The day of September 27 is one of the most significant in the national calendar. There are many signs associated with it. It was believed that from this day autumn begins to move towards winter - it's time to prepare fur coats and hats. It is on this day that the bears climb into the den, and the birds are preparing to fly south - that means it's time to warm the house. But many people do not know, for example, why you can not go to the forest on September 27. But this superstition also has an explanation.
September 27 - Orthodox holiday of the Exaltation
Red on the calendar this day is because it marks one of the most important church holidays - the Exaltation of the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord According to the biblical legend, Jesus Christ was crucified on Mount Calvary on an oblique cross, which after the execution was buried in the same place. After many years, the city of Jerusalem attacked by the army of Roman soldiers was destroyed, and the sacred place of execution was dug to the ground. The Emperor Hadrian ordered to equip it with a pagan temple. And only a few centuries after this event, the emperor Constantine was shown a miracle - a Christian cross with a victorious inscription, thanks to which it was possible to win many important victories. The pious ruler, striving to fulfill the will of the Lord, commanded his mother, Queen Helena, to find the very cross on which the Savior was crucified. For a long time it was not possible, but in the end the shrine was found. With her help it was possible to resurrect a recently deceased person, so the cross was called Life-giving. In his honor, the Church of the Ascension of the Lord was laid in Jerusalem, which had been rebuilt by that time. And the very day of finding the shrine became a widely celebrated religious holiday.
People's tradition combined September 27 with a natural phenomenon - the rise of autumn to meet the winter. Hence the appearance of many associated with this day will take and superstitions , which have little in common with the church holiday. Although all the same in Russia, it was at the Exaltation that they tried to illuminate the newly built churches and begin the construction of chapels. In the villages on that day, religious processions along the nearby fields were often carried out, and the mistresses began to cut and sob cabbage.
Why not go to the forest on September 27?
The Russian people have many prohibitions related to the Feast of the Exaltation. One of the most famous is the ban on visiting the forest. On the question of whether it is possible to go to the forest on September 27, the answer has always been unequivocally negative. And this was due to two reasons. Firstly, it was believed that on that day all the forest evil spirits intensified. The Orthodox holiday for goshawks, kikimor, werewolves for some reason was not a decree, not paying attention to it, they arranged the last gathering before the winter. The woodsman checked his possessions, the readiness of the animals for the winter. To come across him at that moment was extremely dangerous. Secondly, it was believed that on September 27, the doors to the virions open for all creeping reptiles, into which they hurry for wintering, stumbling into huge tangles. To stumble upon them in the forest is to be bitten. And the man could also fall under the earth - through the same open gate of Viriya, and spend many months there until the spring together with the snakes.
What else can not be done on September 27?
According to popular belief, September 27
- to leave open the gates and doors to the house - snakes can crawl in them;
- play weddings - marriage will be unhappy;
- start a new business - it will be useless or will end in a catastrophe;
- bathe in natural water bodies - you can also stumble upon snakes swimming under snags;
- there is animal food - who will fast on this day, receive remission of sins.