The Most Holy Mother of God, as their Great Intercessor, is especially revered by the Orthodox of all Russia. And therefore the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos is in Russian Orthodoxy, although not the twelfth, but a great holiday. On this day, many centuries ago, the Mother of God saved the people of Constantinople from the Saracens, praying for peace with the saints and covering all those in the church with a veil from her head as a sign of patronage and intercession. And since then, in their prayers, ordinary people reverently ask the Mother of God for help both in worldly affairs and in intercession before the Almighty.
How to celebrate the feast of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos
On the feast of the Intercession of the Mother of God, which has been established in Russia since the time of Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky on October 14, all honest people go to church to inform each other for many years that the feast of the great Mother of God has come and, preserving Orthodox traditions, humbly pronounce the words of an ancient prayer: … cover us with Your honest Veil, and deliver us from all evil, praying to Your Son, Christ our God, to save our souls ”.
How to celebrate the feast of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos
And anyone who believes and turns to the Mother of God with a request will receive spiritual help and consolation, for the Great Intercessor, as many centuries ago and now, prays to the Eternal God for us and will pray for the human race, covering with her cover from adversity, to the end century.
On this day, the time of the arrival of cold weather began in the national calendar. Therefore, first of all, it was necessary to prepare the stove for the heating season for Pokrov. And be sure to light the furnace on the day of the cover, saying “the cover of the house is warm, and the owner is kind” so that the spirits of the house would be cleaned, and the stove serves to refer throughout winter. And in our time, in some villages of Russia, Ukraine and Belarus, October 14, they “flood” the stove, even if sunny weather is on the street, thus preserving the traditions of their ancestors.
The second interesting feature of folk beliefs is that the cabbage, which was harvested for the winter, could only be cut off after the cover, and it was certainly necessary only on that day of the week that the holiday was on the cover.
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For example, if in 2014 the Intercession is on Tuesday, then you need to ferment cabbage on Tuesdays after October 14. Then it will be tasty, crisp and preserve its taste longer.
And, of course, the most important folk tradition – after the cover, when the entire crop in the fields was harvested, the wedding season has come. Therefore, all girlish conspiracies and prayers that were pronounced on this day were dedicated to one comprehensive goal – marriage. It was believed that which of the girls would put the candle of the Mother of God early in the morning – that is the first to marry everyone and will come out. The “jams” of girls have still been preserved among the people: “Pokrovka, Pokrovka, cover the ground with a snow cover, and me with a fatu”.
In Ukraine, on this day, the prayer was very soulful: “The holy Mati, Kokrivonko, Krriy my goal. Not with a stitch, not with a quilt, but with an honest hint … that even a ganchirka, abi did not remain a girl. ». A lot of matchmaking took place on Pokrov and it was considered a bad sign to refuse matchmakers who arrived on such a day. And according to folk signs, a marriage concluded on such a great holiday will be very successful and happy.
How to celebrate the feast of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos
Many traditions, sayings and folk beliefs contain such a great holiday as the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos. And all because the Orthodox people have a special intercessor before God and all the “kinds” that turn to her will receive protection under her holy cover and consolation.
