What can you do on a terrible Saturday. Rules for fasting on Great Saturday on the eve of Easter

The last day of Lent before Easter - Holy Saturday - falls on April 7 in 2018.

Holy Saturday is the sixth day of Holy Week, which ends Great Lent, which lasts 48 days. Holy Saturday - Saturday of Holy Week, dedicated to the remembrance of the burial and stay in the tomb of the body of Jesus Christ and the descent of Christ into hell (according to the doctrine of most Christian denominations), it is also a preparation for Easter - the Resurrection of Christ, which is celebrated on the night from Saturday to Sunday.

Holy Saturday services have kept a number of characteristic features early Christian worship, and a number of liturgical features of this day can be traced already in the monuments of the 4th century (“Pilgrimage of Egeria”). These features include the following:

Great Saturday - Lenten Saturday and at the same time the eve of the Bright Resurrection. In this regard, both mourning and festive Sunday features can be traced in the divine service of Great Saturday.
According to the custom of the most important fast days, the liturgy is celebrated after Vespers (as on Maundy Thursday, the eve of the Nativity of Christ and Theophany).
On this day, the baptism of the catechumens was performed, in connection with which there are numerous Old Testament readings in the service.
When pronouncing litanies and at the small and great entrances to the Liturgy, the clergy stand not on the ambo (as usual), but in front of the shroud in the middle of the temple.

Holy Saturday 2018what not to do on this day

Regarding restrictions, Holy Saturday is one of the most strict days of Lent. Prohibitions on this day apply to both food and human actions.

The main prohibitions of Holy Saturday (Holy Saturday, what not to do):

It is impossible to break the fast from three o'clock in the morning on Saturday until Sunday morning;
Do not eat cooked food;
You can’t drink alcohol (those who observed a strict fast on Good Friday and were only on bread and water can drink a little red wine to maintain their strength);
You can not laugh, dance and sing;
Must refrain from intimacy with a spouse;
You can not go fishing or hunting;
It is also forbidden to do house cleaning, ironing and washing things;
You can not wash;
Garden work is prohibited;
There is also a ban on needlework;
It is worth refraining from construction work and other physical work;

Good Saturday 2018: traditions, customs and signs (what can be done)

According to the weather on Good Saturday, you can determine the weather for the summer:

A clear and warm day promises a warm and sunny summer. If it is cloudy on this day, then the summer will be cold and rainy.

If you do not sleep on the night from Saturday to Sunday, then you can attract happiness for the whole year. It is believed that it is on this night that happiness walks among people, and it is important not to oversleep it.

If a consecrated egg is thrown into water on this day and washed with it, then this will make a person healthy and prolong youth.

The last day of fasting is considered a mournful day. On this day you can not laugh and have fun. It is believed that a person who spends Holy Saturday in fun and laughter will cry all year.

You can’t take anything out on Great Saturday, and even more so give it from home. It is believed that you can give away your well-being and prosperity.

Everyone knows that the memorial day is the first Sunday after Easter, but on Holy Saturday it is allowed to clean the graves.

It is also impossible to fish and hunt on this significant day, because during fasting it is forbidden to eat the products of dead animals. Therefore, you should not do this, so as not to invite misfortune on yourself.

It is on Holy Saturday that the service begins in Orthodox churches. Every Orthodox person is waiting for this day to test himself and commit himself to the wreath prayer. It will not be easy for an unprepared person to do this, but if you try, then at the end of the Easter service, indescribable grace will visit you, and the whole year will be happy and full of health for you.

On Good Saturday, housewives always dyed eggs and baked Easter cakes. The most common color for dyeing eggs is red. You can also let your imagination run wild and paint the eggs by hand. Each woman has her own proven recipe for Easter cakes, and each hostess makes them in her own way. General rule for the preparation of Easter cakes, it is considered that the house should have an appropriate environment. In the room where the dough will rise, you need to walk quietly and exclude swearing and foul language from the verbal turnover, so that your Easter cakes are cooked in peace and love.

Holy Saturday is a day of peace and kindness. Therefore, ask for forgiveness from your family and friends. Maybe you offended someone by word or deed. Do not drag with you the burden of resentment on this bright holiday.

Also, on the Saturday before Easter, be sure to distribute alms to all the needy whom you meet on your way. Well, relatives and people close to you should not be left without Easter gifts. As throughout Holy Week, on Holy Saturday you cannot celebrate weddings, birthdays, various celebrations, and generally have fun.

Passion or Great Saturday before Easter is the last day before the most important Christian holiday of the year. In 2019, it falls on April 27th. What can and cannot be done on this day, according to Christian traditions and customs?

What not to do on Holy Saturday before Easter

As on all holidays and memorable days, today it is not necessary to do sewing, wash clothes and chop wood, hunting and fishing are also prohibited. In general, you need to leave all the hard work and activities that can be called it in the modern world.

If a holiday falls on this day in the family, it should be rescheduled.

It is a sin to swear, scold, quarrel on Holy Saturday, especially with loved ones. It is not permissible on this day to laugh out loud, to have fun, to indulge in idleness. The clergy say that on the last day of Lent everyone is already quite tired, preparing for the great holiday, so you need to be especially attentive to relatives and friends so as not to quarrel.

On Holy Saturday there is a ban on carnal pleasures and alcohol.

What can and should be done on the Saturday before Easter

Solemn services begin today. If possible, be sure to visit one of them, consecrate the Easter basket, put candles for the health of loved ones. Be sure to light a candle at the icon with Jesus, pray with all your heart.

On the Saturday before Easter, you can paint eggs. By the way, this day is also called dyeing, and it is customary to give the first krashanka consecrated in the church to the needy and the homeless. If you didn’t bake paska and Easter cakes on Thursday, then on Saturday this can also be done.

Today is fasting day, so it is allowed to eat hot foods of plant origin, but without the addition of oil.

Today, as on Forgiveness Sunday, it's time to forgive everyone against whom resentment has been accumulated during the fast. Think of these people and let them go in peace.

On Great Saturday, you need to do a lot of things: bake Easter cakes and bring to mind every Easter dish, paint eggs, decorate the house and be sure to go to church. But besides this, there are certain rules of Good Saturday: what you can not do on this day. It is about them that will be discussed in this article.

With special trepidation, people who observed Great Lent treat the approach of this last Saturday before Easter. After all, Great Saturday is the last fasting day, which will end after the festive procession at midnight. In general, according to the church charter, it is desirable on Saturday, as well as on Good Friday, to abstain from food to the maximum: eat only bread and drink water. In principle, if you remind yourself that the festive meal is just around the corner, you will definitely find the strength to keep the fast for the last hours. Have you already decided how?

What is Holy Saturday dedicated to?

In addition to what you can’t do on Holy Saturday, there is a certain set of church rules that you need to remember. In particular, on this day they remember the reclining of the Body of Christ in the tomb. On this day, as church books write, the soul of Jesus Christ went to hell and told there that life triumphs over death.

In terms of what not to do this Saturday, when compared with other days of Holy Week, everything is quite democratic. Although, the holiday has not yet arrived, which means that certain prohibitions still need to be remembered.

Do not eat from three o'clock Saturday night until Sunday morning. Despite the fact that it is already at midnight, the festive meal is allowed only in the morning.
If you are fasting to a minimum, but want to keep this day right, then you can’t eat the food that is cooked on fire or using vegetable oil.
In no case do not drink, including red wine Cahors. Although, some priests emphasize that if a person observes a strict fast, he can drink a glass of Cahors to strengthen his strength.
Give up fun. This is still fasting time, which means that we not only limit ourselves in food, but also in joy and fun. No matter how much you would like to sing and dance during the preparation of Easter cakes and Easter, it is strictly forbidden to do this.
Refrain from intimacy. In general, this rule applies to the entire period of Lent.
You can't go fishing or hunting.
House cleaning in any form is already prohibited: do not wash, do not iron and do not clean. All the economic affairs of this plan should have been completed on Maundy Thursday.
Don't wash yourself.
Refuse to work with the land, that is, leave your garden plots for a while.
Of course, no needlework.
All physical work is excluded, especially for various construction cases.

As can be seen from this list, the prohibitions on Holy Saturday concern not only the physical, but also the spiritual life of a person. Moreover, you can not refuse on this day to people who ask you for something.

Important! Many go to the cemetery on Holy Saturday, but according to church law, this cannot be done. There are certain days to commemorate the dead, and Great Saturday, as well as the day of Easter itself, does not apply to such days.

The last day of Lent before Easter - Holy Saturday - falls on April 7 in 2018. Holy Saturday is the sixth day of Holy Week, which ends Great Lent, which lasts 48 days.

Restrictions Holy Saturday is one of the strictest days of Lent. Prohibitions on this day apply to both food and human actions.

The main prohibitions of Holy Saturday:

It is impossible to break the fast from three o'clock in the morning on Saturday until Sunday morning;
Do not eat cooked food;
You can’t drink alcohol (those who observed a strict fast on Good Friday and were only on bread and water can drink a little red wine to maintain their strength);
You can not laugh, dance and sing;
It is necessary to refrain from intimacy with a spouse;
You can not go fishing or hunting;
It is also forbidden to do house cleaning, ironing and washing things;
You can not wash;
Garden work is prohibited;
There is also a ban on needlework;
It is worth refraining from construction work and other physical work.

Last Saturday of Great Lent 2018: Traditions, Customs and Signs

By the weather on Good Saturday, you can determine the weather for the summer: a clear and warm day promises a warm and sunny summer. If it is cloudy on this day, then the summer will be cold and rainy.
On Great Saturday you can not sleep on Sunday night- this, as they say, you can attract happiness for the whole year. It is believed that it is on this night that happiness walks among people, and it is important not to oversleep it.
If a consecrated egg is thrown into water on this day and washed with it, then this will make a person healthy and prolong youth.
The last day of fasting is considered a mournful day. On this day you can not laugh and have fun. It is believed that a person who spends Holy Saturday in fun and laughter will cry all year.
You can’t take anything out on Great Saturday, and even more so give it from home. It is believed that you can give away your well-being and prosperity.
Everyone knows that the memorial day is the first Sunday after Easter, but on Holy Saturday it is allowed to clean the graves.
It is also impossible to fish and hunt on this significant day, because during fasting it is forbidden to eat the products of dead animals. Therefore, you should not do this, so as not to invite misfortune on yourself.

Great Saturday Matins

Great Saturday Matins is celebrated on Friday evening and contains the "rite of burial of the shroud." The shroud is a coverlet on which the image of the deceased Savior is embroidered. It symbolizes His lifeless body. Who is burying her? We are believers. That is, the divine service immerses us at the time when the apostles and the Mother of God buried the Lord, and we participate in this, we bury Him together with them. Thus, the Church allows the Christian to enter into the events of the Passion of Christ and experience them spiritually.

Holy Saturday 2018: canon, Holy Saturday service, liturgy

Holy Saturday- This is a day of special rest. Remember the first chapter of the book of Genesis, when the Lord created the world. It says that on the Sabbath day He rested from His works. And now the Lord rested again, died on the Cross, and time seemed to stop. Everything was frozen in anticipation of what would happen next. The body of the Savior is in the tomb, and His Soul is in hell. Great Saturday is the silence of the whole world before the mystery of what happened. In the darkness of the tomb of the Savior, a new era in the history of mankind is being prepared. So far, this is a secret hidden from everyone except God.

On this day, at the liturgy, instead of the Cherubic Hymn, we hear the words: "Let all human flesh be silent." According to ancient Christian tradition, it was not supposed to speak on this Sabbath. But at the liturgy itself, a new liturgical theme begins to open up - the Paschal theme. Before reading the Gospel, the priests take off their dark vestments and dress in white, and the Gospel itself is already permeated with the spirit of the resurrection. I remember the coming of the Myrrhbearing Women to the tomb of Christ. They don't find His Body. This is the first message of Easter, although Christ has not yet appeared before His disciples.

Consecration of Easter cakes and eggs on Holy Saturday 2018

According to a relatively recent tradition, believers bring Easter cakes and eggs to the church for consecration on Great Saturday. Perhaps this tradition is connected with the Soviet period, when the authorities in every possible way forbade attendance at the Easter night service and people tried to somehow touch the celebration of this day. At least through the consecration of Easter cakes and eggs. There are no secret symbols behind them, and their very consecration is not some kind of mystical rite. The Church simply blesses the believers in eating fast food after the Paschal night service - that's all.

Annunciation 2018 on Great Saturday

In 2018 the feast of the Annunciation Holy Mother of God, which is always celebrated on April 7, falls on Great Saturday - the last day before the bright holiday of Easter, but the most mournful and strict.

How to be a believer?

Many years ago, it was decided that all holidays that fall during Lent should be moved to weekends. So that on weekdays there is no unnecessary temptation in food and fun. But the Annunciation cannot be transferred - it is always celebrated strictly on the same day.

And it’s one thing when in the early 90s it coincided with Easter, and it was universal fun, let’s say, on two occasions, and another thing in 2018. From April 2 to April 8, the Orthodox are waiting for Holy Week - the last week of Great Lent. These are many hours of worship, and strict restrictions on food. Time of sorrow, repentance, suffering.

And April 7 will be Great Saturday and the Annunciation. And in this case, the veneration of Great Saturday and Christ's suffering is more important. And for Great Lent, Orthodox believers have two days when they can eat fish. This is Palm Sunday (Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem) and the Annunciation. But in 2018, fish will not be eaten on this holiday. Again, because of the coincidence with Holy Saturday. To know more, let's see what kind of holiday the Annunciation is and why it is so loved.

Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary- one of the 12 main (twelfth) holidays in the Orthodox calendar. On this day, the Archangel Gabriel appeared to the Virgin Mary and brought good news about the fact that it is she who will give birth to the son of God Jesus Christ. Exactly nine months after April 7, he was born. Christmas is also an enduring holiday and is always celebrated on January 7th.

The Annunciation has one day of fore-feast and one day of after-feast, on which the Cathedral of St. Archangel Gabriel.

When did the feast of the Annunciation appear?

For the first time this date appears in the writings of the Western authors of the 3rd century Tertullian and the Hieromartyr Hippolytus of Rome as the day of the Crucifixion of the Savior according to the Roman calendar. The number 7 is also consistent with the ideas of ancient church historians that the Annunciation and Easter, as historical events happened on the same day of the year.

What does the Annunciation mean for people?

In Russia, the Annunciation was the third most important holiday after Easter and the Nativity of Christ. It was forbidden to work that day. In many villages, whole families in the evening, at sunset, went to the mills and settled here on the straw for a peaceful conversation about what the coming spring will be like, what the sowing, what the plowing, what the harvest. The Annunciation was considered a day of blessing for every good deed, especially for agricultural work. According to popular legend, on this day, as on Easter, the sun “plays” at dawn and sinners are not tormented in hell. Before the revolution, there was also a custom to release caged birds on this day as a symbol of the announcement of freedom to all people.

Saturday, which comes in Holy Week before Easter, is a special day. Therefore, they are often interested in the question: what can and cannot be done on the Saturday before Easter?

A detailed response and first-hand comments from the clergy are presented below.

You can start the discussion with what kind of Saturday comes before Bright Sunday. Interestingly, this day has several names at once:

Great.
Passionate.
Dyeing.
Quiet.

The main name is due to the fact that Saturday is the last day of Holy Week. These days were the last in the earthly life of Jesus Christ.

On Good Friday, the Savior was crucified, and all Saturday his body lay in the tomb. And the grief of loved ones at the tomb of Christ was very heavy, because hardly anyone hoped that he would rise again.

That is why Great (Holy) Saturday is a very dramatic day. And therefore it is undesirable:

make any fun
go to parties,
sing dance,
organization of some celebrations (wedding, birthday, etc.)
indulge in carnal pleasures.

In this regard, the Sabbath day is also called quiet - it is really better for believers to refrain from worldly noise.

It is also better to give up work in the garden, hunting and fishing.

What not to do on Great Saturday before Easter

It is good to feel the atmosphere of Great Saturday, to learn a brief history of what lies in the traditions of this day, and what it means. Then it will become clear what exactly should not be done in such dramatic hours.

First of all, this is a day in which you need to try to restrain all earthly passions. It is unacceptable to swear, especially to swear and get annoyed in general.

So, it is better to leave all the clarification of the relationship for later. After all, Easter is coming, and it's time to tune in to the bright waves of the holiday.

If possible, it is better not to devote time to fun parties, to postpone the celebration of any dates. It is undesirable to do housework, hard work. It is better to plan your time in such a way in order to fulfill routine duties before the mournful hour.

Of course, there is no need to laugh, unrestrainedly have fun on Saturday before Easter. After all, we certainly would not do this in the days of memory of our loved ones. And if we are talking about the fact that a good half of humanity remembers the suffering and death of Jesus Christ, it is clear that this only increases our responsibility.

What to do on Holy Saturday before Easter

Since we are talking about the fact that on this day believers especially commemorate Christ, it is important to pay sufficient attention to their spiritual life. It would be right to attend a church service that starts early in the morning and continues throughout the day. Moreover, in the evening it turns into an all-night service, and then Bright Sunday comes.

And among the people, Saturday is also called Dyeing (or Red), since the hostesses are completing the last preparations for Easter. Eggs are dyed in the house, Easter cakes are baked, boiled pork is baked. Although it is traditionally customary to finish all household work on (cleaning the house, washing), the church does not prohibit doing business on the Sabbath.

Of course, on such a day you can read the Bible, pray, do good deeds, help those in need. Here you can navigate to your inner voice. Perhaps someone has long needed your attention - then you should visit the person and help him as much as possible.

It would be useful to ask for forgiveness and forgive other people yourself. After all, by doing even the smallest things, we really change the world for the better and fill it with joy.

What can you eat on Good Saturday in Lent

And you can also take care of tomorrow's celebrations - traditionally, housewives begin to collect Easter baskets in order to consecrate festive food in the church. In this regard, the question arises: what do they eat on the Saturday before Easter?

In fact, this is the last day of Lent, so it is better to try to withstand the restrictions. In addition, there is not long to endure - tomorrow you can eat any dish.

And on Saturday itself, you can be content with only this menu:

bread (not rich);
fruits and vegetables in any form;
water.

Great Saturday is the last day of Great Lent, and it is very strict (bread and water). And if we talk about when the Sabbath meal is allowed before Easter, then only after the end of the vigil in the temple. In fact, Great Lent ends on Sunday: after the service, believers solemnly say: “Christ is risen! He has truly risen!"

And then you can already taste pastas, eggs and other food. After that, the parishioners go home, rest and go to bed. But the real Easter holiday comes a few hours after Easter night - and it lasts at least a week.

Folk signs and beliefs on Holy Saturday

As we know, this is a particularly dramatic day: the body of the Savior has already been removed from the cross and placed in a coffin. Of course, on such a day you should refrain from any quarrels, and even irritation is better left for later. And you need to pay attention to such folk omens and beliefs:

On Good Saturday, it is better not to plan any noisy parties. Even if a birthday falls, it should be celebrated as modestly as possible. And if you arrange a feast for the whole world, then this is an unkind sign: the year may not turn out as well as you planned.
It is also popularly believed that it is not necessary to take out the garbage on Saturday and nothing (any item) from the house at all, including loans. Wait until Sunday - because if you disobey, it can give rise to minor troubles, failures and harm you.
If Easter cakes turned out well on Great Saturday, this is a very good symbol: the year will turn out and delight loved ones with pleasant events.
If you wake up precisely during the Easter dawn and see it, a new bright streak will come in business.
If a deceased relative dreamed on Easter night, this is a very good sign. There is a belief that then in the next year all family members will be healthy, and no misfortunes will touch them.
It is better to try not to oversleep the morning service and generally get up early. Being late for church is not a good sign.
Interestingly, even hunters have a peculiar system of Easter symbols and signs. If you describe all their signs, you need a whole book. But the most important rule is that on such a day it is strictly forbidden to shed the blood of animals, this is considered a great sin. Therefore, with hunting (and fishing) you need to wait a little.
If it was clear and warm on Saturday before Easter, then the whole summer will be clear and sunny. And if cloudy weather turned out - to be a cold and rainy summer.