Spirits of the day - the name-day of the Earth

There are many Orthodox holidays among the Russian people. Everyone knows Christmas and Baptism, Trinity and Easter. Some holidays are equally important, but not so well known. One of these holidays is the day's Spirit. The Orthodox celebrate it right after the Trinity. The Holy Scripture says that it was on this day that the Holy Spirit fell upon the disciples of Christ, therefore this holiday is also called the Day of the Descent of the Holy Spirit. It is celebrated on different dates, but always on Monday. Strictly forbidden in Orthodoxy, any work on this day on earth as a sign of respect and veneration of the Earth-birthday.

Many names have the Day of the Holy Spirit. On Vyatka he was called the Name of the Earth, in Ukraine - Bogodukhov Day or Rosigry, in Belarus - Mermaid or Ivan-da-Marya, in Serbia - Rusal.

The history of this festival tells that on the fiftieth day after the Sunday of Christ the apostles were in Jerusalem. Suddenly they heard a noise from the sky. It was like the sound of a strong wind, only the wind itself was gone. Gradually, he filled the whole house, where they were. This sound was divided into tongues of fire and descended on each of them separately. At that moment they enlightened with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different languages, on which the Spirit gave them utterance. And they became people created by the Spirit of the Creator in the image and likeness of the Lord.

Spirits Day is a holiday that begins with the evening church service. During the service three special prayers are read for this day, composed by Saint Basil. They are read kneeling. It is the feast of veneration of the Holy Spirit, which according to Christian precepts is considered the "bearer of life", supporting the universe in its existence. It was through the Holy Spirit that the Lord poured out grace on his children.

There are a number of traditions on Spirits Day. In some agrarian regions of our country during this holiday, the procession around the fields is carried out, accompanied by the singing of church psalms, hymns and reading of special prayers. Another custom of this holiday is the feeding of Mother Earth. He takes his beginning on Vyatka. On Whit Monday, all the elderly women gathered together and went to the field. There they spread out tablecloths on the ground and laid out the food they brought. Their meal was interrupted by hymns and bypassing the field. At this time, they scattered pieces of food on the ground, and the oldest of them buried one piece in the ground, asking at the land of the harvest. People believed that on this day the earth at sunrise reveals its secrets to all who wish to know them. Therefore, immediately after the morning prayer, people went to the fields and fell with their ear to the ground. This custom was called "listening to treasures." However, the earth revealed its secrets only to the most pious people, the true righteous. It was also believed that the Spirits Day is the true beginning of the summer, since not only from the sky, but also from the ground, warmth begins on this day.

Very often, Spirits are identified as Day with mermaids. There was a belief that until this day mermaids live in water, and after - go out to fields, meadows and fields. This week it was dangerous to walk on fields sown with rye and swim. Mermaids could be taken to the underwater kingdom.

Now this day there is a church service, and people simply do not work on the ground. Many interesting holiday traditions, unfortunately, have sunk into oblivion.