December 13 is the Day of St. Andrew the First-Called. Do you want to see your betrothed?
CrimeaPRESS reports:
And our ancestors also called this day — Saint Andrew, St. Andrew the First-Called, Winter, Day of St. Andrew the First-Called, Andrew, Day of Prayer for True Suitors, autumn, quiet water, fortune-telling, noisy water.
On December 13, the so-called “listening of water” was carried out in Rus’. We approached the well and listened to the water. If she stands quietly and does not worry, it means that the winter will be warm, and vice versa. Often the result obtained was compared with the same fortune-telling performed on St. George’s Day. “Noisy” water was usually taken into the house and poured into special containers to “calm” it.
Girls also often told fortunes on the day of St. Andrew the First-Called and studied signs. Moreover, it was necessary to fast the day before and not tell anyone about your intention to find out your fate. During the evening meal, the girl broke off a piece of her bread and put it under her pillow before going to bed — her betrothed should appear. Another fortune telling for the betrothed was that the girl put a bowl of water under the bed, and under the pillow she put a small amount of kutya, a mirror, a knife, a man’s hat or a piece of wood from the fence of the guy she liked. It was believed that this could induce prophetic dreams. You could go out to the crossroads in the evening to read special spells. They tore a branch from an apple tree and placed it in a container of water. If this branch turned green at Christmas, it means that the girl will get married this year.
On December 13, the church honors the memory of Andrew the First-Called, who belongs to the 12 apostles of Jesus Christ. The legend says that Andrei was born in the city of Bethsaida near Lake Galilee and, together with Peter, was engaged in fishing. It was Andrew who became the first person whom Jesus called as a disciple. And before that, Andrei was a disciple of John the Baptist — in any case, this is exactly what is said in the Gospel. People call Saint Andrew the First-Called because, according to popular belief, he was the first of the apostles to follow Christ, later bringing his brother Peter. After the execution of Jesus and his Ascension, Saint Andrew went to preach the new faith in the eastern countries, and having climbed the Dnieper to the place where Kyiv is now located, he allegedly said to his disciples: “Do you see these mountains? The grace of God will shine upon them and a great city will arise here, in which the Lord will erect many churches and dedicate this entire land with holy baptism.”
According to legend, the holy apostle accepted martyrdom on the cross for his fidelity to Christian teaching. But this cross was not quite the usual shape, but had an oblique crossbar, resembling the Latin letter X. Subsequently it was called the St. Andrew’s Cross, and in Russia the Order of St. Andrew was established in honor of the holy apostle, which recognized outstanding services to the Fatherland. The true date of execution of Saint Apostle Andrew could not be established, so the Orthodox Church celebrates his memory on December 13.
Let us note that healers and healers considered the day of St. Andrew the First-Called their holiday. Therefore, on December 13, they performed various magical and healing rituals, and they had more than enough clients that day. In some regions, there was a widespread tradition of bringing various gifts to magicians and healers in order to appease them, since such people are known to be capable of causing damage.
- The stove fire is red — there will be frost, white — there will be a thaw.
- Coal burned on a splinter is spinning — wait for frost.
- If snow falls on this day, it will remain for 100 days.
- Clear and cold — for a good future harvest, warm — for worse.
- The cat licks its paws, tail and body — it will be a clear frosty day.
- Low and fast clouds promise the arrival of cold weather.
Name day is celebrated today: Andrey.
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