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The church name of the holiday is the Exaltation of the Holy and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord. This day is one of the twelve – the twelve most important Orthodox holidays, and has a fixed date – September 27th. On the Exaltation, they honor the memory of finding the cross on which Jesus was crucified. This holiday has both church and folk traditions. Let’s talk about the latter in more detail.
The history of folk signs for the Exaltation
For many centuries, people have added many new meanings to the great church holiday of the Exaltation. It is believed that on this day, good and evil forces, truth and falsehood, honor and evil spirits clash in the struggle. And the symbol of the holiday – the cross – brings victory to good, expelling dark forces. Therefore, believers on this day always put on a cross and attend church.
To this day, folk signs of the Exaltation have been preserved. Some are associated with the symbol of the holiday, others with the peculiarities of nature at this time of the year: the peasants were preparing to meet the cold, they had many beliefs associated with the coming winter.
What can be done on the Exaltation
- Go to church. On the eve, on the night of September 26-27, an all-night vigil is held in the temples, which all believers strive to attend.
- Clear the house. The cross – the main symbol of this day – was endowed with special properties in Our Country. With candles bought in the church, they baptized the corners in the house, reading “Our Father”. Crosses were drawn with chalk on the doors and in the corners. Home-made crosses, connected from two rods, were placed in pens for cattle. All because they believed that the cross, installed or drawn on this day, would protect the house from adversity and trouble.
- Give a cross to a child. According to a sign, a gold or silver cross bought for Exaltation will protect its wearer, even if he forgets it at home.
- Finish the field season. The erection was considered the last herald of the inexorably approaching autumn, therefore, by the holiday, the peasants finished cleaning in the gardens and covered the plants so that they would not freeze in winter.
What not to do on Exaltation
- There is fast food. On the Exaltation, believers observe a one-day strict fast, which excludes the use of any products of animal origin: meat, milk, eggs, butter.
- Start new business. According to this well-known sign, all the undertakings of this day are doomed to failure, so you should not waste time on them.
- Lending. There was a sign in Our Country: if you lend money to someone for the Exaltation, you will incur losses. Therefore, all monetary issues were resolved on other days.
- Walk into the forest. The forest in Our Country has always been treated with caution – they saw it as a threat, because among the trees troubles can lurk, which in the public mind eventually acquired the form of evil spirits. On some holidays, evil spirits were considered especially active, so walking in the forest at such a time, and even alone, is not good. The Exaltation was one of those days. In addition, there was another popular belief: on the Exaltation, forest snakes prepare for hibernation and begin to crawl underground. Whoever catches a snake doing this business, she will certainly bite him.
- Quarrel, get angry and swear. Forget about sorting out the relationship and devote the day to inner work on yourself and your thoughts.
- Noisy to celebrate. Even if you do not fast, you should not celebrate this day with excessive joy, yet it is associated with a great tragedy – the crucifixion of Christ.
“Cabbage” signs
In many regions of Our Country, the Exaltation was the day of the beginning of the period of harvesting cabbage for the winter. It was salted and pickled, and it was believed that it was Vozdvizhenskaya cabbage, cooked on September 27th, that turns out to be the most delicious and healthy.
On this day, it was customary for young people to organize cabbage parties – during the day, girls helped their neighbors chop cabbage for pickling, and in the evening they got together and invited young men. Young people played, danced and looked at each other. By the way, it was from such gatherings that the word “skit” arose, which is usually called amateur theatrical performances in schools and universities.
weather signs
- North wind – for a warm summer next year.
- Frosts came to Vozdvizhenie in the morning – winter will be early.
- Yesterday it was warm, but on Vozdvizhenie it got colder — wait for early spring.
- Warm on this day – such weather will continue until Pokrov.