Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary: interesting beliefs and signs. Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary: what you can and cannot do on this day
Since then, the feast of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary on September 21 has always been celebrated by believers with great trepidation.
Holiday September 21 Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary: signs
September 21— Orthodox holiday, which has always served for believers as a day when they can make requests and even see their future according to certain signs. Therefore, read on: September 21 is the Orthodox holiday of signs. Previously, it was believed that by September 21st, the entire harvest from the fields should be harvested. That's why festive occasion people had great feasts. The richer the table was set, the richer the harvest for the next year. This is a kind of gift to nature for its generosity. Depending on what harvest was harvested, the celebration lasted for that long: the great harvest was celebrated for two weeks, and the small one - only three days.
On the church holiday of September 21, 2018, old people passed on their experience to young couples. We went to the newlyweds and passed on wisdom from their grandparents. If the young people listened carefully and followed all the advice, it was believed that they would have a happy and comfortable life.
The feast of the Most Holy Theotokos on September 21 was considered the day when autumn fully entered into its legal rights. From that day onwards the cold began. If on this day the weather pleases its good warmth and the sun, then autumn will be warm and clear. If on the contrary, it’s gloomy and cloudy at Christmas Holy Mother of God, you can’t do without umbrellas and warm clothes in the fall.
We also looked at vegetables. The more peel there is on the onion, the more severe and cold the winter will be, according to the signs.
There is even a sign regarding pets for this day. Since previously everyone in the villages kept cattle or other domestic animals, it was believed that seeing a ghost in the house meant the imminent death of one of the pets. But this could be avoided by taking fur from the animal and burning it in the place where the ghost was seen. In this case, disaster was avoided.
Photo: open sources on the Internet
The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary is the full name of the holiday that the Orthodox Church celebrates on September 21.
As you know, this holiday is one of the twelve (twelve most important holidays after Easter).
The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary means the triumph of faith over illnesses and failures, the appearance to the world of the mother of Jesus, the son of the Lord, the birth of the great woman throughout history, for her appearance was a miracle, as was the appearance of her son, Christ.
This day is considered a joyful event, families go together to church services and don't take on hard work. We invite you to find out what you can do on this day and what you should abstain from.
History of the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
The Nativity of our Most Holy Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary is the most important church holiday, which in Orthodoxy is one of the twelve. The holiday was established by the Church in the 4th century. Let us remember what the legends say about divine holiday September 21.
In the Galilean city of Nazareth lived an elderly couple - Joachim and Anna. They were very pious and righteous, but for many years they could not have children. One day, on a great holiday, Joachim brought gifts to the Lord God to the Jerusalem Temple. But the priest did not want to accept the gifts because he was childless, and children were considered a blessing from God. Upon learning of this, Anna began to cry. Seeing a nest in the garden in which little chicks were squeaking, she thought: “Even birds have children, but we do not have such consolation in old age.” Then an angel appeared to her and said: “You will conceive and give birth to a Daughter, blessed above all. Through Her, all earthly peoples will receive God's blessing. Through Her, Salvation will be given to all people. Her name will be Mary." With the same news, an angel appeared to Joachim. Nine months later, Anna had a daughter. The birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary motivated Joachim to offer great gifts and sacrifices to God. He received the blessing of the high priest, the priests and all the people because he was worthy of God's blessing. The Church calls Joachim and Anna Godfathers, because Jesus Christ was born from their Most Holy Daughter, the Virgin Mary.
Since then, the feast of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary on September 21 has always been celebrated by believers with great trepidation.
Customs of the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary - what can and should be done on this day
Christians have long turned to the Mother of God, who became the unifying principle between God and the human race, and asked her for protection and blessings.
The feasts of the Mother of God are celebrated magnificently in places where churches were consecrated in her honor. Temple (throne) holidays usually take place with a divine service and a meal following it. Dinners are always held where all relatives gather around a round table.
This holiday is also traditionally considered a women's holiday, when a woman is honored as a continuator of the family. He obviously inherits the ancient Aryan holiday of Mothers in Birth, when our ancestors expressed gratitude to the guardians of the fields and the harvest, the grandfathers.
Women who have no children throw a dinner and invite the poor - “so that the Virgin Mary may pray for their children.” Women also order services in the church, and after the service they invite people to their place for lunch. They say that prayers to the Blessed Virgin Mary of expectant mothers for the health and happiness of the children they are expecting have special power on this day.
The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary is celebrated as a holiday of true joy. Therefore, on these days they did not work, did not fast, and after prayer in the temple, they gathered cheerful feasts.
Also, the holiday has long been the deadline for preparing a “magic” potion. It was believed that love herbs collected between the First (Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary - August 28) and the Second Most Holy Feasts had the special property of attracting a guy to a girl (a man to a woman) and vice versa.
From the day of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, it was possible to send matchmakers to girls. Also on this day it is good to have a wedding and visit families for a feast.
Since ancient times, also on the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, women tried to go to the pond early in the morning. It was believed that if a woman washed her face with water before sunrise on this day, her beauty would remain until old age. And for good health children were doused with water on the doorstep.
Also on this day, onion week began - housewives removed this vegetable from the beds. And by the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the owners tried to collect the entire harvest; at this time, beekeepers began to prepare the bees for wintering - cleaning the hives.
It usually gets colder at this time, so before the Second Most Pure Church it was necessary to completely dig up the potatoes and sow the ground with rye.
What not to do on the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Don't do heavy things physical labor: leave housework, gardening and gardening for later;
When you sit down with the whole family at the table, you cannot sweep crumbs onto the floor. If there was bread left after a meal, it was given to domestic animals.
You should also not quarrel with loved ones or conflict with others (if the situation is close to critical, try to resolve any controversial issues peacefully);
On the day of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, you should have pure thoughts. Don't raise your voice to people close to you - it's a sin. You also cannot wish harm on others or think badly about someone.
On this day, fasting is observed: meat and alcohol are not allowed.
Signs and proverbs of the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary:
The First Most Pure One came - she put a necklace on nature, the Second Most Pure One came - she took the unclean mosquito, the Third Most Pure One came - the oak grove became leafless.
The Most Pure One came - the tree was clean, but the Intercession came - the tree was bare.
Preclean - the potatoes are clean.
The Most Pure One came and the unclean One brought matchmakers.
The Dormition sows the rye, and the second one waters it with rain.
If the weather is sunny on the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, then the autumn will be warm and clear, without heavy rains. If the sky is gloomy on this day, then the autumn cold will come with rain.
If a girl washes herself towards the east of the sun, then she will definitely be wooed this year.
To avoid “evil eyes”, slander and illness, burn old clothes and shoes on the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
How to celebrate the Nativity of the Virgin Mary
Beginning in the sixth century, the Nativity of the Virgin Mary began to be celebrated as great holiday. On this day, believers in festive clothes come to churches, where solemn services are performed. All believers glorify the wonderful day when the Lord gave people hope for the Savior to come into the world. Also for the holiday, special bread was baked with the letters “P” and “B”, which meant “Nativity of the Virgin Mary”. Festive bread was distributed to all family members, placed under icons, where they were kept until the Nativity of Jesus Christ. It was believed that the bread could help a sick person, so they were given to everyone who was sick.
This bright holiday Orthodox people They rush to churches to pray to the Mother of God. Therefore, the main thing that you should definitely do is go to church on the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Also, the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary on September 21, 2018 is a great chance to ask for forgiveness from your parents. You definitely need to pray for their health on this holiday.
In every family, it is customary to set a large table in honor of this holiday. Our ancestors believed that the more richly the housewife prepared for the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the more generous the harvest would be for the next year. Therefore, do not forget to pay tribute to nature by placing a basket of apples, pears, plums and grapes on the table. If the harvest was large, this holiday used to be celebrated for two whole weeks.
Orthodox Christians today, September 21, celebrate the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos, or the Second (Lesser) Most Pure Mother of God. This is the first of twelve main church holidays, the new church year begins with it.
It was on this day, at the turn of the Old and New Testaments, that the Most Blessed Virgin Mary was born, whom the Lord called to serve the mystery of the incarnation of God the Word - to become the Mother of the Savior of the world.
Her birth is considered a miracle, as is the appearance of the son of God - Jesus Christ.
History of the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
According to church tradition, Mary was born from pious parents, Joachim and Anna. They lived to an old age, but were childless, which became the source of their grief and caused public censure.
One day, the high priest did not accept a sacrifice from Joachim, and he, inconsolable, withdrew into the desert, where he began to pray fervently. Anna stayed at home and also prayed.
At this time, an angel appeared to both of them and announced to each: “The Lord has heeded your prayer, you will conceive and give birth, and your offspring will be talked about all over the world.”
Having learned good news, the couple met at the Golden Gate of Jerusalem. And soon a daughter was born into the family. The happy couple made a vow to dedicate their child to God and gave their daughter Mary to the Jerusalem Temple, where she served until she came of age.
What date is the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
In various Christian traditions, the birth of Mary is celebrated in different days. Yes, representatives Orthodox churches, including Ukrainian, celebrate it on September 21, and Catholics on September 8. The birth of the Mother of God is associated with another Christian holiday, the Conception, which is celebrated 9 months earlier - December 9 (22).
How to celebrate it correctly
For a long time, on the day of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, it was customary to visit each other. The table was set richly with a large number of dishes.
Since on September 8 (21) the Slavs also celebrated the holiday of autumn and harvest Osenina or Aposov Day, early in the morning women went to the shores of lakes and ponds to appease Mother Osenina with oatmeal bread and jelly so that there would be a good harvest next year.
This day was also considered a women's holiday among the Slavs, so girls and women went to ponds and washed themselves before dawn. They believed that this would help them maintain beauty and youth, and help unmarried people find love.
On this day they also pray to the Mother of God for the health and happiness of family and children.
To protect yourself from the evil eye and damage, it was customary to burn old clothes and shoes.
On this day, the Slavs began to prepare viburnum. According to signs, if you drink viburnum on the Most Pure Day, it will protect you from all diseases.
What not to do on this day
The birth of the Mother of God is a great holiday, so on this day you cannot work, including doing housework.
Also on this day you cannot swear, gossip or swear - this is a sin.
All grievances and troubles are advised to forgive.
During the feast, crumbs should not be swept onto the floor, and the remaining food should be given to animals. The table itself should be rich and with a lot of food.
However, this year, meat and alcohol should not be consumed on the birthday of the Mother of God, since it falls on Friday, a fast day.
Signs for this day
If the weather is sunny on the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, then the autumn will be warm and clear, without heavy rain. If the sky is gloomy on this day, then the autumn cold will come with rain.
If a girl washes herself towards the east of the sun, then she will definitely be wooed this year.
To avoid “evil eyes,” slander and illness, old clothes and shoes should be burned on the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
“The First Most Pure One came - she put a necklace on nature, the Second Most Pure One came - she took the unclean mosquito, the Third Most Pure One came - the oak grove became leafless.”
“When the Most Pure One came, the tree was clean, but when the Intercession came, the tree was bare.”
“The Most Pure One came and the unclean one brought matchmakers.”
“The first Most Pure rye sows, and the second waters with rain.”
Let us remind you that another big holiday is expected this month - the Exaltation of the Honest and Life-giving Cross The Lord's. Orthodox Christians will celebrate it on September 28. This holiday was established in memory of the finding of the Lord's Cross, which occurred, according to church tradition, in 326 in Jerusalem near Mount Golgotha - the site of the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary is a great holiday for believers all over the world, which is one of the twelve, that is, the most important after Easter. It is associated with biblical history two righteous people, Joachim and Anna - they led a pious life, but did not have children, and constantly prayed to the Lord to give them their firstborn. After some time, their daughter Mary was born, who was destined to become the mother of Jesus. It is important to know how the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary is celebrated, as well as signs and customs, what can and cannot be done on this day.
When and how is the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary celebrated?
The Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos falls on September 21, and is popularly called the second Most Pure Mother of God. In Rus', before this date, farmers tried to harvest the harvest (there is a saying about this: “The Most Pure One will come, and it will be clean.”), and beekeepers began to prepare the bees for wintering. It was imperative to dig up potatoes and sow the ground with rye in order to have time before the cold weather and celebrate the second Most Pure Mother of God, without being distracted by pressing concerns. The duration of the celebration depended on the harvest - if it was rich, the celebration lasted two weeks, and if it was meager, then only three days.
The Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary is also called “Little Most Pure”, “Aspos’ Day”The holiday is considered bright and joyful among believers, so it is widely celebrated by all Christians and Catholics. Solemn services are held in churches, and after visiting the church, parishioners go home (on the way out they should give to the poor so that there is prosperity in the house), set the table and invite guests.
They say that if the food is rich and varied, the next harvest will be great.
On the table you must definitely put grain dishes and a basket with autumn fruits - apples, plums, grapes and pears as a thank you to nature for her gifts, as well as grain dishes.
Once upon a time, housewives baked special bread for this holiday with the letters “P” and “B” (Nativity of the Virgin Mary) “engraved” on it and treated it to everyone who came into the house. A piece of such bread was necessarily placed behind the icon, after which it acquired healing properties- if one of the family members fell ill, treats were given as medicine.
Before the feast, you must read a prayer, and conversations can only be on good and positive topics. On this day, old people passed on their accumulated experience to the younger generation, and young people, especially newlyweds, went to their older relatives and listened carefully to their advice.
What to do
People believe that on the day of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, the heavens tilt close to the earth, so you can ask the Lord to fulfill any desire. The Virgin Mary especially favors unmarried girls and childless couples - if you sincerely pray for a family or a child, your prayers will definitely be heard. In addition, you can ask for health and well-being for loved ones in an interesting way- write a request on a piece of paper, attach it to a church candle and light it. If the candle burns out completely, it means that everything written will come true.
In some temples after Divine Liturgy commit religious procession On the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, girls of marriageable age tried to get up early and immediately went to the source of water.
It was believed that if you have time to wash your face before dawn, facing the east, then female beauty will not fade until the end of her life, and matchmakers will definitely come to the unmarried beauty.
To improve health and not get sick throughout the next year, on September 21 it was customary to burn worn out clothes and shoes, and children were taken out onto the porch and doused with water. And in case of an unexpected illness, the ancestors prepared viburnum and drank decoctions and infusions prepared from it - “if you drink viburnum on the Most Pure Day, you will be free from all illnesses.”
If something unusual happens to a person on the birthday of the Virgin Mary, you should immediately grab a broom, put it on the floor and stand on it for several minutes - this promises income and career success. Any incident can safely be classified as unexpected.
What is prohibited to do on September 21
Is it a fast day or is eating allowed? savory food, it is necessary to find out taking into account the day of the week - On the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, you need to give up hard work and household chores: washing floors, cleaning and burning garbage, chopping wood, etc.
- Women should not pick up a needle and scissors, sew, embroider or cut, and the ban even applies to bread.
- You cannot conflict with others, raise your voice, wish someone harm, or even entertain negative thoughts - all thoughts must be pure and bright.
- During the celebration of the second Most Pure Mother, it was not recommended to eat meat (lenten dishes were prepared) and alcohol was strictly prohibited. In modern Orthodox culture, if the day does not fall on fasting Wednesday and Friday, then there are no restrictions.
Since September 21, 2018 falls on a Friday, the day is considered fast, however orthodox calendar informs that in the event of such a big holiday, the consumption of fish and seafood dishes is allowed.
- On this day, you cannot shake off crumbs from the table, much less throw away bread - everything must be carefully collected and given to pets or birds.
Signs
September 21 is considered the day when autumn becomes its full-fledged mistress, and based on the weather you can make a forecast for the future:
- if the day turns out to be sunny, it means that the sun will shine outside the window until the end of October, and if the sky is overcast, you can expect autumn cold weather with rain;
- if it rains in the morning, the next 40 days will be rainy;
- if the grass is covered with morning dew, then exactly a month later frost will take its place and the first frosts will set in, and if the sun rose early and dried the dew, the winter will be snowless.
All agricultural work had been completed by this time, and onion week had begun - the period of onion harvesting. There are other signs on the birthday of the Blessed Virgin Mary that are not related to the weather.
It is believed that all babies born on September 21 will be healthy and happy, since the Virgin Mary herself will protect them from enemies, illnesses and misfortunes.
Rituals and rituals
The birthday of the Blessed Virgin Mary is a “strong” day, which is suitable for carrying out all kinds of ritual actions. The only condition is that all rituals must be aimed exclusively at good - it is impossible to cause damage or in any other way harm others, otherwise the Virgin Mary may become angry.
Amulet for the whole family
On the birthday of the Virgin Mary you can do powerful amulet, which will protect the house from enemies, the evil eye and troubles. The ancestors used the ozhinka (last) sheaf to make it, but you can just go to the field and pick a few ears of corn. Together with them you need to prepare a sprig of rowan, viburnum, pine or spruce, church candle, red thread and a piece of natural fabric. When plucking branches from trees, be sure to ask them for forgiveness. From all the selected materials, assemble a beautiful bouquet so that there is a candle in the center, wrap it in fabric, tie it with thread and sprinkle it with holy water.
Over the finished amulet, you should read the prayer “Our Father” and sprinkle it with holy water three times The resulting composition should be hung near the front door.
Ritual to fulfill a wish
The apple tree in Orthodoxy is considered a symbol of good luck, the birth of miracles and new life. Another ritual that can be performed on September 21 is aimed at realizing a cherished desire. Take three branches from three different trees: apple, hazel and birch, as well as ribbon green and a container with clean spring water. Collect all the twigs together, tie them with a green ribbon, then make a wish and dip them in water, thinking about your dream. Next, the composition needs to be buried under an apple tree and the wish will soon come true.
Ritual for marriage
Girls who wanted to get married as soon as possible performed a ritual with hazel branches. They need to be tied into a circle using a red thread, placed on a large round plate and lit, saying the spell: “As quickly as the fire goes around the circle, so quickly I will go down the aisle.” When the twigs are completely burned out and only ash remains, it needs to be swept into a piece of cloth, taken outside and blown into the wind. The girl who performed this ritual must meet her fate within a year.
Ritual for pregnancy
The following ritual is intended for women who dream of a child. You need to fill a container with clean spring water and wash your face with it, after which the liquid is blessed in the church. If you drink this water one sip at a time for 40 days, the long-awaited pregnancy will not keep you waiting.
The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary is a bright and positive holiday that needs to be spent with pure thoughts and intentions, and then the Virgin Mary will definitely give you her blessing and protect you from troubles throughout the year.
September 21 all Orthodox world celebrates the bright holiday - Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary . On this day, the only woman who turned out to be worthy of giving birth to the Savior of all mankind was born. People love this holiday. And since people cannot live without signs, there are a number of signs for this day that we still pay attention to today.
Signs and beliefs
The believer prays - the Mother of God smiles. On such a day, it was customary for the people to pray to the Most Holy Theotokos for everything that troubled the soul. It was believed that not a single prayer said on this day would go unheeded. Although, it should be noted that no matter what day you turn to the Mother of God, she will always help if a person needs her help. But this sign does not mean turning to Holy Virgin with requests. This means that the Mother of God will rejoice if believers simply offer prayers of thanks to her.
The better the harvest, the longer the harvest festival lasts. This is the day when, according to all signs, the entire harvest should be harvested. And since that's it field work completed, then the holiday began, which was dedicated to the harvest. That's what this holiday was called Harvest Festival. The more people harvested, the longer the holiday lasted. It could last from three days to two weeks. These days, it was customary to visit each other and treat each other to dishes that were prepared from what was collected. And the more hospitable the table is, the better harvest will be next year. In this way they tried to appease nature so that next year would be no worse than this one.
Go visit young people and teach them wisdom. When all the cleaning work was completed, weddings began to take place among the people. So, if a wedding was recently celebrated in the village, then on that day all the old people living in the village went to the newlyweds. Of course, their parents and grandparents always came to visit the young people. The young housewife had to do her best on this day, set a rich table, greet her relatives and guards. Lived long life people treated themselves and taught the young people how to live, what and how to do correctly. By the way, it was at such gatherings that knowledge was passed on to young people in the form folk signs. And if the young people did not shy away, but listened and were at their best, then their lives after that turned out just fine, both in family terms and in material terms.
Renew the fire so that life can be prosperous. There was such a sign that from this day human life begins a new circle that will last one year. Such circles began every autumn on this day. This is a kind of New Year. Usually, in village houses, the so-called duty torch always burned, which was never extinguished, but a new one was lit from it. There were no matches then. But on this day it was customary to extinguish this torch and relight it. It was believed that if you do this on this day, then all illnesses and troubles will remain in the past. And in New Year you will take with you only the best, otherwise what you want to get rid of will remain in your old life.
On Easter Day - remove the bees. was considered the day when the warmth disappears irrevocably and autumn fully comes into its own. Everyone who kept the apiary removed the hives from the apiary on this day. To prevent the bees from dying during the cold weather, sugar was poured into the hives. After all, during cold weather the bees had to eat something.
If the weather is good, then autumn will be good. This sign, like many other signs about the weather, is based on many years, and even centuries-old, observations of people. Indeed, it was noticed that if on the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary the weather is sunny and clear, then almost the entire autumn will be sunny and clear. But if it's going to rain, then get your rubber boots ready, you can’t do without them this fall.
If you got your hands dirty in something black on this day, wait good offer At work. This is a sign that all employees used to adhere to. It was believed that if such an incident happened to you on this day, then you would definitely be entrusted with such a task, thanks to which your superiors would increase your salary. Today they say that if you get something black on your hands, you will be given some kind of new project. And if you work as expected, then expect both a salary increase and a promotion. So this is your day. Go for it, and you will succeed. But in order to consolidate the effect of this sign, you need to stand on the broom with both feet and stand like that for at least a couple of minutes. Only in this case will the sign work as it should.
Ghost in the house - death is on the doorstep. Don’t be too scared, this sign doesn’t concern people, but... Although, all pets usually become members of the family, and their death is as terrible for us as the death of a person. It is believed that if you saw a ghost in your house on this day, then one of the animals living in your house will soon die. But, if you know about this sign, then its effect can be neutralized. Take wool from all the animals and livestock you have and burn it in the place where you saw the ghost. In this case, it will be possible to neutralize negative meaning signs. The only exception is when the animal is very old. But sometimes, even in this case, it is possible to delay the death of a pet.