Signs on Red Hill

Our ancestors associated this holiday with the beginning of this spring – after Great Lent and Easter, the time for worldly affairs is coming. The peasants were preparing for the start of the field work, and the young people, after a long break, began to play weddings – the ban on weddings was kept from Maslenitsa itself. We have collected the main folk signs on Krasnaya Gorka.

The history of folk signs on Krasnaya Gorka

Krasnaya Gorka is a Christian holiday with pagan roots. This day came to Orthodoxy as a kind of “youth day” – a holiday of youth and the long-awaited spring. It remained approximately in the same meaning, but with an addition. On this day, they now honored the memory of the holy Apostle Thomas – that same Thomas the Unbeliever. That is why another name for the holiday is Fomino Sunday.

In the first half of the day, the dead were commemorated on Krasnaya Gorka, and in the late afternoon the whole village gathered to take part in folk festivals. Everyone came, but first of all – young boys and girls, for them this holiday was something like a show. It was believed that the couples formed on Krasnaya Gorka would be especially strong. The name, by the way, is taken from this tradition. People usually gathered on a hill, where most of the festivities took place – hence the hill. And “red” means “beautiful” – because of the smart celebrants who on this day put on their best dresses.

Of course, many signs and rituals are associated with St. Thomas Sunday, and most of them are wedding ones.

Notes on marriage

The main sign is a long happy marriage for those couples who decide to get married on this day. A popular proverb says: “Whoever marries Krasnaya Gorka will never get married.”

In the old days, on this day, unmarried and unmarried young people put on their best clothes and participated in folk festivals with songs, dances, round dances and, most importantly, with matchmaking. It was believed that whoever met or wooed on Krasnaya Gorka would never part with his soul mate.

It was a bad omen for a boy or girl to stay at home that day and not join in the general fun – it was believed that such unlucky loners would either never marry at all, or their marriage would be short and unhappy.

In modern realities, this sign also works: at least you can go for a walk with friends, and at the maximum – go on a date. After all, the most important thing is not to stay at home on this day.

Signs for positive changes in life

Will take on Fomin’s day, not related to marriage, is also enough:

• if you make a wish on this day and throw a coin into any body of water, it will surely come true;
• to attract money into the house, you need to wash yourself, standing in front of the icon. Moreover, it is desirable that the oldest member of the family wash everyone who is younger than him, and only then wash himself;
• to see a deceased relative in a dream is a good omen. This means that from heaven they look after you and protect you;
• it is customary to wear red clothes to Krasnaya Gorka to attract good luck and wealth;
• when eating on this day, do not throw away the half-eaten food – give leftovers to pets, and crumbs to birds. Throwing away food was considered a bad sign, promising grief and illness;
• our ancestors on Fomino Sunday did this: they took consecrated dyed eggs with them, climbed a low hill and let them roll down. If the egg rolls smoothly and does not break, it is fortunate. But if on the contrary – wait for bad news.

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