Meatfare Week is part of a series of preparatory activities preceding Lent, which, in turn, is a prelude to the main Orthodox Christian and ancient Passover, symbolizing the greatest event - the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
whole preparatory period before Easter
significantly greater stresses of the holiday preceding Lent, during which a person morally and physically preparing for the event.
is preceded by Lent itself as prep Week (three) and Week (four).Just need to mention that in the translation from the Old Church Slavonic Week - a week in this sense, and a week - Sunday.The word is believed to have derived from the verb "to do", which means a ban on the work and dedication to God.All, in modern parlance, a preparatory cycle before Easter has 70 days.It begins on the Sunday (Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee) and ends with Holy Saturday, which marks the end of Holy Week - the last week.Lent in the church's everyday life has another name - the Great Lent.It is preceded by, as mentioned above, three weeks, during which the strictly defined order services.
Four Sunday - four milestones
Actually, the importance is not all days of the week, and Sunday only, which are the names - of the Publican and the Pharisee, the prodigal son, Meat-fare week and Cheesefare.Last Sunday coincides with the ancient pagan and very favorite holiday - Carnival, immediately after which, on Monday, Lent begins.The essence of these preparations - preparation of a gradual transition to a severe abstinence.By itself, this order is very old and has been known since the IV century.
Meatfare week, continuing spiritual repentance man begins to prepare him physically.It is the last day when food can be eaten meat.This day is also called Sunday of the Last Judgment, because all the 6 days preceding the Sunday liturgy on the page are read from the Gospel devoted to Day of Judgment.
Home Retreat meat
What does Meat-fare Week?It is the day after which terminated "vacation" meat, so it had plenty to eat.It was believed that on this day made 12 times slurp soup and meat is 12 times.This Sunday, crowning Meatfare Week, which starts on Monday after a week (Sunday), the prodigal son.Yet this Week popularly called variegated or speckled.This happens because two of its six days (Wednesday and Friday) has already "goveyut meat," that is fast.Thus, it differs from the previous Week, when the meat is eaten every day, and from the subsequent cheese Week, when he does not eat.
THE SATURDAY
Meatfare week ends weeks of having another name - her name is in the people's memorial.In Meatfare Saturday, which is also called the universal parent, it was customary to go to the cemetery, to remember the dead father and mother (in Belarus memorial day fell on Thursday and Friday).There are several traditions associated with this period.In these days of winter stopped the wedding.In support of this, there are many proverbs.One of them - "On Motley married - become related with the disaster."In addition, it was in the meat a week, people went to the neighbors and invite them to your celebration of Carnival.The day before in some regions was made thoroughly clean the house, prepare a festive table, you have to wait for the guests.
traditions and customs associated with this week
Meat-fare Week What does it mean?On the one hand, Eve Cheese Week, and on the other - on Sunday, after which it remains exactly 56 days before Easter.To the side is a shadow of its ambiguity and instability, insecurity associated with the names of "colorful" and "speckled".Therefore, there are bans on certain actions and deeds in these days.The people there were always a lot of will and traditions associated with any holiday.Sometimes they were original.For example, in some provinces as early as Saturday Meatfare began to celebrate "small Oiler."Baked pancakes first, left some of them relatives of the deceased.We kids had their own traditions to this day, for example through the village to collect old shoes, their "chants", in which they called for the spring.
turns out that the Meat-fare Week, Week, following it, like the previous two, is not only a preparatory period for Lent, but also the time of holidays, festivals and related folk beliefs, accept and customs, which, in itsturn stacked dozens of proverbs and sayings.
