Shrovetide is celebrated in Ukraine from 20 to 26 February. The last day of this week is called Forgiveness Sunday. Read in the material TSN.ua – what not to do on this day and how to apologize correctly.
The last day of Maslenitsa (Kolodiya) is called Forgiveness Sunday. Immediately after it begins Great post, which will last until Easter. Other names for this day are Syrup Sunday, Forgiveness Day, Cheesecake. On Forgiveness Sunday, eggs and dairy products are still allowed. But the main tradition of this day is to forgive your loved ones, friends or acquaintances and ask for forgiveness from them.
When is Forgiveness Sunday 2023: exact date
Forgiveness Sunday is a transitional holiday associated with the celebration of Easter. In 2023, it falls on February 26. The very next day (February 27), believers will begin Great Lent, when it is forbidden to eat meat, fish, dairy and curd products, eggs, and on some days hot dishes with butter. This ban will last until April 16. In 2023, on this day we will celebrate the Resurrection of Christ.
Forgiveness Sunday: what not to do
On Forgiveness Sunday, the Church forbids the consumption of alcoholic beverages, as well as meat dishes. In this way, believers can better prepare for Lent.
Also on this day, it is forbidden to sew, embroider, wash, knit, clean, engage in heavy physical labor or needlework.
It is strictly forbidden to swear, insult and be offended, slander or shout at children.
If a person has apologized to you, you cannot refuse him.
After a meal, one should not clear the table because it is considered bad luck. All dishes are covered with a towel – this is how you invite prosperity and happiness into the house.
On Forgiveness Sunday, according to popular legend, the Last Judgment takes place. Therefore, on this day it is forbidden to remember your sins and leave the house after sunset.
Traditions and features of this day
Forgiveness Sunday must begin in the temple. There, the priest reads a sermon, and then addresses the parishioners and asks for forgiveness for their free and non-free sins. There is even a separate phrase about this in the Gospel: “But if you do not forgive people their faults, then your Father will not forgive you your faults.”
From the very morning of Forgiveness Sunday, believers ask for forgiveness from all family members. In ancient times, married sons and married daughters always came to their father’s house to ask their parents for forgiveness and forgive everyone themselves.
An important tradition of this day is visiting graves. They also apologize to those relatives with whom it is no longer possible to talk.
Equally important is the acceptance of forgiveness from those who ask for it. No one should be denied forgiveness on this day.
Our ancestors on Forgiveness Sunday symbolically burned an effigy of straw (winter), which was harvested in the early days of Maslenitsa.
Forgiveness Sunday: how to ask for forgiveness and what to say to others
The morning begins with the fact that a person asks for forgiveness from all his relatives. Interestingly, the older members of the family apologize to the younger members first.
When they apologized to you, you need to say: “God forgive and I forgive“. If for some reason you cannot yet forgive this person, they tell you: “I can’t forgive you yet, but I sincerely wish God would forgive you“.
When apologizing, a person does not ask for judgment from others, but simply admits that he brought pain with his words or actions and regrets it.
Folk omens
If swallows have already arrived, warm days will come very soon.
The wind blows from the east – expect warming, from the south – it will be warm, but rainy weather, and from the north – to the cold.
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