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Easter is the most important Orthodox holiday. Believers prepare for it in advance, observing fasting, striving to cleanse the body and thoughts. But there are many superstitions associated with the celebration. Based on the signs seen on Holy Week, the one that precedes Bright Sunday, people could predict what awaits them next year. We have collected the most famous signs for Easter.
The history of folk signs for Easter
The roots of folk signs for this bright holiday go deep into the centuries. People in Our Country have noticed what can and cannot be done on Easter, almost from the moment the holiday arose. The knowledge passed down from generation to generation has come down to us today, and many believers still honor the wisdom of their ancestors and listen to it.
signs of the weather
Our ancestors collected weather signs for Easter for a long time, observing various natural phenomena. One of the signs says: what kind of weather is established on the Annunciation, it will be the same on Bright Sunday. Others depend on the presence or absence of precipitation on Easter Day.
If it rains on Easter
- If it rains, then the whole spring will be rainy.
- If the sky is gloomy, but the rain has not passed, the summer will be cool.
- If it’s not just raining, but a downpour, then grass will grow well all summer, so special attention should be paid to weed control.
If there is a thunderstorm on Easter
- If on Easter day (or the day before it) the sky is shaken by thunder and stripes of lightning cut through, wait for a late and warm autumn.
- If there was no thunderstorm all week before Easter, autumn will be normal – cool and rainy.
If it snows on Easter
- If all the snow melts by Easter day, the harvest will be plentiful.
- If, on the contrary, it snows on Holy Sunday, then the year will not only be fruitful, but also successful for all sorts of accomplishments.
- If frost hits on Easter, expect a warm and long summer.
- If the day after Bright Sunday is also frosty, the summer will be sunny and dry.
If Easter is cloudy
- If the night before Holy Sunday is clear, such that the stars are visible, frosts are coming.
- If the weather is clear on the Tuesday after Easter, the summer will be rainy and the harvest will be rich.
- Clouds cover the sky on Bright Sunday – expect a cool summer.
- Easter day is clear and sunny – to a warm summer and a good harvest.
Notes for money
There are signs for Easter and to improve the material well-being of the family:
- On this day, you need to take money with your left hand, and give it with your right.
- Money loves cleanliness – do not touch bills with dirty hands.
- You can’t borrow and lend on Holy Week – this is at a loss.
- A rich and plentiful Easter table will bring success and prosperity to the house.
- The tablecloth on the festive table should be the most expensive – new and pure white.
- When cleaning the house before Bright Sunday, you need to wash and clean all items in a clockwise direction, and clean the room from the corners to the center – then the money will flow all year round.
- Garbage from the house on a festive Sunday cannot be taken out, otherwise all the wealth will go away.
- The crumbs left after the Easter feast must be collected and thrown after the guests, then they will return and bring money.
- If you wake up on Holy Sunday with the first rays of the sun, then the whole year will be accompanied by good luck and prosperity.
- After the Easter service, you need to give alms to the poor and share colored eggs with them. A good deed, done from a pure heart, will attract success and prosperity.
Signs for marriage
Marriageable girls also followed signs – they suggested when to expect a narrowed and cherished marriage proposal.
- During the Easter service, repeat to yourself several times, “The Resurrection of Christ, give a single groom.”
- If during a festive feast you find a fly or another insect in your plate, you will receive a marriage proposal in the coming year.
- If you hear the cuckoo singing, you will soon get married, moreover, successfully.
- But if the only birds that will give a voice on this day are croaking crows, parting with your loved one awaits you.
- If a girl oversleep the morning festive service, her marriage will be unsuccessful.
- On Easter day, the girl must taste 12 Easter cakes baked by different housewives, then she will have a long and strong marriage in the foreseeable future.
- To hold a wedding on Krasnaya Gorka – on the first Sunday after Easter – to a happy marriage.
Signs for love
There are Easter signs for love.
- If the eyebrow is combed, the acquaintance with the future husband will take place soon.
- If you hurt your elbow on something, the beloved remembers.
- If the lips itch – this is for kisses.
Health tips
Before the Great Holiday, the sick and their relatives asked the Lord for health and listened to folk signs.
- If you wash yourself on Easter with clean water from a well or stream, all diseases will be washed away.
- It was believed that the branches of willows, placed in the nursery, drive away ailments from the kids.
- On Holy Week, everyone is allowed to ring the bells, whoever rings will be healthy all year.
Notes by day of the week
Holy Week is one of the most important periods in Orthodoxy. There are folk signs for each of her days.
Monday
Those who live in a private house need to put things in order in the yard, repair the gates and gaps in the fences, if any, so that evil spirits do not penetrate.
Tuesday
Notice which way the wind is blowing. If the wind is east – to pregnancy and the appearance of a new family member, if west – to bad news. The wind blows from the south – to family happiness and success in personal affairs, from the north – to illness.
Wednesday
Time to start the general cleaning. So that nothing superfluous interferes with enjoying the holiday, it was necessary to get rid of unnecessary things in advance, remove the cobwebs, wash the floors and windows. It is believed that in this way there is a deliverance from all the bad things that happen in life.
Clean thursday
Cleaning was completed on this day. Also on Thursday it is supposed to wash, and, be sure to early in the morning. Washing your face with water from silver dishes will attract wealth and get rid of diseases. On Thursday, they dyed eggs and kneaded the dough for Easter cakes. It was believed that if the finished cake turns out soft and tasty, then life will be easy and joyful.
Good Friday
From that day until Easter, believers observe a strict fast – only bread and water can be eaten. It is not customary to have fun on this day. There is a belief that children born on Good Friday are in for ailments, poor health and, in general, a difficult fate.
Saturday
They believed that if you do not go to bed on the night from Saturday to Easter Sunday, but go to church, having stood for the all-night vigil, then there will be happiness in your home.
Sunday
On Easter Day, believers broke their fast, went to visit and treated friends and strangers with consecrated Easter cakes and eggs. Generosity is a sign of a good soul and that the coming year will be hospitable and rich in joyful events.