Christmas is a great holiday, a solemn day for all Christians. On this day, God himself, the Savior of the world, incarnated in man. It is surprising that there is not a single indication in Holy Scripture that the day of the Messiah's birth is a church holiday or some special day. In those days, birthdays were not celebrated in principle. And the ancient Church did not celebrate Christmas. The birth of Christ was celebrated on the day of the Epiphany.

Surely, everyone knows the story about the magi who came to bow to the King of the Jews, seeing a star in the East. But the Magi themselves were not Jews. What did they believe? Why did the birth of the Savior become a great holiday for them too? Why did they prepare special gifts, which included oil for embalming the dead - myrrh?

How does fasting relate to exorcism in the Bible? Did Christ himself fast?

When do Orthodox people celebrate Christmas - December 25 or January 7? Did you know that the first Gregorian calendar "missed" 10 days on purpose?

How to understand what happens at the festive service on Christmas? What are troparion and kontakion? We have analyzed in detail the composition of the worship service at Christmas.

Why is it customary to decorate a fir tree at Christmas, isn't this a secular New Year's tradition that has roots in paganism? Was there a fir tree next to the Christmas manger? Who was the first Christian to decorate a fir tree?

In this article, we have tried to collect for you the answers to the most important questions for a Christian about the festive day of Christmas, Interesting Facts and postcards with which you can congratulate your loved ones.

Christmas: the history of the holiday

So, let's turn to the history of the celebration of the Nativity of Christ. It would seem that everything is simple here. This day is described by the evangelists, undoubtedly, for a Christian, the birth of the King of Heaven, incarnation into a person, the opportunity to ask for the remission of sins and eternal life is a great holiday. Not so simple. As we have already said, the celebration of Christmas is not mentioned in Scripture. And even more so, there is no particular promise to decorate a fir tree, to give gifts to each other.

The history of the Nativity of Christ is described in the Holy Scriptures, but the celebration of this event appeared later. Christmas is one of the twelve great holidays of the Orthodox Church. In our tradition, they are usually called the Twelfth Feasts, these are the great celebrations of the Church that follow Easter. The Jewish tradition did not celebrate birthdays, which is hard to believe modern people and there is no promise in Scripture of a special celebration. The first mention of Christmas dates back to the 4th century. In 360, the Roman bishop Liberius mentioned the feast of the Nativity. In the 2nd century, the birth of Christ was spoken of on the day of Theophany. The Feast of the Epiphany celebrated three great events at once - the birth of Jesus, the bringing of gifts and Baptism. In the old breviaries, Christmas is called "Winter Easter", the Resurrection of Christ was a consequence of Christmas. All church practice was formed around them. This holiday is dedicated to the earthly life of Christ. Our Savior was born not in a luxurious castle, but in a barn where cattle took refuge from the weather. In the Roman temple of Santa Maria Maggiore, presumably, a particle of the manger of Jesus is kept.

Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem, in that year the emperor ordered a census of newborns. The Mother of God and Joseph were from the family of King David. There was no place for them in city hotels on the road to Bethlehem, so the Savior of the World was born next to the stall, and the Divine Infant was placed in the cattle feeder - His first manger. The shepherds who guarded their flocks nearby were the first to learn about the miracle that had happened, as the Gospel of Luke says. On a starry night, the Angel of the Lord appeared to them to proclaim the Great Joy "for today the Savior is born to you in the city of David." Together with the Angel, a numerous host of heaven appeared, crying out “Glory to God in the highest!”. The first to worship the Lord were simple people and the common people became the first preachers of Christ. The angel said to them: “Do not be afraid: behold, I bring you great joy, that it will be for all people, as if today the Savior was born to you, Who is Christ the Lord, in the city of David,” and the humble shepherds were the first to bow for the sake of saving people to the One who descended to the “slave of the ". What did these words mean? Before the birth of Christ, God had never been incarnated before. Taking upon himself the sins of the world, Jesus gave people hope for Salvation, commanding his disciples above all - love. The Apostle Paul said that death would be a gain for him, because in the body he was separated from the true source of life - Christ.

Magi Melchior, Balthasar and Gaspard (in the Latin tradition) saw the Star of Bethlehem in the East and also understood that this meant the birth of the Savior of the world. They probably came from Persia. Despite the fact that the Magi were pagans seeking the truth, the sun of truth was revealed to them. In those days, astronomy was often combined with astrology and pagan practices, so in the modern sense, the Magi were something like magicians. Although the Persians and Jews believed that they believed in the One God and perceived each other favorably, the Magi, of course, could not be considered God's chosen people. They brought their gifts to the Divine Infant (gold is a sign of royal power, incense is a sign of priesthood and myrrh (spicy incense) - they anointed the bodies of the dead, a symbol that Jesus Christ will die and rise again. Zoroastrian teaching about the Saoshyants (three saviors who will teach The appearance of the Magi on the day of the feast meant that the Savior had come not to one nation, but to all people.

Why did the Son of God become man? God has opened the way for us to be saved. The essence of man united with the Divine essence. Jesus put on a man to heal mankind. He brought us an amazing gift of grace, and we are only required to worthily and righteously accept this gift. The manifestation of God in the flesh is a sacrifice that atoned for all the sins of mankind. And not only past, but also future sins. Theophan the Recluse writes about “adopting” by God the Father through God the Son: “The Spirit of God makes sons - regenerating, is it all? Not all, but only those who believed in the Lord, were appointed to follow Him in everything, and for the sake of these dispositions were accepted into the good pleasure of God, as if destined to be sons.

The place where God came into the world is now the Basilica of the Nativity. The basilica was laid by Empress Helen Equal to the Apostles. The basilica operates continuously, the building of the basilica suffered from wars and fires. There is a cave under the basilica, its place is marked with a silver star with fourteen rays. This is the birthplace of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Hegumen Daniel the Pilgrim is the first to describe the cave of the Nativity in Russian. This happened at the beginning of the 12th century.

On the eve of the Nativity of Christ, the pre-holiday day is Christmas Eve. Christmas Eve is the "door" that opens the gate to Christmas.

Until the day of Christmas, the great holiday, people observe the Advent fast. Fasting in the life of a Christian takes up one third of the year. On these special days, Christians are trying to get in touch with timelessness, Eternity. Believers imitate Christ, because Christ fasted. Trying to become like Christ is necessary not only in food, but also in spiritual life. We empathize not even with the feast of Christmas itself, but with the appearance of Christ into the world, with the fact that God became a man. Fasting is a time of purification in the spiritual life and one of the main spiritual activities of a person. The holy saints of God fasted, as there are numerous references in Scripture. Many Holy Ascetics spent their whole lives in a special fast. Jesus spoke about the necessity of fasting to the Apostles. To the question of the Apostles - why they managed to cast out demons from a demoniac, Jesus answered that this kind is cast out only by fasting and prayer. Prayer is for the soul, and fasting for the body are important things for a Christian. Preparatory Christmas post. We are preparing for the Nativity of the Lord, the day of the great holiday, such a holiday should be met with spiritual purity. So that Christmas day does not become an ordinary day, fasting is observed, a person repents of sins, so that the soul perceives this holiday.

Symbols of the Nativity

On the eve of Christmas, on Christmas Eve, festive dishes are prepared - sochivo and kutya. The word "Christmas Eve" is just associated with the preparation of juicy. These are dishes from steamed cereals with honey. They eat only once on Christmas Eve, after the festive service.

The main symbol of
Christmas, of course, remains the Christmas tree. It occupies a special place in the Orthodox tradition, we will talk about it in detail.

The sacred gifts — gold, frankincense and myrrh — still remain symbols of Christmas.

Another important symbol of Christmas is the Star of Bethlehem. People have always looked at the stars and admired the view of the night sky. But the Star of Bethlehem holds a special place. This is the star that brought the magi with gifts to the cradle of Jesus. Its rays showed the way to the birthplace of the Savior. It is believed that after that the Magi themselves converted to Christianity and preached Christ. This star in the houses is attached to the top of the Christmas tree. The eight-pointed star is also present on the icon Mother of God"Burning bush". Previously, it was also installed on the domes of the first churches. The history of the star from the East was described by the Evangelist Matthew. The Magi knew the map of the starry sky well and believed that the stars are not just cosmic objects, but also signs that tell about the fate of people. The Pentateuch of Moses contains the prediction of the prophet Balaam. This man did not belong to the Israelite people, he was of pagan origin. He proclaimed " new star from Jacob,” so the Magi waited for the appearance of a special star in the East. The worship of Jesus from the pagans, the Magi, says that all times and peoples, all earthly kings will bow before Christ sooner or later.

The angel and bells remind us of the announcement of the birth of the Lord to the shepherds. The ringing of bells glorifies the Lord.

In many countries it is customary to light candles at Christmas. Their light symbolizes the Divine radiance of the joy of the Nativity of Christ.

The traditions of celebrating Christmas differ in different countries. Accordingly, the symbols of Christmas can be different. The tradition of the Christmas nativity scene has taken root in Russia. The nativity scene is a cave of the Nativity, it is made by hand and installed in temples, on city squares and in the houses of believers. The nativity scene "came" to Russia from the medieval Western Europe. In those days, they actively fought against pagan traditions and rituals. Many Christians, due to their weakness, participated in the feast of the god Mithra, the pagan god of the Sun. This refers us to the history of the establishment of the feast of Christmas itself. Christmas Day coincided with the day of the Solstice, which also had some symbolic overtones. The Church began to celebrate Christmas separately from the day of Theophany, in order to replace the pagan holidays with Christian ones.

Even though many Christians did not organize pagan holidays, even becoming unwitting participants in the feast, they harmed their souls. So one might think that there is no essential difference between the veneration of Christ and the veneration of other non-existent gods. The Church had to either excommunicate the “half-pagans” or come up with a way to establish a real Christian holiday, reminding us that Christ the Savior had come to us. Despite the fact that there was an undoubted benefit in distinguishing Christmas from the feast of the Epiphany, a number of theologians believe that there were certain disadvantages for Christians in this. Christmas has become less closely associated with the appearance of God in the world. Blessed Theodoret of Cyrus said: “... The Existing God and the Son of God, having an invisible nature, when he became man, became manifest to all”.

In those days, not only church choir singers, but also parishioners took part in the Christmas holidays. On a special table above the throne, a statue of the Virgin Mary was installed. A boy from the church choir, portraying an angel, announced the birth of the Messiah. And the priests portrayed the Bethlehem shepherds. After the proclamation, they entered the altar. This was followed by a small performance on a Biblical theme, which was called "The Nativity scene", and in Western Ukraine simply "Nativity scene".

In Europe of the 16th century, such mysteries were performed by puppet theaters. Such theaters had decorations reminiscent of today's nativity scenes. They were cut out of paper, wood, molded from clay. Now dens are often simply installed at the entrance to a temple or house.

Catholics and Protestants also make advent calendars. Advent is the four weeks before Christmas. Small gifts are left for children in such calendars.

Why do different churches celebrate Christmas?

Many are wondering when to celebrate Christmas - December 25 or January 7? In some countries, for example, in Moldova, both days of Christmas are widely celebrated - in the old and in the new style. This is due to the confessional diversity in the country. In Russia, the celebration of Christmas is also becoming a tradition.

AT ancient world There was no single calendar. Julius Caesar was one of the most enlightened men of his time. He realized that there was a need to create a calendar. The Julian calendar was established by Julius Caesar, which follows from its very name. Greek science of that time already knew that the Earth makes a complete revolution around the sun in 365 days and 6 hours. In fact, these are not entirely accurate numbers - for 365 days, 5 hours, 49 minutes. Julius Caesar demanded that the calendar combine Roman names and Greek scientific discoveries. In this calendar, as well as the Gregorian, 12 months, leap years, 365 days a year. An extra day appears every four years. Unfortunately, the inaccuracy of 11 minutes has become critical. So for 128 years a whole extra day would appear in the calendar. In 1582 it became obvious that it was necessary to develop new calendar. Pope Gregory XIII introduced a calendar, which is called accordingly Gregorian, it has less leap years. Years that are divisible by 100 but not divisible by 400 now contain 365 days. Why was there controversy if the new calendar was perfect? It deliberately skipped ten days. Countries adopted a new calendar at different periods, which gave rise to several confusions about important historical dates.

This question is not as unambiguous as it seems, and it's not just about calendars. Today our Church lives according to the Julian calendar, although in some countries the Gregorian calendar is considered the most accurate. The difference between these two calendars is in calculus. The Julian and Gregorian calendar is a matter of theology. After the October Revolution, the Julian calendar was considered "obscurantist", all secular holidays are celebrated according to the Gregorian calendar, in 1923 the Church was under pressure to switch to new style, but the Russian Orthodox Church remained faithful to the Julian. Catholics and Protestants celebrate Christmas according to the Gregorian calendar, as do a number of Orthodox Churches abroad.

We know quite accurately the date of the conception of the mother of John the Baptist, Elizabeth (September 23, old style). We know when Zechariah left Jerusalem, we know that in the sixth month after the conception of John the Baptist, an angel appeared to the Most Holy Theotokos. This day became the day of the Divine Conception of Jesus Christ. We cannot know the exact date, but we can calculate that the birth of Christ took place in the middle of winter.

Festive worship

The grandeur of the holiday is reflected in at Christmas. On this day, the prayer "King of Heaven" is read. This is how we call Christ, honoring Him as the Lord God. This prayer is not read only in the period from Easter to Pentecost, and many services are opened to it, and not just festive ones. Next comes the litany and the hymn "God is with us." This hymn reminds us of the prophet Isaiah, who, 700 years before the birth of Christ, announced the coming of the Savior of the world, born of the Virgin. He described the events of His earthly life, death and resurrection. This is followed by the song of Simeon the God-Receiver, which speaks of the bringing of the Divine Infant to the Jerusalem Temple, which was traditionally performed on the fortieth day of life. At the festive divine service on Christmas, irmos is sung - the title of the Christmas canon. There are nine songs in the canon, the beginning of the ninth song (irmos) is the thread that connects the Old Call with the New Testament. He says that it is better for us Christians to love silence. Many preachers cannot find words to convey the essence of the mystery of the Birth of Christ. The service is held in Church Slavonic. The hymnography of Ancient Russia and Byzantium is enormous. As we know, all divine services go on a daily circle. On the eve of the holidays, the morning and evening services merge into one “all-night vigil”. Such services are held only twice a year - at Christmas and Easter. The Patriarchal Christmas service is held in the Russian Orthodox Church, when the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church addresses the flock.

Christmas Matins is sung at night. This night we hear the angelic song: Glory to God in the highest, peace on earth, goodwill towards men. This is gratitude to God for the fact that he was incarnated and saved us. We also hear polyeleos, verses from these psalms glorifying the mercy of the Lord. Next comes majesty, a short chant praising God. The composition of the festive Matins includes the power and power antiphon. Antiphons imitate the choir of Angels, praising the Lord. The titles refer to the way these chants are performed. Thus the Antiphons are sung alternately. Next comes the prokeimenon, which precedes the reading of a passage from Scripture dedicated to the Nativity of Christ. This is followed by the gospel stichera, explaining the words of Scripture.

Troparion and Kontakion for Christmas

The troparion and kontakion for Christmas are the most important components of the divine service. They are created by Christian poets - hymnographers. Troparion and kontakion are not just prayers, but also explanations of the essence of the Christmas holiday.

Troparion for Christmas

Kontakion for Christmas

Christmas tree: Orthodox meaning

Spruce has always been a symbol of Christmas. This is due to the fact that Herod ordered to kill all the babies, fearing for their position, when the Magi announced that the King of the Jews was born, meaning the Savior. It is believed that in order to save Jesus, Mary and Joseph closed the entrance to the cave with spruce branches.

Why was Herod so afraid? In the time of Jesus, everyone was waiting for the coming of the Messiah. He was expected as a mighty King whose enemies would be defeated. Jesus, as we remember, was born not in palaces, but in a barn, and His first manger was a bowl for cattle feed. Herod was not a deeply believing Jew, so the coming of the Messiah interested him only in terms of political ambitions. Not only was Herod not a descendant of David, which means that his position as an official ruler was already precarious, but it was not he who accepted Judaism, but his grandfather Antipas, because the Hasmonean Kingdom of Judah demanded it. Antipar, the father of Herod, seized the royal throne by cunning and force. He himself became a victim of betrayal and deceit. Herod punished the traitors and ascended to the kingdom. Power passed from hand to hand. Having married the granddaughter of Hyrcanus II and reconstructed the temple, Herod tried to strengthen his position. But, being a cruel and suspicious person, he later killed his wife and three sons, suspecting them of conspiracy. Against the backdrop of these events, magicians appeared in Jerusalem, demanding to show them the King of the Jews, and they clearly did not mean Herod. After that, he ordered to kill all the babies. This terrible event was one of Herod's worst atrocities.

In Europe, for a long time there was a legend that when the trees brought their gifts to the Divine Infant - fruits, they had nothing to offer him, and she modestly stood on the threshold of the barn, not daring to approach. Then Jesus smiled and held out his hand to her. But this story is more of a good story.

There was another version of this tale: it said that two other trees, a palm tree and an olive tree, did not let the spruce to Christ, mocking her. Hearing this, the Angel of the Lord adorned the modest tree, and she entered the manger of the Divine Infant in all her grandeur. Jesus rejoiced at the fir, but she was embarrassed, and not proud, because she remembered that an angel dressed her up, and she owes her transformation to him. For modesty, it was the spruce that became the symbol of Christmas Day.

In Russia, the tradition of decorating a fir tree for Christmas came only in the 18th century. By the way, in many countries, this tradition also became late: in England, France and America, only in the middle of the 19th century, spruce at Christmas became a widespread practice.

Spruce dress up and on New Year but it is a secular tradition. For Orthodox Christians, spruce is primarily a symbol of Christmas. In ancient Russia, spruce was not favored, it was a gloomy tree growing in a swamp.

Decorated tree - an echo of paganism. In those days, people endowed nature with human, if not divine, properties. According to legend, forest spirits lived in coniferous trees. To save their homes from evil spirits, people dressed up forest beauties trying to appease them. Attitudes towards coniferous trees, by the way, were constantly changing. They either kept evil spirits in themselves, or guarded the dwelling. However, at all times spruce was endowed with mystical properties.

In Europe of the 15th-16th centuries, for the first time, there are references to decorating spruce. It is believed that the custom of dressing a spruce in Christian tradition discovered by Martin Luther, the founder of Protestantism. He placed candles on the branches of a spruce to show the children the symbol of the Lord's love and mercy — the beauty of the heavenly stars on the day when the Lord incarnated and descended to people. Peter I “brought” the decorated spruce to Russia, but initially it was placed only in drinking establishments, and the elegant tree appeared in houses already in the 19th century. In the house of Emperor Nicholas I in St. Petersburg, there was a decorated Christmas tree.

A little later, the spruce appeared as an illustration for the book The Nutcracker by Hoffmann, which spoke of a deeply rooted tradition of decorating a spruce for Christmas. Already in 1916, the Holy Synod saw the influence of the Germans in the tradition and banned it, and in 1927, after an anti-religious campaign, the Christmas tree was attributed to the “remnants of the past” ...

Now the evergreen spruce, also reminiscent of eternal life, is experiencing a rebirth. In 1935, the spruce returned to government offices, but returned, alas, as a secular symbol of the New Year. It was decorated with a red star on top. It is known that during the years of the fight against God, people dressed up the fir tree secretly in their homes. People began to remember that it is, first of all, a symbol of the Nativity of Christ.

Merry Christmas greetings

Your loved ones with vintage Christmas cards.

Dates of Christmas:

About the Nativity of Christ on Pravmir:

About Christmas: the history of the holiday

• Bishop Alexander (Mileant)
• Protodeacon Andrei Kuraev
• Archimandrite Jannuary (Ivlev)
• Prot. Alexander Schmemann

Christmas calendar

Chants and service of the Nativity of Christ

• Nikolai Ivanovich Derzhavin: and

Christmas carols and songs

Video

Christmas in the family: traditions and customs

Christmas icon

• Hieromonk Ambrose (Timroth)

Sermons

• St. Basil the Great
• St. John Chrysostom
• St. Leo the Great,

Catholics celebrate Christmas a little earlier than Orthodox believers. The great event is annually celebrated at the end of December.

For the Catholic Church, Christmas is the main religious holiday. Every year on December 25, Catholics remember amazing story this event, decorate their homes and give their loved ones Christmas presents. Despite the fact that each church celebrates this day in accordance with its faith, nevertheless, some traditions are similar.

Catholic Christmas in 2017

Every year, Catholic Christmas falls on December 25, and Orthodox Christmas falls on January 7. Why is the same holiday celebrated in different days? Since 1582, many countries of the world began to calculate time following the Gregorian calendar, which is why most religious events among Catholics and Orthodox believers do not coincide. The Orthodox Church calculates events according to the Julian calendar, where Christmas falls on January 7th.

The difference in the dates of the celebration of Christmas did not affect the significance of the holiday. On this day, believers celebrate the birth of the Great Infant, who became the Savior of all mankind. His appearance in the world was a real miracle. The Lord chose the Virgin Mary as the Mother of Jesus Christ, and sent an angel to inform her of this news. Her husband Joseph at first did not believe in this and threatened to annul the marriage. However, the messenger of God explained to him that this child is the blessing of the King of Heaven, and Joseph needs to raise and love him as his own son. Even before the birth, the couple went to Bethlehem with the hope of settling in a hotel, but they did not succeed. Mary and Joseph were forced to camp in the barn. The first to see the Son of God were the shepherds. The star that shone in Bethlehem also led three wise men there, who brought gold, frankincense and myrrh as a gift to the child. Herod, having learned about the appearance of the Divine Infant, decided to kill all the children under two years old, but Jesus Christ was able to avoid death. An angel appeared to Joseph and warned him of the evil intentions of the king, and they, together with the child and Mary, went to Egypt, where they lived until the death of Herod.

How Catholics Celebrate Christmas

Christmas is one of the twelfth holidays and is one of the non-transitory. For both Catholics and Orthodox believers, the date of Christmas is unchanged. Despite the common history of the holiday, the traditions of this day are still different.

Advent is a kind of preparation for the Nativity of Christ. People purify their body and soul and prepare to meet the Great Infant with dignity. For Catholics, this period is called Advent, and it lasts four weeks.

Home decoration with wreaths spruce branches with candles is another Catholic Christmas tradition. Round form wreath symbolizes eternal life, green color- the embodiment of life, fire - the light that illuminates the whole world on Christmas Day.

Figurines of the Virgin Mary and the Infant Christ are installed in houses and churches. It can also be Christmas decorations, installations and just paintings.

On Christmas Day, Catholics attend Mass, a Christmas church service. During it, the priest puts the figure in the form of the Child of God into the manger and consecrates it. At this moment, people can feel like participants in this Great event.

Christmas treats are different in every country. In England and America, it is customary to serve turkey, in Spain - pork, and in Latvia - fish. There must be plenty of dishes so that guests leave full and satisfied.

For Orthodox believers, Christmas will come only on January 7th. However, even before it comes, you can find out what awaits you in 2018. Christmas fortune-telling is much stronger and more truthful than usual, because it is on this day that we can achieve unity with the Higher powers. The site site team wishes you happiness and success, and don't forget to press the buttons and

22.12.2017 05:58

One of the main church holidays, called the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, has a rich history and many traditions, ...

Being a purely Christian holiday, Christmas, however, does not leave indifferent either ardent atheists or followers of other faiths around the world. This is a celebration of kindness, love and mercy, which unites people, regardless of what day the celebration takes place and what traditions it is accompanied by. Christmas in Russia will be one of the brightest moments winter holidays when among a series of noisy holidays there is a place for the spiritual component.

A holiday that unites

The tradition of celebrating Christmas carries the deepest meaning - believers glorify on this day Christ, who was born in the glorious city of Bethlehem. Bright joy and gratitude - these are the feelings that should accompany the Orthodox on this day. Attending festive services, spending this time with the family, we comprehend the most important meaning of existence, trying to get closer to God.

This holiday belongs to the Orthodox Church to the Twelve and therefore the question of what date is Christmas in 2017, as well as at any other time, must be answered - January 7, since this date is fixed and does not change from year to year. Catholics celebrate Christmas on December 25 in the Gregorian calendar. This is the reason why the Orthodox, celebrated according to the Julian chronology, and Catholic Christmas in 2017 do not match in numbers. But the essence of the holiday from this still does not change.

Indeed, in fact, it absolutely does not matter what date this celebration falls on, be it Catholic or any other, the main thing is that it exists and brings great joy to all people. In European countries, this Catholic celebration surpasses the New Year's Eve in its significance. Christmas preparations there begin 2 weeks before the holiday itself, trying to foresee everything, buying gifts for the whole family, decorating the house, taking care of the festive dinner.

Christmas Eve and its customs

Christmas is preceded by Christmas Eve - the day that ends the Advent fast. For Catholics, it falls on December 24th, for Orthodox Christians, on January 6th. In Russia, on Christmas Eve, a two-week fasting ends, and only when the first star lights up in the sky is it allowed to eat a meal. Dinner traditionally consists of 12 lean treats, among which must be contained:

• kutya with nuts, poppy seeds and honey,
• vareniki,
• pancakes,
• porridge,
• boiled peas,
• mushroom soup,
• uzvar (a kind of dried fruit compote).

And only the next day meat, fish and dairy dishes appear on the table, from which they abstained during the fast. Roasts, homemade sausages, porridges with cracklings, kutya with meat - everything the housewives had not cooked before for Christmas dinner. However, their example can be followed now.

Christmas traditions

No matter how different were the customs in different countries regarding the celebration of Christmas, they all have one thing in common - this holiday traditionally involves the manifestation of mercy to absolutely all people. In Russia, it was believed that a stranger who accidentally looked into the house these days, even if it was a beggar, could turn out to be the Savior himself. Therefore, such guests were willingly welcomed and given various honors. And for Europeans, charity events dedicated to Christmas have become a kind of symbol of this holiday. One way or another, these days the church calls us to show mercy not only to people close and well known to us, but also to everyone, without exception, to whom our help will come in handy. Even leftovers gala dinner carried out over the fence, leaving them to forest animals, trying to appease them.

Also, this time requires not only spiritual purity. In Russia, before Christmas, they arranged a general cleaning, polishing the whole house to a shine. Having put the house in order, they tried to take care of their own appearance- went to the bathhouse, put on new elegant clothes if possible.

Christmas is the first day of Christmas celebrations, which last exactly 12 days until the Epiphany. This is the time all young people have been looking forward to. After all, now you can carol, arrange noisy festivities, engage in Christmas fortune-telling. The latter is not welcomed by the church, but it has always been practiced everywhere. In this Christmas tradition, pagan rites bizarrely resonate. This is a magical time in which the sky is approaching a person, and it is quite possible to lift the veil of secrecy over your future.

Christmas omens

Particularly attentively, our ancestors looked closely at nature and the phenomena occurring in it, trying to predict what awaits them in the coming year. You can also take advantage of the ancient experience in the coming 2017:

• any dream for this holiday is prophetic;
• a blizzard and a blizzard means the early onset of spring;
• you can not do household chores;
• doing sewing on this day, you doom one of your relatives to blindness;
• while preparing a festive dinner, you notice that everything literally falls out of your hands? This is for a good harvest;
• a lot of stars and frost - a lot of peas will be born;
• warm weather for the holiday by late and cold spring;
• during a gala dinner, do not drink water with food, this is prohibited;
• from the day of Christmas until Epiphany, hunters are not allowed to hunt game, otherwise, there will be trouble;
• the loss of a comb by a young unmarried girl these days means that her betrothed is already in a hurry to her.

Preparing for the celebration of Christmas in 2017 and devoting yourself to pleasant chores, do not forget about the main thing - that this is a holiday of the soul, family unity, peace and tranquility. When looking for gifts and preparing a festive dinner, take the time to pray by visiting the temple, help disadvantaged people, do good not out of self-interest, but at the behest of the heart, and then with full confidence it will be possible to say - the holiday was a success!

In Russia, the Orthodox Church uses the Julian calendar, and therefore this year Christmas is celebrated on the night of Monday, January 6, 2020 to Tuesday, January 7, 2020. The evening before Christmas is called Christmas Eve, it begins at the same time as the first star rises and marks the end of Advent Lent 2019-2020.

Christmas is one of favorite holidays in our country, which is celebrated not only as an Orthodox celebration, but also as a secular event.

Although Christmas is not officially included in the list of public holidays, this day has a special status - the holiday is a public holiday at the federal level. The law on the transfer of days off does not apply to this holiday, however, in Russia, Christmas is included in the traditional New Year holidays from the first to the tenth (ninth) of January.

Christmas is a holiday with a long history, but it was not always celebrated at the usual time for us. Until 1918, Russia, along with most of the countries of Europe, celebrated on December 25, a week before the New Year. With the transition to modern chronology, the holiday began to be celebrated in January. Due to the fact that the Gregorian calendar in our country was adopted much later than in other countries, there was a gap of 14 days in the celebration.

history of the holiday

In the Orthodox tradition, Christmas is one of the twelve holidays, literally topping this list. Although in Catholicism this holiday is considered the most important in the religious calendar.

Christmas is a holiday in memory of the birth of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the coming Savior of all mankind. The story describing the biblical event is described in detail in the Gospel.

It started with the decree of Caesar on the census. Joseph, the husband of Mary, the future Mother of Christ, was from Bethlehem, and together with his wife went to his homeland. Arrived in the city, he could not find a place to sleep, and was forced to hide from the night cold in a barn where the sheep were housed.

Here the immaculate Virgin Mary gave birth to a Son, and the newborn baby Joseph laid in a manger on fresh straw. The shepherds were the first to greet the new Tsar, followed by the magi. Magi or Eastern sages set off on a journey in search of the Savior, following the star, today called Bethlehem. The star lit up exactly nine months before Christmas, at the moment of the Immaculate Conception, when the Angel brought the good news to the Virgin Mary - today this holiday is called the Annunciation.

History of Christmas in Russia

In Russia, the Christmas holiday became an official celebration from the baptism of Prince Vladimir at the end of the 10th century and was celebrated on December 25th. Starting from the day of Christmas and up to Maslenitsa, it was customary to conclude labor and financial contracts for a year. At the end of the 17th - beginning of the 18th centuries, the crib theater penetrated from Poland to Russia: at Christmas, in a special box-nativity scene, with the help of dolls, scenes were played about the birth of Jesus Christ in a cave where he was hidden from King Herod. Later, other stories appeared. This tradition lasted until the October Revolution of 1917. By the end of the 19th century, a decorated Christmas tree became an indispensable attribute of Christmas both in the city and in the countryside, and from the beginning of the 20th century, gifts began to be worn by the Russian analogue of the western Santa Claus - Ded Moroz.

In the 1920s, religious holidays were eradicated by the atheist state. The Christmas tree and the celebrations associated with it gradually lost their significance. However, in the annual Russian calendars until 1929, church dates, including Christmas, were marked in different years either as holidays or as days of rest, that is, there were non-working days. Christmas days in the calendars of 1919-1923 are marked on January 7 and 8 (due to the country's transition to the Gregorian calendar in 1918), and in 1924-1929 - December 25 and 26.

Since 1929, it was forbidden to celebrate Christmas in Soviet Russia. With this ban, the Christmas tree was also canceled, which became known as the "priestly" custom. According to the decree of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR of September 24, 1929 "On working time and rest time in enterprises and institutions that are switching to a continuous production week": "On the day of the new year and on the days of all religious holidays(former special days of rest) work is carried out on a general basis ".

In 1935, as a result of an unexpected turn public policy Christmas traditions were adopted as part of the secular celebration of the New Year on January 1st. Since then, the "Christmas tree" in modern Russia was consistently perceived as "New Year's". Gifts, visits to Santa Claus also became part of new year traditions and lost their original Christmas associations. In 1937, at the meeting of the New Year in the Moscow House of Unions, the Snow Maiden appeared for the first time as a companion and granddaughter of Father Frost - Russian fairy tale character no longer associated with the holiday of Christmas. The holiday of Christmas itself was celebrated on January 7, in accordance with the Orthodox calendar.

The tradition of officially celebrating Christmas at the state level was revived in 1991: in December 1990, the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR adopted a resolution declaring Orthodox holiday Christmas non-working day. Already on January 7, 1991, it was non-working. However, in some republics of the RSFSR, for example, the Tatar ASSR, this decree was ignored, and state institutions worked that day. At present, Christmas is part of the general " New Year holidays”, which start from the New Year (or the day before) and continue until Christmas.

Christmas traditions

The feast of the Nativity of Christ itself begins with anticipation. And the main thing in this expectation is the fast, which lasts from November 28 to January 6. Fasting prepares the spirit and body for the perception of the very event of the Nativity of Christ, for participation in it. The Church understands how important it is - the expectation of the holiday. Just as the Magi, the wise men of the East, went to Bethlehem and expected to see the born Christ, prepared for this meeting, brought gifts to him, so we, while fasting, make a spiritual path and bring our spiritual gifts to the Lord. This is the anticipation of the holiday. And there is also the approach of the holiday. The approximation lies in the fact that on the eve of January 6, Christmas Eve, a day of very strict fasting, is being celebrated, when juicy is prepared - a dish of wheat and honey. On this day, they do not eat until the first star appears in the sky in memory of Star of Bethlehem who showed the Magi the way to the birthplace of the Savior. Christmas Eve is in preparation - people are preparing for confession and Communion in order to take communion either on the feast of the Nativity of Christ, or on Christmas Eve itself, and prepare the Christmas meal. This is how our attitude towards the meeting of the born Christ, the gathering of the whole person takes place. And with real preparation, both the spirit and the body participate in the holiday.

Understanding how important for us, people, the external side of events, the Church prepares us for the holiday and special Christmas traditions. An evergreen Christmas tree is placed in the houses - a symbol of eternal life, which Christ gave us.

The star with which we crown our Christmas trees is reminiscent of the Bethlehem star that lit up when Jesus was born, the star that led the Magi to the Divine Infant, showed them the way.

On Christmas Eve, on Christmas Eve, it is customary to put a burning candle on the windows. Here too deep meaning. A candle is a symbol of the human soul that burns before God. It burns and lights the way for others. A lit candle in the window before Christmas shows that in this house we are waiting for Christ. Because the main goal of the feast of the Nativity of Christ is for our hearts to become those Bethlehem mangers in which Christ was born. And the meaning of our celebration is the birth of Christ in our heart.

And, finally, when we give gifts for Christmas, we become like the Magi - the wise men of the East, who brought their gifts to the Divine Infant: gold, frankincense and myrrh. These gifts of the Magi were also deeply symbolic: gold, as for the King, frankincense, as for God, and myrrh, fragrant ointment used at burial, as for a mortal man.

One of the main signs of the holiday is the Christmas tree. It is she, the fluffy green beauty, who stands in every house, every apartment. Not only children, but also adults dress it up with pleasure - the glossy sides of the balls, the soft rustle of tinsel, the sparkling lights of garlands ... The tradition of decorating the Christmas tree was brought to Russia by Alexandra Fedorovna, the wife of Nicholas I. The first Christmas tree appeared in the empire at the end of 1817, on the eve of Christmas - the Grand Duchess ordered to install a Christmas tree in her private quarters for her children. Incidentally, even the most New Year's song about the Christmas tree - remember, "A Christmas tree was born in the forest" - it was written just in time for Christmas.

Gifts

What is a Christmas tree without gifts? The tradition is to put under the fluffy green branches wrapped in fancy paper boxes appeared in 1818 almost along with the Christmas tree. It was introduced by Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, just like the custom of installing the Christmas tree itself. Moreover, gifts were prepared for all guests, and not just for the children of the emperor. Of course, this does not mean that before the beginning of the 19th century, no one gave gifts for Christmas, but until that year there was no tradition of putting them under the Christmas tree in advance.

What was customary to give in those distant times? Just like on Christmas 2020, there were no restrictions on the holiday of the century before last. A variety of things could act as a Christmas gift - from exquisite decorations to small trinkets.

Festive table for Christmas

Celebration of Christmas in Russia begins on January 6 with the first star rising, when the whole family sits down at the table with a gala dinner. But this evening you can only consume lenten dishes, which should be exactly twelve on the table, including juicy.

But the next morning, when it will be the 7th and the real Christmas will come, you can eat everything that was forbidden for the entire period of the Advent. In particular meat dishes such as:

• aspic
• homemade baked sausage
• roast
• ham
• pate
• cabbage rolls with meat
• blood sausage

Sweet yeast pastries (pies) were especially popular, in the process of preparing which a secret was hidden. A coin was placed in one of the pies, and whoever finds it will have money all year round. Therefore, none of the family members turned away from the opportunity to taste sweets.

Traditionally, on the eve of the holiday, hay was laid under the tablecloth, as a reminder that the Savior of the world was born not in the royal chambers, but in an inn in a barn in a sheep manger.

Folk Celebration Traditions

In some areas, to our time, the ancient custom of caroling still persists, when mummers carry kutya around the house on Christmas Eve, asking the owners to taste it, or simply sing praises to Christ or wish carols, and in return they usually receive all kinds of food (in the past), money or candy (now). The most famous literary work that describes this Slavic rite is “The Night Before Christmas” by N.V. Gogol. Acting in Russian Empire the law forbade “on the eve of the Nativity of Christ and during Christmas time, according to ancient idolatrous legends, games and, dressing up in idol robes, dancing along the streets and singing seductive songs.”

Christmas is the beginning of Christmas time, the days of the glorification of Christ. Christmas time continues until the day of Epiphany (January 19). Among unchurched people, this period was considered the most effective for performing various fortune-telling. At this time, hunting for animals and birds was completely prohibited. A widespread Christmas custom in the villages was building a yard and then burning a stack of straw. At the same time, all relatives stood around in reverent silence until the straw burned completely. According to legend, the dead ancestors in these moments come to warm themselves by the fire, lit by their descendants, and can contribute to fertility.

In the past, among Russian farmers it was considered a bad omen if on Christmas Day a woman was the first to enter the dwelling from among strangers; it was believed that in this house the female half of the family would be sick all year. By Christmas, the owners always cleaned the hut, washed in the bath, laid a clean tablecloth, stored new clothes, which they put on at the beginning of the day, as they believed that the future harvest depended on it. At breakfast they were not allowed to drink plain water, as it was believed that a person who drank water on Christmas morning would be thirsty all summer. Under fear of all sorts of troubles and misfortunes, nothing was bent, weaved, or sewn on Christmas Day. The legs of the dining table were tied to each other with a rope so that the cattle would not run away from the herd. In the afternoon, after the morning service, the priests went around the houses of the parishioners and performed the “glorification” of God (they glorified Christ).

For Christmas dinner it was customary to invite familiar lonely people, lonely travelers. The remains of the evening meal were taken outside the fence so that the wolves, “having tasted and known human kindness”, did not harm the peasant cattle.

Traditional Russian dishes

The main and obligatory on the Christmas table in old Russia were a variety of pork dishes: roasted pig, stuffed pork head, fried meat in pieces, veal or pork jelly, jellied fish. Many other meat dishes were also served on the Christmas table: a goose with apples, a hare in sour cream, game, lamb, whole fish, etc. holiday table was associated with the peculiarities of the device of the Russian oven, which made it possible to successfully cook large-sized products.

Finely chopped meat and offal were boiled in pots along with traditional semi-liquid porridge. An indispensable dish for Christmas, as well as for other holidays, were pies: closed and open, cheesecakes, rolls, pies, koloboks, kulebyaks, kurniki, boats, saechki, pies, shangi. Cooked casseroles, pancakes. There were many fillings, for every taste (herbal, vegetable, fruit, mushroom, meat, fish, cottage cheese, mixed).

The sweet dishes served on the Russian Christmas table were not varied. These are berries, fruits, marshmallows, gingerbread, brushwood, cookies, honey. They drank vzvara (compotes and sweet soups, sbiten), kissels, from the beginning of the 18th century - Chinese tea.