We have been living with the new church calendar for the third year, but many people are still confused, Ukr.Media reports.
Let's record it: Annunciation is now on March 25. Those who are used to the old style continue to celebrate on April 7, but the essence of the change of dates does not change.
The name explains it all — good news. According to the biblical story, the Archangel Gabriel informed the Virgin Mary that she would give birth to the Savior. For believers, this is a starting point of hope. And for those who observe a strict spring fast — it is also a reason to breathe a sigh of relief, because the church allows eating fish.
What is more interesting is how the people adapted this holiday. Our ancestors invented the perfect prevention of burnout centuries before the advent of fashionable psychotherapists. Any work was prohibited on the Annunciation. Absolutely. The proverb about the bird that does not build a nest and the girl that does not braid braids was understood literally.
You couldn't sew or knit, so as not to “confound” your own fate. Getting a haircut or doing complicated hairstyles was taboo. Lending money or even lending salt to a neighbor was considered a direct transfer of your own well-being into someone else's hands. New clothes were also advised not to take out of the closet – they would tear. Arguing was generally forbidden, which sounds like a completely working rule for every day, not just for a holiday.
In short: you were supposed to just sit, be silent, not touch new things, and observe nature.
Nature has its own ancient meteorology. Instead of forecasts on a smartphone, we looked out the window. What is the weather like on the Annunciation – expect the same on Easter. It rained – there will be a mushroom harvest in the fall. Frost hit – spring is canceled for a few more weeks. There are no swallows – get out your warm jackets.
In churches on this day, prosphora — small loaves of bread — were blessed. Then they were dried and kept behind icons as a universal pill for everything. The crumbs were given to the sick, and in the spring they were mixed with seeds before sowing. And if you look at classical paintings or icons of the Annunciation, you will see a white lily in Gabriel’s hands. This is where the old custom of releasing doves came from.
And a little math for lovers of rare coincidences. Sometimes the Annunciation falls directly on Easter. This is called Kiriopaskha. No holiday is canceled, the liturgies are simply combined. It sounds large-scale, but we have practically no chance of seeing it with our own eyes. The next Kiriopaskha according to the new calendar will occur in 2111. So just remember the date — March 25 — and don't take your work home on this day. At least for the sake of tradition.
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