What date is Christmas Eve in 2021

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

Remembering when, what date is Christmas Eve, is not at all difficult, since this date is fixed. Let's talk about the signs and traditions of the holiday, which fortune-telling to use in 2021.

Brief history of the name of the holiday

There are two versions of the appearance of the name of the holiday. The word "sychivo", meaning the main dish of the Christmas table, is the basis of the first of them. The treat consisted of mashed, steamed grain. It turned out to be a kind of porridge. Nuts, dried fruits and honey were added to it. The dish is familiar to modern people as kutia.

According to another version, the name of the holiday comes from the word "sochen" - a traditional dish in the form of a flat cake. The hostesses shaped it into a mask, cut openings for the eyes to look through them, revealing bad intentions. "Sochen" protected from evil forces.

Holiday traditions

It is customary to prepare for Christmas Eve in advance. Housewives carry out a thorough cleaning in the houses, as a decoration of the dwelling, they set elegant spruces in the corners or spread branches of coniferous trees everywhere.

On this day, it is customary to gather the whole family at one table, having tasted 12 dishes. The figure was not chosen by chance, according to the number of apostles. The main thing, of course, is kutia. In addition to her, they prepare stuffed cabbage rolls with vegetables, dumplings with berries or potatoes, oatmeal or cranberry jelly.

The hostesses make up the menu at their own discretion. Guests should definitely try every treat. The basic rule that Christians adhere to is that food should be lean, since it is the last day of fasting. The tradition has come down to our days to start a meal with the appearance of the first star in the sky.

On the night before Christmas, it is customary to arrange fortune-telling. Believers must attend the evening service on Christmas Eve. And whoever cannot do this for various reasons, reads a prayer at home and only after that sits down to have supper.

Carols

According to the ancient tradition, it is customary to go home in groups and sing merry songs. All the participants, dressed in funny outfits, lead round dances, lure people with jokes and jokes. Singing ditties, involving passers-by in the festive action.

Entering the dwelling, they show a mini-performance, and in return the owners treat the artists with various goodies. Sometimes they give a symbolic amount of money. The proceeds are donated to those in need.

Fortune telling

Christmas Eve is perceived as Christmastide. By and large, this is a full-fledged period, lasting from Christmas to Epiphany, when everything ends with the traditional swimming in the ice-hole. As you know, the date of the holiday is always unchanged, which means that the Orthodox do not have a question on what date it falls on in 2021.

Young people were impatiently waiting for fortune-telling in order to look into the future with at least one eye, find out the name of their betrothed and, possibly, see his image. Unmarried girls gathered in one hut and performed ceremonies:

1. One of them is on a towel. Before going to sleep, it was necessary to hang it next to the washbasin and mentally invite the invisible young man to wash. Then the girl should go to bed, check the towel in the morning. If it is wet - the betrothed came, this meant an early marriage. And, conversely, if the towel is dry, it is still far from the wedding.
2. Fortune telling on cups - it was necessary to put something from food or other objects in them. From the main paraphernalia, a ring, a piece of sugar and water were highlighted. The girl who wonders closed her eyes and chose one of the cups. Depending on its contents, she knew her future. Water - to the absence of any changes and empty chores that do not promise anything joyful and unusual. In a word, to the usual routine. Sugar means something good, light and joyful. An important positive event is to take place in the very near future. Ring - to meet a young man who will certainly make a marriage proposal.

This is not the whole list of fortune-telling. Among the great crowd, not all have reached us, but interest in Christmas Eve, as before, does not fade away.

Signs

On Christmas Eve, people watched natural changes, frost, snow cover, paying special attention to the starry sky. This is how many signs were born:

1. Abundant snow cover and frost on the frozen ground - for a rich grain harvest.
2. Black paths for the holiday (with little snowfall or melted) - the coming year will bring a good harvest of buckwheat.
3. A brightly shining sun - to abundant greenery in the spring.
4. Starry sky on Christmas night - to the yield of peas.
5. A sky strewn with stars on the night of January 6-7 - for a good berry and mushroom harvest.
6. On the day when Christmas Eve is celebrated, you cannot engage in hunting and fishing. It was believed that breaking the ban could turn into disaster.
7. It was not allowed to sit at the festive table in black robes, since this color symbolizes sadness.
8. You can't take out the trash - this is sad news.
9. On Christmas Eve, you cannot lend - otherwise, good, money and love will leave the house, like water through your fingers. It is also better to refuse a person who comes for salt or matches for the same reason.
10. Banned on January 6 and all kinds of handicrafts.
11. Taking a steam bath on Christmas Eve is considered a good sign - a person will be protected from all ailments all year round.
12. A dream that occurred on the night of January 6-7 is considered prophetic. What they saw will happen.
13. It has long been believed that those born on Christmas Eve will happily live in abundance.
14. From time immemorial, it has been customary for this holiday to bake a pie and put a coin inside. Whoever gets it will have a good year.
15. On this day, you cannot swear, swear and condemn others.

Christmas Eve has a fixed date, which means it's easy to guess when in 2021 or the next year, what date is the holiday. It is always January 6th, before Christmas. On this day, it is especially important to be attentive to each other, not to quarrel and wish well to others.

Summarize

1. Christmas Eve is always celebrated by Orthodox Christians on the same date, namely January 6, on the eve of the Nativity of Christ.
2. The holiday has its own customs, signs and traditions, the main of which is divination for the future and the betrothed.
3. On this day, it is customary to carol. And on the table there must certainly be 12 meatless dishes, the main one being kutia.
4. Orthodox believers attend church or pray for the health of family and friends at home. Only after that do they start the evening meal.