Instructions: preparation for Easter. Preparing your home for Easter Preparing for Easter by day of the week

Holy Week is the last week before Easter, each day of which is filled with special symbolism. Holy Week is also called White or Pure, since believers confess and take communion in the temple, are in spiritual and bodily purity, clean the house and around it, if it is a private house, in order to prepare for the meeting of the brightest and most joyful holiday - Easter.

Great Monday

On this day, the church remembers the Gospel story about a barren fig tree, which symbolizes a soul that does not bear spiritual fruit - true repentance, faith, prayer and good deeds.

On Monday, prepare your house for Easter - paint, wash, clean and the like at your discretion.

Maundy Tuesday

On Tuesday, we remember the Lord's exposure of the scribes and Pharisees, who interpreted the Law of God with their minds. In the Jerusalem temple, Jesus told parables about the tax to Caesar, about the resurrection of the dead, about the terrible judgment and the end of the world, which speak of the sudden coming of the Lord and the righteousness (justice) of the Judgment of God.

On this day, prepare clothes for the holiday, iron if necessary.

Great Wednesday

This is the day when Judas agreed to betray Christ for thirty pieces of silver.

On Wednesday, clean houses, take out the trash, clean near the house if you have a private house.

Great (Clean) Thursday

Events from the life of Christ are remembered in the church: the Last Supper, the prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane and the betrayal of Christ by Judas to suffering and death.

Maundy Thursday symbolizes cleansing and spring renewal, so on this day the house is finally cleaned, giving it a festive look. People believe that on this Thursday water washes away illnesses and gives strength, so they bathe in ponds or at home.

Traditionally, Easter cakes are baked on this day, eggs are painted or dyed.

Great (Good) Friday

This is a day of sorrow - Jesus died on the cross for our sins.

You can’t do any work at home: sewing, washing, cutting, and the like.

Holy Saturday

This is the last day of Lent. On this day, we remember the redemption of all people by the death of Christ. After the morning service, they consecrate Easter cakes, Easter, eggs and any other food that you decide to consecrate. You can take wine for consecration.

According to folk signs, on Holy Saturday they determine the weather for the summer - if the day is clear, then the summer will be good, if cloudy, then with bad weather.

Hostesses, get busy preparing the Easter holiday meal, color the eggs if you didn’t color on Thursday.

Bright Sunday - EASTER

After the midnight service, matins begin, at which the priest exclaims "Christ is Risen!" and immediately people answer "Truly Risen!" And they also greet each other throughout the entire period of the celebration of Easter.

The festive breakfast after the Liturgy begins with consecrated eggs and Easter cakes.

Many of us are believers. But often superstition and ignorance prevail in our minds. And every time before Easter, we begin to look for answers to the most pressing questions: when and how to illuminate Easter cakes, what can and cannot be used to paint eggs, and in general - how best to prepare for the holy celebration and hold it.To cast aside all doubts this time, let's try to prepare for the Great Holiday in the way that they advise us in the Orthodox Church.

The first and most important rule is to celebrate Easter with peace in your heart.

In no case should you swear with someone, be offended by someone ... If there are old grievances, it is best to reconcile. But if you don’t have such an opportunity, then forgive this person at least in your own heart. Forgive and pray for him.It is best if a person takes communion before Easter. To do this, the Orthodox Church recommends fasting for at least three days, and before Easter and all 49. Another thing is that people are weak, and the interests of the flesh are more important for many than spiritual needs.

Rule two: Easter food should be symbolic.

The church charter calls every festive meal "a great consolation to the brethren." But this does not mean that Easter should be a holiday of the stomach. On the contrary, the Orthodox Church does not particularly approve of gourmet dishes, considering this a manifestation of the sin of gluttony, and requires the presence on the Easter table of inexpensive but tasty dishes that carry a symbolic content.At Easter, it is customary to paint eggs with different colors, but among the different colors, red belongs to the central place. Why? History has preserved this tradition for us...

After the resurrection of Jesus Christ, his disciples and followers dispersed to different countries, everywhere proclaiming the joyful news that there is no longer any need to be afraid of death. She was defeated by Christ, the Savior of the world. He resurrected Himself and will resurrect everyone who will believe Him and will love people just as He loved. Mary Magdalene dared to come with this message to the Roman Emperor Tiberius himself. Since it was not customary to come to the emperor without gifts, and Mary had nothing, she came with a simple chicken egg. Of course, she chose the egg with meaning.The egg has always been a symbol of life: in a strong shell there is life hidden from the eyes, which in due time will break out of lime captivity in the form of a small yellow chicken. But when Mary began to tell Tiberius that Jesus Christ had also escaped from the mortal shackles and resurrected, the emperor only laughed: “It is also impossible, as your white egg turns red.” And before Tiberius had time to finish the phrase, the egg in the hands of Mary Magdalene turned completely red. Since then, in memory of this event, which symbolizes our faith in the Risen Lord, we have been painting eggs.

Artos is the bread that is consecrated at the Easter service and distributed to believers on Saturday of Bright Week. Easter artos is a symbol of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. Addressing the disciples, Christ said: “I am the bread of life... The bread that comes down from heaven is such that whoever eats it will not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; but the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I gave for the life of the world” (John 6:48-51).Easter cake symbolizes the presence of God in the world and in human life. Unlike arthos, it contains muffin, sweetness, raisins, and nuts. It is believed that a properly prepared Russian Easter cake can stand without spoiling for all 40 days of Easter.Cottage cheese Easter is a symbol of Easter fun, the sweetness of heavenly life. And the “hill”, the form in which Easter fits, is a symbol of Heavenly Zion, the unshakable foundation of New Jerusalem, a city in which there is no temple, but “The Lord God Almighty Himself is his temple and the lamb” (Rev. 21, 22).

Rule three: Easter cake must be consecrated in the Temple.

But Easter cakes are baked on Friday of Holy Week of Great Lent. But if you have no time, then there is nothing wrong if Easter cakes are baked on Saturday. On the same days they make cottage cheese Easter, paint eggs and prepare other dishes of the festive table.The time of the consecration of Easter cake and Easter food should be inquired in the temple where you are going to do this. Most often, the consecration of holiday supplies begins after the completion of the Liturgy of Holy Saturday. In most churches, the treat is also consecrated on the morning of the Holy Resurrection of Christ, also after the completion of the liturgy.Do not succumb to advertising and believe that the Easter cakes being sold are already consecrated. The clergy themselves say that only that which was consecrated at the Paschal service can be considered consecrated. It is foolish to think that priests stand in bakeries and consecrate batch after batch.

Rule four: stickers with icons are not allowed!

It is best to dye eggs on Saturday so that they stay fresh longer. By the way, in the folk lexicon, Great Saturday is called Dyeing Saturday. The traditional Easter egg is painted solid red, symbolizing the victory of life over death. In Russia, Easter eggs were most often dyed with onion skins. Other coloring is also acceptable, images of abstract ornaments, flowers, plants, celestial bodies.

But the decoration of Easter eggs with stickers depicting churches, a cross, icons of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Mother of God, saints, according to the Church, is completely unacceptable. Sacred images should not only not be placed on Easter eggs, but they should not be placed at all where they can be defiled by careless handling.

Rule Five: It is not recommended to go to the cemetery on Easter Sunday.

As the clergy say, this custom comes to us from Soviet history, when completely Orthodox churches were closed or destroyed. Although, according to the church canons that have always existed, it is not worth going to the cemetery on this bright day. The whole Church - both heavenly and earthly - triumphs and rejoices, and there should be no place for sorrow in the heart of a Christian. According to the priests, we do not know how to properly relate to death, because we do not understand that it "is not the cessation of all that exists, but the birth of Eternal life."As advised in Russian churches, on Easter Sunday it is best to visit lonely, infirm people, those who have not been seen for a long time. And you can visit the cemetery on the 9th day of Easter, that is, on Radunitsa.

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There is a week left until Easter. Even if you have not observed Great Lent, you can still do a lot, even fast - Holy Week is the strictest in terms of fasting. In addition, in our tradition it is fixed literally by the day what is supposed to be done when in order to properly prepare for the most important holiday of the church year.

What matters most in Holy Week

() There are many worries this week, but still the most important thing is to participate from Thursday to Sunday in the most important services in order to live and feel the memories of the last days of the earthly journey that Christ made.

Here is what the founder and rector of the St. Philaret Orthodox Christian Institute, priest Georgy Kochetkov, says about this: “Those who know and love worship should not miss Sunday services and the last days of Passion Week from Great Thursday to Great Saturday and, of course, Easter itself. matins and liturgies. And in general, it is important for everyone to simply read the Gospel, at least the smallest one - from Mark, slowly, thoughtfully. To go with Christ and his disciples all his way from the beginning of ministry to the Resurrection.

According to Father George, for every person who seeks God, who seeks meaning in life, the special memories to which the days of Holy Week are dedicated, and the divine services of these days, provide an opportunity to at least touch the memory of the Church and prepare oneself for Paschal joy. The main thing is that a person really remembers Christ, who challenged death and conquered it.

The same applies to fasting: the whole question is what to fast for. After all, it is not only about certain restrictions regarding food and entertainment. It is important that the time and forces that are released due to this be directed to fellowship with God and helping others. Fasting is a time to concentrate, to think about what is vanity in your life, and what is most important, what is the place of God in your life. Some people take on special efforts to fast - for example, to read the Gospel or to correct something in their relationship with a particular person. The meaning of fasting is liberation from what can enslave a person and devastate, obsess over oneself, close from God and neighbor.

Orthodox time management

() However, the last week of Lent is also the time when you need to prepare for the feast of Easter. In folk tradition, certain deeds and rituals are assigned to each day of this week. So let's go!

Monday. Bring order to the house.

At this time, it is necessary to do a general cleaning. But if you take it seriously, you may not be in time for the service in the church. Therefore, we do only what we can to refresh our home.

It's time to remember those who need us. Throughout the week, you need to have time to help elderly relatives and all neighbors who need your help in preparing for the bright Easter holiday.

Tuesday. Finish pending tasks. Buy food for the holiday table. Prepare gifts.

Running around the shops is not the best activity for the last, most spiritually intense days. Therefore, buy everything for cooking Easter cakes and colored eggs on Tuesday. Only without fanaticism! The festive table is an important, but not the main part of the holiday.

It's time to prepare the gifts. Not necessarily expensive, more important - conveying your friendly attitude. On Easter, it is appropriate to give painted eggs and Easter cakes, sweets, Easter baskets filled with goodies, as well as books and icons, candles and souvenirs, including in the form of eggs, creative handmade gifts.

Wednesday. Color eggs and bake cakes. In order to free the end of the week for the most important thing - the spiritual living of the last days of fasting, all traditional treats, except for perishable ones, are prepared in advance. Baking Easter cakes and painting eggs are just such cases. Moreover, painting eggs is a great unifying activity for the whole family.

Thursday. On Maundy Thursday, which is also called “clean Thursday”, all worldly affairs should already be completed, so that later nothing distracts us from living important events from a spiritual point of view. In addition, on this day, or even better on the very day of the Easter holiday, you need to confess and take communion.

“Some people at this time begin to clean the apartment, bake Easter cakes, and so on,” says father Georgy Kochetkov. “However, it is important for a believer to limit himself in his natural needs and desires, worldly concerns, in order to devote this time to thinking about the foundations of his faith and life - about what the Cross and the Resurrection of Christ mean in it.”

One of the divine services of Maundy Thursday is dedicated to the memory of the farewell and mysterious dinner of Christ with the disciples, at which, as described in the Gospel, he began to wash their feet. It was completely unthinkable for the Jewish culture of that time: the elder serves the younger, doing what a slave and servant does! Christ, performing this action, established a new order of relations between people, revealing in them any hierarchical principle, any exaltation and leadership. And forever it remained as a memory of his love for his friends and for all who later became their friends and students. Has become and will continue to be.

Friday. On Good Friday, the unrighteous trial of Christ, the apostasy of his closest people, the sufferings of the Savior and his death on the cross are remembered. Twelve Gospel fragments about these events are read at Matins. This tradition originated in Jerusalem, and historically each gospel passage was read at the place where the events described in it took place, that is, the service was a long procession throughout the city. On this day, the charter prescribes the strictest fast: complete abstinence from food until sunset, "until the star."

Saturday. Doing household chores and standing at the stove on Saturday is no longer worth it. This is a day of silence. In addition to visiting the church, on this day you can read (perhaps even aloud, for the whole family) literary works that will help you feel the atmosphere of waiting for Easter. Alexander Kopirovsky, a specialist in historical and cultural tradition, a member of the Association of Art Critics, a professor at the St. Philaret Orthodox Christian Institute, advises reading Leonid Andreev’s story “On the River”, Dmitry Bykov’s poem “Easter”, as well as Boris Pasternak’s poems: “On Passion”, "The Garden of Gethsemane" and Magdalene - 2 (People have cleaning before the holiday ...).

On Saturday, the mood of church services is completely different. Perhaps that is why preparations for the holiday are already underway on this day: after the morning liturgy, Easter cakes and eggs are consecrated.

“On Holy Saturday, Christ’s stay in the tomb and his descent into hell, from which he frees all the dead, is remembered,” says priest Georgy Kochetkov. - And at Vespers on Holy Saturday they are already beginning to celebrate Christ's Resurrection. Actually Paschal is the liturgy of John Chrysostom, which is served on the night from Saturday to Sunday or on Sunday morning.

Sunday. The most important thing on the day of Easter, or, in other words, the Bright Resurrection of Christ, is to come to the temple! The Easter service is worth seeing, even if you rarely go to church. This is a very special experience! Flickering lights, girls' red headscarves, languor and expectation of a miracle... Exactly at midnight, the priests change their vestments for festive ones, red and gold, and... a miracle happens! It is in the joyful "Christ is Risen!". It is in the tangible presence of the Holy Spirit. It is in the jubilant ringing of bells!

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Easter rituals and rituals, signs for Easter.

Easter is the most important Christian holiday.
Despite the fact that many people do not observe Great Lent, they try to follow other religious traditions and begin to prepare for Christ's Resurrection just a few weeks in advance.

The date of Easter changes every year, and In 2019, we will celebrate this bright holiday on April 28.

The preceding event is traditionally Lent, which Orthodox believers observe for 6 weeks.
Food restriction and spiritual cleansing are important, but not the only ways to prepare for the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Before meeting Easter, you need to learn in advance how to do it right, without violating religious laws.

How to prepare for the Bright Resurrection of Christ

The most important stage of preparation for Easter is the observance of Great Lent. During this period, believers purify the body and soul and prepare for unity with the Lord God.
However, no fast is obligatory, as food restriction and dietary changes are only available to people with good health.

Before Easter, every believer must visit the church at least once and attend worship.
Repent to God for your transgressions and say a powerful prayer for the forgiveness of sins.
At this time, it is important to admit and realize your mistakes, and then the Lord God will surely hear you.

Try to suppress negative emotions and negative thoughts, especially in the days leading up to Easter.
You can not scold children, quarrel with loved ones and wish harm to other people.
Ask for forgiveness from your relatives and try to maintain an atmosphere of kindness and tranquility in the house.
Do not forget to pay attention to relatives who live far away from you.

Until Lent is over, complete all the outstanding communions to meet Easter with a pure soul and a light heart.

Entertainment and useless communication are not the most suitable activities in the pre-Easter period.
In your free time, it is recommended to visit the temple or pray at home.

Do charitable deeds, help those in need and surround your loved ones with care.
During this period, you should do as many good deeds as possible in order to receive the blessing of the Lord.

Active preparation for Easter begins a week in advance.
On Maundy Thursday, Orthodox believers bake Easter cakes, Easter cottage cheese and paint Easter eggs.
On Great Saturday, Easter attributes are taken to the church, where the clergy can consecrate them during the service.

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Easter rituals are a real storehouse of wisdom bequeathed to us by our ancestors. For more than two thousand years, the Resurrection of Christ has been considered by the Orthodox not only as the greatest church holiday, but also as a national holiday, a day of joy and unity, a day when the Lord helps to realize even the most daring and cherished dreams.

Easter Rituals and Ceremonies

Ancient documents describe in detail the most complex rituals for Easter, the implementation of which requires thorough and long preparation. But even if you don’t have time, on Easter week you can also perform simple rituals for health, wealth and good luck: after all, these days a special energy channel connecting a person and the Higher Forces opens, and the Lord hears your prayers, helping in all good undertakings!

Ritual for health

On Easter night, bless the candles. Come to church on Sunday. With the first blow of the bell (blagovest), raise the lit candle and say the words: "Christ is risen, may I also become healthy, getting rid of all ailments." This ritual can also be performed if there is a sick person in your house. Just replace "I" with his full name.
Ritual for getting rid of drunkenness and drug addiction

After performing this ritual, you can really help your loved one get rid of drunkenness and drug addiction. Consecrate Easter cake in the church on Easter night. On one of the days of the week, cut it into twelve parts and go to the cemetery. You need to find 12 graves of people with the same name as the person you want to help. Put a piece of kalach on each grave and say: “You don’t drink, and don’t let him (pronounce the person’s name) either.” Don't tell anyone that you performed the ritual. This must remain your secret.

Ritual for money

At Easter, you can attract money into your home with the help of colored eggs. On Easter Eve, put a bill (any) in every corner of the house, and on it - “krashenka”. Ask that money never leave you. In the morning, let each member of your family eat a charmed Easter egg. Hide the money in a secluded place. Do not touch the Easter money until the end of the week, then you can spend it on gifts and sweets for children.

Ritual for beauty

Before Easter, women always collect medicinal herbs and wild flowers and make decoctions from them. It is believed that any Easter plants give youth and beauty. You can wash your face with decoctions of dried herbs and flowers, and drink tinctures from them, and not only at Easter, but all year round.

Ritual for the groom

The girl who wanted to "marry" the guy gave him a bouquet of wild flowers for Easter with a red "paint" hidden inside. If a young man accepted a gift, it means that the matter is going to the wedding.

Signs for Easter

What is the weather for Easter, this will be the whole spring, and the harvest.

Accidentally broken dishes for Easter - you will find illness, trouble, or even the death of someone close to you.

Eyebrows or lips itch - for an imminent wedding or a date with a loved one.

A piece of Easter cake or Easter fell from the festive table - to wealth and money. In the old days, fallen Easter products were buried in the ground to preserve the harvest and protect against drought, fires and floods.

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Get answers to your questions from experts!

” a press conference was held on the topic: “Holy Week. How to properly prepare and spend Easter. The conference was attended by: Archpriest Maxim Kozlov, rector of the home church of the Holy Martyr Tatiana, Moscow State University named after M.V. Lomonosov; Vladimir Romanovich Legoyda, Chairman of the Synodal Information Department of the Moscow Patriarchate. Nadezhda Ruslanovna Raeva, head of the nutrition supervision department of the TUFS department for supervision in the field of consumer protection and human well-being.

Archpriest Maxim Kozlov spoke about how Passion Week goes

- The week that has begun is called in the language of the Orthodox tradition the Great or Passion.

Holy Week, bearing in mind the Slavic meaning of this adjective, is most accurately translated into Russian as a suffering week, a week of suffering. This is passion not in the sense of the passion of passion, but passion in the sense of suffering, suffering, torment, what happened to our Lord Jesus Christ on the eve of Easter almost 2000 years ago.

In the worship of the Orthodox Church, each of these days is highlighted separately, but in general they can be divided into several cycles. For the first three days (Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday), day after day, we go almost by the hours of the earthly life of the Lord Jesus Christ, while highlighting several key points. Yesterday it was about the drying up of the fig tree, the tree to which Christ approached, saw that it did not bear fruit, and predicted to him that it would wither. The interpreters of this place, the holy fathers, say that this was a very important action. Christ showed the people around him that He, as the Son of God, can not only do good, but can also punish. But at the same time, being a philanthropist, he chose not a person for punishment, which he could do, but a soulless creation - a tree.

The second moment, which is especially remembered these days, is a sinner woman who, having bought precious oil and sat down at the feet of the Savior, anointed his feet with this oil, preparing him for a future burial. We can say about such a curious moment associated with the place. We are sometimes reproached for gender chauvinism, which is not in Orthodoxy, the woman occupies a secondary place.

It must be said that for a number of the most important Holy Week in the divine service, very important hymns were written by a woman, the nun Cassia, who lived in the 9th century from the birth of Christ. The main hymns of the Great Wednesday were just written by this nun.

Wednesday is the day of remembrance of the betrayal of Judas, the closest disciple of the Savior, who, nevertheless, bears in his heart the plan to commit this villainy. For all the significance of the first three days of Holy Week, the next three are undoubtedly the most important.

Maundy Thursday is the day when Christ, together with his disciples, both for them and for all who will bear the name of Christians in the future, establishes what will become the center of the life of the historical Christian church for two thousand years and will be such as we believe throughout the history of the earth. The Sacrament, which is called the Eucharist in Greek, or in Russian translation - Thanksgiving. It is called differently - when, under the guise of bread and wine, a Christian unites with God himself in an extremely real way, becoming one with him not only spiritually, but also bodily. This is a great gift of God, which is perceived by the entire Christian historical tradition not only as the center of Christian worship, but also the life of the church in this earthly world, and this event is associated precisely with Thursday. This day is also called Maundy Thursday, or Maundy Thursday.

About some superstitions that in the popular mind accompany church tradition, but are in no way connected with it

- There is a strange, sometimes for some reason replicated idea that Pure (Great) Thursday, when you need to wash everything.

The development of thought is easy to imagine, but no special day beyond the bath, in which you definitely need to immerse yourself in bath foam and also do a general cleaning of the house, is not implied. Church tradition does not presuppose concentration on everyday life either on this day or on the following days, but directly warns us against overestimating everyday preparations.

The evening of Holy Thursday is associated with the service, which is also very famous, including in the Russian literary tradition, repeatedly described in classical works, this, or service, where the sufferings of Christ are remembered in sequence - at this service, 12 passages from all four evangelists are read in sequence, then the narrative Holy Scripture, which tells about the events of the earthly life of Christ from Thursday evening to Saturday morning, when he was already in the tomb. And these 12 passages are called the 12 gospels. This, I repeat, does not in any way mean an increase in the number of evangelists or the introduction of some kind of apocrypha into worship. This is a very significant service, just like the Thursday morning service, to which everyone who is somehow aware of themselves as church Orthodox Christians is called to participate, and, of course, those who do not recognize themselves as church, but strive to join the church tradition are also invited.