Signs for Maundy Thursday

Clean Thursday is filled with joyful anticipation – the main Orthodox holiday will come very soon. Therefore, work on this day is a joy, because you need to properly prepare for a big event. We tell you what you should pay attention to throughout the day, as well as what you can and cannot do on Maundy Thursday.

The history of folk signs on Maundy Thursday

Holy Week is one of the most important periods in the life of an Orthodox person. This is a time of joy and sorrow, great trials and great miracles. Each day of this week is filled with deep meaning and has its own meaning and folk signs. There are few superstitions on Maundy Thursday – it is right, it is customary to work on this day, and not to play the fool and watch some birds. We asked the parishioners of churches and found out what signs Orthodox Christians should pay attention to.

Signs for bathing and washing

Purification is the main meaning of this holiday. On the fourth day of Holy Week, it is necessary to put things in order in the house and in the head, but before that, take a good bath. After all, cleanliness, as you know, is the key to health – physical and mental.

• It is considered a good omen to get up early and bathe early, moreover, even before sunrise. Morning water has a special power, cleanses and washes away all evil.
  
• If you wash yourself with water from a basin, into which you first throw a silver spoon, jewelry or a coin, you will be able to preserve beauty, health and a flowering appearance for a long time.
  
• Even if you overslept the dawn and you don’t have silver or a basin to wash yourself in, this day is worth at least swimming. It is believed that if this is not done, the whole next year will be accompanied by troubles and failures.

Notes for cleaning

Having completed the cleansing of the body, you should take care of the cleanliness of your home. On this day, it is customary to put things in order at home, preparing for Bright Sunday – you can’t clean up after Maundy Thursday until Easter itself.

• It’s time to do a general cleaning – wash windows, walls, floors and ceilings. It is believed that those who meet Easter in the mud will have the whole year full of troubles, quarrels and disappointments.
  
• Do not forget about washing – not only the body, but also clothes should be clean.
  
• Take out everything superfluous from the house – rubbish, cobwebs, rubbish. By doing this, you will enter the next year without the burden of your own fears and negative emotions.
  
• Take things apart. If you do not use something for more than a year, it is better to give it to those in need. So you will help others, and free up space in your life for something new.
  
• It is a bad omen to leave unwashed dishes and soaked, but unwashed linen on this day.

Cooking tips

Having properly bathed and tidied up, we started cooking. It also had its own superstitions.

• On the Thursday before Easter, it is customary to start preparing holiday cakes – knead the dough and prepare the basis for baking. You can’t do this before Maundy Thursday – otherwise the dough will disappear.
  
• According to signs, if the first Easter cake cooked in the family turns out to be soft and ruddy, this is good and good luck. If dry and callous – to sorrows and hardships.
  
• On Maundy Thursday, it is customary not only to cook Easter, but also to paint eggs. It is important not to be lazy and have time to do everything during the day so that you do not run into trouble in the future.
  
• Easter preparations consist of non-lean products. So their preparation will also be a test of strength – you can’t try festive food on this day.

signs of the weather

Not a single Orthodox holiday is complete without signs of the weather. Here’s what you need to pay attention to on Maundy Thursday:

• The fourth day of Holy Week turned out to be sunny – towards a warm and clear spring.
  
• On this day, good weather – to family happiness and well-being.
  
• Rainy, cold and windy – to the same weather for the rest of the spring.

Do’s and Don’ts on Maundy Thursday

The whole day is devoted to cleansing, physical and moral, so Thursday should be spent in work and quiet prayer, trying to cleanse the body and thoughts.

Noisy holidays are not welcome, alcohol is prohibited.

You can’t lend and give something of your things for temporary use to others, otherwise you can give away the happiness and prosperity of your family.

Great Lent continues on Clean Thursday, and there are no indulgences on this day, so you should stick to a strict diet. In the end, there are only a few days until Easter, there is very little left to endure.

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