Signs for Maundy Thursday. What do you do on Maundy Thursday? When to bathe and wash

Orthodox Christians continue Holy Week, which in 2017 will end on the night of April 16 with the most important Christian holiday - Easter. Holy Week is the last and strictest week of Lent, when believers not only fast, but also prepare for Easter in order to celebrate it according to all the rules, according to traditions and customs.

Maundy Thursday – 2017

There are especially many traditions and signs associated with Maundy Thursday - the day when Christians remember the Last Supper and the establishment of the sacrament of the Eucharist (communion) by Jesus Christ. Also on Maundy Thursday, they remember Christ’s washing of the disciples’ feet, his prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane and the betrayal of Judas.

On Maundy Thursday, the liturgy of St. Basil the Great is served in churches, freshly brewed myrrh is blessed, and the patriarch symbolically washes the feet of 12 priests.

Maundy Thursday in folk tradition

In Rus', this day was traditionally called Maundy Thursday. There are many folk signs, customs and conspiracies associated with Maundy Thursday that have pre-Christian roots. The fact is that Easter is the Christian analogue of much more ancient celebrations associated with the spring awakening, for which one should be well prepared, having cleansed itself of winter dirt not only physically, but also spiritually.

On Maundy Thursday, everything related to washing, cleaning, water and bathing has symbolic meaning. According to tradition, on this day the villagers got up before sunrise and washed or swam in open reservoirs (especially if Easter was late and the weather was favorable). It was believed that bathing on Maundy Thursday is akin to Epiphany - a person, as it were, washes away sins and illnesses, stocking up on health for the whole year.

On Maundy Thursday it is also customary to go to church for confession and communion. After returning from the temple, the housewives began to prepare the house for Easter: they carried out general cleaning, cleaning all corners of the home, washed floors, benches, kitchen utensils, walls and ceilings, organized a grandiose wash, cleaned and shook out all the rugs: in Rus' it was believed that if in Clean Thursday, thoroughly clean the house, then it will be clean all year, including spiritual cleanliness.

According to custom, after the Thursday general cleaning, the housewife no longer swept the floor and did not clean the home until Easter.

Having cleaned the home, the housewives began to cook: they baked Easter cakes from pre-prepared dough, prepared Easter cottage cheese and other holiday dishes, and baked meat. Also on Thursday evening it was customary for the whole family to color eggs.

Beliefs strictly prohibit giving away anything from home on Maundy Thursday. Even if a neighbor comes to you for salt, find a reason to refuse her, otherwise, along with the salt, you can give her prosperity and peace from your home.

Maundy Thursday 2017: conspiracies

Although the church does not encourage such “fun,” the tradition of conspiracies and other folk rituals on Maundy Thursday is still alive.

Thursday salt

For example, since ancient times in Rus', on Maundy Thursday, the whole family prepared the so-called Thursday salt. To do this, each family member took a handful of salt with clean hands and put it in a common bag. The salt was then calcined and used as a “cure” for all diseases (it was believed to have healing properties) or added to water when washing floors to keep the house clean. Bags of Thursday salt were also used as amulets for the home, barn, garden, field, etc.

Money plot

There are also rituals associated with Maundy Thursday: for example, on this day it is customary to count money three times - in the morning before dawn, at lunch and at sunset. It is believed that this ritual helps to lure wealth into the house.

Conspiracy for well-being

Another popular Maundy Thursday conspiracy for prosperity, wealth and good income. To do this, they threw a handful of coins into the water intended for washing the house before Easter, saying: “Money, keep going, don’t transfer – grow, multiply, don’t get to the enemy!”

Also, from Maundy Thursday until Easter, they tried not to take anything out of the house, so as not to become poor.

Easter cake conspiracy

They make wishes on Maundy Thursday and for Easter dishes - it is believed that if the hostess's Easter cake and Easter were a great success, the year will be nourishing and happy, and if the dishes are not successful, you need to be on the alert - there is a high chance of all sorts of troubles.

Hair spell

Haircut on Maundy Thursday: girls on this day specially cut the ends of their hair. It was believed that after this the hair grows better and becomes more voluminous.

A spell for girls against bad luck

A sign associated with Maundy Thursday for girls and women who are unlucky in love or in family life. It was believed that the best remedy for such bad luck was to go waist-deep into the river on the night of Maundy Thursday. However, it is better not to use this remedy in our latitudes and in our climate, otherwise women’s diseases would not be added to the troubles in the form of an unfaithful groom and a drunkard husband.

Spell for beauty and happy marriage

On Maundy Thursday, the girls left some water prepared for cleaning the house. A silver object, a spoon or a coin was placed in this water. And on the morning of Easter, the girls washed themselves with this water left from Maundy Thursday. It was believed that washing this way would bring beauty, health and well-being, including in family life.

Spell on a towel

If the beauty stayed too long as a girl, she would take the towel she used to dry herself on Maundy Thursday and secretly put it in a basket with colored eggs and Easter cake, which were given as alms on Easter. It was believed that after this, matchmakers could be expected any day now.

On this day, the Last Supper is remembered, at which Jesus Christ spoke about his upcoming crucifixion and washed the feet of his apostles. How should believers who want to follow the Orthodox tradition spend this day?

Maundy Thursday: signs, customs, traditions

If you take a swim before sunrise on Maundy Thursday, you will be healthy all year long . This sign is due to the fact that water this morning acquires magical healing properties. She is able to wash away all the sins that have accumulated throughout the year. In addition, this water is calming. You shouldn’t be lazy, but it’s better to get up on Maundy Thursday early in the morning before dawn and take a shower or bath. If you do not believe in the power of Thursday water, then at least you will be clean on this day.

On Maundy Thursday, if you clean the whole house, you will get a lot of joy . If you do not do this on a given day, then according to religious concepts, cleaning cannot be done for the next six days.

Friday is Good Friday, Saturday is full of things to do before Easter, Sunday and the next three days are a holy holiday, nothing can be done. In addition, there is a popular belief that if a person does a general cleaning of the house, then the Lord gives him the opportunity to find long-lost necessary or favorite things. And many claim that during such cleaning, they actually find things that they mentally said goodbye to long ago.

On Maundy Thursday, count all your money - there will be some. There is an old Russian custom, from which they later made a sign in order to pass on their knowledge to their grandchildren and great-grandchildren. It was believed that if all the money in the house was counted three times during this day, then the money would not be transferred during this year. Money should be counted at sunrise, noon and sunset. None of the household members should see this process, and especially not outsiders. Otherwise there will be no point. Only the one who manages the finances in the family should count the money. If there is such a need, then warn all your household members so that you will not be disturbed for some time. Even if a small child enters at such a moment, everything will go to waste, although the child is innocent. This is the very case when no one should bother you. Just you, the Lord God and what you want for your family throughout the next year. And you don’t have to worry about the fact that at this moment there is not enough money in the family. Even a penny can attract to you what you really want.

Wash the windows and doors with the water in which the change lies - the money will increase all year . You should start cleaning with windows and doors, and then everything else. Now, when you are going to wash windows and doors, do not forget to throw a handful of coins into a basin of water. You can read any other conspiracy or prayer that you know. And according to your faith it will be for you. After you have washed all the windows and doors in your house or apartment, the small change should be taken out and placed in the farthest corner of your house for a week, but only after you have cleaned it. And you need to pour the water under any tree you like. And after that you can start cleaning the entire room.

On Maundy Thursday, if you wash your silver, evil spirits will not touch it. It is believed that if you put any silver item in a vessel with water overnight and wash your face with this water in the morning, then no one will be able to harm you in any way throughout the year. It is especially necessary to wash a child who is not yet one year old in this way. Little ones cannot protect themselves, so we need to make sure that we protect them.

Thursday salt, collected from three yards, cures even fatal diseases . In Russian witchcraft, there is a sign that if you collect salt from three households, then by adding this salt to the food and drink that a terminally ill person takes, he can be cured. What does it mean to collect salt from three different yards? This means that on Maundy Thursday you need to go to your acquaintances and friends and ask for a small handful of salt. Then this salt must be mixed in any container, although the old people say that it is better to do this in earthenware. But, again, it all depends on your faith.

There is one more sign about Thursday salt. You don’t have to ask anyone for salt, but pour a pack of salt into a frying pan and fry it, stirring constantly. At the same time, it is necessary to constantly read the “Our Father” prayer. When the salt is ready, you will feel it yourself. If the salt in the frying pan begins to crack and shoot, it means that you have been damaged. In this case, the salt must be fried for as long as possible until it “calms down.” And do not forget that all this time you need to read a prayer .

Only after Maundy Thursday do people begin to bake Easter cakes and paint Easter eggs. Those who do not follow the rules of Maundy Thursday will not have their pasques raised. Anyway, first you need to do some general cleaning, and only after that you can start preparing Easter dishes.

What you found in Easter cake is your destiny . In Russia, it was customary to bake one Easter cake just for the family. Notes with predictions were baked in such a cake. Some people find happiness in their family, while others find happiness in money or business. Well, and everything else. So, whoever gets something out of the family will get it. It was considered a very bad omen to cut such a family cake while other guests were present. Such a turn could save the family from happiness, but could only add problems. Strangers may envy you, and after that you won’t have to wait for happiness. Therefore, such a cake was closely watched and carefully hidden from guests.

If on Maundy Thursday you move many items from one place to another, then there will be no problems with money. Many old people claim that this sign is more associated with lazy people than with hard-working people. You can rearrange your home if you want your wishes to come true. But if you leave everything in the dirt, then nothing good will happen. However, there is a sign that if you have been wanting to rearrange your house for a long time, then you cannot even think of a better opportunity. With one blow you will realize your desire and attract good luck to yourself. There is only one condition: cleaning comes first.

If you saw an old woman first on Maundy Thursday, then expect failure . It is this sign that underlies Thursday fortune telling. If you want to know your future for the next three months, then in the morning, after you wash, look out the window. If the first person you see is an old lady, then over the next three months you will experience a series of failures. It’s even worse if this old lady comes with an empty bucket or an empty bag. In this case, all your failures will be related to money problems. Or rather, with their absence or even with the loss of work. The same thing means if you see a cat.

But seeing a man or a dog is a sign of happiness and well-being . And if you are lucky enough to see a man with a dog through the window, it means that your cherished desire awaits you. If you see a child, you have to study. You may receive an offer for a new job that will require you to obtain a certain education. If you see a young woman, happiness in the family awaits you.

Maundy Thursday is the day of Holy Week when you need to think about cleaning your home and washing yourself thoroughly. On this day it is also important to go to church to confess, pray and, of course, receive communion.

Signs for Maundy Thursday were invented by people in large numbers. Perhaps this is the most ritual day of Holy Week, when you not only need to go to church and pray, but you can also perform other important rituals.

Signs for Maundy Thursday in 2018:

1. If you take a swim before sunrise, this will ensure good health for the whole year. It is believed that water on this day has healing properties: it washes away the sins that have accumulated over the year. This water is also considered healing and, according to folk superstitions, can cure diseases. So, you should not be lazy and get up early on Maundy Thursday 2018 (April 5) to feel the full power of water.

2. also imply such a procedure as general cleaning of the entire house. If you clean your house on this day, a person will be guaranteed a lot of joy and happiness this year. It is also important to remember that after Maundy Thursday you will not be able to clean your house for six days.

3. Also on this day you need to count your money in order to provide your family with financial stability for the year. Money must also be counted according to special rules. Firstly, there should be one family member who is responsible for the budget. Others should not see or even know that the ritual is being performed. It is necessary to collect all the money that is in the house and count it at sunrise, then at noon, and then at sunset. Even babies should not be in the room where the ritual takes place.

4. You should also wash the windows and doors with water and throw some small change into it. This is not just a ritual to attract money, but a ritual to increase capital this year. You need to take a bucket of water and throw a handful of change into it. Let the water sit for a while and then wash the windows and doors with it. At the same time, you can read some prayer to yourself. When the washing process is completed, you need to take out the small change and, secretly from all family members, hide it in the most secret corner of the house. As for water, it can be poured under any tree growing in the yard. It is better to carry out this ritual before starting general spring cleaning.

5. If you wash your face with silver on Maundy Thursday, it will drive away evil spirits from a person. For this ritual, you need to prepare silver water in advance. On the evening before Maundy Thursday, you need to fill a vessel with water and put a silver item in it. In the morning, wash your face with this water, and also wash your children. It is especially necessary to wash a child who is not yet a year old with this water, this will protect the baby from the evil eye and evil spirits.

Note! On sale today you can find economy class silver, which has the lowest standard. For the ritual, it is better not to use such silver, but to pay attention to higher quality things. But the sample of silver during this ritual does not play as important a role as faith.

6. Thursday salt. It must be collected from three households, and it is believed that such salt can cure a person from a fatal disease. If such salt, according to an old Russian saying, is collected from three households and added to the food of a terminally ill person, then he can be cured. Collecting salt from three yards is very simple: you just need to ask friends and acquaintances for some salt. These must be good and happy people. This salt is best made in clay dishes.

7. There is one more sign for Maundy Thursday, which concerns Thursday salt. You can prepare it yourself. To do this, pour a pack of salt into a frying pan and fry, stirring constantly. At the same time, say the prayer “Our Father.” When the salt is ready, each person will experience this moment himself. If the salt in the frying pan begins to turn black or shoot, this means that the person is being damaged. You need to fry this salt until it completely calms down and be sure to continue reading the prayer.

8. The signs with Thursday salt do not end there. It is also recommended to store this salt at home throughout the year. If some kind of quarrel occurs, then you need to take a vessel with salt, put a candle in it, light it and take it to the place where the quarrel occurred. This ritual will cleanse the energy.

9. If on this day you rearrange different things from place to place while cleaning, then the family will not have financial problems this year. You can even rearrange the furniture.

10. Family Easter cake. In Rus' there was a tradition that one Easter cake should be baked specifically for the family. Since you can start baking Easter cakes on Thursday, this tradition can also be attributed to Maundy Thursday. In such a cake you need to put notes with predictions: “happiness”, “success in business”, “health” and others. Anyone who gets a piece of Easter cake with a fortune, then this is exactly what they should expect this year. It is considered a bad omen to cut such a cake in the presence of guests, because strangers may be unkindly jealous of your happiness.

11. If on Maundy Thursday a person met an old woman first on the street, then this is bad luck. By the way, this is a fortune telling that can be done on this day. You have to look out the window to find out your fate. An old woman promises bad luck, especially if she carries an empty bucket. A man, especially with a dog, promises happiness and good luck.

At a minimum, you need to do a thorough cleaning of the house. From Thursday you can start baking Easter cakes. One of the traditions says that if all the traditions of Maundy Thursday are not followed, then the Easter cake will not rise.

Maundy Thursday 2019– one of the most anticipated days of Holy Week. Many rituals, signs, customs and traditions are associated with this day, designed to make a person clean, healthy, successful and prosperous.

What you will learn from the article:

Orthodox traditions and customs of Maundy Thursday

• On Maundy Thursday you need to wake up a couple of hours before dawn and devote this time to cleansing your body. The tradition is connected with the biblical story that on the last night before his betrayal, Jesus washed the feet of his disciples.

It is believed that water at this time becomes many times more powerful and is capable of washing away not only dirt from the body, but also dirt from a person’s soul. Therefore, on Maundy Thursday, before dawn, you must take a swim in order to wash away sins, the beginnings of diseases, damage, the evil eye and the bad influences of strangers.

For girls and women, bathing on Maundy Thursday gives beauty, youth and feminine attractiveness.

• In addition, a haircut on this day has no less power. It is known that negative energy is concentrated in the ends of the hair, “picked up” along the way. If you cut them off on Maundy Thursday, you will be spared all sorts of ailments, and no evil will stick to you for a long time. By the way, if you are planning to cut your baby’s hair for the first time, do it on Maundy Thursday.
• Confession and communion on Maundy Thursday after morning ablution will help cleanse you of sins. We are, of course, not talking about mortal sins, but Holy Thursday communion has enormous cleansing power.
• Services in churches on this day are dedicated to the tragic story when the Jews decided to kill the Son of God. At the end of the evening service, worshipers hold lit candles in their hands. It is customary to take them home while they are burning and put them to burn out in front of the icon in your home.
• And of course, on this day housewives bake and prepare Easter cakes, paint eggs and prepare the house for the upcoming three-day holiday.

Signs of Maundy Thursday

1. *during cleaning on this day you may find things that you thought were lost forever
2. *When getting rid of garbage and junk on this day, remember: things can only be thrown away. You cannot give anything to other people on Maundy Thursday - you will symbolically give up your own well-being. And subsequently this can lead to financial losses.
3. *you also cannot borrow anything - neither money, nor food, nor even dishes. And no one, close relatives living under another roof also count! The reason is the same as the previous point.
4. *this day is the only day of the year when you can prepare Thursday salt, it is also called black. This salt, like a talisman, will protect your home from any evil, heal your household, and protect you from fires and robberies. More details
5. *if you wash your face before dawn with water from a river or lake, and also dip your hair in it, beauty, youth and feminine happiness will remain with the girl for the whole year.
6. *if suddenly – oh, horror! – you have cockroaches or some other insects, catch three of them and take them away from the house to a field, park or “make happy” another natural object. Our ancestors believed that the rest of the uninvited “household members” would run away to look for their own and would no longer find their way back.

How to make your home a magnet for money, wealth and prosperity on Maundy Thursday 2019 - folk recipes

*a special ritual that promises prosperity for the whole year is to count all the money in the house three times on Maundy Thursday. This must be done in the morning, during the day, and when it gets dark, and it is very desirable that no one sees you.

• *if you decide to wash windows and doors on Maundy Thursday (and this is a very good tradition!), then before washing, throw a handful of coins into a bucket of water and read any prayer, or in your own words, turn to higher powers with a request for prosperity. You can also choose any of the .
• This will attract wealth to the house for many years to come. When the windows and doors are washed, remove the change from the bucket and throw it in the corner farthest from the entrance. And let it lie there for a whole year and lure wealth into the house.

Clean Thursday 2018: signs and customs associated with this day are rooted in various folk beliefs. In Rus', special attention has always been paid to this day of Lent. It falls in the period before Good Friday, when nothing can be done. Therefore, for every housewife, Maundy Thursday was a time of active action in different directions.

In Rus', people always woke up on this day even before the sun rose. And not because I didn’t want to sleep, but because there was a lot to do before the first rays of sunshine. In particular, you need to start by washing your face with cold water, this is believed to preserve the cavity and beauty.

Features of Maundy Thursday

April 5 is the date of Maundy Thursday 2018, but it is extremely easy to calculate this date yourself every year. This is the last Thursday of Lent and the last day before Easter Sunday. In the old days, the house was always cleaned on this day, and it was general cleaning that was carried out. It was necessary to wash the doors and windows, wash the bed linen, bedspreads, curtains, and tulle. You can prepare ingredients for the holiday table.

Rituals for Maundy Thursday begin during the cleaning process. If you add small change (money coins) to the water, you can bring financial stability and prosperity to your home for a whole year. You need to throw a handful of coins into a bucket of water, where the washcloth comes from. Then wash the doors and windows with this water exactly in the specified sequence. After this, pour the water under a young tree in the yard, and put the change in a bag and hide it in a secluded place. You need to plan your day so that you have time to clean up. If everything cannot be done on Thursday, then cleaning needs to start earlier. From Good Friday onwards, cleaning the house is strictly prohibited.

Last Supper on Thursday

Modern customs for this day have little connection with what actually happened to Jesus Christ and his disciples on Maundy Thursday. Jesus gathered with his disciples for dinner and offered to share bread and wine with him. During the conversation, he said that he knew that one of the students would betray him. Another disciple, Jesus said, would deny him.

It was during this meal, sharing bread with his disciples, that Jesus said that this body was his. Dividing the wine and passing the cup around, he said that this was the blood of the New Testament (new commandment). The blood that Jesus Christ will shed on Good Friday to atone for human sins.

Signs for Maundy Thursday:

• To protect yourself from diseases and the evil eye this year, you will need to put something silver in the water on the eve of Thursday. In the morning, get up before dawn and wash your face with this water, and also wash your children.
• Water on Maundy Thursday heals and also cleanses sins.
• Cleaning the house on the day described is also a tradition for good luck. Water will protect the family from adversity and dirt.
• When cleaning on Maundy Thursday, you can find things that were lost long ago.
• Count all the money in the house. This ritual is done in secret from everyone by the person who manages the finances in the family. He must collect all the money and count it at dawn, noon and sunset. It is important that no one catches you performing this ritual.
• You can also prepare Thursday salt. You will need to ask three friends for salt, and then mix it in a clay pot. In case of illness, this salt is added to the dishes of a sick person to alleviate suffering.
• Another way to prepare Thursday salt is to buy a new pack and pour it into a frying pan. Fry while saying a prayer. If the salt crackles loudly in the frying pan, it means the house has been damaged. You need to fry the salt until it completely calms down. Read “Our Father” all the time.

These are the signs you need to remember for Maundy Thursday 2018. The traditions of this day include mandatory cleaning, as well as personal bath procedures. All other signs, including washing with silver water or counting money, are at your discretion. Good preparation