Customs and signs on a clean Thursday. Signs for Maundy Thursday - prohibitions and recommendations

Everyone knows that Maundy Thursday is a holiday when you need to wash and bathe. But few people thought about WHAT EXACTLY needs to be done on this day, and why it is of such importance.

Clean Thursday It is also called Maundy Thursday, which, as it were, emphasizes its importance for all Christians on Earth. They say that if dirt is left in the house on this day, then the whole year will pass under the sign of disorder, quarrels and dirt.

But let's get down to specifics.

Starting from Thursday and until Easter itself, nothing can be taken out of the house, especially in debt.

Do not give, no matter how anyone asks: no money, no “use” of some things. This is a bad omen.

You can not even share kitchen utensils or products with relatives or neighbors.

Soaked linen that has not been washed and unwashed dishes cannot be left overnight from Maundy Thursday to Good Friday.

As on the rest of the days of Holy Week, next Thursday you can’t guess, have fun, celebrate holidays, sing and dance.

You can’t eat fast food on this day (from obsolete soon, old glory scrum - fat, oil).

But what, on the contrary, to do VERY desirable:

It is critically important to start cleaning that day in the morning. So even if you have no time, and you leave for work that day, first clean up at least something at home! You can, for example, wash the dishes and take out the trash ...

The most daring can swim on Maundy Thursday. Our ancestors believed that this rite would help "wash away all diseases."

Maundy Thursday is the best day of the year to give your little ones their first haircut. Peasants "for good luck" on this day used to shear even livestock.

So that you have money for the future, count them all on this day, and three times!

If possible, you can also shoot a gun or at least rearrange the furniture ...

This is the best day to remove the damage induced by enemies. You just need to wash yourself early in the morning, before dawn. At the same time, it is necessary to pronounce the words of an elementary prayer: “I wash off what was let loose on me, what my soul and body toils with, everything is removed on a clean Thursday. Amen".

If you are a single woman, then in order to find your happiness, on this day, when washing your body, you need to say a prayer: “As pure Thursday is bright and red, so I will be a beautiful slave (name) for everyone. Amen".

Today Orthodox Christians in Khakassia have Great (Clean) Thursday before Easter.

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Here's what you can't do on Clean Thursday CATEGORICALLY:

Starting from Thursday and until Easter itself, nothing can be taken out of the house, especially in debt. Do not give, no matter how anyone asks: no money, no “use” of some things. This is a bad omen. You can not even share kitchen utensils or products with relatives or neighbors.

Soaked linen that has not been washed and unwashed dishes cannot be left overnight from Maundy Thursday to Good Friday.

As on the rest of the days of Holy Week, on Thursday one cannot guess, have fun, celebrate holidays, sing and dance. You can not eat fast food on this day.

What to do is VERY desirable:

It is critically important to start cleaning that day in the morning. So even if you have no time, and you leave for work that day, first clean at least something at home! You can, for example, wash the dishes and take out the trash... The bravest can take a dip on Maundy Thursday. Our ancestors believed that this rite would help "wash away all diseases."

Maundy Thursday is the best day of the year to give your little ones their first haircut. Peasants "for good luck" on this day used to shear even livestock.

So that you have money for the future, count them all on this day, and three times! If possible, you can also shoot a gun or at least rearrange the furniture ...

This is the best day to remove the damage induced by enemies. You just need to wash yourself early in the morning, before dawn. In this case, it is necessary to pronounce the words of an elementary prayer:

“I wash off what they let on me, what my soul and body toils with, everything is removed on a clean Thursday. Amen".

If you are a single woman, then in order to find your happiness, on this day, when washing your body, you need to say a prayer:

“As clean Thursday is bright and red, so I will be a beautiful slave (name) for everyone. Amen".

According to calend.ru, during the services on this day, one of the most important gospel events is remembered: the Last Supper, at which Jesus Christ washed the feet of his disciples, thus showing an example of brotherly love and humility. According to the Gospel, at the Last Supper, Jesus Christ established the rite of the Eucharist - Holy Communion. This rite is recognized by all Christians - Orthodox, Catholics, Lutherans - believers eat wine and bread, meaning by them the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. From Maundy Thursday to Sunday in all Orthodox churches Church services are devoted to remembrances of the Savior's earthly sufferings.

Easter preparations begin on Maundy Thursday. Believers need to come to churches, confess and take communion. They clean the house, bake Easter cakes, paint eggs.

On Maundy Thursday, it is customary to get up before sunrise and bathe - symbolically cleansed of sins and fuss. On Maundy Thursday, Russian peasants cleaned the house, yard and garden from litter, dirt and dust accumulated over the winter. First of all, icons and lamps were updated and washed. Then the floors, walls, ceilings of the hut, the table and benches were thoroughly washed, rubbed with sand, scraped with a knife.

The people said:

“If you wash and wash yourself on Maundy Thursday, you will be clean all year long.”

After the cleaning, carried out on Maundy Thursday, the houses were not cleaned and the floors were not swept until Easter, so as not to clog the eyes of Christ lying in the tomb. In some regions, all the dishes in the house were washed that day, and milk jars were also fumigated. female hair, explaining the importance of this occupation by the fact that the dishes are defiled by the touch of Judas the Betrayer. Arranged on this day big washing- all clothes, bed linen, tablecloths, curtains and towels, as well as rugs, rugs and bedding were washed. Everything was taken out to dry in the yard, and the whole family on the night of Thursday to Friday went to bed on the “pea”, pea straw, which was spread on the floor. In the Russian North, for example, mothers taught their daughters, and mothers-in-law taught their daughters-in-law:

“Everything needs to be washed, even a footcloth and that Easter rejoices.”

Easter is a great holiday for many Orthodox people. Christians begin to prepare for it 40 more days in advance - it begins great post. But just before the holiday, Holy Week begins a week in advance, each day of which requires special preparations. Great Clean Thursday is one of the days of Holy Week, which is marked by special preparation.

When to swim on Maundy Thursday?

On Maundy Thursday, all believers go to church to cleanse their souls from sins - they take communion and listen to a sermon. And those who want to symbolically cleanse from all sins over the past year and get rid of diseases need to stand before sunrise and wash themselves, while reading the words of prayer.

Prayer for Maundy Thursday, which must be read while bathing: "Cleanse me from all evil."

How confession cleanses, how water removes dirt,

so you, Thursday, be clean, cleanse me from all evil,

from resentment to people, from disobedience, from intemperance,

from devilish blasphemy, from bad rumor, from evil talk,

demonic disputes. In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

It has long been known that Maundy Thursday helps the Orthodox get rid of many problems in the family and at work, protects against illness and even washes away sins. That is why every person should not waste time, one should seize the opportunity.

What can and should be done on Great Pure Thursday?

There are many rituals and traditions that help people greatly change their lives for the better, the main thing is to do everything right, only in this case everything will work out and luck will become your companion for the whole year, and maybe for the whole later life.

• Take a cold shower in the morning before sunrise. It is believed that water on this day has a special healing power that can wash away all sins and diseases. But everything needs to be done open heart with faith in God. While swimming, you need to read a prayer. It is better to bathe in the shower when the water pours from above, thus washing everything away and taking it far away. There is also a belief that on this day you need to go to the hairdresser, as all ailments and evil eye go away with cut hair.
• Clean up the home. On Maundy Thursday, be sure to clean your house, bake holiday cakes and paint eggs. But for the sake of these matters, it is undesirable to miss the service in the church. After the church, work will go better and the dough for Easter cakes will rise better. There is a belief that even the dough will not work in a dirty house, because when starting to clean the house on this day, every housewife receives a gift from the Lord - to find her favorite and forever lost items, as it seemed. Before you start baking Easter cakes, the kitchen should be washed, and only bright thoughts in the soul.
• Prepare Thursday salt, which has a special power of healing from all diseases. It is prepared only on Maundy Thursday - each family member takes a handful of salt and pours it into a rag bag, after which they put it all night near the image of Jesus and a burning lamp. I use this salt only when someone in the family is sick - they add it to food.
• Count money. There is a belief among the people that if you count the money three times on Maundy Thursday - in the morning at lunchtime and midnight, then the whole year the money will be in the house and its owner will not need anything.

What can not be done on Maundy Thursday?

There are no restrictions on this day. But believers, especially those who fast, should not start all their affairs on this day without attending the service. You can have breakfast only after the service, cleaning also begins after communion, and Easter cakes are baked only after a general cleaning in the house. All things on this day of Holy Week begin with the purification of the soul and body.

What time do you need to swim on Maundy Thursday and how to spend this day. / Photo from open sources

For the Orthodox, it has come, every day of which is also called the Great.

This is last days before Easter, the main of which many consider Maundy Thursday and Good Friday.

In today's material - about the rites, signs and traditions of Holy Thursday.

When is Clean Thursday in 2018

The date of Holy Thursday is floating and depends on what date Easter is celebrated in a given year. In 2018, Maundy Thursday fell on April 5th.

Clean Thursday: what to do

This is a day of purification - both spiritual and material. On Maundy Thursday, you definitely need to have time:

• swim before sunrise;
• go to the temple with the whole family to confess and take communion;
• do a general cleaning;
• get rid of unnecessary things, clearing the living space;
• on Maundy Thursday it is customary to burn. The ashes are not stored, but scattered in the wind or thrown into running water (best of all - into the river).

In addition, it is on Pure Thursday that the hostesses, according to tradition,.

What time do you need to swim on Maundy Thursday

You must swim before sunrise. In Ukraine, on April 5, the sun rises at 06:18 Kyiv time.

Maundy Thursday: rituals

To stock up on health and beauty for the whole year, on this day it is customary to wash with silver. And the sick are washed from the "silver pieces" borrowed from their neighbors. At the same time, according to popular belief, the stolen coin is considered the strongest silver coin: it is not only treated, but also bewitched and fortune-telling is done on it.

Clean Thursday: signsand superstition

Beliefs strictly forbid giving anything from home on Maundy Thursday - up to the notorious salt to a neighbor. It is believed that otherwise you can give away prosperity and peace from your home.

good and sunny weather Maundy Thursday speaks of the warm remnant of spring, a rainy day prophesies cold and damp until summer.

On Maundy Thursday, the so-called passionate candle is brought from the church. People believe that it helps in the treatment of various diseases.

Also on Maundy Thursday, Thursday salt is prepared - ordinary salt is baked in the oven, and then consecrated in the church. Such salt (like a candle) has healing properties.

Our ancestors believed that on Maundy Thursday a person can ask otherworldly forces about his future. To do this, they lit a candle brought from the evening service, and went to the attic (to the house of the brownie). There it was necessary to wait for some time for the house spirit. If the curly brownie was shaggy, then this predicted wealth for the family, and if bald, then poverty.

The devil was also asked about the future. They went into the forest, sat on a birch (a tree associated with the souls of the dead and female demons) or an aspen (a cursed tree on which Judas, who betrayed Christ, hung himself), took off his pectoral cross and called the forest spirit. It was believed that after such a goblin would certainly appear and answer all questions.

If you clean up on this day, then there is a sign that you can find what you have been looking for for a long time. If the house is left uncleaned, nothing good can be expected from next year. At the same time, after Maundy Thursday, it is no longer possible to clean the house (the days remaining until Easter are spent in strict fasting and prayer).

Clean Thursday: conspiracies for money and good luck

Conspiracy for money on Maundy Thursday they read over the water with which windows and doors were washed, before which they threw a handful of coins there: "Money, drive - do not transfer, grow, multiply, do not get to the enemy!". After cleaning, the charmed trifle is put in a clean corner of the house for a week, and water must be poured under any tree.

It is also believed that if you rearrange various items in the house from one place to another on Maundy Thursday, then during the year there will be no problems with money.

Also, many people believe that if all the money in the house is counted three times during this day, then the money will not be transferred within a year. This should be done before sunrise, at noon and at sunset.

Also exists spell for good luck to be read while bathing on Maundy Thursday: "Vodichka, water, you pour-pour, cleansing my face, cleansing my body and cleansing my soul, fill me with beauty and health". And you need to finish bathing by dousing with cool water from a ladle.

The week before Easter is special time. Therefore, they are often interested in what needs to be done on each of the days of Holy Week, including Maundy Thursday. For example, is it possible to clean up, how to wash properly, and in general what does this day before Easter mean - Maundy Thursday? folk traditions and their modern understanding, comments of church representatives - all this can be found in our article.

In 2018, this day falls on April 5, and Bright Sunday, i.e. Easter itself is April 8th. It is also called Maundy Thursday: Holy Thursday; Great Thursday. The thing is that this is the 4th day of the so-called Holy (Red, Great) week - the last time of the earthly life of Christ. After all, already on Friday he will be unjustly accused and executed, and on Easter he will be resurrected. This will become the main event of Christianity, which has been solemnly celebrated by all believers for 2 millennia. Therefore, if we talk about what Pure Thursday before Easter means, we can say that this is rather not a holiday, but the last day of the Savior's earthly life.

And he is called clean because it was on this evening that Christ during the supper washed the feet of all his 12 disciples. That is, he literally took a vessel with water, a towel and washed everyone's feet. The Lord never performed such an action in his earthly life. And it is clear that in this episode there is some unique, even touching moment. By washing his feet, Christ wanted to show that he came into the world precisely for service. Yes, believers to this day worship him as the Son of God. But at the same time, the Lord himself wished that he be known as a servant who came to the aid of sinful mankind.

There is also a very delicate, elegant detail in this story. After all, as you know, the East is a delicate matter. In the countries of this region, from ancient times, foot washing was considered a normal phenomenon, a kind of custom. When a distant guest came to the house, the owner poured water, took a towel and performed this pleasant relaxing procedure as a sign of affection for him. Thus, Christ showed his disposition towards the disciples. And he clearly demonstrated the idea of ​​serving people, giving an example to all mankind.

What to do on Maundy Thursday before Easter: 5 traditions
That is why it has been customary for the people for several centuries (if not millennia) on Maundy Thursday before Easter to go to the bath with the whole family and bathe, keeping your body in perfect cleanliness. True, there is also interesting detail: water procedures should be done before sunrise.

It is believed that it is at this time that water acquires the greatest healing power, just as it happens on the night of Epiphany. And in general, the expectation of a holiday is sometimes the holiday itself. Therefore, they try to go to the baths on the night from Wednesday to Thursday.

It is believed that before bathing, even if it is purely symbolic, one must certainly say a prayer of gratitude, at least mentally. There is some truth in this: a positive perception of life really helps a person tune in to a pleasant wave and start his day, getting up, as they say, on the right foot.

And here is what else they do on Maundy Thursday before Easter according to folk traditions:
Of course, in the bath modern conditions not everyone can go. But a silver spoon or other utensils from this noble metal surely to be found in many houses. If you collect water in silver dishes and wash your face with it in the morning (again, it is better before sunrise), you will get a charge of vivacity and health for the whole year. You can just put silver spoon into a vessel of water and wash.
You need to clean not only your body, but the whole house. On Clean Thursday, they try to get rid of all the rubbish, old things that have not been used for a long time. They remove garbage, wash the floor, sweep away small cobwebs. In a word, they put things in perfect order. It is believed that it is no longer possible to clean the house until Easter itself, so it is better to try right away.

It is not forbidden for housewives to sew, wash and do other household chores on Maundy Thursday, and it is better to do them until the evening.
And what else needs to be done on Maundy Thursday before Easter - boil eggs in the evening, paint them, knead the dough, and then bake Easter cakes. Pasochki will not become stale if cooked according to the correct technology. But cooking on Good Friday and Great Saturday is undesirable - these are the most intense, dramatic days of Holy Week. On Friday, as already mentioned, the crucifixion of Christ took place, and on Saturday night the lifeless body of the Savior was placed in the tomb.

Even on this day, the so-called Thursday salt is prepared. It is prepared on the basis of ordinary salt - the crystals are mixed with the soaked crumb of rye bread or with the thick, which remained after the kvass settled. It is believed that it will serve as an excellent amulet for the whole family, and it will last a whole year. Therefore, it is necessary to store such salt in a place of honor.

On Maundy Thursday, they also make peculiar conspiracies for money and for the betrothed. For example, you can put a silver coin in water at night, and then hide it in your wallet for a whole year. Or take a bar of soap and say the name of a loved one, saying: "(Name) sticks to me like soap." Of course, these traditions belong more to the folk than to the church. However, there is nothing wrong in the very desire of a person to find his love and live in abundance.

What not to do on Maundy Thursday before Easter
Of course, already by the name of the holiday, we can say for sure that on this day you should not forget about your hygiene. It is also very important to carry out a general cleaning, because if the house remains untidy, the owners will not be able to recharge with positive energy of freshness, cleanliness and prepare for Easter.

And here are some other restrictions:
When they cleaned up the apartment, dirty water if possible, it is better to pour somewhere outside the house. Best of all - on a rocky surface, where nothing grows. After all, with the dirt, the negative energy, which should leave the house for a long time, also leaves.
There is also such an interesting belief about what they do before Easter on Thursday. It is believed that lending, as well as borrowing, is undesirable. And in general, if on this day you give something valuable (for example, a souvenir or a book), then this is a bad sign - it is better to choose any other day for gifts.

Of course, it is intuitively clear that since this day was the last in the earthly life of Christ, it is better not to arrange any sumptuous feasts, do not abuse alcohol and other earthly pleasures. After all, in a few hours Judas will betray the Savior, and then Jesus will be crucified. Therefore, with fun, it is better, if possible, to wait until Easter.

And here is another interesting point - it is forbidden to take a sample from Easter cake, eggs and other festive dishes. Of course, such a rule applies to a greater extent to church people who observe Great Lent. However, those who have not fasted can also heed the advice.

It is clear that Maundy Thursday is a clean, truly bright day, therefore there are no strict prohibitions as such. Each person can act in accordance with the circumstances and, of course, according to his own conscience.

What can you eat on Maundy Thursday
From the point of view of fasting, Holy Week is considered the most strict - for example, on Friday and Saturday, eating is generally prohibited, except for bread and water. But on Thursday, the requirements are a little softer. The so-called dry eating is allowed - you can take plant foods without any oil (including sunflower, olive, etc.). Another important point- hot meals are not allowed.

That is, you can eat bread, unsweetened pastries, soaked fruits and vegetables, etc. And any meat, fish, hot dishes for fasting are prohibited.

At the same time, the church does not consider some indulgences for pregnant, lactating women, for the elderly and children a sin. And also for everyone who suffers from diseases digestive system. That is, again, fasting is a matter of conscience and the real capabilities of the human body.