Ascension - The Ascension of the Lord, the twelve feast, celebrated on the fortieth day after Easter, falls on Thursday:
In 2022, the Ascension of the Lord God and Savior will be celebrated on June 2. This religious holiday celebrates the day of the spiritual ascension of the prophet Jesus to heaven. Sometimes this holiday is called the day of the Ascension or Maundy Thursday.
What does the holiday mean
The Ascension of the Lord is described in the Gospel of Luke, the Acts of the Holy Apostles and, briefly, in the end of the Gospel of Mark.
After the events of the Resurrection, Jesus Christ appeared to the apostles several times and preached the Kingdom of God. It was not a vision, it was a living Master, made of flesh and blood. Evidence that the Savior really rose from the dead and thereby conquered death. The appearances of Christ to the disciples were a kind of preparation for the day of Pentecost - when the Holy Spirit descended on them so that they could preach the Risen Christ to the whole world.
But this will happen later - a few days after the Ascension, but for now the Lord is calling the apostles to the suburb of Jerusalem - Bethany. There, on the Mount of Olives, they see Christ in the flesh for the last time. Raising his hands, He blesses the disciples and ascends to heaven.
In the Acts of the Holy Apostles it is written that during the Ascension the Savior was hidden in a cloud, after which “two men in white clothes” appeared to amazed eyes - they announced the coming Second Coming of Christ:
Men of Galilee! why are you standing and looking at the sky? This Jesus, ascended from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw Him ascending into heaven. (Acts 1: 9-11)
After this amazing - joyful - separation from Christ, the apostles returned to the capital of Israel - Jerusalem. It was there that the Holy Spirit descended on them a few days later.
Celebration traditions
Over the centuries of Christianity in Russia, the holiday of the Ascension of the Lord in the popular consciousness has absorbed a part of pagan and agrarian customs. The change of spring and summer, care for the future harvest, the first really hot days - all this is intertwined with the church meaning of the holiday. At the same time, of course, there were also such folk traditions that had little to do with the church meaning of the holiday, but can tell a lot about the everyday life of the Russian peasants, their attitude to the holy day.
What can you do on Ascension Day?
On the Ascension of the Lord, people commemorate their departed relatives and loved ones: they put candles in churches for repose and read a prayer. On this day, it is customary to decorate the house with green twigs and herbs. Plants gain strength and healing properties on Ascension and retain them until Ivan Kupala himself. Several rituals of the holiday are also associated with water. Yes, dew on Ascension is considered curative, so people have long tried to wash themselves with morning dew or wet their feet in it. Also on this day, it is advisable to swim in the river in order to gain health and fortitude.
There is no fasting for the Ascension of the Lord, so you can eat any food. First of all, these are pies with eggs and onions.
In ancient times, the Ascension was held the first in the current yearritual "boom", a kind of "bachelorette party". Young girls fried eggs together, exchanged handkerchiefs, wreaths and other things or jewelry.
What can not be done on the Ascension of the Lord?
The Feast of the Ascension is associated with a number of prohibitions that believers should adhere to.
- On the Ascension of the Lordheavy physical labor is prohibited: work in the garden, it is better to postpone repairs until tomorrow.
- You cannot do cleaning, do laundry, sewing and handicrafts.
- It is strictly forbidden to swear and sort things out.
- To spit, to throw garbage down the street on the Ascension of the Lord is also impossible. It is believed that Christ goes around the Earth for the last time before ascending to heaven.
- You cannot sing a funeral service and serve a requiem for the dead.
- Also, on Ascension, it is forbidden to get married and conduct a wedding ceremony.
Holiday signs
It has long been popularly believed that rye begins to spike on Ascension and the cuckoo stops chuckling. Sometimes they say to this day: "The cuckoo choked on a wheat spikelet." Several more folk will take to the Ascension of the Lord.
- If on this day the hen laid an egg, it is for luck. Such an egg is not eaten, but is hung under the roof of the house - as a talisman and for good luck.
- It is a good omen to hear a crow crowing at Ascension.
- Chirping magpies - money.
- Ascension rain foreshadows crop failure and livestock pestilence this year.
Read also:
- Midsummer 2022
- Nikola Letny in 2022
- Spirits Day in 2022
