From what date Christmastide in 2021

2024 Author: James Gerald | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 14:00

In the period from Christmas to Epiphany, Christmastide is celebrated. From what date and to what date the holiday will take place in 2021 - let's try to find out.

What is Christmas time in 2021

The dates of many church holidays can be changed by everyone, but this does not apply to Christmas time. And in order to find out when the holiday begins and when it ends, it is enough to know the dates of the celebration of Christmas and Epiphany. Christmastide begins on the evening of January 6 and ends on the evening of January 18, and they last exactly 12 days.

The name of the holiday came from the word "hallow", so it was customary to glorify Christ for 12 days. And also the Slavs called such a holiday "from star to water."

Today Christmastide is not celebrated the way our ancestors did. They mainly celebrate Christmas, Old New Year and Epiphany. But some believers try not to violate historically established traditions and customs.

Do's and Don'ts on Christmastide

On Christmastide, every Orthodox Christian should attend a service in the church at least once. Also, these days you cannot work a lot, but you need to try to rest more and have fun.

In Russia, in the early days of Christmastide, the Slavs visited each other and handed over gifts as a symbol of the gifts brought by the Magi in honor of the birth of the Son of God. They also visited hospitals, shelters, prisons and similar institutions. Even the kings on Christmastide changed their outfits for simple clothes and brought gifts to people who were sick or were in captivity.

On Christmastide, it was customary to set a rich table of an odd number of dishes. If in the past year one of the relatives died, then cutlery was also put on the table for him.

At the table, the family rejoiced at the birth of Christ, and also remembered those who had already left this world. On Christmastide, they prepared traditional dishes for the holiday:

• kutya;
• sbiten;
• cookies with nuts;
• oatmeal jelly and much more.

In the last days of Christmas before Epiphany, the best craftsmen went to the reservoir to make an ice-hole in the form of a cross. It has always been decorated with patterned pieces of ice, colorful ribbons and woodwork.

On Christmastide it was forbidden:

• bow down to the ground even in the temple;
• to embroider, knit, sew, do any hard work;
• counting money so as not to attract tears;
• marry;
• refuse help and alms;
• to sweep in the house, since happiness is swept out along with the garbage;
• make big purchases and new beginnings;
• hunt;
• swear.

To always have abundance in the house, on Christmas Eve it was necessary to taste all the dishes that were on the table.

Traditions

Russian customs of celebrating Christmastide are mainly associated with rituals, magical rites and fortune-telling. Also on the evening of January 6, Christmas carols begin. This is an ancient rite that many people honor to this day.

Caroling had to be done correctly, with special attributes. In the beginning, a group of several people gathered, each of them was assigned a role. They chose the one who would carry the sack, because each owner of the house presented the caroling gifts.

The costumes also had to be prepared. The funniest guy was dressed up as a goat, since such an animal was considered a symbol of a rich harvest, capable of driving away evil spirits from the house. Others could dress up as buffoons, a bear, and an angel.

The most important attribute of carols is the Star of Bethlehem, because its appearance in heaven was a sign of the birth of Jesus Christ. The star was fixed on a high stick, decorated with multi-colored ribbons and garlands.

Despite the fact that the church opposes such a pagan rite, even after the baptism of Russia, people did not abandon their traditions.

Fortune telling

On Christmastide, a ritual is held, which has survived from the time when Christianity was adopted in Russia. And we are talking about Christmas divination, which was especially used by young girls who dream of getting married.

Before midnight they went to the bathhouse, untied the knots in their hair and clothes. Two mirrors were placed on the table so that a corridor formed between them. Candles were lit on both sides of the mirrors. Then they uttered special words and looked into the mirror to see the image of their betrothed.

And as soon as the long-awaited image appeared, the girls had to quickly remove the mirrors, blow out the candles and leave the bath.

Interesting! What can and cannot be done at Christmas?

In the house, fortune telling using mirrors was prohibited, it was believed that evil spirits could penetrate through them.

Another fortune-telling for the groom. Before going to bed, the girl drank a glass of water, added a little salt, pronounced special words, and then immediately went to bed. The betrothed should have dreamed of her in a dream and served a glass of water.

Christmastide began to be celebrated back in the 6th century. It is believed that these days a special atmosphere reigns on Earth. And now many believers are trying not to miss from what date and to what date in 2021 the Christmastide days will take place in order to celebrate the noisiest and biggest holiday.

Summarize

1. Christmastide in 2021 begins on the evening of January 6 and ends on the evening of January 18.
2. On these days, you cannot do hard work, but you need to visit the temple, visit loved ones and help those who need it.
3. By tradition, Christmas carols and fortune-telling are celebrated.