Annunciation - signs and customs for all occasions

The Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos is on the list of 12 major Orthodox holidays. Every year it is celebrated on the same day - April 7. This celebration is associated with many different features and customs that have been formed over the years.

What is the Annunciation?

The name of this celebration was formed from two words - "good news". To understand what the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin means, it is worthwhile to learn the history of the birth of this feast. On this day the archangel Gabriel descended from heaven to the Virgin Mary and conveyed to her the good news that soon she would become the mother of Jesus Christ - the savior of mankind. For a long time, Greek Christians called this holiday a "greeting day" and a "proclamation."

In the Annunciation, signs and customs have been observed since ancient times and there is a list of what can and should be done on this day:

1. A believing person must necessarily attend the morning service in the church. If the hostess baked prosphora - special unleavened bread, then you can take them with you to consecrate. It is worth noting that in many churches they are handed out to people one by one in hands.
2. According to the traditions, it is customary to release birds on the holiday and it is better if it is white pigeons. They will fly to heaven and tell God about the good deeds of man.
3. Earlier in the day, a special benediction salt was prepared. On the holiday, each member of the family should take a pinch of ordinary salt and throw it into a sack. After that, the landlady should burn it on fire, pour it into a bag. Keep it in a secret place and get it if necessary, for example, if a person falls ill, they put him at the head of the bed. If salt is not used, then on April 7 next year it needs to be burned.
4. It is recommended to devote a festive day to the family, to mercy and to various good deeds.
5. In the people, the Annunciation is associated with the beginning of agricultural work, so some traditions were associated with fertility. Earlier on this day, wood was burnt in the oven, and then, mixed ash and salt and scattered it in the corners of the garden. So people protected the site from the evil eye and talked about the harvest.
6. The crumbs that remained from the eaten prosphora were mixed with the seeds for planting. You can add a little bit of Annunciation salt to the grains.
7. On the Annunciation there are signs and customs that are connected with the family. In the morning, every member of the family must eat a consecrated prosphora and drink holy water. Thanks to this, a person can protect himself from diseases and various negative aspects, and also attract luck and material prosperity.

What can not be done at the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary?

This ecclesiastical celebration is of great importance for believers and is known for several important canons that must be adhered to. There are signs that one can not do in the Annunciation:

1. It is forbidden to work on the ground, it is believed that if a person touches seeds or grains, they will never germinate. After this holiday all field works will be productive and yield a good harvest.
2. You can not give anything away from home, so as not to lose happiness and prosperity. It is better not to invite guests to this holiday.
3. It is forbidden to wear new things for a holiday, as they will spoil in a short time and replace them with others will not be possible. Girls who have not considered this taboo, will not be able to marry this year.
4. Finding out what can not be done in the Annunciation, it is worth mentioning that the taboo is superimposed on any needlework. This is due to the fact that the thread symbolizes life, therefore, when sewing or knitting, a person can confuse his destiny.
5. Another taboo is about starting any business, because they will not bring any results, and will only cause disappointment.

In ancient times people especially believed in evil spirits, so many superstitions have a connection with them.

1. You can not approach the water to the Annunciation, as mermaids can enchant and tighten under the water.
2. It is not recommended to be away from home at the holiday, since the snake-housekeeper comes to the house and recounts the household. It is believed that if someone does not, then a person will soon die.
3. It is forbidden to go into the woods, because the woodpecker can lead deeper into perdition.

People's Signs of the Annunciation

To our days has come a huge number of superstitions associated with various aspects of life. Many are interested in what signs the Annunciation has, and so on this day you can learn about many events of the future, to predict the weather and attract good luck. Everyone has the right to decide for themselves to believe in them or to think as fiction, but it is worth noting that superstitions have been formed for many years, proving their truthfulness, so at least they can be listened to.

Signs of luck on the Annunciation

In order to be lucky during the year, it is forbidden to cut hair and braid braids on this church holiday. There is an old legend that the cuckoo at the Annunciation decided to break the existing ban and began to weave a nest. For this God punished her and deprived her own house, so she puts the eggs in the nests of other birds. There are other signs for the Annunciation to attract good luck.

1. Young people on this day was going to the festivities, and surely people were jumping over the fire. It is believed that passing through the flame of a person, cleared of all negativity, restores health and attracts luck.
2. Adult people to get rid of their sins and improve their lives, collect the last snow, melt it and wash it.

Annunciation - signs of love

People who are in a couple, on this holiday should spend time together in harmony, in order to maintain such relations for the whole year. Signs on the day of the Annunciation indicate that women should call their beloved forty times "beloved", which will save feelings, love and well-being in a couple. It is impossible to do anything at this holiday with your hair, so as not to tread fate.

Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos - Signs of Marriage

Many church holidays are considered an excellent opportunity for single girls to attract a soul mate. According to the signs, if the celebration is fun and in a good mood, then the desire will certainly come true. In the morning, lone girls always went to church and prayed near the icon of the Virgin, so that it helped to go faster under the crown. There are other signs for the Annunciation for unmarried girls, for example, on this day it is forbidden to put a ring on a ring finger and braid braids, so as not to confuse fate and not miss the second half.

Signs of the Annunciation to get pregnant

As the Mother of God is the mother of the savior of mankind, women are addressed to her, who want to become pregnant and give birth to a healthy child . There are special signs for Annunciation for girls related to procreation. On this day it is necessary to buy a white dove and ask her to give the Lord a request for a child. On holiday, the bird should be released. You can use this method to ask for a second half.

Signs of the Annunciation for money

Church holidays have a tremendous energy that you can use for your own good. There are signs and superstitions for the Annunciation, which have a connection with finances.

1. On this day it is forbidden to lend money, as they will not be able to say goodbye within a year.
2. People who do business on April 7 sprinkle their jobs with holy water and ask for prosperity.
3. Describing the signs and ceremonies of the Annunciation, it is worth recalling one of them: in the morning on the holiday you need to go to church and buy there prosphora, the number of which must coincide with the number of household members. In one of them a coin is put and after that everyone should take a loaf. The person to whom the coin will get will not need money within a year.

To be born on the Annunciation - signs

In the people there are two interpretations of this superstition.

1. It is believed that on this holiday people are born who will be happy, and in the course of their life they will be lucky. At the same time, there is one "but", they will feel themselves lonely all the time, even having a large and friendly family. Signs about the Annunciation indicate that a person born on this holiday can achieve a lot in life, even constantly feeling insecure .
2. On the Annunciation signs and customs have a negative interpretation, so there is a version that the babies born on this holiday will often get sick or they will have ugliness.
3. There is one more popular superstition, according to which people and animals born on April 7 will be small in growth.

A sign is to die in the Annunciation

Believers since ancient times believed that on this day everyone opens the sky, and people can use this chance to turn to the Higher Powers. There is a sign - death in the Annunciation is a guarantee that a person will certainly get to Paradise. Among the people they say that on great church holidays, good people leave the life, which the Lord takes back to him.

Weather on the Annunciation - folkloric signs

Many people still use the knowledge of their ancestors, which have been tested for centuries. Known to the Annunciation and signs related to the weather:

1. If the swallows were not visible until the seventh of April, the cold weather will remain throughout the whole spring.
2. Good and clear weather portends a rich harvest and a red summer.
3. If the Annunciation was foggy in the morning, then the water in the rivers will come.
4. In ancient times it was believed that the weather on April 7 will repeat on Easter.
5. Many stars in the sky in this holiday heralds a good harvest of cannabis.

Rain on the Annunciation - signs

In ancient times, a sharp change of weather was perceived as a sign from above, which became the basis for superstition:

1. At the Annunciation, signs and customs describe that if it rained on a holiday, it means that there will not be a lot of moisture in summer, but you can get a rich harvest of rye.
2. It was believed that if it rains, the cock will get drunk, and on Yuri the grass will rise and the ox will be saved.
3. Men believed that if it started to rain, then you can go fishing, because the catch will be rich.
4. If a thunderstorm for the Annunciation, the signs indicate that the summer will be warm and the nuts this year will get off good.

Snow on the Annunciation - signs

Before Easter, the weather changes frequently, but snow is a rare occurrence and some superstitions are associated with it:

1. If there is snow on the roofs of the houses, then bad weather will persist for a long time and snow will remain until St. George's Day, which falls on May 6.
2. For those who are interested, what are the signs and customs of the Annunciation associated with snow, there is such superstition - if on this day he lies on the fields, then in the summer there will be no harvest.
3. In ancient times people believed that the last thawed snow has healing power and if they wash, but you can get rid of diseases and various troubles.