To know exactly what date Orthodox Christians will celebrate Krasnaya Gorka in 2024, you need to refer to the church calendar. The specific date is determined depending on when the Holy Resurrection of Christ is celebrated. Red Hill takes place a week after Easter.
What's the point
The holiday has other names, as it combines Orthodox and folk traditions. The church calendar designates it as St. Thomas Sunday, dedicated to the Apostle Thomas. He believed in the resurrection of Christ only when Jesus appeared personally before him, showing his wounds.This event is described in detail in the Gospel of John.
Another rooted name is Antipaskha. Here the prefix "anti" is read in the sense of "instead of" or "similarly" , and not as a contrast. The "Second Easter" comes immediately after the bright Easter week, once again reminding us of the great event of the past week.
Our ancestors called Krasnaya Gorka a folk holiday celebrated in the spring, most often in its last month. It was a kind of farewell to the boring winter. Often, under the blizzard howls of the icy wind, people began to think about the time when such a bright and joyful day would be celebrated. Wide festivities were held on the hillocks, which were freed from snow earlier than others. This is where the name comes from: Red means beautiful.
The date of the celebration of Krasnaya Gorka in 2024 falls on May 12th. In 2022, it was celebrated on May 1, and in 2023 on April 23.
What can I do
Believers traditionally begin the first Sunday after Easter with a cathedral service in the temple. Returning from the service, Christians also try sincerely and with faith to pray at the home iconostasis. You can ask for longevity and excellent he alth not only for yourself, but for all household members. According to our ancestors, on this day, any appeal to the Lord does not go unanswered.
After that, they traditionally set the table and invite guests. It’s not bad to accept someone’s invitation yourself, not forgetting about gifts, and have plenty of fun. It is appropriate to continue the celebration at cultural and entertainment events that will take place on this day.
In Rus', for many centuries, the “season” of matchmaking and wedding celebrations began from Krasnaya Gorka, which were out of the question in the previous period of Lent. It was believed that the family, the creation of which was agreed on that very day, would receive a special blessing from God, and the newlyweds would not have to face hardships and problems.
What not to do on Krasnaya Gorka
Commemoration of the dead is not held on such a day. No need to go to the cemetery even to clean up there. This is best done on Radonitsa - on the first Tuesday after Fomin Sunday, when the universal memorial service is served.
Swearing, quarrels, conflicts, especially between spouses, are unacceptable - however, it is important to restrain your anger at other times as well.
You can't gamble and compete, so that luck doesn't turn away for a long time.
It is not recommended to sleep for a long time, so as not to oversleep your own happiness, and to remain alone - it can drag on for many years.
The Church does not bless hard work - it is more correct to devote holy days to thanksgiving prayers, a festive feast, conversations with like-minded people, holiday entertainment.
Folk customs
There was a tradition among the ancestors: girls gave painted eggs to guys.
In the morning they washed their faces with clean water, without soap. There was a belief that on Antipascha, water has special properties and helps keep the skin of the face he althy and attractive.
There was also such a ritual: they made a wish and threw a small coin into the lake or pond. They believed that after that the dream would definitely come true.
Young people also participated in the spring carols. Girls and boys dressed up beautifully and went from house to house, presenting their hosts with songs and dances and showering them with good wishes. In return, they were given colored eggs (mostly yellow and green), which the young people rolled down the hills. The belief was that the farther the egg rolled, the more prosperous fate would be.
To put a solid barrier to misfortunes and problems for the whole coming year, women with girls plowed over the village or village in which they lived. When midnight came, they loudly sang songs and set off for the outskirts. Six women were already waiting there, having reached the place of the ceremony earlier than others.Three were young - they were responsible for the plow, three - old, they were trusted to hold the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God in their hands.
Boards were laid on top of the plow, several young women sat on them, and the rest pulled the ropes, plowing the settlement with prayers and spiritual chants. The procession stopped at each of the crossroads to draw crosses on the ground. This was done in order to leave potential disasters, droughts, and crop failures behind the furrow, preventing them from approaching the homes of Christians celebrating Antipascha.
To attract we alth, they baked round loaves and fried eggs in the shape of an impeccable circle. To strengthen financial well-being, they collected all the crumbs from Easter cakes to feed the birds. Be sure to feed homeless animals: there was a belief that thanks to this, money would be made faster.
Signs on Krasnaya Gorka
- sunny Fomino Sunday gave hope that the whole summer would be the same. If the sun was particularly hot, a good harvest was expected;
- feared for crops in strong wind;
- it was believed that the more birds fly, the more chances for a peaceful sky;
- according to folk beliefs, a dead person dreaming on the night of Krasnaya Gorka will bring good luck and goodness;
- forehead and nose decorated with small freckles - the year is expected to be prosperous and happy;
- rejoiced if an egg with a double yolk came across at the festive table - it foreshadowed imminent we alth;
- hair and nails were not cut so as not to shorten their own lives;
- on the holiday they tried to wear red clothes to attract more good moments.
Today, our contemporaries no longer celebrate Fomino Sunday as widely as their ancestors, do not arrange mass celebrations, do not have fun from morning to night. However, as a rule, there are much more people who want to seal themselves by marriage than at other times. And there are queues at the registry offices, and weddings go one after another.
In the Christian understanding, Antipascha is another opportunity to thank God for giving us life and the hope of resurrection for Eternity. It is also by no means forbidden to rejoice together that spring, after a long winter period, fully comes into its own, because the fundamental significance of this time of year is the triumph of life over death.
