One of the main Christian holidays - Holy Trinity Day in 2017 is celebrated on June 4th. The Orthodox Church on this day remembers the gospel event - this is the descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles.
The holiday does not have a specific date in church calendar, as it is tied to the day of celebration bright resurrection Christ. It is celebrated on the 50th day after Easter.
history of the holiday
When the apostles gathered on the fiftieth day after the resurrection of Christ in the Upper Room of Zion in Jerusalem (the room where the Last Supper had previously taken place), the Holy Spirit appeared to them. This phenomenon revealed to the world the meaning of the Holy Trinity, and it is believed that from that day people began to worship the three hypostases of the one God: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Holy Trinity Day is also considered a birthday christian church because after the descent of the Holy Spirit, the apostles began to preach and converted several thousand people to the Christian faith.
The name "Pentecost" was inherited from the Old Testament Jewish holiday, dedicated to the giving of the laws of Moses to the Jewish people. Actually, this also happened on the 50th day from Passover - it just so happened that in religions everything is intertwined.
Do's and Don'ts
According to folk traditions and signs, on the feast of the Holy Trinity, as on any other Orthodox holiday, you can not do various work: sewing, washing, cleaning, and so on. All housework and chores must be completed before the holiday. Especially strictly on Trinity it is not recommended to work on the ground, including digging, planting and mowing grass.
Those who do not follow the old customs and break traditions are believed to suffer significant damage. So, for example, for those who plow - livestock may die, for those who sow - the hail will beat the crops.
In the old days, on the days of great holidays, people always tried to put off all things, believing that this was not pleasing to the Lord, since work, as a rule, did not argue and did not bring a positive result. The clergy explain that by working on the day of the Trinity, we seem to show our disrespect to God, therefore, if possible, on the days of big holidays, such as the Trinity, it is better to postpone all things, including work in the garden. Of course, there are especially important things that cannot be moved to another day, but it is better to start doing them only after attending a service and praying. Besides, in modern world there are many works that must be done daily, without breaks and days off, so if a believer cannot visit the temple, he can pray at home or at work.
home decoration
For the holiday, the whole family decorates the house with branches of various trees, flowers and greenery, consecrated in the church. The feast of the Holy Trinity always falls on Sunday - on this day, believers try to visit in the morning holiday service in the temple, take communion and devote time to prayer.
Like all Christian holidays, the Trinity contains elements of pagan rituals. Among the people, this period, several days from the end of May to the beginning of June, is also called "Green Christmas time". An important sign of the Trinity is greenery in the house.
Branches of oak, birch, maple and linden are suitable for decorating a house on the Trinity. However, aspen and willow are not suitable. The ban on the use of aspen is due to the fact that, according to legend, Judas hanged himself on this tree. The willow is not broken, because it has already given its branches on Palm Sunday.
How to celebrate Trinity
On this day, you need to prepare food for the festive table and feed livestock and domestic animals.
As before any church holiday, the day before it is supposed to be carefully cleaned in the house and decorate it, as mentioned above (adjusted for a modern interior, of course). Green bedspreads or a tablecloth with green patterns will come in handy.
In the morning, the whole family should attend a festive service, which, by the way, the clergy conduct in green and gold vestments - green color symbolizes life.
Back home, cover festive table call the whole family. The most important thing is to keep a positive mood, not to get angry at anyone, not to lose heart, not to let negative thoughts ruin this bright day.
Traditional food for Trinity is everything round, symbolizing the sun: loaf, pancakes and fried eggs.
The great feast of the Trinity is celebrated on the 50th day after Easter, which is why it is also called Pentecost. In 2017, it falls on June 4th. This is one of the most important church holidays in a year.
It is believed that on this day, as Jesus Christ promised before the Ascension, the Holy Spirit descended on the Apostles, appearing in the form of fiery tongues. Thus, the Lord appeared in all three hypostases: God the Father, God the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Dogma about Holy Trinity is the foundation of Christian doctrine.
Trinity is a Christian holiday, but in its traditions and rituals, a lot of paganism remains.
The Feast of the Holy Trinity opens the summer calendar cycle, and it is based on the cult of vegetation, which is why in Ukraine the Trinity is also called the Green Holidays.
On this day, it is customary to decorate your homes with grass, flowers, green branches of trees: maple, willow, linden. Aspen, sometimes willow, was considered a forbidden tree by our ancestors.
Branches were attached to the windows, to the gates, and it was customary to cover the floor with herbs: lovage, mint, calamus, or, as it is popularly called, Tatar potion. It was believed that these days plants have a special protective force, therefore, they protected families from all troubles, helped the sick to recover.
Trinity in 2017: fortune telling
Trinity was divined from Thursday to Sunday. The most common fortune-telling was associated with weaving and throwing wreaths on the water, but other common fortune-telling was also suitable - with rings, chains, Christmas, etc.
Thinking about the betrothed, the girls wove wreaths of greenery, flowers or birch branches and went to the river. There they bowed their heads and dropped the wreath into the water. According to the movement of the wreath, they made plans for the future and for the betrothed. It was believed that if the wreath floats well and calmly, everything will be fine with its owner this year. If the wreath floats under water or drowns, the girl should have been afraid of illness, death of loved ones or other troubles. If the wreath unraveled, it promised parting with your loved one. The wreath quickly sailed away - which means that the groom will be from distant lands, and if the wreath got stuck near the shore, the matchmakers could not be expected until the next Trinity.
Trinity 2017: what not to do
Trinity is very important Orthodox holiday, therefore, on this day there is a certain kind of prohibition, as well as long-term traditions and customs. The day after Trinity is called Spirit Day. During this period, it is not customary to work on the ground, but you can try to find treasures.
It is believed that on Spirit Day, the birthday earth can give a person something precious that he has been looking for for a long time. Prohibitions and traditions on the Trinity:
On Trinity it is not customary to paint and sew, as well as work in the garden and bake pies. A special ban applied to swimming in reservoirs. The fact is that on this day, according to ancient belief, mermaids can drag the bather to the very bottom.
Under the ban on the Trinity and wedding ceremonies. As follows from tradition again, a family that becomes the official unit of society on this day will face a series of troubles in the future.
Trinity is not only allowed, but also welcomed to make new acquaintances, get married and arrange "conspiracies". Young people who were "conspired" to the Trinity will have a long family life in peace and harmony.
If it rains on Trinity, then the year will be good in terms of harvest. Precipitation has the most favorable effect on fungi.
Spirits day: when in 2017
The day after Trinity is called Spirit Day. It is dedicated to the holy spirit. Today in Russia they tried not to work, and all the prohibitions that apply to the Trinity were preserved.
People believed that on Spirits Day the Earth celebrates a name day, so it was impossible to touch it, but this time is suitable for looking for treasures. The people believed that the Earth would give wealth to those who liked it.
Trinity is celebrated on the 50th day after Easter. Therefore, it has another name - Pentecost. In 2018, it falls on May 27th. And on May 28, on Monday, all Ukrainians will receive, because this is the second day of the Trinity
History of the Trinity
To the Holy Trinity Orthodox Church recalls the descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles, and also symbolizes God's discovery of his triune essence: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. These three entities in unity create the world and sanctify it. Pentecost is also considered the birthday of the Christian church.
How to decorate a house for Trinity
Since ancient times, the Slavic peoples on the Trinity have decorated houses and temples with branches, herbs and flowers. It was believed that greenery is a symbol of life.
Most often, birch trees were used to decorate buildings. They were considered a symbol of prosperity, wealth and life extension.
Great attention was paid to the entrance doors - they were tightly closed with linden branches so that bad spirits could not penetrate.
What you need to bring to church on Trinity
Branches of birch, maple or oak, as well as wild flowers are brought to the church. Thus, people express gratitude to God for regenerating them through baptism into a new life.
Field herbs were also collected on Trinity, because they believed that on this day they had healing power. The consecrated greens were dried and stored all year round. She served as a talisman against fires, diseases and poverty.
What not to do on Trinity
It is not customary to celebrate weddings, otherwise the family will be in trouble. Also, it is not customary to swim in reservoirs on Trinity, because mermaids can drown. And of course, as with all holidays, you need to do without quarrels and anger.
Folk omens
According to popular belief, if it rains on Trinity, there will be a warm and mushroom summer, as well as a bountiful harvest.
A good sign for the Trinity will be matchmaking, the spouses will live long, happily, in love and harmony.
Holy Trinity Day for Christians is one of the main religious holidays in 2017: in Orthodoxy, it bears the title of the twelfth (included in the list of significant events in the life of Jesus and the Virgin Mary), in Catholicism, Trinity Day has the status of a celebration (the highest rank of a church holiday).
The date of the Holy Trinity in 2017 is June 4th.
The feast of Pentecost is celebrated by Orthodox Christians, every year in different numbers, but always on the fiftieth day after . The Holy Trinity completes the spring cycle of Christian holidays, after which comes fasting and the summer cycle. On this occasion, Orthodox Trinity 2017 will be celebrated on a grand scale, with festivities and obligatory celebration of the revived nature.
history of the holiday
The feast of the Holy Trinity has been celebrated since ancient times, when it was established by the apostles, therefore it has acquired stable traditions that do not change from time to time, but only from the place of celebration. Since ancient times, the Trinity began with a solemn service, which foreshadowed all-night vigil, lasting from the evening on the eve of the holiday. Prayers glorified the day when the Holy Spirit descended to the apostles and the Virgin Mary in order to mark the trinity of God with his appearance: “The Father without beginning, His Son without beginning and the Most Holy Spirit.” The apostles were struck by the blessed cleansing fire: it did not burn, but cleansed the soul and mind, filling the heart with reverent awe and love. The descent of the Holy Spirit was predicted by Jesus Christ even before the tragic events that cut short his life path.
Traditions and rituals for the Trinity
The main symbol of the Trinity, Orthodox Slavs, is a birch. She is always present in every house of a believer, like a Christmas tree on New Year. According to tradition, on this holy day, the floor of the church is covered with freshly cut grass; did the same at home. Birch branches were placed next to the iconostasis (in some areas Russia where birch does not grow, oak, viburnum, mountain ash or maple are used). And after the solemn service, Orthodox Christians hurried home to prepare a festive table, the heart of which was a loaf. Trinity evening was spent with songs, games and dances. On this holiday, guests were traditionally invited, treated to acquaintances, the remnants of the meal were given to the poor.
The wonderful summer holiday of the Trinity, which falls on May 27 in 2018, reminds us of the completion of a great work - on this day the Lord finally created the building of human salvation - his Church. In church tradition, the holiday is called Pentecost in memory of the fact that all this happened on the fiftieth day after Easter, during the Jewish holiday of the same name. It was on this day that the Holy Spirit descended on the apostles in the form of fiery tongues. From that very time, first through the apostles, and then through their successors, the Holy Spirit began to be given to every believer. It is thanks to this that when entering the Church we find ourselves not just in a society of like-minded people, but directly partake of Divine grace.
On the fiftieth day after Pascha, the apostles gathered in the Upper Room of Zion in Jerusalem, where, on the eve of the arrest and Crucifixion, Christ made Last Supper. And then, as we read in the New Testament, “... suddenly there was a noise from the sky, as if from a rushing strong wind, and filled the whole house where they were. And divided tongues appeared to them, as if of fire, and rested one on each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance" (Acts 2:2-4).
After the descent of the Holy Spirit, the apostles began to speak in a variety of dialects, and the people around them were surprised: how can ordinary Galileans know so many languages? Indeed, for each of the listeners, the sermon of the Risen Christ sounded in his native language. The descent of the Holy Spirit and the multilingual preaching of the apostles became the birthday of the Church - the community of the faithful to Christ, united by the Sacraments into the One Body of Christ.
"Trinity" and "Pentecost" are two names for the same Christian holiday. The word "Pentecost" has a purely chronological meaning, that is, "on the fiftieth day." The double name is evidence that the holiday has Old Testament origins. In Israel Old Testament Pentecost was also a holiday. On this day, the Jews brought a sacrifice to God - the fruits of the first harvest. Also on Pentecost they remembered the Covenant that the Lord made with Moses and all the people of Israel about fifty days after the exodus of the Jews from Egypt, that is, five days after Jewish Passover. These events took place in the second half of the 13th century BC. And after Easter, the Resurrection of Christ, Pentecost became the feast of the new Testament of the Lord with people. Birthday of the Christian Church.
Folk traditions and customs on the Trinity (Pentecost)
The colorful summer holiday Trinity was part of the Semitsko-Trinity holiday complex, which included three holidays: Semik (the seventh Thursday or the seventh Sunday after Easter, the so-called Green Christmas time), Trinity parental Saturday and Trinity Day.
Often the Trinity was called the entire time period from Semik to Spiritual Day, that is, the Day of the Holy Spirit, which the Church celebrates on Monday after Trinity. On the Trinity in Russia, it was supposed to decorate your home and temples with birch, freshly cut grass and flowers. All this is a symbol of the life that the Holy Spirit brings with him.
On the day of the holiday they danced Trinity round dances. Trinity festivities marked the transition to summer. By the Trinity, they traditionally washed and cleaned the house and yard, mowed the grass. They baked pies and loaves, curled wreaths of birch and flowers, went to visit. Guys and girls walked in the forests and meadows, and the girls specially sewed outfits for the holiday. Heads were decorated with wreaths of flowers or headdresses embroidered with gold threads.
According to folk traditions, a special dress was supposed for each day of the Trinity cycle: in the Trinity parent Saturday they put on red shirts, on Sunday - white ones from grandmother's chests, on Monday, Spirits Day, - sewn from factory fabric. Trinity completed the transition from spring to summer. In many areas, all spring agricultural work ended by the Whitsunday.
