What are rituals?

Injuries

Before the baptism of Rus', the Eastern Slavs worshiped numerous pagan deities. Their religion and mythology left their mark on everyday life. The Slavs practiced a large number of rites and rituals, one way or another connected with the pantheon of deities or the spirits of their ancestors.

History of Slavic pagan rituals

The ancient pagan traditions of pre-Christian Rus' had religious roots. The Eastern Slavs had their own pantheon. It included many deities who could generally be described as powerful nature spirits. and the customs of the Slavs corresponded to the cults of these creatures.

Another important measure of people's habits was the calendar. The pagan traditions of pre-Christian Rus' were most often correlated with a specific date. It could be a holiday or a day of worship of some deity. A similar calendar has been compiled over many generations. Gradually, it began to correspond to the economic cycles according to which the peasants of Rus' lived.

When Grand Duke Vladimir Svyatoslavovich baptized his country in 988, the population began to gradually forget about their former pagan rituals. Of course, this process of Christianization did not go smoothly everywhere. Often people defended their former faith with weapons in their hands. Nevertheless, by the 12th century, paganism had become the lot of marginalized people and outcasts. On the other hand, some former holidays and rituals were able to coexist with Christianity and take on a new form.

Naming

What were pagan rites and rituals and how could they help? The Slavs gave them a deep practical meaning. Rituals surrounded every resident of Rus' throughout his life, regardless of which tribal union he belonged to.

The pagan traditions of pre-Christian Rus' always had a religious background. Therefore, the adoption of a name for a newborn could not take place without the participation of a sorcerer. These sorcerers, according to Slavic beliefs, could communicate with spirits. It was they who consolidated the choice of parents, as if “coordinating” it with the deities of the pagan pantheon. Among other things, naming finally made the newborn initiated into the ancient Slavic faith.

Disbaptism

Naming was the first obligatory rite that every member of the Slavic family went through. But this ritual was far from the last and not the only one. What other pagan traditions of pre-Christian Rus' were there? Briefly speaking, since they were all based on religious beliefs, it means that there was another ritual that allowed a person to return to the bosom of his native faith. Historians called this ritual debaptism.

Indeed, the Slavs had the opportunity to abandon Christianity and return to the religion of their ancestors. In order to be cleansed of alien faith, it was necessary to go to the temple. This was the name of the part of the pagan temple intended for the ceremony. These places were hidden in the deepest forests of Rus' or small groves in the steppe zone. It was believed that here, far from civilization and large settlements, the connection between the Magi and the deities was especially strong.

A person who wanted to renounce the new Greek foreign faith had to bring with him three witnesses. This was required by the pagan traditions of pre-Christian Rus'. The 6th grade at school, according to the standard curriculum, superficially studies the realities of that time. The Slav knelt down, and the sorcerer read a spell - an appeal to the spirits and deities with a request to cleanse the lost fellow tribesman from filth. At the end of the ritual, it was necessary to swim in a nearby river (or go to the bathhouse) in order to complete the ritual according to all the rules. These were the traditions and rituals of that time. Pagan faith, spirits, sacred places - all this was of great importance for every Slav. Therefore, baptism was a frequent occurrence in the 10th-11th centuries. Then people expressed their protest against the official Kyiv state policy aimed at replacing paganism with Orthodox Christianity.

Wedding

Among the ancient Slavs in Rus', a wedding was considered an event that finally confirmed the entry of a young man or girl into adulthood. Moreover, a childless life was a sign of inferiority, because in this case the man or woman did not continue their family line. The elders treated such relatives with open condemnation.

The pagan traditions of pre-Christian Rus' differed from each other in some details depending on the region and tribal alliance. Nevertheless, songs were an important wedding attribute everywhere. They were performed right under the windows of the house in which the newlyweds were to begin living. The festive table always included rolls, gingerbread, eggs, beer and wine. The main treat was the wedding loaf, which, among other things, was a symbol of the abundance and wealth of the future family. Therefore, they baked it on a special scale. The long wedding ceremony began with matchmaking. At the end, the groom had to pay the bride's father a ransom.

Housewarming

Each young family moved to their own hut. The choice of housing among the ancient Slavs was an important ritual. The mythology of that time included many evil creatures who knew how to damage the hut. Therefore, the location for the house was chosen with special care. For this, magical divination was used. The whole ritual can be called a housewarming ritual, without which it was impossible to imagine the beginning of a full life for a newly born family.

Christian culture and pagan traditions of Rus' became closely intertwined with each other over time. Therefore, we can say with confidence that some former rituals existed in the outback and provinces until the 19th century. There were several ways to determine whether a site was suitable for building a hut. A pot with a spider inside could have been left on it overnight. If the arthropod weaved a web, then the place was suitable. Safety was also tested using cows. This was done as follows. The animal was released into a spacious area. The place where the cow lay down was considered lucky for a new hut.

Caroling

The Slavs had a separate group of so-called bypass rituals. The most famous of them was caroling. This ritual was performed annually along with the beginning of a new annual cycle. Some pagan holidays (holidays in Rus') survived the Christianization of the country. This is how caroling was. It retained many of the features of the previous pagan ritual, although it began to coincide with Orthodox Christmas Eve.

But even the most ancient Slavs had the custom on this day to gather in small groups, which began to walk around their native settlement in search of gifts. As a rule, only young people took part in such gatherings. Besides everything else, it was also a fun festival. Carolers dressed up in buffoon costumes and went around neighboring houses, announcing to their owners about the upcoming holiday of the new birth of the Sun. This metaphor meant the end of the old annual cycle. They usually dressed up in wild animals or funny costumes.

Kalinov Bridge

The key thing in pagan culture was the burial ritual. He ended a person’s earthly life, and his relatives thus said goodbye to the deceased. Depending on the region, the essence of funerals among the Slavs changed. Most often, a person was buried in a coffin, in which, in addition to the body, the personal belongings of the deceased were placed so that they could serve him in the afterlife. However, among the Krivichi and Vyatichi tribal unions, on the contrary, ritual burning of the deceased at the stake was common.

The culture of pre-Christian Rus' was based on numerous mythological subjects. For example, the funeral was held according to the belief about the Kalinov Bridge (or Star Bridge). In Slavic mythology, this was the name of the path from the world of the living to the world of the dead, which the human soul passed after his death. The bridge became insurmountable for murderers, criminals, deceivers and rapists.

The funeral procession passed a long way, which symbolized the journey of the soul of the deceased to the afterlife. Next, the body was placed on the fence. This was the name of the funeral pyre. It was filled with branches and straw. The deceased was dressed in white clothes. In addition to him, various gifts were also burned, including funeral dishes. The body had to lie with its feet facing west. The fire was lit by the priest or the elder of the clan.

Trizna

When listing what pagan traditions there were in pre-Christian Rus', one cannot fail to mention the funeral feast. This was the name of the second part of the funeral. It consisted of a funeral feast, accompanied by dancing, games and competitions. Sacrifices were also practiced to the spirits of ancestors. They helped find comfort for the survivors.

The funeral feast was especially solemn in the case of the funeral of soldiers who defended their native lands from enemies and foreigners. Many pre-Christian Slavic traditions, rites and customs were based on the cult of power. Therefore, warriors enjoyed special respect in this pagan society both from ordinary residents and from the wise men who knew how to communicate with the spirits of their ancestors. During the funeral feast, the exploits and courage of heroes and knights were glorified.

Fortune telling

Old Slavic fortune-telling was numerous and varied. Christian culture and pagan traditions, having mixed with each other in the 10th-11th centuries, have left many rituals and customs of this kind today. But at the same time, many of the fortune telling of the inhabitants of Rus' were lost and forgotten. Some of them were saved in people's memory thanks to the careful work of folklorists over the past few decades.

Fortune telling was based on the Slavs’ reverence for the many faces of the natural world - trees, stones, water, fire, rain, sun, wind, etc. Other similar rituals, necessary in order to find out their future, were carried out as an appeal to the spirits of deceased ancestors. Gradually, a unique one, based on natural cycles, developed, which was used to check when it was best to go and tell fortunes.

Magic rituals were necessary in order to find out what the health of relatives, harvest, offspring of livestock, welfare, etc. would be like. The most common were fortune telling about marriage and the upcoming bride or groom. In order to carry out such a ritual, the Slavs climbed into the most remote and uninhabited places - abandoned houses, forest groves, cemeteries, etc. This was done because it was there that the spirits lived, from whom they learned the future.

Night on Ivan Kupala

Due to the fragmentary and incompleteness of historical sources of that time, the pagan traditions of pre-Christian Rus', in short, have been little studied. Moreover, today they have become excellent ground for speculation and low-quality “research” by various writers. But there are exceptions to this rule. One of them is the celebration of the night of Ivan Kupala.

This national celebration had its strictly defined date - June 24. This day (more precisely, night) corresponds to the summer solstice - a short period when daylight reaches an annual record of its duration. It is important to understand what Ivan Kupala meant to the Slavs in order to understand what pagan traditions were in pre-Christian Rus'. A description of this holiday is found in several chronicles (for example, in Gustynskaya).

The holiday began with the preparation of funeral dishes, which became sacrifices in memory of departed ancestors. Another important attribute of the night was mass swimming in a river or lake, in which local youth took part. It was believed that on Midsummer's Day the water received magical and healing powers. Holy springs were often used for bathing. This was due to the fact that, according to the beliefs of the ancient Slavs, some areas on ordinary rivers were swarming with mermaids and other evil spirits, ready at any moment to drag a person to the bottom.

The main rite of the Kupala night was the lighting of a ritual fire. All the rural youth collected brushwood in the evening so that there would be enough fuel until the morning. They danced around the fire and jumped over it. According to beliefs, such a fire was not simple, but cleansing from evil spirits. All women had to be around the fire. Those who did not come to the holiday and did not take part in the ritual were considered witches.

It was impossible to imagine the Kupala night without ritual outrages. With the onset of the holiday, the usual prohibitions were lifted in the community. Celebrating young people could steal things with impunity from other people's yards, take them around their native village, or throw them on roofs. Prank barricades were erected on the streets, which disturbed other residents. Young people overturned carts, plugged chimneys, etc. According to the traditions of that time, such ritual behavior symbolized the festive revelry of evil spirits. The bans were lifted for one night only. With the end of the holiday, the community returned to its usual measured life.

Every person’s life follows its own established order. But few people think about the fact that some moments entered into it unconsciously. Strictly speaking, what are they?

About the concept

Probably all people know that there are magic ones that must be performed by special people using specific rituals, prayers or spells. The action itself is a reflection of the history of an individual people, their beliefs, skills and knowledge. Understanding this, it is worth noting that these are certain actions that our ancestors performed at set times of the day or year. In ancient times, and even now, however, with the help of such simple acts, people turned to the gods, the forces of nature, everything higher that could help in life (according to beliefs). The sacraments themselves have at all times been divided into agricultural ones, which were designed to ensure a good harvest, and family sacraments, which protected all family members. It is worth noting that ancient rituals were always carried out in special or better clothes, the person washed himself clean and completely put himself in order. Also important were special idols - deities who were worshiped and to whom various gifts were brought. Today everything has changed a little, but we still pray to icons and wear a cross around our necks. The essence remains, but has only been slightly transformed.

About the past

Having understood what rituals are, it is worth considering certain of them. Thus, it was important for the ancestors to appease the forces of nature in order to get a good harvest in the future. That is why pancakes and round loaves are baked in the shape of a solar disk, thus honoring this celestial body. Fire was considered purifying, so people jumped through it, cleansing the soul and body, and they threw pieces of food into it as a sign of gratitude. Certain words composed into verses are also special. Parts of ritual actions are modern carols and songs for round dances.

Maslenitsa

Knowing what rituals are, it is worth considering those that have become firmly established in our modern life. Thus, the most common mystical action is essentially a holiday like Maslenitsa. And if this day today most often simply retains its name, then earlier this date was accompanied by wide celebrations and special actions. The whole thing is connected with the lunar calendar. At this time, the forces of spring fight winter for the right to live, the days become longer, there is more and more sun. It was very important to bake a lot of goodies, the main ones being round pancakes - symbols of the sun. Also, fun on this day meant that winter would soon go away and give way to warm spring.

Wedding and birth

There are folk rituals associated specifically with the wedding event. So, the bride puts on a white dress, which promises her a happy family life, and a veil as a sign of her own chastity. The exchange of rings symbolizes the inseparability of family ties and the infinity of such a feeling as love. As for birth, there is still a belief that if a son resembles his mother and a daughter resembles his father, these children will be happy. Also, before baptism and today, mothers try not to show their babies to anyone so as not to jinx them. And everyone probably knows that you need to bring food to your child for the first time. All these are pieces of old rites and rituals that have become firmly entrenched in modern life.

A symbolic ceremony performed in a strictly defined order (according to ritual). Source: MDK 11 01.2002: Recommendations on the procedure for funerals and the maintenance of cemeteries in the Russian Federation The rite is a symbolic ceremony performed in a strictly defined ... Dictionary-reference book of terms of normative and technical documentation

See the ceremony... Synonym dictionary

RITE, ritual, husband. Ceremony, rite; a number of actions strictly defined by custom that accompany and formalize the commission of acts. cult character. Wedding ceremony. Rites of the Catholic Church. “Crying and lamentations are found in our rituals... ... Ushakov's Explanatory Dictionary

rite- the action has been completed, the passive is to perform the ritual action... Verbal compatibility of non-objective names

rite- RITE, ritual, obsolete. RITEAL, ritual, high rank. sacred, high sacramental... Dictionary-thesaurus of synonyms of Russian speech

Traditional actions that accompany important moments in the life of the human community. Rituals associated with birth, wedding, death (see Burial, Initiations) are called family; agricultural and other rites of the calendar... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

RITE, huh, husband. A set of actions (established by custom or ritual) in which some n. religious ideas, everyday traditions. Family rituals. Wedding o. O. baptism. New rituals. O. initiation into students. | adj.... ... Ozhegov's Explanatory Dictionary

Traditional actions accompanying important moments in the life and production activities of the human team. Rituals associated with birth, wedding, death, called family; agricultural and other rituals - calendar... ... Encyclopedia of Cultural Studies

This article is about religious rituals. For the film, see The Rite (film). A rite or ritual is a set of conventional, traditional actions, devoid of immediate practical expediency, but serving as a symbol of certain ... ... Wikipedia

rite- ▲ symbolic procedure, public ritual, traditional actions that accompany important moments in a person’s life. ritualism. etiquette. ceremony official procedure (# meeting). ceremonial master of ceremonies. ceremonial. ritual. ritual... Ideographic Dictionary of the Russian Language

Books

The Rite, Matt Baglio. Rite of exorcism. One of the favorite myths of modern cinema. However, how much does this rite have in common with the real, quite routine ceremony for the Catholic Church, the ceremony of exorcism?...
Ritual for a falling star, Tatyana Alekseevna Forsh. As a girl, having found a ritual for making wishes come true in an old notebook, Katya made a wish for love. And now the candles have been placed, a pentagram has been drawn, and outside the window a star is rushing towards the ground. However, everything goes...

See the ceremony... Synonym dictionary

rite- the action has been completed, the passive is to perform the ritual action... Verbal compatibility of non-objective names

rite- RITE, ritual, obsolete. RITEAL, ritual, high rank. sacred, high sacramental... Dictionary-thesaurus of synonyms of Russian speech

English ritual/rite/ceremony; German Ritus. Traditional symbolic actions that accompany important moments in the life and activity of an individual, group, society, which are socially significant for them and require a certain type of behavior.... ... Encyclopedia of Sociology

Books

The Rite, Matt Baglio. Rite of exorcism. One of the favorite myths of modern cinema. However, how much does this rite have in common with the real, quite routine ceremony for the Catholic Church, the ceremony of exorcism?...
Ritual for a falling star, Tatyana Alekseevna Forsh. As a girl, having found a ritual for making wishes come true in an old notebook, Katya made a wish for love. And now the candles have been placed, a pentagram has been drawn, and outside the window a star is rushing towards the ground. However, everything goes...

A tradition has been established of performing many rituals that influence the life of a believer in different ways, but at the same time always establish his connection with God. Some of them came to us from biblical times and are mentioned in the Holy Scriptures, others have a later origin, but all of them, together with the holy sacraments, are integral parts of the general spiritual foundation of our faith.

The difference between rites and sacraments

Before starting a conversation about what church rites are in Orthodoxy, it is necessary to emphasize their fundamental difference from other forms of sacred rites, which are called sacraments, and with which they are often confused. The Lord gave us 7 sacraments - baptism, repentance, confirmation, marriage, communion, consecration of oil, priesthood. When they are performed, the grace of God is invisibly communicated to believers.

At the same time, church ritual is only a part of earthly reality, elevating the human spirit to accept the sacrament and directing its consciousness to the feat of faith. It should be remembered that all ritual forms receive their sacred meaning solely through the prayer that accompanies them. Only thanks to it can an action become a sacred rite, and an external process turn into a ritual.

Types of Orthodox rituals

With a large degree of convention, all Orthodox rituals can be divided into three categories. The first includes liturgical rites that are part of the general order of liturgical church life. Among them are the removal of the holy shroud on Good Friday, the year-round blessing of water, as well as the blessing of artos (leavened bread) on Easter week, the church ritual of anointing with oil performed at Matins, and a number of others.

The next category includes the so-called everyday rituals. These include the consecration of the home, various products, including seeds and seedlings. Then we should name the consecration of good undertakings, such as traveling or building a house. This should also include church ceremonies for the deceased, which include a wide range of ceremonial and ritual actions.

And finally, the third category is symbolic rituals established in Orthodoxy to express certain religious ideas and are a symbol of man’s unity with God. In this case, a striking example is the sign of the cross. This is also a church rite, symbolizing the memory of the suffering endured by the Savior, and at the same time serving as a reliable barrier from the action of demonic forces.

Anointing

Let's look at some frequently occurring rituals. Everyone who happened to be in church at Matins (a divine service performed in the morning) became a witness, and perhaps a participant in the ritual in which the priest makes a cross-shaped anointing of the forehead of the believer with consecrated oil, called oil.

This church rite is called anointing. It symbolizes God's mercy poured out on man, and it came to us from Old Testament times, when Moses commanded that Aaron and all his descendants, the servants of the Jerusalem Temple, be anointed with sacred oil. In the New Testament, the Apostle James, in his conciliar letter, mentions its healing effect and says that this is a very important church rite.

Unction - what is it?

To prevent a possible mistake in understanding two sacred rites that have common features - the rite of anointing and the sacrament of unction - some clarification is required. The fact is that each of them uses consecrated oil - oil. But if in the first case the priest’s actions are purely symbolic, then in the second they are aimed at invoking God’s grace.

Accordingly, it is a more complex sacred rite and is performed, according to church canons, by seven priests. Only in extreme cases is it allowed to be performed by one priest. Anointing with oil is performed seven times, while excerpts from the Gospel, chapters from and special prayers intended for this occasion are read. At the same time, the church rite of anointing, as mentioned above, consists only in the fact that the priest, when blessing, applies oil with the sign of the cross on the forehead of the believer.

Rituals associated with the end of a person’s earthly life

The church funeral rite and subsequent remembrance of the deceased also occupy an important place. In Orthodoxy, this is given special significance due to the importance of the moment when a person’s soul, having parted with mortal flesh, passes into eternity. Without touching on all its aspects, we will dwell only on the most significant points, among which the funeral service deserves special attention.

This funeral service can be performed over the deceased only once, unlike a memorial service, litia, commemoration, etc. It consists of reading (singing) established liturgical texts, and their order is different for lay people, monks, priests and infants. The purpose of the funeral service is to ask the Lord for remission of sins to His newly departed slave (slave) and to grant peace to the soul that has left the body.

In addition to the funeral service, the Orthodox tradition also provides for such an important rite as a memorial service. It is also a prayer song, but it is much shorter in duration than the funeral service. It is customary to perform a memorial service on the 3rd, 9th and 40th day after death, as well as on its anniversary, namesake and birthday of the deceased. When removing the body from the house, as well as during the church commemoration of the deceased, another ritual of funeral service is performed - lithium. It is somewhat shorter than a memorial service and also takes place in accordance with established rules.

Consecration of homes, food and good endeavors

Sanctification in the Orthodox tradition refers to rituals as a result of which God’s blessing descends on a person and on everything that accompanies him in this earthly life. According to the teachings of the church, until the second coming of Christ, the enemy of the human race, the devil, will invisibly carry out his dirty deeds in the world around us. We are doomed to see external manifestations of his activities everywhere. Man cannot resist him without the help of Heavenly forces.

That is why it is so important to cleanse our homes from the presence of dark forces in them through church rituals, to prevent the evil one from entering us along with the food we eat, or to put invisible obstacles in the way of our good undertakings. However, it should be remembered that any ritual, as well as a sacrament, acquires beneficial power only under the condition of unwavering faith. To consecrate something, while doubting the effectiveness and power of the ritual, is an empty and even sinful act, to which the same enemy of the human race is invisibly pushing us.

Blessing of Waters

It is impossible not to mention the rite of consecration of water. According to established tradition, the blessing of water (blessing of water) can be small and great. In the first case, it is performed many times throughout the year during prayer services and during the sacrament of Baptism. In the second, this ritual is performed once a year - during the feast of the Epiphany.

It was installed in memory of the greatest event described in the Gospel - the immersion of Jesus Christ in the waters of the Jordan, which became a prototype of the washing of all human sins, taking place in the holy font, opening the way for people to the bosom of Christ's Church.

How to confess to receive remission of sins?

Church repentance of sins, regardless of whether they were committed intentionally or out of ignorance, is called confession. Being a sacrament and not a rite, confession is not directly related to the topic of this article, and yet we will briefly dwell on it due to its extreme importance.

The Holy Church teaches that everyone going to confession is obliged first of all to make peace with their neighbors if they have had any disagreements with them. In addition, he must sincerely regret what he has done, otherwise how can he confess without feeling guilty? But this is not enough. It is also important to have a firm intention to improve and continue to strive for a righteous life. The main foundation on which confession is built is faith in God’s mercy and hope in His forgiveness.

In the absence of this last and most important element, repentance itself is useless. An example of this is the Gospel Judas, who repented of betraying Jesus Christ, but hanged himself due to lack of faith in His boundless mercy.