The Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord is one of the twelve most important holidays of Christianity. He is associated with the discovery of the cross on which Jesus was crucified and his magical properties capable of resurrecting the dead and helping to defeat the torturers of the peoples supported by the devil. It is the ability of the found Cross to return and preserve life, gave the right to call it Life-giving.
Religious holidays in our ancestors often coincided with the people's, and therefore the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord had its own signs and superstitions.
The Signs of the Feast of the Exaltation
They were associated with religious traditions and natural observations.
- It was believed that those who observe the fasting of the memory associated with the crucified Christ on this day will in future expect luck , in addition, they received forgiveness for their sins.
- In Christianity, there is a tradition to establish bells in new temples on this day, as on the day of this holiday, believers have the opportunity to communicate directly with God, and the bells ringing contributes to this.
Signs of the Exaltation in many ways gave an idea of what is happening in nature on the eve of winter. As a rule, frosts started from that day on, and if the day was still like autumn, the nights reminded that the winter was very close.
- At the Exaltation, the last flocks of birds flew south. The people believed that someone who sees the last bird caravan and has time to make a wish, it will come true.
- On this day it was supposed to keep the doors closed so that the snakes who were looking for themselves winter shelters could not enter the dwelling.
- As for the snakes themselves, if they suddenly bitten a man, then they could not crawl to their winter rookery and died.
- At the Exaltation, warned people's signs , you can not go to the forest, and whoever goes, he disappears forever. It was believed that the leshy at this time closes the way to the forest, and the one who disobeys his warning will be punished.
- They asserted that on this day it is impossible to start new affairs - all the same, there will be no luck in them. And in general to work on the holiday of the Cross of the Life-Giving did not recommend.
- On the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross, signs were demanded to cleanse the house of an evil spirit, which also strives to get into a dwelling for a man. To do this, it was necessary to light three church candles and walk around the house, hallowing each corner with a cross and reading "Our Father".
- To the Exaltation of the Lord, signs recommended the holding of "skits" - the invited evenings with a cabbage pie on the table. After this day, they started salting cabbage for the winter.