end of the tour, the icons were washed with water from the well, after which the water was considered holy, it was kept at home and used as a preventive and medicinal remedy for illness. The women who performed the ritual believed that this would protect the village residents from various misfortunes, especially hurricanes and fires.

Children's, sometimes youth, house-to-house visits on the first day of Easter were also common almost everywhere. In the morning, after the Easter service, village children gathered in groups of 10 - 20 people and went to “be Christed,” “to celebrate Christ,” or “to celebrate Christ.” Entering the house, they congratulated the owners three times: “Christ is risen!” They answered: “In truth he is risen!” and presented them with colored eggs, pies, sweets, and gave them a piece of Easter cake. It was considered shameful not to give gifts to the children; the owners specially prepared for their arrival, saving treats.

After the Easter meal, the departure of the “god-bearers,” or only the next day, the festive festivities began. At the end of the Easter liturgy, boys, boys, girls, sometimes adult men and women gathered in the church bell tower; thanks to their efforts, the bells did not stop ringing from early morning until 4-5 pm from the first day of Easter until the end of Easter week (until Saturday). Festively dressed young people gathered on the street, where swings were installed especially for Easter. Accordions played, girls and boys danced, sang songs, boys and men competed in various games, including games with Easter eggs, the rest of the villagers came to watch. Often the greatest celebration took place in one of the villages of the parish, where guests, especially young people, gathered. In some villages, fairs were also held on this day. It was not uncommon for girls’ round dances to begin on this day. Adults, going to another village, visited relatives, drank, treated themselves, and sang drinking songs. If visiting on Easter was not customary in a given area, then women and men gathered in groups separately from each other, women talked, men played cards.

In some places, on this day or on one of the days of Easter week, the parents of the engaged invited each other to visit. During the meal, the engaged guy and girl, sitting next to each other in the red corner, became the center of everyone's attention, they were treated to vodka, and wishes were expressed. At the same time, the guy had to look after the girl, address her as “you,” by name and patronymic or with the words “my betrothed bride,” and serve sweets on a plate. After lunch, the bride and groom rode a horse around the village in an embrace. In the Nizhny Novgorod province, the newlyweds were visiting their parents that day. An obligatory gift from the young husband to his wife’s father was Easter cake, for which the father-in-law called relatives and friends to visit him to treat him (“to pray for Easter”).

Easter is one of the most important dates for commemorating the dead. On the one hand, this is connected with the church idea of ​​the death and resurrection of Christ, the atonement of original sin and the transmission of ancestors - the ancient righteous and prophets to paradise. On the other hand, it correlates with the pagan agricultural ideas of the Slavs, according to which any cycle of rituals aimed at predetermining prosperity and harvest is associated with the commemoration of ancestors as givers of benefits. The church prohibited visiting the cemetery on the first day of Easter, dedicating for this purpose the Tuesday following Easter week - Radunitsa. In many places this custom was strictly observed, but in some places, especially in the western and southern Russian provinces on the eve of Easter, at night, housewives placed on the table or on the shrine a plate covered with a napkin with a treat - breaking the fast “for parents”, in which there were eggs and pieces Easter cake At the same time, the hostess invited the dead: “Come, parents.” It was believed that in response to the invitation, “parents” came that night to break their fast. In the morning, treats were distributed to children who came to congratulate them on the holiday.

In some places, people entered the church cemetery immediately after the festive liturgy with a blessed “paska” (Kulich). Approaching the grave of one of the relatives, they said Christ to the deceased: they bowed, kissed the cross and placed “in their heads”, to the cross, a crumbled egg, a piece of Easter cake and cheese Easter, while singing “Christ is risen...”, but the dead - “parents” were not remembered, explaining that “you cannot remember on Easter, only on Radunitsa.” They crumbled the egg for the birds and called: “Birds of heaven, peck.” It was believed that this treat eased the fate of the deceased in the next world. In many villages, a whole egg was placed at the cross. At the same time, the peasants of the Novgorod province, expecting that one of the beggars would take the offerings from the grave for the remembrance of the soul of the deceased, said: “Whoever takes the egg, bow forty times for the deceased, forty times ask for the eternal kingdom from the Risen One.”

In some places there was a belief that on the first day of Easter you could see your deceased relatives and even talk with them. Knowledgeable people advised to do this by quietly hiding in a church with a passionate candle in your hands, while everyone else was leaving the church in procession. When it is empty, the souls of the dead will begin to gather, pray and make Christ among themselves. To talk with the dead, in the Gorodishche district of the Penza province, knowledgeable people resorted to a method called “calling out to the dead.”

Easter, according to popular belief, is characterized by a special state of the world. The boundaries between the real and other worlds become transparent, and it becomes possible to communicate with the dead, to see what was previously inaccessible. The peasants believed that on the eve of the holiday, after sunset, it was dangerous to go out into the yard, onto the street, as devils - werewolves - walked there. The devils are especially angry at this time. With the first strikes of the bell, they fall from the bell tower, where they had previously been hiding, and after Easter Matins they find themselves tied up and walled up in attics, in dark corners of courtyards, and within church walls. If you go to the attic with a lit Easter candle, you can see a tied up devil, and you can hear the torment and fuss of the devils in the church walls by putting your ear to the wall. To recognize witches, it was advised to stand with the charmed cottage cheese at the church doors when people begin to gather for the service. If you hold onto the door frame while doing this, you can recognize witches passing by by their tails. Another way is to turn around during the service - all sorcerers will stand with their backs to the altar. And if, dressed in everything new, you stand with the first egg taken out from under the chicken in your hand, you will recognize all the sorcerers by their horns.

Peasant householders created a cycle of signs. On Easter morning, after collecting water from the well and carrying it to the cows, the housewives placed a bucket in front of the barn door and watched “Dawn on the Water.” If the water was red from Dawn, then “summer will be red.” If the water was pale, then “there will be little bread.” We also observed in the morning: which cattle are lying still at this time - those are in the yard, and those that are fussing and tossing and turning - those are not in the yard! They “shoot” chickens from their roost so that the chickens do not get lazy, but get up earlier and lay more eggs.

As Easter morning arrived, the world changed. They stopped torturing sinners in hell, the doors of heaven opened, so the person who died on that day would definitely go to heaven, no matter what sinner he was. The people believed that on Easter Sunday all nature rejoices and the sun rejoices. “The sun jumps on Christ’s day,” the peasants said. Early in the morning we went out into the street to look at it, climbed higher on the hills and roofs. It was believed that if the sun “plays”, “quivers”, this means a good and healthy life, a rich harvest and happy weddings, and if it only slightly or not “plays” at all, they said that it would be a bad year. In the Tula province, when the sun appeared above the horizon, children sang:

Sunshine, bucket,

Look out the window!

Your children are crying

Cheese is chopped

They throw it to the dogs;

Dogs don't eat

But the chickens don’t peck.

Sunny, show yourself.

Equip yourself with red.

Gentlemen boyars are coming

To visit you in the yard,

To feast at feasts,

To eat at the tables.

According to the ethnographer and folklorist I.P. Sakharov, at dawn on Easter morning old women washed themselves with gold, silver and Easter eggs in order to get rich and look younger, and the old men combed their hair, saying: “As many hairs as there are in the head, there would be as many grandchildren.”

Conclusion

In my essay, I tried to show the beauty and originality of Russian folk spring holidays. I realized that holidays played a very important role in the life of the Russian people and had a program marked by a long tradition. This allowed me to conclude that the originality of the holiday ritual depended on the event itself underlying the holiday, its origin and significance for society

Prayer services, religious processions, which necessarily brought together all the residents of one village, one village, one city block, a common festive festivities - all this brought people together and supported a sense of collectivism in them. I saw that the holidays helped strengthen family ties, since they usually brought together all close and distant relatives. I also noted another important aspect of folk festivals, related to concern for procreation, since they provided young people who flocked to the festival from surrounding villages with a wider opportunity than on other days to choose a marriage partner, and the joyful atmosphere reduced the feeling of awkwardness and embarrassment in the relationships of young people. Communication with distant relatives, fair traders, booth owners, beggars, and pilgrims who arrived for the holiday made it possible to learn news about events in the country, gain knowledge about distant countries and peoples, and be amazed at overseas wonders and customs. Discussion of new information contributed to the awareness of common interests not only among residents of one village, but also helped to develop the spirit of solidarity on an all-Russian scale.

The holiday allowed people to take a break from the series of hard peasant work, distracting them from family problems, and provided psychological relief. And spending time together created the illusion of equality of all people and relieved social tension in society. With the help of ritual actions, people turned to those forces on which they believed their well-being in life depended.

I was struck by the respectful attitude of the Russian people towards the holiday, which they considered perhaps the main event in the whirlwind of life, perceiving it as a holy deed, pleasing to God. The holiday required a transformation of not only the external, but also the internal state of a person. People these days treated each other with emphatic respect and showed hospitality to everyone who arrived for the holiday.

It was interesting for me to work on the chosen topic of the essay. I understood where the beauty of Russian folk culture came into our lives. Yes, of course, from the soul of a Russian person.

I think my essay can be used to prepare classes and extracurricular activities. I will also use it as a basis for writing a research paper on this topic.

In my work, I summarized the material collected on the topic of the abstract and prepared a presentation made in the Power Point editor for its defense.

Bibliography

1. Baranova O. G., Zimina T. A. Russian holiday. – St. Petersburg: Art – St. Petersburg, 2001.

2. Bronstein M.M. Holidays of peoples in Russia. – Moscow: Rosman – press, 2004.

3. Zabylin M., Russian people. Its customs, rituals, legends, superstitions and poetry. - Rostov-on-Don: Phoenix, 1996.

4. Ishchuk V.V., Nagibina M.I. National holidays. – Yaroslavl: Development Academy: Academy, Co.: Academy Holding, 2000.

5. Youth stage No. 1 - M.: Young Guard, 1993.

6. Koneva L. S. Orthodox holidays. – Minsk: Harvest, 2004.

7. Koneva L. S. Russian Easter. – Moscow: Harvest, 2005.

8. Shangina I. I. Russian holidays. – St. Petersburg: ABC – Classics, 2004.

9. Folk calendar [Electronic resource] / Easter - Source of joy. Bright Resurrection of Christ – 02/24/2009. – Access mode: http://www.paskha.net/narodniy-kalendar-paskha.htm

10. EASTER - Bright Resurrection of Christ [Electronic resource] / Details about the Easter holiday - 02/24/2009. - Access mode http://www.zavet.ru/kalendar/pasxa/index.htm

11. EASTER - BRIGHT RESURRECTION OF CHRIST [Electronic resource] – 02/24/2009. - Access mode http://www.kuking.net/20020505.htm

12. Women's magazine [Electronic resource] / Easter cake and Easter recipe. Painting eggs – 02/24/2009 – Access mode http://newwoman.ru/xoz2.html

13. Holy Easter [Electronic resource] – 02/24/2009 – Access mode http://www.cap.ru/cap/DAILY/9904/pasxa.htm

Application

Holiday pancake recipe

What do you need:
100 g corn flour
4 g baker's yeast
300 g cottage cheese
150 ml milk
2 eggs
1 tbsp. l. butter
1 lemon
1 large bunch of herbs to taste (mint, basil, etc.)
5 cloves garlic
3 tbsp. l. pine nuts
1 tbsp. l. poppy
1 tbsp. l. vegetable oil, salt, pepper
What to do:
Dissolve yeast in 1 tbsp. l. warm milk. Mix corn flour with the remaining cold milk. Add the diluted yeast, then the eggs. Salt and pepper. Remove thick stems from the greens, wash them, dry them, and chop them finely. Peel the garlic and chop finely. Chop the pine nuts. Fry the nuts and garlic in butter for a few seconds over medium heat. Remove from heat, add lemon juice, salt and pepper. Mix with cottage cheese and refrigerate. Add chopped herbs to the pancake batter. Bake thick pancakes in a frying pan greased with vegetable oil.

Serve warm pancakes with very cold cottage cheese, sprinkling poppy seeds on top.

flour - 1/2 cup
milk - 1 glass
egg - 1
vegetable oil - 1 tablespoon
a pinch of salt
pinch of sugar
filling:
walnuts - 2 tablespoons (ground)
raisins - 2 tablespoons (finely chopped)
almonds - 1 tablespoon (ground)
powdered sugar - 2 tablespoons
rum - 2 tablespoons
sauce:
chocolate - 50 g
milk - 1/4 cup
yolk - 1
rum - a little for setting the pancakes on fire

Oh, lark waders,

Come and visit us in our solitude.

A sandpiper flew from across the sea,

The sandpiper brought nine locks.

Kulik, kulik, close the winter,

Unlock the spring, the summer is warm.

Larks, larks!
Lie down with us
Bring us a warm summer!
We're tired of winter
She ate all our bread,
All the cattle were killed.

Spring, red spring
Come, spring, with joy,
With joy, with great mercy:
With big flax,
With deep roots,
With great bread.

Spring, red Spring!
Come, Spring, with joy,
With great mercy:
With tall flax,
With deep roots,
With abundant bread.
Spring is red!
What did you come with?
What did you arrive on?
On a bipod, on a harrow?

Jack Frost,
Here's bread and oats for you,
Now get out, I'll say hello.

Larks, Quails!
Come and visit us
Bring it to us
Red spring,
Summer is warm.
We're tired of winter
She ate our bread.

Spring, red spring!
Come, spring, with joy,
With joy, with great mercy:
With large flax,
With deep roots,
With great bread.

Oh, Bolsa, God,
Yes, click on the red spring
For warm summers,
On thick life,
Yes, for a row of wheat,
Yes to green hemp!
Oh, from a thick life
Let's brew beer
From green hemp
Let's beat the butter
From spring wheat
Let's bake pies!

Come to us, spring,
With joy!
With a great one to us
With mercy!
With grainy rye,
With golden wheat,
With curly oats,
With mustachioed barley,
With millet, with buckwheat,
With viburnum-raspberry,
With pears, with apples,
With every garden,
With azure flowers,
With grass-ant

Games with paints

1. The guys lay out the eggs they brought on the table and cover them with hats. There are also hats on the table with nothing under them. Then the hats are moved around the table. One of the participants in the game is in another room at this time. They call him and ask: “Where are you soaring the coki?” The driver, if there are dyes there, takes them for himself. The game continues until all the colors are taken apart. The luckier one has the most eggs.

2. They compete to see whose egg will spin the longest. On command, the children simultaneously spin their paints. Whose egg spins the longest is the winner, he takes the loser's egg.

3. The players sit next to the walls of the room opposite each other and roll paints. Krashenki collide. Whose egg breaks, he gives it to his opponent.

5. Paint fight. The players shout: “One, two, three! My egg, get stronger! Ready to fight!" Players hit paints with any side, usually sharp. Whose egg breaks or cracks is the loser.

Directions: These games can be played anywhere. The older the children, the more complex options they can be offered. You can play with two people, but with more they are more interesting.

Among the favorite spring pastimes in the old days and today are games, competitions (with a jump rope, with pebbles, with a ball), hide-and-seek games, riddle games, trap games, round dance games with choice.

They said about Good Easter: “What an Easter - wider than Christmas!” The girls at matins whispered: “The Resurrection of Christ! Send me a single groom, in stockings and little shorts!” Or: “God grant me a good groom, in boots and ears, not on a cow, but on a horse!” It was customary to make wishes, because on this day the higher powers are ready to joyfully fulfill any desire of an Orthodox person. Make a wish, and Happy Easter to you.

"KOSTROMUSHKA" (both children and adults loved to play).

Kostromushka (woman) sat on the bench.

A group of players knocked on her door, as if at home.

"Kostromushka, Kostroma, why are you at home, why are you silent?"

Knock, grunt at the gate, Kostromushka at home?

Kostromushka "lies on the stove."

The group of players sings a verse again and knocks.

Kostomushka replies: “She climbed into the cellar.”

The next time he says: “I broke my leg and died.”

The players perform a funny funeral ceremony, carry

Kostromushka should be buried outside the outskirts. Kostroma is a symbol of constant rebirth.

"BEAR FUN"

“Come on, Mishenka,” the leader begins, “bow to the honest gentlemen, and show your science, what the sexton taught you at school, and what kind of intelligence he awarded you.” Like beautiful girls, young ladies, they whiten themselves, blush, look in the mirror, preen themselves. - Misha sits down on the ground, rubs his face with one paw, and twirls a cookie in front of his snout with the other - this means the girl looks in the mirror.? And how grandma Erofeevna prepared pancakes for the oil stove, didn’t bake pancakes, just burned her hands blindly, and got burned from the firewood... Oh, pancakes, pancakes! - The bear licks his paw, shakes his head and groans.

Come on, Mikhailo Ivanovich, imagine how priest Martyn slowly walks to matins, leans on his crutch, quietly moves forward - and how priest Martyn drives home from matins, that even the priest will not catch up with him. - And how do the women leisurely wander to the master’s work? - Mishenka barely moves paw after paw. ~ And how do the women run home from the master’s work? - Mishenka begins to walk to the side? But then, Mishenka, imagine how a fat merchant, drunk, sits and says little, but only groans. The bear sits on the ground, sways and groans.

Eggs painted in birch leaves.

Prepare a decoction of young birch leaves and let it brew. Wash the eggs, leave in a warm infusion, cook for 10 minutes. After boiling, remove and cool. The eggs will turn out yellow. If desired, you can put a pattern on them: put a birch or some other small leaf of a beautiful shape on the moistened shell, tie the egg tightly with nylon, and then boil it in the infusion.

Eggs painted with ink.

Wash the eggs, wipe them, wrap them in rags, tie them with thread, drip ink on top in some places using a pipette or a wooden stick, put them in a pan with warm water, cook after boiling for 10 minutes, remove, cool, remove the rags.

Eggs dyed in onion skins.

Wash the eggs. Prepare a decoction of onion peels and let it brew. Place the eggs in the infusion, bring to a boil and cook after boiling for 10 minutes, remove and cool. You can rub the eggs with sunflower oil, then they will acquire a stunning shine. Depending on the amount of husk taken, the eggs will turn from yellow to red-brown. Eggs, dyed in patches.

Tear out scraps of silk shedding fabric of different colors and mix. Wash the eggs, wipe dry, moisten, wrap in silk; if desired, you can first put thin, thick paper cut out in patterns on the eggs. Wrap in a rag, tie with thread, put in warm water, let it boil and cook for 10 minutes. Then remove, cool, remove rags and silk.

Eggs in colorful colors.

Paint the egg a basic matte color. Then take a little bit of not very liquid paint on the tip of the brush and, by spraying, apply dots and strokes to the surface of the egg.

Two-color eggs.

Hard boil the eggs and cool slightly (it is best to color lukewarm eggs). In each bowl, dilute the paint according to the instructions, add 2 tbsp. l vinegar and stir. Using a spoon, dip a few eggs into each bowl and set aside, turning to ensure even coloring. Remove and dry on a paper towel. Now take each colored egg with 2 fingers and dip it halfway into contrasting paint. Leave for 1 minute until the paint takes off, then remove and dry on a towel.

Eggs painted in retro style.

Take pictures from magazines, postcards, etc. Carefully cut out the design you like (the most important thing is that it is thin) and stick it on the egg. Eggs prepared in this way are very beautiful and are perfect for decorating holiday dishes. Eggs painted with purchased "Easter kits"

Cut the thermal labels in half along the line (split along the perforation).

Place the label on the pre-cooked cold egg.

Place the egg on a spoon and lower it into boiling water for one or two seconds.

The label should cover the egg evenly. Decorate the uncovered top and bottom of the egg with holographic stickers. Use all types of stickers, even irregular shapes. Rely on your imagination!

Maslenitsa Initially, the holiday of Maslenitsa - Komoeditsa was on the spring equinox and included the second calls of spring (in paganism, then they will move to the “magpies”) and the meeting of ancestors who “fly on bird wings” from Iria. The celebration of the victory of spring over winter, the farewell and funeral of winter. It is time for the spring “resurrection” (from “Kres” - fire) of Mother Earth and all of nature. Immediately after Maslenitsa week came Komoeditsa - a bear holiday, honoring the totem ancestor of the bear who at this time wakes up in his den (incarnation Veles ),. The men honored him with a special bear dance and Veles wrestling. Baked by women coma - ritual bread made from several flour mixtures: oats, peas and barley. Some of the lumps were taken into the forest to appease the bear. Maslenitsa was celebrated when migratory birds appear, and a matured calf breaks away from the udder and switches to feeding on hay, which provides an abundance of milk for the holiday. In folk Maslenitsa games, boys share strength with boys Yarila,

so that it melts the snow and comes into full force. The “germ” of melt water enters the earth for new life. The Maslenitsa doll of the defeated winter, Madder, was stuffed with straw from the harvest sheaf and burned. sending her with the message to the “bright gods” in Iriy that people are waiting for their return. . After the adoption of Christianity, Maslenitsa is celebrated according to the lunar calendar. Can be from February 23rd and no later than April 7th. Family and clan customs - a seven-day calendar. Maslenitsa is a holiday for a newly-made family. Family ranks and customs unfold during Maslenitsa. Every day has its purpose. Remembrance and communication with ancestors begins with the first pancake. 1st pancake for the memorial. Visiting graves on Saturday and Sunday. Walking around the yards, dressing up (asked for blink) Fist fights, bros (they fought and made up, drank beer). Riding in circles on a horse in a sleigh. Visiting (by prior arrangement), special cuisine (cottage cheese, pancakes, pies, fish) Skating with go R – everyone should take a ride (they wondered how big the flax would grow: the further it goes, the higher) Taking the snow town - a symbol of the struggle between winter and spring, the snowy town is the abode of winter. Mummers - a necessary accessory to any funeral feast (Afanasiev) The Resurrection of the Living Spring was combined in popular ideas with the Resurrection of the righteous sun - Christ. That is why such rituals were present both in St. Thomas Week and in Holy Week. Spring (Alive) “enlightens” the sun, that is, makes it burn brighter . – Farewell to the dead world,

The twelfth holiday of the Orthodox calendar, celebrated on the fiftieth day after Easter, on the tenth day of the Ascension. Other names for the Trinity are the day of the Holy Trinity, Pentecost, the day of the Descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles. On this day, the Orthodox Church remembers the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles and honors the Holy Trinity. The event described in the New Testament book “The Acts of the Holy Apostles” has a direct connection with the doctrine of the Trinity - one of the main tenets of the Christian faith. According to this teaching, God exists in three unmerged and inseparable persons: the Father - the beginningless principle, the Son - the logos and the Holy Spirit - the life-giving principle.

Holy Week

spring

The seventh and last week before Easter, lasting 6 days, starting on Monday and ending on Saturday before Easter Sunday. The meaning of the holiday is preparation for Easter. Traditions during the holiday: cleaning the house, obligatory bathing, remembering ancestors, putting up a swing, painting eggs, baking Easter cakes. According to popular beliefs, colored eggs have magical powers; for example, if you put the shell on a fire, the smoke from this egg can heal a person from night blindness; they also believe that such an egg can heal a bad tooth. Signs for this holiday: if you heat a stove with aspen wood on Maundy Thursday, then sorcerers will come to ask for ash; parsley sown on Good Friday gives a double harvest.

Popular name for the holiday Transfiguration of the Lord among the Eastern Slavs, celebrated on August 19, and even before this holiday it is forbidden to eat apples and various dishes made from apples, but on the holiday it is necessary to do the opposite - pick as many apples as possible and consecrate them. The purpose of the holiday is the blessing of apples, seeing off the sun at sunset with songs. Apple Spa has another name - the first autumn, that is, the meeting of autumn. According to tradition, you first treat all your relatives and friends with apples, then orphans and the poor, as a remembrance of your ancestors who have fallen asleep in eternal sleep, and only then eat the apples yourself. In the evening, after the holiday, everyone went out onto the field to celebrate the sunset together with songs, and with it the summer.

Christmastide

winter

Slavic folk holiday complex, celebrated from January 6 to January 19. Christmas time is oversaturated with various magical rituals, fortune telling, signs, customs and prohibitions. The purpose of the holiday: folk festivities, caroling, sowing, mummering, erotic games, ritual outrages of youth, fortune telling for the betrothed, visiting, rituals for well-being and fertility. Holiday sayings: on Christmastide, wolves get married, from Christmas to Epiphany it is a sin to hunt animals and birds - misfortune will happen to the hunter. According to popular beliefs, the presence of spirits among living people, invisible to the ordinary eye, made it possible to look into one’s future, which explains the numerous forms of Christmas fortune-telling.

Epiphany Christmas Eve

spring

This holiday of the Orthodox Church is one of the twelve. On this day, the baptism of Jesus Christ by John the Baptist (Baptist) in the Jordan River is remembered and the Great Blessing of Water is performed. It is also a preparation evening before a major Orthodox holiday called Epiphany or Epiphany. Epiphany water is tasted on an empty stomach, a spoonful at a time, a little at a time. Orthodox Christians keep it in the Red Corner, next to the icons. In addition, a drop of shrine sanctifies the sea. You can take ordinary, unconsecrated water and add a drop of Epiphany water to it, and it will all be sanctified.

People's Orthodox holiday, celebrated on July 8. Holiday traditions: swim without looking back, because... It was believed that on this day the last mermaids leave the shores into the depths of the reservoirs and fall asleep. After the Kupala games, betrothed couples were determined, and this day patronized family and love, in addition, in the old days, weddings were held from this day until Peter the Great. The first mowing is the day of all evil spirits such as witches, mermaids, werewolves and many others. Celebrated on July 8 (June 25, old style). Peter and Fevronia are Orthodox patrons of family and marriage. According to the calendar of East Slavic folk holidays, which correlates with the Orthodox calendar, this is the day of the first mowing. It was believed that on this day the last mermaids leave the shores into the depths of the reservoirs, so it was already safe to swim. In the Russian Federation, since 2008, July 8 is celebrated as the Day of Family, Love and Fidelity. Sayings: there are forty hot days ahead, after Ivan there is no need for zhupan, if it rains on this day, there will be a good harvest of honey, pigs and mice eat hay - to bad mowing.

A traditional holiday among the Eastern and Southern Slavs, celebrated on August 2. The traditions of the holiday include: collective meals, slaughter of a bull or ram. The holiday has pagan roots, since at first it was the holiday of the thunder god Perun, but with the adoption of Christianity among the Slavs, instead of the image of Perun, the image of Elijah the prophet arose, which is where the name of the holiday actually comes from. Sayings at the holiday: Ilya keeps thunderstorms, Ilya holds and brings down rain with a word, Ilya gives bread, not swords against Ilya, but he burns heaps with heavenly fire. From Ilya's day, according to folk legends, bad weather began, and it was also forbidden to swim.

Palm Week

spring

Passion Week. The main folk rituals of the week are associated with willow and fall on Saturday and Sunday. There is a legend associated with this week, which says that the willow was once a woman, and she had so many children that the woman argued with Mother Earth herself that she was more fertile than the Earth. Mother Earth got angry and turned the woman into a willow. There is a belief on this holiday that a consecrated willow can stop a summer thunderstorm, and thrown into a flame can help in a fire. Holiday traditions: blessing of the willow, beating with willow branches, calls for spring.

A traditional holiday of pagan origin among the Slavic peoples, associated with the winter solstice. Celebration date - on the night from January 6 to January 7. The meaning of the holiday is the turning of the sun from winter to summer. Celebration - caroling, mummering, Christmas games, fortune telling, family meals. According to popular belief, Mother Earth could only open up because of a lie, a false oath, or perjury.

Maslenitsa

spring

Slavic traditional holiday celebrated during the week before Lent. The purpose of the holiday is to say goodbye to winter. Traditions: baking pancakes, visiting, having feasts, sledding and sledding, dressing up, burning or burying an effigy of Maslenitsa. Celebrated from Meat Saturday to Forgiveness Sunday. The fertility of people in the popular consciousness was inextricably linked with the fertility of the land and the fertility of livestock; the third side of Maslenitsa - the funeral - is connected with the stimulation of fertility.

Easter

spring

The oldest Christian holiday, the main holiday of the liturgical year. Established in honor of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Celebrated on the first Sunday after the full moon, which occurs no earlier than the conventional day vernal equinox March 21. Traditions: blessing of colored eggs and Easter cakes, welcome kissing. Most Easter traditions originate in worship. The scope of Easter folk festivities is associated with breaking the fast after Great Lent, a time of abstinence, when all holidays, including family ones, were transferred to the celebration of Easter. At the end of the 19th century, it became a tradition in Russia to send Easter open letters with colorful drawings to those relatives and friends with whom you cannot share Christ on Easter as the main holiday.

Holiday of the Eastern Slavs, which starts September 14. The essence of the holiday is a celebration of the approach of autumn: the day before summer ended and the new year began. On this day, rituals are performed: housewarming, sitting, lighting a fire, tonsure ceremony, funeral of flies, the legend of sparrows. Semyonov's day is considered happy, so it is advised to celebrate housewarming. Signs: Semyon sees off summer, brings on Indian summer; on Semyon - the last thunderstorm; On Semyon, the grain crops were not harvested - they were considered lost; if geese fly away on Semyon-day, wait for early winter.

Clean Monday

spring

The first day of Fedorov's Week and Lent. On this day, everyone forgives each other and begins the day with a clear conscience and a pure soul. This is a day of very strict fasting as well as the following days. The name of the holiday comes from the desire to spend the first day of Lent clean. On this holiday, during the first Lenten Great Compline, they begin to read the Great Penitential Canon of St. Andrew of Crete and other prayers of repentance. At the end of the 19th century, most of the oil revelers, despite strict fasting, “rinsed their mouths” or got drunk on this day. Since this is a day of fasting, all that can be eaten or drunk on this day is: some black bread with salt and water or unsweetened tea. The prayer of Ephraim the Syrian “Lord and Master of my life” will continue to be offered on all days of Great Lent.

One of the holidays of the Eastern Slavs, celebrated on October 14. The meaning of the holiday is the final onset of autumn; on this day the meeting of Autumn and Winter used to be celebrated. People say that from Pokrov, goblin stop wandering through the forests (they are also called forest masters). On the eve of this holiday, young village girls burn their old straw beds, and old women burn their old bast shoes, worn out throughout the summer. Russian people, celebrating days dedicated to the Mother of God, expected help from Her.

Orthodox holiday, celebrated on August 14. The essence of the holiday is the small blessing of water. The traditions of the holiday are the beginning of the collection of honey, its consecration and the “widow's help” meal. The holiday is celebrated in honor of the Origin of the trees of the Holy Cross at the end of the 14th century. The meaning of the holiday is the first day of the Dormition Lent. The honey savior is also called the “Savior on the Water”, this is because of the small consecration of water. According to tradition, it was on this day in Rus' that new wells were blessed and old ones were cleaned. This holiday is called “Honey Spas” because on this day the beehives are usually filled to capacity and beekeepers go to collect the honey harvest.

Summer holiday of pagan origin, celebrated from July 6 to 7. The holiday is associated with the summer solstice. Traditions: burning fires and jumping over them, dancing in circles, weaving wreaths, collecting herbs. The holiday begins the evening before. The name of the holiday comes from the name of John the Baptist (the epithet of John is translated as “bather, immerser”). The main feature of Ivan Kupala is the cleansing bonfires; in order to be cleansed of the evil spirits inside a person, he would have to jump over these bonfires.

Red hill

spring

Spring holiday among the Eastern Slavs, which celebrated on the first Sunday after Easter. Celebrations on this day include: spring maiden round dances, a meal with scrambled eggs, and youth games. The Red Hill symbolizes the full arrival of spring; this is the holiday that celebrates this time of year. In addition to the fact that Red Hill symbolizes the arrival of spring, the holiday also symbolizes the meeting of boys and girls, because spring is the beginning of a new life for all nature. At the Krasnaya Gorka holiday there is one proverb that says: “Whoever gets married on Krasnaya Gorka will never get divorced.”

Perhaps the main spring holiday in Russia is March 8th. However, International Women's Day is not celebrated in all countries, and even where it is celebrated, special attention is not paid to it everywhere. But spring, warmth, and the annual renewal of nature are joyfully greeted all over the planet. Next you will find a story about the 10 most interesting spring holidays in the world.

Thailand

In mid-April, Thailand celebrates the local New Year - Songkran. The holiday is considered a family holiday. On these days, it is customary to serve delicious dishes to the clergy. Young people pour water on each other.

China

Three non-working days (from April 2 to 4 in 2017) in China mark the Qing Ming holiday of purity and clarity. It is celebrated in early April, on the fifth day after the spring equinox. On this day, it is customary to remember ancestors and fly paper kites. In China they believe that if you burn something paper for an ancestor, he will receive it in the other world. That's why the Chinese burn paper cars, pictures of food, and even ersatz money.

Japan

On the first Sunday of April, the Kanamara Matsuri festival takes place in the Japanese city of Kawasaki. Its main part is a procession, the participants of which carry huge phalluses. Here you can meet people in penis costumes, as well as buy themed souvenirs and even candies. This Shinto holiday dates back to the 17th century - this is how local prostitutes begged for success in their work. Now Kanamara Matsuri is considered a festival of fertility and prosperity.

Türkiye

Novruz (Nauryz, Navruz) is one of the oldest spring holidays in the world. Widely known among the Iranian and Turkic peoples, it is celebrated on the day of the vernal equinox, March 21. On Novruz, a table is set with dishes made from seven plant products - wheat, peas, beans, beans, millet and others. In Uzbekistan and other countries, sumalak is prepared for the holiday - a sweet dish made from sprouted wheat grains. The grains are ground and boiled for 24 hours in a cauldron with the addition of flour.

Sometimes a mirror and painted eggs are also placed on the table, symbolizing the end of the old and the beginning of the new. In some countries, it is customary to light fires and jump over them seven times to cleanse oneself of sins.

Spain

One of the most famous Spanish spring holidays is Fallas. It is indirectly associated with increasing daylight hours and is dedicated to St. Joseph. Fallas is celebrated throughout Spain, but with special celebration in Valencia. This holiday is also called the festival of fire - fireworks thunder everywhere, firecrackers explode, and in the finale huge dolls, which are called fallas, are burned. Dolls often depict certain vices of humanity, politicians, fairy-tale characters; their size can reach 20 meters. A huge paella is being prepared for the whole city. In 2017, the Fallas will last from March 15 to 19.

India

Holi, the festival of spring, is literally the most colorful festival in India. On this day, it is customary to sprinkle colored powder on each other - it is believed that the more colors on clothes and skin, the more good wishes are sent to the person. In 2017, Holi is celebrated on March 13th.

Canada

In May, a tulip festival takes place in Ottawa, Canada. You can see thousands and thousands of flowers here. The holiday was established in honor of friendship between Canada and the Netherlands: during the Nazi occupation, Princess Juliana of the Netherlands and her daughters found refuge in Canada.

Mexico

The spring equinox is widely celebrated in Mexico. The main festivities take place in the capital of the Mayan civilization, Chichen Itza: there are theatrical performances and ritual dances in colorful national costumes.

Belarus

In Belarus, on March 1, they celebrate “Gukanne Viasny”: they sing spring songs and decorate the house with willow and birch branches. The name of the holiday comes from the refrain of springtime songs: “Goo-oo-oo!” Following the call of spring, Magpies come (March 22) - it is believed that on this day birds return from warmer climes. Housewives bake dough figures of birds, “larks” with raisin eyes. In some villages they still put baked birds on sticks decorated with ribbons and flowers and carry them through the streets, saying: “Larks, fly in and take away the winter!”

Germany

Spring holidays according to the ancient calendar

Presentation for an art lesson

Fine Arts teacher MOUDOD "Center for Aesthetic Education of Children"

Republic of Mordovia city of Saransk

Our goals :

. learn new things about the holidays of the Russian people, their customs and culture

. create a series of drawings about Russian holidays

. learn to conduct research using a PC and Internet resources

Spring holidays of the Russian people: Maslenitsa Meeting of birds (on the day of the vernal equinox) Palm Sunday Easter Red hill

Maslenitsa

Maslenitsa- a Slavic traditional holiday celebrated during the week before Lent, people say goodbye to the boring winter, bake pancakes and visit each other.

Like on Shrovetide Pancakes were flying from the chimney! You, my pancakes, My pancakes!

Pancake is a symbol of the sun, red days, good harvests, good marriages and healthy children.

Each housewife had her own recipe for making pancakes and kept it secret from her neighbors. They were served with: sour cream, eggs, caviar and jam.

Maslenitsa was also called cheese week. - Monday - Maslenitsa meeting - Tuesday - flirting. - Wednesday is a gourmet - Thursday - go wild. - Friday is mother-in-law's evening. - Saturday - Zalovkin's gatherings. - Sunday is a forgiven day. The custom of asking each other for forgiveness on this day is “Please forgive me if I am guilty of anything.”

The “Spring Equinox” is significant with the feast of the Magpies (the Orthodox name is the Forty Martyrs). They say that on this day 40 birds fly from across the sea.

Palm Sunday (verbenica)

This is a big holiday celebrated on Saturday and Sunday a week before Easter. Verbnitsa has become a kind of children's holiday. Children were bought beautifully decorated willow branches, bright paper flowers, toys, whistles, and sweets. One of the ancient traditions is to lightly whip children for health early in the morning on Palm Sunday with a lighted willow branch.

Easter

Easter, also the Resurrection of Christ, is the oldest Christian holiday, the main holiday of the liturgical year. Established in honor of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is celebrated on Bright Sunday following the spring equinox. This holiday gives people faith in eternal life, faith in the victory of good over evil, light over darkness. This is a beautiful and good holiday.

The main gift of this holiday is an Easter egg.

A new life hatches from a seemingly lifeless and motionless egg - which is why it has become a symbol of the Sunday holiday. Christians paint eggs, paint them in different colors, give them to friends, and on Maundy Thursday they start baking Easter. Easter cake is a memory of the fact that Jesus Christ came to his disciples after his Resurrection and ate food with them.

Red hill

With Easter week, the first spring festivities began with games, swings, and round dances. The totality of these festivities was called Red Hill. Favorite spring game is “To the Burners.” It was played between the fires.

What we learned about the holidays

Holidays are seasonal and ritual.

Holidays convey the soul of the people in their dances and rituals.

Every nation must know and study the culture of its people - otherwise it has no future.

We are all “parts” of our homeland. We too are the Russian people.