What is in the Holy Week? Great post: what can and why not

Passionate week for believing Christians is a special period, not only the hardest for the body, but also the lightest for the soul. In translation from the Church Slavonic language, "passions" are the meaning of "trials and sufferings". The Holy Week is dedicated to the events on the death-days of Christ's earthly life: the Last Supper, betrayal, suffering, crucifixion, burial and resurrection. Another Holy Week before Easter in the people has the names Red and Pure week.

Days of Holy Week

Every day of Holy Week begins with the name "Great", it has its greatness and significance.

Great Monday reminds us of the Old Testament patriarch Joseph sold by the brothers into slavery, as a type of the suffering of Jesus Christ. It also recalls the curse of the barren fig tree, symbolically showing the human soul without the fruits of faith, repentance and works of mercy.

On Great Tuesday, the parable of the Pharisees and scribes, uttered by Jesus in the Jerusalem temple of the parable, is read.

On Great Wednesday, the church remembers the betrayal of Jesus by his disciple Judas for 30 silver pieces. On this day, the story of the sinner who prepared Jesus for burial is read, washing him with his tears and the precious world.

On Great Thursday, in the churches, a passage from the Bible is read about a secret evening, as the Savior washed the feet of the apostles.

Good Friday speaks of the martyrdom and the death of Christ.

On Great Saturday, the service speaks of the presence of Christ in the tomb, the consecration of the Passover meal. On Saturday in Jerusalem, there is an amazing and inexplicable phenomenon - the convergence of the blessed fire.

The Benefits of Fasting

Observance of the Orthodox fasting is very useful for the human body. Some perceive it as a diet and suggest that it is useful only for people with excess weight. This is not true. Fasting is useful for everyone. Lenten food basically consists of cereals, fruits and vegetables that contain a lot of fiber. Such food, like a universal cleaner, relieves the body of toxins and toxins, normalizes weight and makes the body more healthy. And one-day fasting good strengthen the body. Reducing the volume of the stomach during fasting reduces the need for food, especially since lean food is very healthy and nutritious. Fasting is useful for the sick and healthy, thin and full. There is an opinion that Orthodox fasts are hard to observe, many expect hungry torment. This is not true. Those who try to fast are often surprised at the feeling of satiety and without meat products. No pills will not help to cleanse and improve the body like a fast. In our time, it's easy to make lean food varied thanks to a variety of recipes. Therefore, the question of what is in the Holy Week, there is no problem.

Features of fasting days on Holy Week

Especially strict fasting days pass before Easter. After a long forty-day fast they are a big test. But the sweeter is the holiday for those who were able to curb their belly. The Holy Week before Easter calls us to adhere to the post of the second degree - dry eating. At the same time, the usual rules apply: the rejection of meat and milk, fish and vegetable oil, cooking is added without any heat treatment (cooking or frying), and on Friday and Saturday full abstinence from any food is prescribed. However, this is a strict monastic order. Orthodox Christians take a priest's blessing on this. Lenten days should be held for strength and for health reasons. This process can be of different degrees:

• Refusal of meat;
• Plus the rejection of dairy products, including cheeses and butter;
• Plus the rejection of eggs and all dishes with their participation;
• Plus rejection of fish, etc.

In addition, during the fasting period it is necessary to reduce the volumes of dishes, and especially on Holy Week.

Menu for the Holy Week

The modern church charter of fasting days is based on the rules for monks. For the fasting laity there is a charter - the Old Russian Typical, used from the XII century. It states what is in the Holy Week, from the fact that laymen need to act "according to their strengths" - in accordance with different life situations. There are indulgences for the elderly, sick, pregnant and lactating, children, etc.

One should strive to take food once a day. Food should consist of raw vegetables with bread and water. Even with such strict rules, under which passes the Holy Week, the menu can be quite diverse.

On Great Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday prescribed dry eating - cold food without vegetable oil, unheated drink.

Breakfast: vegetable or fruit salads, for example, cabbage-prune or apple-cabbage with orange sauce, or sprinkled with coconut-orange ambrosia.

Lunch: beet or carrot salad, potatoes with mushrooms or grated carrots with oranges.

Dinner: spicy carrots, pickles, carrot and walnut salad.

If you prepare the dishes, or prepare something of your own, consider that if there is oil in the recipe - just exclude it.

On Holy Thursday, it is allowed to take boiled vegetables with butter and a small amount of wine.

Breakfast: apple soup with apricot, lean buns with apple or jam.

Lunch: "Motley salad", soups from vegetables or dried fruits, sweet pie with berries.

Dinner: vegetable salted salad or chowder with vegetables and rice, mushroom soup.

On Friday, we try to refrain from food in general. Only at three o'clock in the morning is allowed to take a little bread with water.

On Saturday, if possible, you need to refrain from food. If it's hard for you, you can make this menu:

- Breakfast: oatmeal soup with quince or cold soups with dried fruits, bread.

- Lunch: potato soup, cabbage rolls with prunes and rice.

- Dinner: bean soup with sweet pepper or mushroom salad.

When considering soup recipes, vegetable oil is easily excluded if you do not fry the recommended products on it, and put it out in water or immediately add it to the soup without additional heat treatment.

What can not be done on Holy Week

According to the traditions of the Orthodox Church, Christians held this week in prayers, observed the strictest fasting, and strove to visit the church daily. There was a ban even for loud conversations, laughter, singing songs and fun. Nowadays Lent, especially the strict rules of the Holy Week, are observed by few, the church is visited even less. The Church teaches that the rejection of the use of certain foods means little without the fasting of the spiritual. It consists in prayers, doing good deeds, good thoughts, etc. If there is a desire to fast, and you reflect on what is in the Holy Week, recall the words of Theophan the Recluse: "Fasting seems gloomy until they enter the arena of it ...".

The spiritual post has its own "menu": when a person "evades anger, rage, anger and revenge, evades idle talk, profanity, empty talk, slander, condemnation, flattery, lies and all maliciousness ... a real fast man who Runs away from all evil ... "- the Holy Church commands.

During the Great Lent, and especially on Holy Week, the sex life is prohibited. Kisses of the husband and the wife are allowed only at night. What is not allowed in the Holy Week is singing, having fun, dancing, laughing, visiting any entertainment and entertainment events, celebrations, birthdays and weddings, giving up extraneous thoughts. For a table on the monastic statute it is forbidden to sit more often than once a day, it is allowed only after sunset. On Great Friday, it is also not recommended to do housework and wash.

Therefore, taking part in the preparation for the most important Christian holiday, meditate not only on what is in the Holy Week, but also how to fast spiritually.

Easter traditions

This week is full of traditions and rituals for every day, it is customary to take care of putting things in order not only in the soul, but also in the house. During the Holy Week, a thorough general cleaning of the house was carried out - the ceilings were bleached, the walls were painted, the mats were rubbed, the curtains were starved. The most beautiful tablecloths and napkins came from chests and chests of drawers.

There is a beautiful tradition for the Annunciation to release to the will of birds. In 2015, this holiday fell on the Great Tuesday. Nowadays the clergy symbolically let go of the dove pigeons. Zooprotectants recommend not to buy wild birds from hunters and poachers who try to profit in this way on the sufferings and death of birds, since birds often die after the stress of bondage.