Trinity holiday: history, traditions, symbols. Feast of the Holy Trinity Traditions of celebrating the Trinity

Trinity is one of the 12 main Orthodox holidays. It is celebrated annually on Sunday, the 50th day after Easter. In 2019, Trinity Sunday falls on June 16th. The official church name of the holiday is Holy Trinity Day. Pentecost. It was established in honor of the descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles and the Virgin Mary on the 50th day after the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The holiday symbolizes the unity of the Holy Spirit, God the Father and God the Son.

history of the holiday

The holiday is dedicated to the events that occurred on the 50th day after Easter - the descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles and the Virgin Mary. At this time, the disciples of Jesus Christ and the Mother of God were in the Zion Upper Room in Jerusalem. At three o'clock in the afternoon they heard a loud noise, and the blessed fire descended on them. After this, the apostles received the gift of speaking in different languages ​​in order to preach the teachings of Christ to the nations of the world. This event is described in the Acts of the Holy Apostles.

Traditions and rituals of the holiday

Trinity has well-established church and folk traditions of celebration.

In the Orthodox Church it is celebrated for three days. The clergy dresses in green clothes, which symbolizes eternal life and life-giving. Temples are decorated with tree branches and the floor is covered with fresh grass.

On the eve of Saturday an all-night vigil is served. On the day of the holiday, the Gospel of John is read and the festive liturgy is performed. The third day of Trinity is called the day of the Holy Spirit. On this day, it is customary to bless water in churches. People take the grass and branches that were used to decorate the temples and bring them home. They are dried and stored all year - they protect the house from diseases and troubles.

On holidays, people attend services in churches. On the eve of Trinity, they remember the dead: they go to cemeteries and leave treats for the spirits.

According to folk traditions, on the eve of the celebration, housewives carry out general cleaning of houses and courtyards. They prepare holiday treats, bake bread or loaf, which symbolizes fertility and prosperity. Houses and icons are decorated with tree branches and herbs. On the day of the Holy Trinity after the service, it is customary to visit or invite close relatives and friends and give gifts. After the festive dinner, folk festivities are held. People go to nature, where they perform ritual dances, sing songs, and light fires.

Traditional healers collect herbs on this day. They believe that nature gives them special miraculous properties.

Fortune telling for Trinity

On the day of the Holy Trinity, young girls make fortunes about future events, marriage, love. When performing rituals, they use plants and water.

Fortune telling on a wreath. On the evening of the holiday, you need to make a wreath of birch branches and four types of grass: thyme, Ivan-da-Marya, burdock and bear's ear and leave it overnight in the yard. If it withers the next morning, then you can expect minor difficulties in the near future. A fresh wreath heralds a successful year.

Fortune telling by the river. The girl must weave a wreath, insert a lit candle into it and launch it down the river. If he drowns near the shore, then the relationship with the guy will be short and unsuccessful. If a wreath floats far down the river with a lit candle, then a fateful meeting awaits its owner. A wreath washed ashore marks this year's wedding.

Fortune telling for St. John's wort. In order to find out whether a young man has feelings for a girl, she must take a bunch of St. John's wort and twist it with such force that the juice flows out of it. If the juice is clear, then the love is unrequited, and if it is red, then the feelings are strong and mutual.

What can you eat on Trinity Sunday?

There is no fasting on this day, so you are allowed to eat any dishes and products.

How to decorate a house for Trinity

People use young branches of trees, meadow grasses and flowers to decorate their houses. The main symbol is the birch tree. Young green foliage symbolizes the cycle of life and youth. The white color of the branches represents the pure thoughts of believers. Branches of oak, linden, maple and rowan are designed to protect the house from evil spirits.

Among meadow herbs, people use cornflowers, lovage, thyme, fern, mint, lemon balm, and burdock. They weave wreaths from them and hang them on the door, make bouquets that they place on the table or near the icons. Unmarried girls put herbs under their pillow.

What not to do on Trinity

Trinity is a great Orthodox holiday. On this day you should not engage in heavy physical labor or household chores. You should devote time to prayers and loved ones. You can’t quarrel and get angry with others. According to popular belief, on this day it is forbidden to swim in natural reservoirs. People believe that on Trinity, evil spirits take the form of mystical characters (mermaids, merman) and are capable of causing harm.

Signs and beliefs for Trinity

• A rainy day means a good harvest of mushrooms in the fall.
• You should not have a wedding on this holiday, otherwise the marriage will be unsuccessful.
• Arranging matchmaking on Trinity is a good omen. The future marriage will be strong and happy.
• Pentecost is a good time to search for treasures. On this day, the earth is able to generously bestow wealth on a person.
• It is considered a good sign to shed tears during the service. Mourning the grass symbolizes a bountiful harvest and wealth.

Congratulations

Happy Trinity Day, I congratulate you,
I wish you prosperity, love, and earthly blessings.
On a sublime holiday, a holy holiday
Feel great joy in your soul!

Peace in the family, understanding, care,
New victories, achievements in work.
Blessings and a beautiful life,
Celebrate the Trinity holiday with your family!

I want to congratulate you on the Holy Trinity,
Look at the sky with your soul today.
Let the holiday fill your heart with warmth,
And let the sun shine inside you.

I also wish you good health,
And find peace of soul in fragrant herbs.
Let an angel always hover at your head,
And may he protect all your paths.

What date is Trinity in 2020, 2021, 2022

Modern people, despite the fact that they believe in God with all their souls, rarely observe all the traditions and commandments. But there are Great holidays and days that are never forgotten and honored in every Christian family. One of these holidays is the Day of the Holy Trinity.

What date is Trinity celebrated?

Trinity is one of the most important holidays of the Christian church. It follows: exactly 7 Sundays later, on the 50th day, closely intertwining folk customs and church traditions.

Considering that Easter is a moving holiday - it does not have a specific date, the Feast of the Holy Trinity is also celebrated on different days every year.

Great Easter is preceded by the strictest fast of the year - 7 weeks, which begins after Maslenitsa and even covers the day of the spring equinox. Therefore, the easiest way, and then the date of the Holy Trinity, is to use a tear-off calendar, where the phases of the moon are usually indicated.

1. Find the day of the vernal equinox.
2. Determine the date of the full moon immediately after the spring equinox.
3. Mark the Sunday closest to the full moon - this will be the day of Great Easter.
4. Count down 49 days after Easter.
5. On the 50th day, Sunday, Trinity is celebrated.

Trinity Day 2016

This year it was celebrated on May 1, right on the day of spring and labor. Having counted down the required 7 weeks, it will not be difficult to find out that Trinity in 2016 will occur on Sunday, June 19.

history of the holiday

The Trinity is also often called Pentecost. And not at all because it is celebrated 49 days after Great Easter. In fact, Pentecost was celebrated long before Christianity arose. It was on the fiftieth day after Pesach (Jewish Passover) that Moses received the Ten Commandments from the Lord, which later became the basis for the Old Testament.

And many years later, also on the fiftieth day after the Resurrection of Christ, the incorporeal, living Holy Spirit descended on the Mother of God and the 12 apostles - this is how God appeared to them in his third appearance (before that, God had already appeared to them twice in the form of God the Father (Divine Uma) and God the son (Divine Word)). So this day was also celebrated as the day of the Holy Trinity.

The Zion Upper Room in Jerusalem, where this action took place, according to the Bible, became the world's first Christian church, and the day of the Holy Trinity went down in history as the appearance of the New Testament Church on Earth.

This is the main version of the origin of the Trinity holiday, although, admittedly, it is not the only one. There are many legends, according to one of which Trinity is the day on which the Lord created the earth and greenery, according to another - on this day Jesus walked with Peter and Paul in the shade of green trees and Christ blessed this day and called it Trinity. Of course, these speculations have a right to exist, but still they are not as widespread as the events described in the Bible.

Now the holiday of the Holy Trinity is celebrated in all Christian churches, but for Catholics and Protestants it is a little later: on the 50th day after Easter they celebrate Pentecost, and the Trinity is celebrated the following Sunday.

The essence of the Trinity holiday

From ancient times to the present day, people celebrate the Trinity holiday with the hope of a new beginning, a fruitful and favorable year for all living things and, first of all, for their family.

If, by welcoming winter at Maslenitsa, we welcome spring, then Trinity is the full-fledged beginning of summer. Usually, by Trinity, all the trees in the forest have already blossomed, the grass has grown, and truly warm days have begun.

Maybe this is why it has been established since ancient times that Trinity is a moving holiday and does not have exact dates.

Traditions and customs of the Trinity holiday

By the feast of the Holy Trinity, spring finally comes into its own: everything around is filled with new life and light, blossoms and comes to life. As a sign of the renewal of all living things, temples and churches on this day are also buried in fresh greenery: the floor is covered with soft grass, the walls are decorated with young birch shoots, and the priests themselves wear green clothes.

But it’s not only in churches that light and spring are allowed to penetrate! On the eve of Trinity, housewives put their home in perfect order, decorate the rooms with fresh flowers, symbolizing how the soul of a person who has let God into his heart blossoms and blossoms.

From the very morning, Christians rush to church to thank God for always being with them and protecting them from troubles and misfortunes. Every believer always returns home from the temple with a thin branch of a young birch tree, which symbolizes the beginning of everything living, bright, and a new good life.

All relatives and friends are invited to the house, the table is set, and a good meal is prepared. According to tradition, there must be a freshly baked loaf and that same twig from the temple on the table, as a sign of prosperity and a happy life for all those present.

Symbols of the holiday of Trinity

It’s not for nothing that churches use Russian birch branches for decoration. Birch is one of the first to be covered with young leaves and stands the most “elegant” in the forest. All over the world it is believed that the Russian birch tree has a special growth power, so people have known since ancient times that in the forest they must hug the birch tree and ask it for strength and health.

In ancient times, on the evening of Trinity, young girls put on their most beautiful dresses, wreaths of birch branches with wild flowers and always went to “curl” the birch tree: the youngest of them cut down a young tree and the girls together decorated it with ribbons and flowers, danced in circles and danced around him. After this, the birch tree had to be drowned in the river so that the land would be rich and fertile.

Fortune telling for Trinity

It is interesting that Trinity and Pentecost coincide with another great pagan holiday, which our ancestors have not forgotten since ancient times: honoring the arrival of summer - Green Weeks (Green Christmastide, Rusal Week). The end of such a week - Sunday - was especially awaited by very young girls, because... Older girls took them with them to festivities, where they often told fortunes about their betrothed.

Of course, the official church does not approve of this to this day, but, nevertheless, the traditions of this holiday come to us from ancient times.

They believed that on these days mermaids come ashore, play, swing on branches and watch people, and on Trinity Sunday, they are especially active. Therefore, during Mermaid Week you cannot walk through the forest or near the water alone - it is believed that mermaids can easily drag a person to them for fun. Of course, nowadays no one washes in ponds, but still our ancestors are not always wrong.

They always remembered the dead, especially those who died prematurely: according to legend, on Green Week they return to earth in the form of mythological creatures. Wells and fields were blessed.

And for those who liked to tell fortunes about their future on Trinity, there was plenty of room to roam, but the most common fortune-telling were those where birch was used.

• They picked a random young birch twig and examined it carefully: if the branch is straight, without flaws, then the year will be smooth and quiet. And if it was a curve, then they expected changes, good or bad - they judged by the bark of this branch: whether it was beautiful or sick.
• Several young branches of different trees were lowered into the water, they made a wish and, with their eyes closed, pulled out whichever one came their way: birch - it will come true, aspen - you can’t wait this year, oak - you need to work hard to make the wish come true, and pine - it all depends from you.

Trinity Day is celebrated on the fiftieth day after Easter, which is why this holiday is also called Pentecost.

Afterwards, His disciples continually lived in a sense of celebration. For another forty days He appeared to them one by one and gathered together. Before the eyes of the disciples, the Lord rose above the earth, as if assuring them that on the last day of the world He would come to earth in the same way as He had gone to God the Father. Saying goodbye to them for the time being, He promised to send them the Comforter - the Holy Spirit emanating from God the Father. The disciples did not know what this meant, but they believed that everything would be according to the word of the Lord.

Like fire in a hearth, they maintained the blessed state of that day in their souls, gathering every day in one house on Mount Zion in Jerusalem. In a secluded upper room they prayed and read the Holy Scriptures. This is how another ancient prophecy came true: “Out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord out of Jerusalem.” This is how the first Christian temple arose. Near that house was the house of Christ’s beloved disciple, the Apostle John the Theologian; according to the will of the Lord, His Mother, the Virgin Mary, also lived there. Disciples gathered around Her; She was a consolation for all believers.

The Feast of Pentecost, or the Day of the Holy Trinity, went like this. On the tenth day after the Ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ, on the day of the Jewish holiday of the first harvest, when the disciples and with them were in the Zion Upper Room, at the third hour of the day a strong noise was heard in the air, as if during a storm. Bright, flickering tongues of fire appeared in the air. It was not a material fire - it was of the same nature as the Holy Fire, which descends annually in Jerusalem on Easter; it shone without burning. Rushing over the heads of the apostles, tongues of fire descended on them and laid them to rest. Immediately, along with the external phenomenon, the internal one took place, taking place in the souls: “ all filled with the Holy Spirit.”“Both the Mother of God and the apostles felt at that moment an extraordinary power acting in them. Simply and directly, they were given from above a new grace-filled gift of the verb - they began to speak in languages ​​that they did not know before. This was the gift needed to preach the Gospel throughout the world.

Washed, generously gifted by the One Spirit, feeling that this was only part of the spiritual gifts they had received from the Lord, they held each other’s hands, forming a new shining bright Church, where God Himself is invisibly present, reflected and acting in souls. Beloved children of the Lord, united with Him by the Holy Spirit, they emerged from the walls of the Zion Upper Room to fearlessly preach Christ’s teaching about love.

In memory of this event, the Feast of Pentecost is also called the day of the descent of the Holy Spirit, as well as the day of the Holy Trinity: in the manifestation of the Holy Spirit, who came from God the Father according to the promise of God the Son, the mystery of the unity of the Holy Trinity was revealed. This day received the name Pentecost not only in memory of the ancient holiday, but also because this event occurred on the fiftieth day after Christian Easter. Just as Easter replaced the ancient Jewish holiday, so Pentecost laid the foundation of the Church of Christ as union in the Spirit on earth.

Hymns for the Feast of the Holy Trinity: Troparion of the Trinity, Kontakion of the Trinity, Glorification of the Trinity

Troparion for the Feast of the Holy Trinity, tone 1

Kontakionfeast of the Holy Trinity, voice 2

Greatnessfeast of the Holy Trinity

We magnify You, Life-Giving Christ, and honor Your All-Holy Spirit, Whom You sent from the Father as Your Divine disciple.

Articles about the Feast of the Holy Trinity (Pentecost)

Trinity-Sergius Lavra

• Photo report
• – What do the monks and inhabitants of the monastery eat? We offer you a report from the refectory, kitchen, bakery and salting room of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra.
• – Why does a novice need to pray the rosary? They took away the rosary. Why strict fasting? So, the “sentence” came: “If only we lived like people, there would have been a monk long ago, otherwise he’s playing the saint.”
• article about the Moscow Theological Academy and Seminary

Icons of the Holy Trinity

What date does Trinity Day fall on in 2019? What is the history of this Orthodox holiday?

What date is Trinity, Trinity Day in 2019?

The color of the Trinity holiday is emerald green. This is the shade of fresh, lush grass or foliage that has not had time to get tired and absorb the heavy dust of the city. The churches glow from the inside like an emerald cloud - hundreds of birch branches are carried by parishioners, the floor of the church is densely covered with grass, the musty smell of June is intensified by the rays of the sun from the church windows, mixed with subtle notes of incense and wax candles. The candles are no longer red, but honey-yellow - “Easter is given away.” Exactly 50 days after the Resurrection of the Lord, Christians celebrate the Holy Trinity. Great Holiday, beautiful Holiday.

… Fifty days after the Passover, the Jews celebrated the day of Pentecost, dedicated to the legislation of Sinai. The apostles did not take part in mass celebrations, but gathered together with the Mother of God and other disciples in the house of one person. History has not preserved evidence of his name and what he did, we only know that it was in Jerusalem... It was about three o'clock in the afternoon according to Jewish time (about nine o'clock in the morning according to modern reckoning). Suddenly, from heaven itself, from above, an incredible noise was heard, reminiscent of the howl and roar of a rushing strong wind, the noise filled the entire house in which the disciples of Christ and the Virgin Mary were located. People began to pray. Tongues of fire began to play between people and began to dwell for a moment on each of the worshipers. So the apostles were filled with the Holy Spirit, with which they received the amazing ability to speak and preach in many languages, previously unknown to them... The Savior’s promise was fulfilled. His disciples received special grace and gift, power and ability to carry the teachings of Jesus Christ. It is believed that the Holy Spirit descended in the form of fire as a sign that it has the power to scorch sins and cleanse, sanctify and warm the soul.

On the occasion of the holiday, Jerusalem was full of people; Jews from different countries converged on the city on this day. A strange noise from the house where the disciples of Christ were, caused hundreds of people to run to this place. Those gathered were amazed and asked each other: “Are they not all Galileans? How do we hear each of our own languages ​​in which we were born? How can they speak with our tongues about the great things of God?” And in bewilderment they said: “They got drunk on sweet wine.” Then the Apostle Peter, standing up with the other eleven apostles, said that they were not drunk, but that the Holy Spirit had descended on them, as was predicted by the prophet Joel, and that Jesus Christ, who had been crucified, had ascended into heaven and poured out the Holy Spirit on them. Spirit. Many of those who listened to the sermon of the Apostle Peter at that moment believed and were baptized. The apostles initially preached to the Jews, and then dispersed to different countries to preach to all nations.

So Saint Andrew, who is also called Andrew the First-Called, went to preach the Word of God to the eastern countries. He passed through Asia Minor, Thrace, Macedonia, reached the Danube, passed the Black Sea coast, the Crimea, the Black Sea region and along the Dnieper rose to the place where the city of Kyiv now stands. Here he stopped at the Kyiv Mountains for the night. Getting up in the morning, he said to the disciples who were with him: “Do you see these mountains? The grace of God will shine on these mountains, there will be a great city, and God will build many churches.” The apostle climbed the mountains, blessed them and planted a cross. After praying, he climbed even higher along the Dnieper and reached the Slavic settlements where Novgorod was founded.

Miraculously, the Apostle Thomas, who believed in Christ, reached the shores of India. To this day, in the southern states of this country, Kerala and Karnataka, there live Christians whose ancestors were baptized by St. Thomas.

Peter visited various regions of the Middle East, Asia Minor, and later settled in Rome. There, according to a very reliable tradition of the late 1st and early 2nd centuries, he was executed between 64 and 68 AD. According to Origen, Peter, at his own request, was crucified upside down, since he considered that he was unworthy to undergo the same the execution that the Lord suffered.

While enlightening the nations with the teachings of Christ, the Apostle Paul also undertook long journeys. In addition to his repeated stays in Palestine, he preached about Christ in Phenicia, Syria, Cappadocia, Lydia, Macedonia, Italy, the islands of Cyprus, Lesbos, Rhodes, Sicily and other lands. The power of his preaching was so great that the Jews could not do anything to oppose the power of Paul’s teaching; the pagans themselves asked him to preach the word of God and the whole city gathered to listen to him.

That grace of the Holy Spirit, which was clearly taught to the apostles in the form of tongues of fire, is now given invisibly in the Orthodox Church - in its holy sacraments through the successors of the apostles - the shepherds of the Church - bishops and priests.

The holiday of Christian Pentecost contains a double celebration: both in the glory of the Most Holy Trinity, and in the glory of the Most Holy Spirit, who descended on the Apostles and sealed the new eternal covenant of God with man.

On the Feast of the Holy Trinity, established at the end of the 4th century, after the dogma of the Trinity - the Trinitarian God - was officially adopted at a church council in Constantinople in 381, we talk about another important aspect of the Christian faith: the incomprehensible mystery of the trinity of God. God is one in three persons and this mystery is incomprehensible to the human mind, but the essence of the Trinity was revealed to people on this day.

By the way, for a long time Christian artists did not depict the Trinity, believing that God can only be depicted in the person of Jesus Christ, the son of God. But not God the Father, not God the Holy Spirit should not be written... However, over time, a special iconography of the Holy Trinity was formed, which is now divided into two types. The Old Testament Trinity is familiar to each of us from the famous icon of Andrei of Radonezh (Rublev), on which God is depicted in the form of three angels who appeared to Abraham. The icons of the New Testament Trinity are images of God the Father in the form of an old man, Jesus Christ as a youth in his bosom or an adult husband at his right hand, and the Spirit above them in the form of a dove.

In Rus', they began to celebrate Holy Pentecost not in the first years after the baptism of Rus', but almost 300 years later, in the 14th century, under St. Sergius of Radonezh.

From this day until the next holiday of Holy Pascha, they begin to sing the troparion to the Holy Spirit “Heavenly King...” From this very moment, prostrations to the ground are allowed for the first time after Easter.

... The Divine Service on the Feast of Holy Pentecost is touching and beautiful. The temple is decorated, the priests are dressed in green vestments, it smells of grass and fresh greens, the choir “... renew in our hearts, O Almighty, the true, right Spirit,” sounds solemnly and lightly, the parishioners kneel and read the special prayers of St. Basil the Great. And it’s a juicy early summer outside - a reminder of that beautiful and deep “summer of the Lord” that Jesus Christ promised the righteous.

Pentecost (Trinity) is celebrated seven weeks (on the 50th day) after Easter.

Orthodox Christians celebrate Holy Trinity Day in 2017 on June 4

The holiday received its name because this event took place on the Old Testament holiday of Pentecost, which was celebrated after the Jewish Passover on the 50th day. And the name is explained by the fact that the descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles revealed “the perfect activity of the third Person of the Most Holy Trinity, and the teaching of the Lord Jesus Christ about the Triune God and the participation of the Three Persons of the Divine in the Economy of the salvation of the human race reached complete clarity and completeness.”

Feast of the Holy Trinity established by the apostles. After the day of the descent of the Holy Spirit, they began to annually celebrate the Day of Pentecost and commanded all Christians to remember this event. The Holy Church exalts general praise to the Most Holy Trinity and encourages people to chant “the Father without beginning, and the Son without beginning, and the Co-essential and Most Holy Spirit” - “the Trinity Consubstantial, Equivalent and Without Beginning.”

From ancient times, the Day of Holy Pentecost was considered the birthday of the Church of Christ the Savior, “created not by the futility of human interpretations and speculations, but by Divine grace.”

For centuries, this holiday has united sincere joy, fun, and a deep prayerful mood. God is Love, and Love contains everything. Even during His life on earth, the Lord told His disciples many times that He would never leave people.
He gathered believers into His large family, which He called His Church, and said: “I will create My Church, and the gates of hell will never prevail against It.” We are all members of this Church.

Traditions of celebrating Pentecost in Rus'

Trinity is a very beautiful holiday. Houses and temples are decorated with branches, grass, and flowers. And this is no coincidence. Greenery and flowers symbolize life. This is how people express joy and gratitude to God for reviving them through baptism into a new life.

Historically, birch branches were used to decorate temples and houses. This tree is considered blessed in Rus'. It is not without reason that many poems and songs are dedicated to him. The holiday of Trinity without a birch is the same as Christmas without a tree. But Russia is a large country, with different climatic conditions, apparently, this can explain the fact that in some areas the holiday trees were oak, maple, and rowan. The holiday is noisy and fun. In the morning everyone rushes to the temple for the festive service. And after it they organize folk fun with round dances, games, and songs. Loaves were definitely prepared. They invited guests to a festive dinner and gave each other gifts. Fairs were held in some areas.

Other names of the day

Trinity, Trinity-Voronezh, Wreaths (Voronezh), Venoshnik (Voronezh), Semik (Voronezh), Gulino (Kostroma), Birch Day (Siberian), “Klechalna nedilya” (Ukrainian), “Klechanye” ( Polesie), “Zelyanets” (Belarusian), “Duhau dzen” (Belarusian), Turitsa (Galician), “Turice” (Slovakian) - Turica, “Letnice” (Czech) - Letnica, Spiritual day (Serbian) .), “Palinocki” (sub-Las.), “Sobótki” (South-Polish), “Virgin of Rusalia” (Serb.), “Rusalii” (Rum.), Pentecost.

Church traditions

On this day, one of the most solemn and beautiful services of the year is performed in Orthodox churches. After the liturgy, Great Vespers is served, at which stichera are sung glorifying the descent of the Holy Spirit, and the priest reads three special lengthy prayers for the Church, for the salvation of all those who pray and for the repose of the souls of all the departed (including “ in hell held"). While reading these prayers, everyone (including the clergy) kneels - this ends the post-Easter period, during which no kneeling or prostration is performed in churches. At Matins two canons of this holiday are sung: the first was written by Cosmas of Mayum, the second by John of Damascus.

According to Russian tradition, the floor of the temple and villagers' houses on this day is covered with freshly cut grass, the icons are decorated with birch or maple branches, and the color of the vestments is green, depicting the life-giving and renewing power of the Holy Spirit. The next day, Monday, is Spiritual Day.

Rituals of the Eastern Slavs

Trinity Day is one of the most important holidays among the Eastern Slavs, especially loved by girls. In folk tradition, Trinity Day is included in the Semitsko-Trinity holiday complex, which included Semik, Trinity Saturday, Trinity Day. Often the entire holiday period from Semik to Spiritual Day or from Trinity Day to Water Day was called the Trinity. In general, the holidays were called “Green Christmastide”. Sometimes only Semik was called Green Christmastide, and in some places - Trinity Week.

It is believed that the holiday of Trinity was introduced by the Russian Orthodox Church at the beginning of the 15th century. Sergius of Radonezh. For a long time, the ancient rituals of the Semitic week were gradually transferred to Trinity. In many places this process by the 19th century. completely completed. In other places, part of the ritual actions remained with Semik; in other cases, Semik itself shifted to Sunday. In some cases, May Day and Ascension rituals (“Maypole”, “meeting of mermaids”) were moved to Trinity. “Before the adoption of Christianity, this holiday was celebrated for six days - three days before the seventh Sunday after Easter and the same number the following week.”

Farewell to spring. “The Trinity ritual complex in most cases is perceived as borderline between spring and summer, since it occurs at the peak of nature’s flowering.” The main components of the Semik-Trinity festivities were rituals associated with the cult of vegetation, maiden festivities, maiden initiations, and commemoration of the drowned or all the dead. In Ukraine they believed that on Green Christmastide the dead come out of the earth for the second time (after Easter).

Among the people, Trinity was revered as a great holiday; they carefully prepared for it: they washed and cleaned the house and yard, put out dough to prepare dishes for the festive table, and prepared herbs. On this day, pies and loaves were baked, wreaths made of birch (in the south made of maple) and flowers were made, guests were invited, and young people held parties in the forests and meadows.

The girls wore their best outfits, often made especially for these holidays. In the Belgorod region, a special dress was required for each day of the Trinity cycle: on Trinity Saturday they wore red shirts, on Sunday - old white shirts, on Monday - sewn from factory fabric. Everywhere heads were decorated with wreaths of herbs and flowers; in the North they were replaced by headdresses embroidered with gold threads and metal plates, which were not worn on other holidays. Dressed up girls usually walked along the main village street during a general meeting of people, or sat down and tried to show themselves from all sides - the so-called “bride viewing”.

In the steppe villages, the Trinity festival is considered the last spring holiday (in other places on Yeremeya-harness, May 1st according to the old style). The godfathers send sinful loaves and yellow eggs as gifts to their goddaughters. The girls give each other ribbons and exchange rings. Exchange wreaths are kept as souvenirs of friendship, tied with ribbons.

An arch made of birch trees for cumulation at girls' parties. 2008

Usually on the days of Semik-Trinity, maiden initiation rites were performed. They were accepted into the clan and recognized as full members of girls who had reached marriageable age. Nepotism-sisterhood cemented the gender-age female union. This was also emphasized by dropping the wreath - a symbol of girlhood.

Belarusians, who often preserved more ancient traditions, worshiped twice: on Trinity - only girls, and on St. Peter's Day - girls with boys. In the southern Russian regions (Kaluga, Oryol, Kursk, Kostroma, Tula, Bryansk provinces), the cumulation of girls was accompanied by the “baptism of the cuckoo.”

The essence of the ritual was that girls and young women, often under the guidance of an elderly experienced woman, made a “cuckoo” from grass, dressed it in a shirt, a sundress and covered it with a scarf. Sometimes a cuckoo was a name given to a birch or bird cherry branch decorated with ribbons and stuck into the ground. Moreover, in some places the bird cherry branch had to be cut off precisely on the eve of spring St. Nicholas. The “baptism of the cuckoo” consisted of putting a cross on it or hanging it on branches, under which the “cuckoo” was placed, and then they worshiped it. This could also be followed by a “funeral”: the “cuckoo” was placed in a small coffin and buried, and the next day it was pulled out; the cuckoo was left behind, and the coffin, along with some clothes, were kept until next year.

In Russia, wreaths were “curled” in different places on Ascension, Semik, Trinity, Spiritual Day or Peter and Paul Day.

The customs of Trinity Day ended the spring maiden and women's holidays, which began on the day of the vernal equinox. In some places they end a week later on the day of the prayers (that is, on the eve of Peter the Great's Fast).

It was believed that on the night of Trinity, mermaids come out of the river, forest and run in the rye. Throughout the Semitic week, they scour the fields and shores, snagging unwary travelers in order to tickle them to death and drag them with them into the underwater kingdom of “Grandfather Vodyany.” In some places, on Trinity night, with birch trees in their hands, young boys and girls run through the fields, chasing mermaids, and at sunrise they all swim together in the waters, which are already safe from the tricks of the waterworts.

There was a belief that plants on Trinity were endowed with special magical powers, which was reflected in the local custom of collecting medicinal herbs on the night of Trinity.

On Trinity Day, Belarusian villagers, celebrating the arrival of the flyover, weave green wreaths on the horns of cows.

Icon "Trinity mixed-hypostasis". 1729

Trinity was a kind of division between spring and summer. In Polesie they said: “We have eight nedils, until Triitsa.” In many places, all spring agricultural work was completed by Trinity. As on other border days, on Trinity, according to legend, otherworldly forces became more active. In some local traditions, it was interpreted as the last day of revelry for mermaids, in others - as the last day before the mermaids came to earth. The personification of the evil spirits walking the earth were mummers, who were called “uncles”. To protect their homes from the influence of evil spirits, peasants in some provinces used chalk to put crosses over their windows and doors on Trinity Day.

Trinity kings among the Slovaks

In Slovakia, Trinity kings were chosen (in the western part of Slovakia and the Czech Republic this happened on May 1) and Trinity queens (Slovak. Turíčna kráľovná, Kvetná kráľovná), the first evidence of which dates back to the 16th century. In the 17th century the game was banned everywhere. Large fines were levied for violating the ban, and in the 18th century it disappeared completely. The surviving brief evidence suggests that on the first day of Trinity, the guys chose a so-called king for themselves. A crown was placed on his head, and a decorated stick representing a scepter was given in his hand. During the three days of the holiday, the village authorities lost their powers and the judicial executive power passed into the hands of the king. The latter appointed himself an “adjutant” from among his comrades, whose duties included conveying his orders. A jubilant crowd led the chosen one through the streets of the village. There were dances. The king was seated on a dais and served with the best dishes. As he danced, he was accompanied by an aide-de-camp who held the royal staff. From time to time the king took the rod and threw it to one of the guys. If he did not have time to catch him, he was rewarded with cuffs. After Trinity, the king’s power came to an end, but for the entire year after that he enjoyed great respect from his fellow villagers.

Bull driving among the Poles

In some Polish zones, the central character of Trinity rites is a bull. In Mazovia they covered him with an old net and dressed him with flowers and branches, hung a birch wreath on his horns and drove him ahead of the herd, or put a stuffed “knight” made of alder bark on the bull and then threw him to the ground, calling this ritual wolowe wesele- ox wedding. In Kuyavia, a blanketed bull with flowers on its horns took part in a solemn procession, accompanied by a dozen shepherds, a dozen girls with flowers and musicians, who were greeted by the entire village.

Sayings and signs

Trinity with food. Trinity is rich in three holidays: flowers, herbs and ruddy summer. God loves the Trinity (sib.). Trinity - three days to build (sib.). On this day, the spring maiden and women's holidays, which began on the day of the vernal equinox, ended. From Trinity to Dormition there are no round dances. Round dances stop from Trinity to Dormition. “Swim my wreath to that shore, whoever catches my wreath will wake up the groom” (Voronezh). On Trinity Sunday, the girls asked the cuckooing cuckoo how long they would have to stay in their father's house - how many times the bird crowed, so many more years would they have to wait for marriage. On the first dew of May, throw a handful of spring grass on the strip. On Trinity, rain means a lot of mushrooms. If it rains on Trinity Day, then throughout the summer there will be a lot of mice. On this day, wells are blessed. The new month is flat - the entire lunar month (until the next new moon) is rainy. “On Zelyanets Viasny Kanets” (Belarusian). “On Zelyanets - the end of bread” (Belarusian). “Go, winter, to Kuchev, you’ve already bothered us. Go, winter, to Krakow, but you will come before us” (Belarusian). “Three lives like this: sim nydil post, vysim nydil vysny” (Polesie). Semik and Trinity are the same thing (Voronezh). Semik week after Trinity, Semik happens on the third day (Voronezh). Trinity is a trinity, but three candles are not placed on the table.

see also

Notes

Literature

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