What not to do for Christmas: signs and rules of behavior

Christmas is one of the main holidays of Christians. Orthodox celebrate the birth of the Savior on January 7. In the temples and monasteries, the Evening is performed, the king's watch, the All-night vigils are served.

For each holiday there is a "code of conduct" that prescribes to act in a certain way and provides for prohibitions. So, what can not be done for Christmas?

In the church

When going to Vigil and other divine services, it is necessary to take care of external and internal well-being. Women abandon cosmetics, dress in closed dresses or put on a sweatshirt and a skirt. On the head should be a handkerchief. Men, in contrast, come to the temple with their heads uncovered.

The main thing that you can not do for Christmas is to come to church evil, aggressive, with a sense of resentment towards your neighbor. The heart should be filled with joy about the birth of Christ. To achieve such a state of mind help confession and communion.

During the service it is forbidden to be distracted, to look too closely at icons and priests. You have to stand with your head down and listen to the prayers.

It is a great sin to leave the service before it ends. All prayers and obeisances are performed with thoughts of God.

At home

Preparing for Christmas begins with fasting, and on the eve of the holiday and completely starving. In the Holy evening, there is only beginning when the first star appears.

What can not be done for Christmas, except for refusing to eat until the hour? To put on old clothes, come to a holiday in black, perform hard work. The dishes for the festive table are prepared in advance. Only 7 numbers are allowed after the Vigil. Also, employment by needlework, crafts is excluded. For breakfast it is not recommended to drink water, otherwise thirst will be tormented in the summer, and the owner of the house should not leave the yard in order not to "endure" family well-being.

On Christmas night, it is strictly forbidden to guess. Experiencing fate, as a rule, during Christmas time, but this pastime is not welcomed by the church.

Until January 14, the landlady is not engaged in cleaning, and after the old New Year, the garbage is collected and burned in the yard.

On the eve of Christmas, it was not allowed to bathe in the bath. And it's not just about the upcoming efforts (to chop wood, to apply water), but also that water is washing away sins, and on such an important holiday the person was instructed to cleanse himself by fasting and prayer.

In the Christmas holidays are not hunted. It was believed that at that time in the animals the souls of the dead settled.

Our forefathers clearly knew what to do for Christmas. Signs are rooted in paganism, when a person considered himself part of nature and sought to live in harmony with the world around him.

In relation to others

Christmas is a family holiday, therefore it is celebrated in the circle of relatives. Guests, as a rule, are not invited, but the one who has come is received with honors.

Prior to the revolution, it was customary to visit the Holy Week, however, staying in someone else's house did not exceed 15-20 minutes. At that time, congratulations and wishes were made. Long stay also refers to what can not be done for Christmas. With the invention of telephone sets short visits were replaced by calls.

During Christmas, one should not forget about the neighbor. Earlier in the Christmas it was customary to give alms, treat the poor.

During the celebration of Christmas, they remembered not only the living, but also the dead. A candle was lit on the table and devices for ancestors were placed. Therefore, when the Nativity of Christ comes, what can not be done on this day is to forget about one's roots, those who lived on earth before us and contributed to our birth.

All of the above is true not only on Christmas holidays, but Christmas is an additional reason to remember the moral and family values, to think about how to behave a Christian.

Alone with myself

During church holidays, one should pay attention to their inner world. Christmas is not an exception. What can not be done on January 7 is to save in the soul hatred, envy, anger, despondency, other negative emotions and feelings. The soul must be open to God, therefore one should not allow thoughts about carnal pleasures, become lascivious.

Traditionally, holidays are celebrated at the table. But, although after the Christmas fasting is allowed to disperse, there is no need to overeat.

Christianity and Paganism

Some prohibitions are connected with the rejection by the Christian religion of pagan traditions. Even in the XIX century, at the state level, it was declared how to celebrate the birth of Christ. It was forbidden to engage in idolatry, dress up in improper garments, arrange songs and dances. At the same time, Christianity did not completely eradicate paganism, but transformed it.

The Church allows during the Christmas holidays to show children's spontaneity and have fun from the heart, and even today the monks sing carols. Singing allows you to feel the atmosphere of the holiday, get rid of discouragement and stress.

How to celebrate Christmas in our day

According to the church canons before the holiday is prescribed to observe the Christmas fast. At this time, you can not eat meat and other products of animal origin (butter, eggs, milk, cottage cheese). In the monastery fasting more strictly, and for lay people are allowed indulgences. On the eve of the feast they prepare oat and porridge with honey, dried fruits and nuts.

Christians attend all statutory services. Before the Vigil, you need to sleep and drink some coffee. Before the Sacrament, performed after the Vigil, do not eat about six hours.

You can also confess after service, but it is better to do it in advance, since it is difficult for fathers to take a confession from a large number of people on a holiday.

Children are taken to Vigil only if they wish. Parents need to take with them a small clean bedding, so that a tired child can nap.

Here, perhaps, and everything that can and can not be done at Christmas.

To feel the joy of the long Vigil service is helped by the realization of what exactly happened on this day. And the really incredible thing happened: God came to earth and appeared before people in human form. Jesus Christ granted each of us the hope of salvation.