The holidays in the spring are not only the 8th of March, the 1st and the 9th of May. In Russia, spring holidays have always been much more. Some of them stretch from the pagan times, somehow adapting to the Orthodox calendar and Christianity and harmoniously merging into the church traditions.
Spring holidays of the Slavs
The first spring holiday, which was celebrated in pagan Rus - Maslenitsa (Maslenitsa) or cheese week. This spring folk festival involves a cycle of ceremonies associated with the wires of winter and ends with the burning of a stuffed animal symbolizing winter. Before this all week people have fun, treat each other with pancakes and other dishes, participate in fisticuffs, ride a sleigh and play roundelays.
Burning the scarecrow from our ancestors represents a resurgence, similar to the Phoenix bird, through death. After that, the ashes of the stuffed animals, as well as the old things thrown into the fire, fluttered across the fields to bring a new revival to the new crop, prosperity and prosperity came.
Another Russian spring holiday is Vesnyanka , a meeting of spring. Like the carnival, the celebration takes place on different days in accordance with the church calendar. Until then, he was tied to the astronomical spring equinox - March 22.
Celebration is accompanied by spring calls with spells. And since the beginning of spring is associated with the arrival of birds, the main means of the spell is the preparation of larks and waders, which were then placed on elevated places or thrown into the air. The action is accompanied by ceremonial songs, designed to bring the spring near.
Another spring holiday, associated with the meeting with the spring - " Alex - from the mountains streams ." It is celebrated during Lent. From that day the peasants began to prepare for field work. The Orthodox church on this day remembers Alexis - a man of God.
Easter Holidays
Palm Sunday is a holiday, celebrated always a week before Easter. On this day, the Lord's entrance to Jerusalem is recalled, shortly before his torment and death on the cross. Believers greeted him with palm branches, lining the road for them, because the other name of the holiday is Palm Sunday. On this day, all the Orthodox go to church and light the branches of willows and greet Christ, who came to save humanity from eternal death.
The main spring holiday, of course, is Easter . The miraculous resurrection of Jesus Christ is not just a holiday, but the most significant event in world history. In this - the whole essence of Christianity and the meaning of faith, the hope of salvation.
Passover traditions include the greeting "Christ is Risen - Truly Risen", "Christening" with dyed eggs, lighting of Easter cakes and pasques.
Folk festivities with dances, songs and games, sometimes lasting up to 2-3 weeks after Easter, are called Krasnaya Gorka. This holiday is known since ancient times, it is also timed to the meeting of spring.
After 50 days after Easter, Orthodox celebrate the feast of the Trinity or Pentecost. All decorate their homes with green twigs and flowers, which symbolizes the flowering of human virtue, and also recalls the appearance of the Trinity to Abraham in
Spring children's holidays
In order to instill in children a love for the history of their people and their traditions, it is best to involve them in the celebration of primordially Russian holidays from diapers.
Organization of the meeting of spring can be very bright, non-standard and fun. Moreover, there are many ready-made scenarios of different celebrations and festivities.