Pre-holiday stories. Christmas fortune telling in Rus'. Ancient fortune-telling for Christmastide. Christmas fortune telling by wax
U Slavic peoples, including in Rus', fortune telling was very common. This was taken seriously, with many rules being followed. Some fortune telling was allowed to be carried out on any day, but there were also those that were carried out only at certain times, for example, depending on the phase of the moon or religious holidays.
Fortune telling for every day
So people could guess on any day and find out whether a wish would come true, what the future held, or who the betrothed was.
Tell me, little kitty
Cats were considered in Rus' to be creatures from the other world who see and hear things that are inaccessible to humans. Therefore, cats were often indispensable helpers in fortune telling.
So, you need to make a wish, think about it a little, without being distracted by anything else, and then just call the cat to you from another room or from the street and watch how it goes. If a cat, crossing the threshold, steps into the room with its left paw, then the desired will come true, but if it steps with its right paw, then it will not.
Fortune telling with rice grains
When fortune telling, you can use not only rice, but also any other grain. Both the Slavs and other peoples have always had a respectful attitude towards grain crops; they were considered a symbol of abundance and a prosperous life.
You need to pour the cereal into a bowl, cover it with the palm of your left hand and concentrate all your thoughts on what you want or ask an exciting question. You can just use a regular question:
At the same time, you need to imagine how the power and energy of desire passes from the hand and palm to the grains, and it is better to speak out loud about your desire or question.
Then the grains are scattered on a napkin and only one handful is taken. You need to count the grains, if the number turns out to be even, then the desired will come true and good things await you in the future, and if the number turns out to be odd, then the wish will not come true and the future is preparing something bad.
Fortune telling with twigs
In Rus' there were many methods of fortune telling using twigs, one of them is called “River and Bridge”.
To do this you will need dry twigs or some willow twigs. From these twigs you need to weave a bridge, whatever you want. You can make it high or low, narrow or wide, the type of bridge does not affect the veracity of the answer, you just need to ensure that it does not fall.
Then take a bowl and fill it with water, it will act as a “river”, place a “bridge” over it and put it under your bed.
Before going to bed, you need to say the spell three times:
“Who are you, my betrothed, who are you, my mummer? Show yourself to me, take me across the bridge over the fast river.”
That same night, your betrothed may come to sleep and help you cross the bridge.
Ancient fortune-telling for Christmastide
With the advent of the Christian faith in Rus', new fortune-telling appeared, which were carried out during Orthodox holidays. One of these holidays was Christmastide. They began on January 6, Christmas Eve, and continued until Epiphany on January 19.
In fact, the custom of fortune telling at this time also existed during the period of pagan faith in Rus', since great value given time winter solstice. People believed that it was at this time Higher Powers are the strongest and most ready to communicate with people.
The main theme of fortune-telling at Christmas time was marriage. Which is not surprising, since at that time the fate of girls largely depended on their speedy marriage.
Where will my betrothed come from?
The girls went out on the night before Christmas and took felt boots with them. They took turns throwing it behind their backs, and where the toe of the fallen felt boot pointed, go there and get married.
Fortune telling with mirrors
Mirrors in Rus' were given a special, mystical meaning. It was from those times that the customs came to us of covering mirrors until the ninth day of a person’s death or not bringing a small child to the mirror.
It was believed that the mirror retains every emotion that it had to reflect at least once and then returns it to those who look into it. Therefore, it was forbidden to cry in front of the mirror, and many hung it in such a way that it reflected front door and when someone came with evil, it returned to him.
Fortune telling with mirrors had to be carried out alone in a well-locked room, preferably so that no sounds penetrated there. The mirrors were placed opposite each other, and between them sat a girl who wanted to tell fortunes and let her hair down. Two candles were placed on the sides of the mirrors, which were lit exactly at midnight and after that you had to say:
“Appear to me, my betrothed, mummer!”
Peering for a long time into the mirrors, where the “corridor” of candles was reflected, you could see your betrothed.
Who is more likely to get married?
With such fortune-telling, a group of girls determined the order of marriage. It was necessary to take thick threads. The girls cut themselves identical pieces of thread and held them by one edge, while the other was supposed to hang down. Pieces of thread were set on fire and the one whose thread burned out the fastest would get married first.
If the thread immediately went out or only burned out halfway, this girl will not be married.
Epiphany fortune telling
Epiphany methods of fortune telling were very diverse, and in each locality they were different, but many were used everywhere. Before you tell your fortune Epiphany night, icons were hung in houses and girls took off their crosses.
I'll go and listen!
The girls gathered in groups and walked around the courtyards, eavesdropping on conversations in other people's huts near the windows. What was important was the meaning of what was heard, as well as the tone and mood with which it was said. Best of all, if singing was heard, this was considered a very good sign.
This is how they found out whether the future spouse would be kind or not, poor or rich further fate, you will live happily or with sadness.
Most often, the results of fortune telling were joyful, because on a festive evening everyone is having fun, singing and wishing themselves and others happiness.
Fortune telling with a rooster or chicken
With the help of this fortune telling, one could find out what awaits in the future or get an answer to some question. They drew a circle on the floor with chalk, divided it into sectors, which were signed accordingly.
For example, if they were guessing about the future, they wrote options such as “happiness”, “joy”, “sadness”, etc. future husband, then they wrote “handsome”, “kind”, “rich” and the like.
Yuletide fortune telling-- rituals aimed at establishing contact with otherworldly forces in order to obtain knowledge about the future, chronologically associated with the period of winter Christmastide (from Christmas Eve to Epiphany). The most favorable time for fortune telling is Eastern Slavs Christmas, Vasilievsky and Epiphany evenings were considered turning points, border periods, the most dangerous when evil spirits especially strong (winter Christmastide). In Ukraine, fortune telling is most often done on Christmas night, while in Siberia, on Vasilyev’s evening (on the occasion of the Old New Year).
In our country, in a series of cheerful winter holidays, there is a magical period that lasts from Christmas to Epiphany - Christmastide. “There is not a single celebration in Rus' that would be accompanied by such a rich selection of customs, rituals, and signs as Christmastide,” wrote the famous ethnographer, a prominent expert on Russian antiquity, Mikhail Zabylin. But other nations also have a special time, and they celebrate it in different ways.
The time of the winter solstice was special for many peoples of our hemisphere. And the ancient Egyptians, and the Romans, and the Scandinavian Vikings celebrated on these days the victory of the sun over darkness and winter cold. In honor of the solstice holiday, our Slavic ancestors burned bonfires in the snow along the banks of rivers.
The winter nights are becoming shorter, the days longer: the sun has finally turned to summer. The customs of this time are closely related to pre-Christian holidays. Some ancient customs are still followed in the villages to this day. The most favorite Christmas ritual is, of course, fortune telling. It is believed that it is during the Christmastide that fate reveals itself.
They do fortune telling in almost all countries, but only in different times. In Russia it is customary to do this from Christmas Eve to Epiphany. In European countries, they cast spells both before Christmas and before other major holidays: New Year, Midsummer's Day or on Halloween - the eve of All Saints' Day. This ritual is still treated with special care in perhaps two countries - England and Poland.
One of the most common ancient fortune telling is on a mirror. For example, young girl in England he sits down alone in front of the mirror in the evening and begins to slowly comb his hair. She has a comb in one hand and an apple in the other, which she eats slowly, slowly. It is assumed that as soon as the apple is eaten, a male figure will appear behind her reflection in the mirror - her betrothed, whom she must have time to take a good look at.
In Poland they guess differently. The girl looks into the mirror through a decanter of water located in front of it, standing on a white tablecloth and lit by three candles. Peering intensely into the mirror, she tries to consider not only her future husband, but also important events new year.
In Europe they also like to tell fortunes with wax. Previously, residents of European countries looked into the future with the help of molten tin or lead, and later they were replaced by wax or stearin. It is melted and poured in a thin stream into cold water and, looking at the emerging figures, they try to determine what the frozen form means.
In Poland, wax is poured through a hole in the handle of ancient keys, which are kept in families and passed down from generation to generation. They look for predictions not so much in the formed figure itself, but in the shadow that it will cast by candlelight. And the British, instead of wax, use drops of egg white, which are released into the water after puncturing the shell.
Very often, water is used for fortune telling, symbolizing purity and at the same time the passage of endless, unstoppable time. In fortune telling English girls connect magical powers water and moon. Through a silk scarf they examine the reflection of the new moon in a bucket of water, where this reflection trembles and multiplies. How many thin sickles a girl counts, in so many months she will get married. Poles connect water with the life-giving symbolism of grain - several girls make something like dumplings or dumplings of the same size from the dough and throw them into boiling water over time. The one whose “creation” emerges first will get married before the rest.
In Rus', people used to tell fortunes about their betrothed by a shoe thrown over a fence (who will pick it up?), by the noise of a mill, by footprints in the snow, even by the creaking of a gate. In many villages, people still tell fortunes by the rings frozen in the ice, by the floating of nutshells, by the splash of water in the ice hole.
But the main thing about Christmas fortune-telling is “under-the-table”. For this ritual, a large dish with water was placed on a table covered with a white tablecloth, a coal from the oven was placed next to it, a piece of rye bread was placed, and coarse gray salt was sprinkled. Guys and girls put small things under the dish, such as rings and buttons. The dish was covered with a large napkin. And then they began to sing special “sub-bowl” songs, giving each a special fortune-telling meaning. While singing, without looking, they took out the object that came to hand first, and the future of the owner of this thing was determined based on the text of the song being played.
Other Christmas fortune telling was also popular. For example, they threw their ring on the floor and watched where it would roll. Depending on this, fate was predicted. Let’s say if the ring was at the door, the girl will be married this year, and the man will have to leave soon. On Christmas night, they take a birch splinter, lower it into spring, well or melt water, and then set it on fire. If a splinter lights up quickly and burns evenly, it means a long and peaceful life, but if it burns with a crash and flashes, it means misfortune and illness.
Everyone can take part in the simplest Christmas fortune-telling - at least for the sake of entertainment. Take identical cups according to the number of fortune-telling participants and place onions, salt, bread, sugar, a ring, money in them (one thing in each cup). Then the cups must be covered and swapped. Each of those gathered takes turns choosing a cup. “Deciphering” such fortune-telling is very simple: onions - for tears, bread - for prosperity, a ring - for a wedding, water - for a stable and calm life, salt - for possible troubles, sugar - for fun, money - for wealth.
But fortune-telling is not the only part of Christmas fun. On Christmastide, children together with adults dressed up and went from house to house in a whole group to carol. Stopping under the windows of someone’s hut, they sang special songs - carols. Their content was traditional - wishes for well-being and prosperity to the family. Doors slammed, a snowy whirlwind burst into the hallway, a crowd of mummers burst into the house, screaming and laughing. They danced, jingled bells, sang songs - the joy of Christmastide flowed like a river. Costumes and masks were prepared in advance, although there were no special tricks here: turn the sheepskin coat with the fur outward and there you have a bear! The boys dressed in women's dress, girls - in men's, and played out whole comic performances.
In Asian countries, Christmastide is not celebrated, but in China, for example, there is a celebration with a similar meaning - the Lantern Festival. It is celebrated on the 15th day of the first month. lunar calendar. To celebrate the return of light and warmth, the Chinese are making millions of lanterns. They decorate palaces and huts, temples and pavilions, large ships and junks.
As in Russia, children dressed up, singing and dancing, walk along the streets of cities and villages. The Lantern Festival is accompanied by fireworks, in which the Chinese have no equal.
Lanterns are made from silk fabric, glass, mother-of-pearl, wood, and the most inexpensive ones are made from paper. Sometimes these are real works of art - they are decorated with intricate carvings or delicate paintings. The shape of lanterns is very diverse - they are made round, cubic, in the form of vases with flowers, fruits, butterflies, fish, animals. Some large lanterns, glued together from paper and transparent silk, serve as a “shadow theater”. The colorful shadows of special dolls cheer up the holiday crowds.
And in India, around the same time (late February - early March), the Holi holiday is celebrated - one of the oldest Hindu holidays, which dates back more than 2 thousand years. It is associated with many Indian legends, and they are all dedicated to the victory of good over evil, the sun over darkness. On Holi days it is customary to play pranks and fool around, like on our Christmastide. At this time, people are ready to forget about caste, religion and other differences and simply enjoy life.
Mass celebrations are accompanied by dousing each other with colored water or sprinkling with bright paint powder, which symbolizes the lush blossoming of nature. And since this paint does not wash off for a long time, Indians walk around colorful and cheerful for several days. In general, on Holi there are various entertainments, pranks, jokes, which are not accepted to be offended: even enemies become friends on this wonderful holiday!
As you can see, there are not so many differences between people of different nationalities, at least among those who know how to have fun. And this is a very important skill - it helps adults feel as open to communication as children.
There were many Epiphany fortune tellings. In various localities they gave preference to some of their own fortune-telling that had been established for centuries, but there were also those that were used everywhere. Perhaps the most common were fortune telling by the mirror; fortune telling by a shoe that was thrown over the threshold or behind the gate; fortune telling by melted wax that was dripped into water; fortune telling by shadows from the flame of a candle, torch or stove; fortune telling from overheard conversations; fortune telling by a rooster pecking grain; ice fortune telling; fortune telling based on the dreams that were prophetic that night, etc. But fortune telling based on playing cards rarely used on Epiphany evening. Before fortune telling, icons were usually hung up and removed. pectoral cross ik.
Fortune telling by mirror had several options. But two were most often used. In the first case, two mirrors were placed opposite each other so that their reflections created a kind of corridor. One or two candles were placed between the mirrors. In the fluctuating flame of the candle, the girls tried to see the vague shadow of their betrothed at the end of the light corridor. Sometimes we had to wait a very long time for his appearance. In this case, the girl had to be alone in front of the mirrors. Alternatively, someone else was allowed to be present in the room, but he should not have approached the mirrors and disturbed the girl.
The second fortune telling by candle was simpler to perform, so it was used more often. A candle and cutlery - a plate, fork, knife, glass or glass - were placed in front of the mirror. Sometimes there were two devices installed. The girl invited her betrothed to come to her for dinner. Peering into the mirror, she tried to see his reflection.
Fortune telling by the shoe, which was thrown through the gate, was supposed to show which side to expect the appearance of the betrothed; this would be indicated by the toe of the shoe. It also mattered where the shoe would fall - in someone’s footprint, a sled rut, just in the snow, etc.
It was possible not to throw the shoe, but simply go out the gate and ask the name of the first person you met. There is a high probability that this is what the betrothed will be called.
Fortune telling by melted wax dripped into water was accompanied by various conspiracies. Often they took blessed water or water obtained from melted snow from the road, from the roof, from the church fence, sometimes from the graveyard. They tried to predict the future by the shape of frozen droplets of wax. Naturally, with this fortune-telling, the future depended only on the wealth of imagination and fantasy of the fortune-tellers.
In a similar way, one could interpret what was seen in the vibrations of the shadows from the fire. To make the shadows sway, they created a draft by opening the door slightly, threw a rooster into the air so that it began to flap its wings, and waved scarves or towels.
To tell fortunes from other people's conversations, girls gathered in a group and walked around the courtyards, listening under windows or at doors. It was important not only the content of what was heard, but also the voice in which it was pronounced. It was considered a good omen to hear singing. This way it was possible to predict what kind of betrothed one would be - affectionate or strict, how things would turn out future life- she will be rich or poor, cheerful or boring. This fortune telling was usually the most optimistic, since people celebrated and had fun that evening, which means their conversations were appropriate.
There were many options for fortune telling based on a rooster or chicken pecking grain. The grains of various cereals were used, which had their own sacred meanings. The grains were placed in special order, often for this purpose a circle divided into sectors or other figures were drawn on the floor. The grains were laid out on pieces of paper with appropriate inscriptions or on various objects and figures cut out of paper. They also monitored the behavior of the rooster - it simply pecks, examines it tentatively, throws grains to the side, flaps its wings, etc.
On Epiphany evening, fortune telling on ice was also common. To do this, specially charmed water was poured into some container and placed in the cold. It mattered how the water began to freeze, how the ice turned out - with streaks, smooth or lumpy. It was believed that the tubercles were for sons, and the dimples on the ice were for daughters.
Fortune telling using Epiphany dreams was also traditional. To do this, various objects were placed under the pillow or under the bed, which were supposed to help come necessary dreams. For the interpretation of Epiphany dreams they usually turned to old witches.
There were also a significant number of other fortune telling. Based on an apple or onion cut into slices, cloves of garlic, stove soot, the behavior of animals in the barn, weather conditions, coals from the stove, various household items, items of clothing, etc.
Naturally, not only girls, but also older people wondered. But they were interested in other everyday problems - the future harvest and weather, wealth in the family and the health of relatives, success in business and the fate of their children.
Fortune telling continues in our practical times. True, now new ones have been added to them, inspired by modern realities - fortune telling by a line from a book, by the first phrase heard from a switched-on TV or radio, even by New Year's fireworks.
If you are planning to find out your future on Epiphany evening, it is worth considering that you need to specially prepare for fortune telling. Tune in to the positive, that fortune telling will predict a lot of good and joyful things for you. In this case, you will interpret the results of fortune telling accordingly.
May all the good things that you wish for yourself on Epiphany evening surely come true.
The good, bright Christmas holidays should be spent as interesting and varied as possible. Include Christmas fortune telling on your list. winter fun. I will tell you everything about Christmas fortune-telling: methods and types of fortune-telling that will help you lift the veil over your destiny.
Traditionally, fortune telling is done on Christmas Eve (Christmas Eve) from January 6 to 7 and on Holy Days from January 8 to 18. There is no point in guessing on Christmas Day. And on January 19 it is worth remembering.
So, let's talk about what Christmas fortune-telling was like in Rus' and in modern times.
Christmas holidays in our family in my distant childhood were always something magically mysterious, they were filled with frosty snow and crunchy steps, ice patterns on the glass, tangerines, warm felt boots, bird feeders, yellow-bellied tits outside the window, wax candles, noisy guests, carols and gifts, bright twinkling stars, beautiful floral grandmother’s scarves, winter tales... They allowed me to stay up longer, gave me sweets and gingerbread, but most of all, I waited with great impatience for the evening to come. It was truly a fabulous time!
In the evenings, my grandmother and I told fortunes. Sometimes together, sometimes three of us with my mother, but most often our girlfriends came to us - both adult women and my girls. The men of our family usually did not participate in fortune-telling.
Fortune telling for Christmas at home: where to start
My grandmother and I greeted guests at the doorstep of the house, and from here the first Christmas ritual of our family began.
Each guest had to be given a small, but very necessary gift only for him. It could be any but necessary little thing: we give a person something that will help him change his life for the better in the coming year. This is figurative, of course. However, the process of presenting gifts always caused genuine delight among the guests. The confused Masha received a keychain so that they would always be in one bunch, the artist received a new brush and a box of pencils, and the sweet tooth – no, not candy – a tube of toothpaste so that the sweet tooth would not have problems with his teeth all year.
Gifts were selected in advance and always in larger quantities than the guests expected. We wrapped the gifts in colored paper, tied them with ribbons from my grandmother's handmade box, signed them and put them in a wicker basket, which we placed on a chair in the hallway. Each guest was greeted with a smile and poetry.
Some I remember from my distant childhood:
Hello, our dear guest!
Come in, settle down
Don't be shy, wash yourself
And sit down at the big table!
***
We were preparing, we didn’t sleep,
Treats were baked
May God give you health, happiness,
Let all misfortunes go away!
***
Kolyada, Kolyada,
Happy Christmas Day!
Goodness, warmth and light to everyone,
In the field there is cold, in the heart it is summer!
***
We praise God, we celebrate,
We talk about the birth,
The angel brought us news -
Jesus Christ was born!
When the guests were assembled, everyone sat down at a large laid table and drank hot tea with homemade oatmeal cookies And raspberry jam. On the occasion of the holiday, a dear tea set for twelve people, a home heirloom, was taken out of the sideboard, an elegant tablecloth with tassels was laid on the table, antique candlesticks and, of course, a samovar were placed. We had it electric, but it gave special atmosphere in the evening.
And on next table Grandma had already prepared everything for Christmas fortune-telling for the future. It was very exciting, everything happened in a mysterious atmosphere under the flickering of candles, the light of which was reflected in glass balls and beads on the Christmas tree.
How to tell fortunes for Christmas at home: options for Christmas fortune telling
Yule fortune telling for the betrothed
Where to wait for the groom? This is the most popular fortune telling among girls of marriageable age. Go outside the gate or into the yard if you live in apartment building. Throw an old (precisely old) boot behind your back over your head. Wherever the toe of the boot points, your future groom will live in that direction.
What will your future husband's name be? Go outside and ask the first man you meet to name male name. Whatever name he calls, that’s how he will call his husband. And only men need to ask the question.
Who will be my husband? Here is another version of Christmas fortune telling for your betrothed before going to bed. Before going to bed, place a comb and a mirror under your pillow, and you will definitely see your betrothed in your dreams.
Will I get married this year? Fortune telling is carried out with the direct participation of girlfriends. Go out into the street, blindfold yourself with a scarf and let your friends hype you up. Now go. If you went towards the house, then this year you are unlikely to buy wedding dress, and if you go away from home, your finger will decorate with a wedding ring.
By the way, here are a few more, be sure to study them too.
Christmas fortune telling for the future, for fate
What will the coming year be like? For fortune telling, you will need a bowl of water, a walnut shell (half), a small candle (for the cake) and paper. Cut the paper into strips and write down everything that worries you and what you would like to receive or not receive in the coming year: “wedding”, “admission to university”, “birth of a child”, “travel to India”, “illness” and so on further. Secure strips of paper along the diameter of the basin inside, secure the candle in the shell and set it on fire. Lower the “boat” into the water and wait: whichever note the candle lights first will come true.
What should I expect? Christmas fortune telling on a book. Take any fiction book, guess the page number, paragraph and line number, open the book and read the prediction.
Fortune telling on wax. Another exciting version of Christmas fortune telling. You will need: a bowl of cold water, a tablespoon and two wax candles(or one candle and a stove). Cut off some wax with a knife and melt it in a spoon over a burning candle or on the stove. Pour the melted wax into cold water in one motion and wait about a minute. Now look carefully at what happened? Saw wedding rings- get ready for marriage, a house - prosperity awaits you, a cat - be careful, you have envious and unkind people, a dog - a good and devoted friend will appear in your life. It is incredibly interesting to interpret the received wax figures in the circle of girlfriends and the older generation.
Yuletide fortune telling for the future using coffee beans or beans. Fortune telling is carried out together. Take a handful of grains, but so that your friend does not know exactly how many you have. You put the grain on the table - your friend calls out various words. What your girlfriend says at the last grain will come true.
This is one of the most exciting Christmas fortune telling. You will need: a newspaper or a large sheet of paper, matches, a plate and a white wall. Roughly crumple the paper into a ball shape, place it on a plate, place it close to the wall and set the paper on fire. When it's all burned down, look at the shadow of the paper on the wall. What do you see? The interpretation can be arbitrary - burnt paper sometimes reveals such bizarre shapes that entire pictures are formed. When I last time I was guessing by the shadows, then I saw a married couple (a man and a woman) with a baby stroller-cradle, and then I got married and gave birth to a child.
Very interesting Christmas folk fortune telling
I don’t know for sure who and what is the source of this fortune telling, but I was lucky: at one time I carefully copied the interpretation of fortune telling from my grandmother’s notebook. Try telling your fortune too!
For fortune telling you will need: two dice(bones), colored paper (colors - black, green, red, yellow, blue, white) and glue or markers, candle, matches. Cut out squares from paper according to the size of the edges and stick them on the cubes or color the cubes with felt-tip pens. That is, you should get one of the above colors on each cube.
They tell fortunes with dice in a calm environment with a lit candle. For one fortune telling, you can ask no more than seven questions, and you can tell fortunes in this way no more often than once every seven days.
Focus on the question and roll the dice right hand on the table. Now look at the color combination and find out what awaits you.
White – white: bad combination; don't start new things, it will end in failure.
Red – red: perfect combination; luck runs ahead of you; start a new business and it will lead you to resounding success.
Red – yellow: good alignment; fate is favorable to you, failures will bypass you.
Red - blue: minor failures hinder you; reconsider your attitude towards others and change your behavior for the better.
Red - white: show patience and wisdom - you will achieve success; otherwise, you will fail and experience disappointment.
Green – green: you need the help and support of others.
Green – red: try, and you will succeed; If you doubt it, your luck will run out.
Green – yellow: favorable alignment; any undertaking will end in success.
Green - blue: do not expect difficulties and do not be afraid of pitfalls, they are not on your way.
Green - white: you won't get any results, don't even start.
Black – Black: Favorable meaning, try harder, devote more of yourself to get a positive result; if you do not waste your energy, it will lead to stagnation in business.
Black - green: speedy fulfillment of desires; everything will work out in the best possible way, so that you didn’t even dare to dream; success awaits you in business and career.
Black – red: not a very good alignment; fate will interfere with the fulfillment of desires, but do not give up, even if it seems that everything is in vain; Keep up the good work and fate will be merciful.
Black - yellow: an incredibly favorable combination; No matter what kind and good deed you undertake, luck will accompany you.
Black - blue: in the near future success will pass you by; do something else.
Black - white: stop living in the past and start thinking about the future; It's time to start something new, it will definitely lead to success.
Yellow – yellow: a wonderful combination; fate is favorable to you, everything will work out.
Yellow - Blue: Take your time, act carefully and observe what is happening to make the right decision.
Yellow - white: bad alignment; you're probably not on the right track.
Blue - Blue: Expect bad changes and betrayal.
Blue - white: failures await you, but a white streak will soon come.
Many Christmas fortune-telling from my good past have become a reality in the present. Whether you believe in Christmas fortune telling or not is up to you, but following folk tradition, you will have an interesting and exciting time.
Methods for predicting the future have been used since ancient times; they have been distributed across all continents and in all countries of the world. Fortune telling in Rus' has also existed for many centuries; on ordinary days, sorcerers and sorcerers predicted the future, but on Christmastide and other holidays, this magic was used by everyone.
How they used to tell fortunes in Russia
On winter evenings, many girls in Rus' whiled away the time using various methods of predicting the future; rich and enlightened ladies and hawthorns could use methods common in Europe, for example, fortune telling on cards, and in the Russian outback they used simpler and more accessible folk remedies.
There are a huge number of different ways to predict the future that have been used in our country for centuries; it is simply impossible to list and describe everything, so we will consider only the most popular and interesting from the point of view of modern man.
Ancient fortune telling with eggs
This is a simple technique for predicting the future, which is in many ways similar to the ancient means of diagnosing the evil eye or damage. To carry out such fortune telling, you will need to fill a clean transparent glass with warm water, and then dissolve the egg white in it.
When the squirrel dissolves in the water, it will create various figures, which are used to predict the future.
The most common symbols in this technique:
- Church - wedding for a young girl and imminent death for an elderly lady.
- A ship with sails - the imminent arrival of her husband for married woman, and for a girl - a quick marriage to a loved one living in a foreign country.
- It is believed that the most negative future is foreshadowed by protein blooming to the very bottom of the glass. Such a sign can mean imminent danger, illness, fire or death of the fortuneteller or one of his relatives.
Simple fortune telling with a mitten
This is a simple technique that is more fun than a serious opportunity to predict the future. At the same time, in the old days, people believed in the veracity of this fortune telling.
This method is intended to find out who will soon visit the house in which fortune telling is being performed. To do this, you need to take a mitten from a high shelf and throw it up. It is believed that if the mitten falls thumb up, this predicts the imminent appearance of someone who is really welcome in this house. If thumb lowered down, it means that either an unexpected visitor will come, or the one who is really expected and wanted to see will not come.
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New Year's fortune telling on spoons
This technique was used in almost every home in New Year's Eve. To carry out fortune telling, you need each family member to pick up a spoon, fill it with water and take it to a cold place (preferably in fresh air, for example, on a balcony). It is believed that if the water in a spoon freezes with a small depression, this is a clear harbinger of trouble (illness, financial difficulties); the smooth surface of the ice means that New Year will pass for a person without major changes. If the water freezes and forms a small tubercle, this is good sign, meaning that the new year will bring joy and prosperity to a person.
Fortune telling on Kupala
The holiday of Ivan Kupala has been widely celebrated in all cities and villages of Russia since ancient times. The celebration has always been accompanied by numerous magical rites and rituals aimed at attracting good luck and prosperity. In addition, at this time numerous methods of predicting the future were carried out. As an example, consider the method with a river and a wreath.
This fortune-telling was carried out by girls to find out whether they were destined to get married this year. To do this, the girls split into small groups and went to the the nearest river. Along the way, they collected herbs and flowers and wove beautiful wreaths from them. Approaching the river, the girls took turns lowering the newly woven wreaths into the water.
It was believed that if a wreath made by a girl floats far, it means that this year she will definitely meet her betrothed and marry him. If the wreath sank, it meant that the girl would remain unmarried for another year.
Ritual with an ax
Russian fortune telling is very diverse and interesting, it’s nice to read about them and imagine how our distant ancestors performed these beautiful rituals. In order for the picture of the rituals of predicting the future in our country to be complete, it is necessary to mention one of the most ancient fortune-telling.
This technique was used to find out the perpetrator of a particular crime. All suspects were brought to one place and placed in one circle. The priest came out into the center of the circle, holding an ax in his hands, mounted on a long wooden stake (the stake is needed so that the ax can easily rotate on the tree). After this, the priest began to spin the ax in his hands and pronounced out loud the names of all the suspects standing in the circle. It was believed that the ax would begin to bend the moment the priest pronounced the name of the truly guilty one.
In fortune telling, it is better to use a decorative ax
The same prediction technique could be used to obtain answers to other questions. In particular, it was used by young girls who wanted to know which of them was destined to marry first. In this case, the whole procedure was repeated, only instead of the suspects, girls stood in the circle, and the priestess pronounced their names in turn.
How to tell fortunes on a sieve
This remedy in Rus' was usually used in cases when some things disappeared from the house or livestock, it was believed that with the help of such fortune-telling it was possible to easily identify the culprit. It is important to note that this ritual required not an ordinary, but a specially prepared sieve, with which the sorcerers sowed snow on winter nights and shook it out in the moonlight.
When the sieve is prepared, the head of the family places it on his index finger, and then extends this hand to the north. Then he begins to turn clockwise and pronounces the names of all the people who could be involved in the crime committed. The entire action must be carefully monitored by sorcerers who monitor the position of the sieve. When they see that the sieve is constantly moving at the same time as a certain name is pronounced, they become criminals.
Yule cake
This remedy was used by young girls who wanted to find out the name of their betrothed. To do this, they took bread or a pie baked for Christmas and ran out into the street with it. dark night. They treated the first man they met to a pie and asked his name. It was believed that their betrothed would be called exactly the same as this random man.
IN different corners countries existed various options conducting this simple ritual of predicting the future. In some areas, a girl had to run down the street with a pancake on her head, and in others, with her mouth full. It is also worth noting that in those ancient times There was practically no belief in the effectiveness of this product; the girls simply had fun and spent quality time in the company of their peers.
Russian fortune telling on cards
As already mentioned, fortune telling on cards was common in our country only in high society, ordinary girls Not only was this remedy unavailable, they simply did not know about it. Such techniques became widespread only during the reign of Empress Catherine II, who was a well-known expert and lover of all things mystical.
Basic rules of fortune telling
Fortune telling is a ritual aimed at establishing contact with otherworldly forces in order to obtain knowledge about the future. A type of magic. They include occult methods, techniques and rituals that exist in the cultures of many peoples and supposedly make it possible to find out future or simply unknown facts.
In the ancients written sources about the Slavs, information about some types of fortune telling has been preserved. Thus, Procopius of Caesarea (6th century) testified that the Sklavins and Antes performed fortune telling during sacrifices to the deities. The casting of lots before the start of responsible acts is spoken of in the chronicle of Thietmar (11th century) and in the writings of Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus (10th century). A wide variety of methods of fortune telling are mentioned in Western Slavic acts of processes of the 16th-17th centuries. about witchcraft: throwing bones, beans, casting wax or tin, fortune-telling by the entrails of animals, by shadows, by the Psalter, etc. These and other techniques of medieval fortune-telling were reflected in the monuments of Slavic literature, specifically intended for predicting the future.
Fortune telling allows a person to find out the future and adjust something in his destiny, decide certain problems. In addition, fortune telling rituals, if performed regularly, develop intuition. But for them to be effective and at the same time safe, special rules must be followed.
Slavic fortune telling is carried out on certain days, when a channel connecting real world With other world(on Christmastide, Epiphany, etc.). If you need to perform the fortune telling ritual at another time, you should keep in mind that it is best to do this during the full moon. Thanks to the influence of the moon, the energy on which magical actions depend is enhanced. During the full moon, intuition sharpens and a person’s connection with invisible spheres strengthens. During this period, the most effective rituals are aimed at increasing (attracting money, increasing attractiveness, etc.). It must be borne in mind that when full moon The well-being of people suffering from hypertension, as well as those who react too strongly to stress, worsens.
Not all full moon days are good for fortune telling. Fortune telling rituals are best performed on the second, fifth, sixth, tenth, twelfth and thirteenth days lunar month. But even at this time, the effectiveness of the ritual will depend on the weather. It’s better to guess on quiet, clear nights, and if it’s rainy outside or just cloudy weather, the ritual should be postponed. Certain days of the week are also unlucky for fortune telling. It is not recommended to perform the ceremony on Friday or Saturday.
Not all months of the year are suitable for certain types of fortune telling. Thus, rituals for well-being and wealth are best carried out in October, November or February. January - best month in order to determine the lifespan. Esotericists advise fortune telling about love and marriage in April, and for making decisions in July. It is undesirable to conduct a fortune telling ritual in the presence of people belonging to magical actions with ridicule or disbelief.
It is necessary to prepare for the ritual of fortune telling. To remove obstacles to the path of magical energy, you need to loosen your hair, untie the knots on your clothes, remove your belt, foreign jewelry (especially chains, bracelets, rings - amulets that close the energy and protect its owner from the invasion of foreign energy), as well as a pectoral cross and others christian symbols. But pagan amulets that can protect against harmful influences, on the contrary, will come in handy. Additional energy protection give candles, so they are recommended to be used for any type of fortune telling.
Items used for fortune telling should not be in plain sight. You cannot borrow them and store them with ordinary things. The fortune-telling ritual must be carried out in a room protected from extraneous sounds - the voices of people behind the wall, the sound of the TV on and the noise of traffic outside the window. Before starting the ritual, you must wash your hands with soap, since the attributes of fortune telling (mirrors, candles, rings, etc.) can only be touched with clean hands, so that energy dirt does not fall on these objects. During fortune telling, you cannot cross your arms or legs, which is a barrier to free movement, as a result of which the channel between reality and otherworldly realms narrows.
Usually, fortune telling begins with special rituals that help you get in the right mood. This could be prayer, meditation, or some other action that has symbolic meaning for the one doing the fortune telling. In any type of fortune telling, the rule applies: during one session, each question can be asked only once. You also only need to make one wish per session. At the end of the ritual, you must definitely cleanse yourself of negative emotions and negative energy - take a shower or at least wash your face and wash your hands. The room where the fortune telling took place must be ventilated.
If you are performing the ceremony not for yourself, but for one of your friends or relatives, take a symbolic fee from this person (a small coin, candy, or any other not particularly valuable item). When reading the signs and determining the results of fortune telling, be objective and try not to give in to emotions. It happens that a person tries to “fit” the results of fortune telling to the existing realities. You shouldn't do this.
If the results of fortune telling are not pleasing, do not take this as a verdict. Keep in mind that people's fates are influenced by a huge number of different factors. In addition, there is a possibility of incorrect interpretation of the signs, so the fortune-telling ritual can be repeated, but not immediately, but after some time.
Scientists have found that a person can program himself, without anyone’s help, for success or failure, for short or short term. long life. That is why it is not recommended to go to professional fortune tellers: someone’s selfish interests can serve a person, especially an overly impressionable one, badly and have a fateful impact on his life. You don't need to trust strangers. But you won’t wish anything bad for yourself, so take good care of your health.
Just try to tune in to the positive before fortune telling, and then the results will definitely please you.