On September 11, the Church remembers by no means a joyful event - the Beheading of John the Baptist. On this day, by order of the ruler Herod, the prophet was executed. Why and how did it happen? What made this saint famous? Is it possible to cut with a knife and eat round vegetables and fruits on this day? Read on.
Nativity and the Education of John
John the Baptist was the son High Priest Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth .
For many years, the couple did not have children, because of which they suffered greatly: childlessness among the Jews was considered a punishment for sins. But God heard the prayers of Zechariah and Elizabeth, and already at an advanced age sent them a son, John. The boy was to become the greatest prophet and forerunner of Christ - hence the name "Forerunner" .
Even in infancy, John lost his parents. How did it happen? At that time, on the orders of Herod, all babies were killed. The ruler acted so cruelly because he heard about the born Messiah, who was to become the King of the Jews. Fearing to lose power, he gave the order to kill children under the age of two. The son of Zechariah also fell into this category.
To protect the baby, the high priest asked his wife to find a safe haven for herself and her son. When Herod's soldiers came to Zechariah with questions, he did not give them the whereabouts of Elizabeth and John. For this, the high priest was killed, just in the temple, between the altar and the altar. Elizabeth also died 40 days later.
The orphaned John the Baptist was brought up by the Essenes, Jews who lived in the desert and resembled monks in their lifestyle. Thanks to their influence, the son of Zechariah and Elizabeth became a severe ascetic. They lived in the desert, wore clothes made of camel hair and ate wild honey and desert locusts. But the Lord assigned a special mission to the prophet.
John was to prepare the Jews for the coming of the Savior. The Old Testament prophets spoke about this. For example, the book of Malachi contains the following words:
Behold, I am sending my angel, and he will prepare the way before me... (Mal. 3:1).
When the Archangel Gabriel appeared to Zechariah with the news of the birth of his son, he said what the Forerunner would be:
For he will be great before the Lord; he will not drink wine and strong drink, and the Holy Spirit will be filled even from his mother's womb; and he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God; and he will go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to restore the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient mind of the righteous, to present to the Lord a people prepared (Luke 1:15-17).
All the prophecies came true, and at the age of 30 John the Baptist went out to preach.
On a sermon
The prophet called the Jews to repentance and baptized them in the waters of the Jordan. So the name "Baptist" was assigned to him. "John's baptism" was different from the modern one: the prophet immersed a repentant person headlong into the water, as if washing away the dirt of sins from him.
People revered the son of Zechariah as a great ascetic, and treated his disciples with respect. Christ Himself testified that the Forerunner was the most righteous: "From those born of women did not arise (a prophet) greater than John the Baptist."
Seeing the Holy Trinity
The Lord vouchsafed John the Baptist to become a witness of the greatest mystery - the revelation of the Holy Trinity. During the baptism of Jesus, he saw the Holy Spirit descend on Him in the form of a dove and heard the voice of the Father:
This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased (Matthew 3:17).
Another evidence of the extraordinary holiness of John can be called the iconographic tradition. Approximately in the XIII century, the image of John the Baptist with wings appeared.
There is nothing surprising when icon painters depict winged angels. But before us is not an angel, but a man ... what served as the basis for such an image?
Yes, John the Baptist, not an angel, but a man of flesh and blood. But his soul was surprisingly pure and bright, and his life was full of service to God. Moreover, in the prophecy of Malachi it is said: I am sending my angel, and he will prepare the way before me…. All this served as the basis for the emergence of the icon. "John the Baptist - Angel of the Desert" .
Why was the prophet executed?
In the Orthodox calendar there are several holidays dedicated to the Baptist of the Lord. And the saddest and, it would seem, generally unfair is the beheading of John the Baptist. How did it happen?
The Prophet called people to repentance and often denounced them regardless of social status and position in society. He pointed out to Governor Herod the sin of adultery. The fact is that the king made Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, his concubine. And this is with a living husband!
For the truth in the eyes, Herod put John the Baptist in prison, but, knowing the people's respect for the prophet, he was afraid to kill him. Herodias openly hated the prophet and prepared a plan of revenge. The bloody plan was carried out on the birthday of the ruler.
At this time, Herod prepared a feast and summoned distinguished guests. Food, wine, fun ... But nothing impressed those present more than dance of Salome daughter of Herodias. Intoxicated with wine and fun, the ruler promised her to fulfill any desire for this. On the advice of her mother, Salome asked for... the head of John the Baptist on a platter.
Herod did not want to kill the prophet, but he was afraid of what the guests would think of him. Thus ambition won over common sense and the voice of conscience. These bloody events served as the basis for the feast of the beheading of John the Baptist.
Is it possible to cut with a knife on a holiday?
The Orthodox Church established September 11 as a one-day fast. On this day, it is not customary to eat meat, milk, eggs and even fish, vegetable oil, bread, cereals, vegetables and fruits are allowed. The holiday itself belongs to the great ones, so the believers, if possible, attend the evening service and the Liturgy.
The people formed an Orthodox-pagan vision of the holiday. Many people are really sure that nothing can be cut with a knife on the Beheading of John the Baptist. If you want to eat bread, you better break off a piece. Otherwise, blood may allegedly appear on the cut products.
It is also “not possible” to eat round vegetables and fruits: cabbage, potatoes, tomatoes, apples, watermelons, because they resemble a head in shape. All red foods are also prohibited, especially drinks: wine, cherry juice. Some refuse to eat borscht. All of the above supposedly resembles blood in color.
Such gastronomic prejudices are nothing but superstition , and they have nothing to do with Orthodox traditions.
We invite you to watch the sermon of Archpriest Vladimir Golovin on the feast of the Beheading of John the Baptist:
Take it, tell your friends!
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The shortest, but at the same time, one of the strictest Orthodox fasts is the Dormition Fast. Why it is called that and how it was established, how many days it lasts and what you can eat during this period - read about this below. And also we will talk about the main holidays of fasting, the consecration of honey and apples.
Troparion. voice 4.
Prophet and forerunner of Christ's advent, we are not skillful in praising you worthily, honoring you with love: for the barrenness of the one who gave birth to you was abolished and the silence of the father was resolved by your glorious and honest Christmas, and the incarnation of the Son of God is preached to the world.
Kondak. voice 3, like:Virgo today...
The now barren forerunner of Christ now gives birth - and he became the fullness of everyone's prophecy: for whom the prophets preached, laying his hand on Him in the Jordan, he appeared as a prophet of God's Word, and a preacher, and at the same time a forerunner.
Worship in honor of the holiday
Begins since the evening
July 6at 16:00 -all-night festive serviceWithlithium and polyeleum
July 7 (if it is a weekday, then one Divine Liturgy, after which there is always a prayer service for the blessing of water.
This year July 7th falls on a Sunday -
two divine liturgies:
in 7:00 - early liturgy and
in 9:00 am - late liturgy.
Water consecrated prayer - pabout the end of the late Divine Liturgy.
John the Baptist is the most revered Christian saint after the Mother of God. The Savior Himself spoke of the prophet John the Baptist in this way: Of those born of women, no greater (prophet) than John the Baptist (Matthew 11:11) rose up. The Nativity of John the Baptist is a unique holiday for Orthodoxy. There are only three holidays when Christians remember not the day of death, but the birthday of the person they glorify: the Nativity of Christ, the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos and the Nativity of John the Baptist. This fact is another evidence that the prophet John the Baptist is especially revered in the Church.
“Today we celebrate the Nativity of Saint John. This is an honor that no other saint has ever received. Throughout the Christian world, only the day of the Nativity of the Lord and John has been appointed and revered,” wrote Blessed Augustine.
In our time, “and the Mother of God” should be added. St. Augustine did not mention Her, because then in the Western tradition, the Nativity of the Virgin was not yet a holiday.
Why is this day so important to us? For those who were familiar with the Jewish prophecies about the coming of the Messiah, the fact of the birth of John meant a lot.
“Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord. And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I do not strike the earth with a curse, ”wrote the prophet Malachi in his Book.
The appearance on earth of a special person was an indication that the coming of the Messiah should soon be expected. And the Jews have been waiting for this instruction for many centuries.
The writings of the prophets are allegorical. Some people were really waiting for Elijah himself to appear on earth. “Well, are you Elijah?” the messengers from Jerusalem asked John himself, when he had already begun to baptize and preach.
Jesus Christ pointed to the allegory of the words of the prophet Malachi. “And if you want to receive, he is Elijah, who must come. Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear!” the Savior said about John, explaining his role in the salvation of mankind.
Why did someone have to come before the Messiah comes? To spiritually prepare the people for what the Savior will say. Several centuries ago, the prophet Malachi spoke of the need to convert people's hearts so that people would not bring curses on the earth due to their sins.
And so John the Baptist (Predecessor) was born on earth.
This was a very unusual person. “Of those born of women, no greater rose,” Christ said about him. His whole life was a service to God, even the birth itself in many ways prepared people for the future birth of the Lord.
John's father, Zacharias, was a priest. He and his wife Elizabeth lived piously, fulfilled all the commandments, but could not give birth to a child. Zechariah was already in advanced years, when suddenly, entering the temple in order to incense, he saw an angel.
The messenger predicted that Zechariah would have a son, John, who “will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God; and shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah... to present to the Lord a people prepared.”
It would seem that one should rejoice and hurry home after the service to please his wife, but Zakharia doubted that this would be. Six months later, the Angel Gabriel will also unexpectedly appear to Mary, and the young Virgin will humbly submit to the will of the Lord. But the priest who knew the Scriptures did not accept the words of the Angel. Just as later the Jewish people did not accept the Messiah.
For this Zechariah was punished: an angel deprived him of 
the opportunity to speak until the moment when the prediction comes true.
When, after the due date, Elizabeth gave birth and on the 8th day (as the Jews did and still do to this day) it was necessary to circumcise the baby and choose a name for him, neighbors and relatives were very surprised that the mother wanted to name him John - before that, none of her relatives did not bear this name. They asked Zechariah, and he wrote on a tablet: “John is his name,” because Gabriel had told him so a few months ago. The prediction of the Angel came true, Zechariah found the gift of speech and began to praise the Creator.
These events were spoken of throughout the land of Judea, because they knew that Zechariah had a vision in the temple and that "the hand of the Lord was with his son." People tried to understand what purpose was prepared for a child whose birth was accompanied by such miracles. Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied that the baby "will go before the face of the Lord - to prepare His ways ... to enlighten those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, to direct our feet in the path of peace."
As we can see, in all the prophecies, John is likened to the prophet Elijah. However, the circumstances of his birth are reminiscent of the story of Isaac, the son of Abraham and Sarah. About 18 centuries before the birth of John, the aged Abraham, like Zechariah, was promised that he would have a son. His wife, like Elizabeth, was barren all her life. However, unlike Zechariah, Abraham believed the prediction.
These events belonged to ancient times, perhaps they were perceived not as a real story, but as a fantastic legend. And on the land promised by God to Abraham, the same miracle happened as many centuries ago. A miracle that could not but remind of the Old Testament history, which showed that the events described there are a reality.
Was the birth of John taken 
people as a sign that the ancient Scriptures are coming true, which also speak of the coming of the Messiah - the Savior?
John Chrysostom writes that the very fact of the birth of John to a barren and aged mother, as it were, prepared people for the idea that, according to the Word of God, a Virgin who never knew a husband could give birth: “... the old woman touched the firstborn child, and the barren unexpectedly gave birth, so that they would believe the Virgin, who gives birth beyond nature. Both are new and unusual, because both the barren woman and the Virgin are unexpected mothers.
After the birth of Jesus Christ, King Herod ordered that all babies be killed. Hearing about this, Elizabeth and her son fled into the wilderness and hid in a cave, while Zechariah, as a priest, remained at the temple in Jerusalem. Of course, the king could not hide that a son was born to Zechariah - the whole district was talking about this. When Zechariah refused to tell the soldiers where his wife and son were hiding, he was killed.
After the death of Elizabeth, John, who was guarded by an angel, remained to live in the wilderness until the time when he began to preach about repentance and baptized the people of Israel and the Lord who came into the world in the Jordan.
The tradition of celebrating the birthday of John the Baptist already existed in the first Christian communities. This holiday was introduced into the Christian calendar in the 4th century.
Nativity of Saint John the Baptist, the Baptist of the Lord, popularly called The day of Ivan or holiday Ivan Kupala. It is always celebrated on July 7 in the Russian Orthodox Church. It has its own traditions and customs. Features of the icons of John the Baptist.
The feast of the Nativity of John the Baptist always falls on Petrovsky, apostolic post and according to the new style is celebrated on July 7th. The vestments of the clergy and the decoration of the temple are white. On this day, you can cook food with fish, wine is also allowed. The feast of Ivanov's Day combined the ecclesiastical significance of the holiday with ancient folk customs, many of which are condemned by the Church.
Saint John the Baptist was born of elderly parents Zechariah and Elizabeth. When the birth of the herald of the Savior was miraculously predicted to the priest Zechariah, he did not believe, and for this he was stricken with dumbness. The voice returned to him only after the birth of his son.
When Herod ordered all babies to be killed after the news of the birth of the Messiah, Elizabeth hid in the desert with little John and later died there. Zechariah was killed by Herod's soldiers right in the temple, when they tried to get information from him about the boy's presence. John lived and grew up in the wilderness alone, eating the food he found. One of the common icons of the Forerunner is called "Desert Angel". John is depicted dressed in the skins of wild animals, often with angel wings.
John, guarded by an angel, was in the wilderness until the time came for him to go out to preach about repentance. Soon he was able to baptize the Lord who had come into the world. John the Baptist is always depicted on the icon of the Baptism of the Lord.
Another image of John "The Beheading of John the Baptist", takes us to the last moments of his life. According to legend, he was killed by the servants of Herod Antipas at the request of the maiden Solomiya, this event is remembered by the Church in September.
The Nativity of the Baptist and Forerunner of Christ John is celebrated by the Church closer to the middle of summer, when the people have long celebrated holidays dedicated to the sun and water. Various rituals associated with water and fire, often of a sexual nature, partially remained among the people until the 19th century. Often these days, "ritual outrages" were also arranged - various minor dirty tricks were done to fellow villagers, which researchers associate with ancient beliefs associated with protective rituals.
Of course, all these actions - various fortune-telling on the water, jumping over a fire, "outrages" - have always been condemned by the Church as contrary to Christian doctrine. In this regard, gradually, they lost their ritual significance and remained as simply beautiful traditions.
There are many legends about this day among the people. One of the most famous is about the fern flower. It was believed that it was on the night of Ivan Kupala that the fern bloomed and the one who found this flower would find happiness.
The birth of the prophet and Baptist of the Lord himself was predicted by the prophet Isaiah 700 years before the event itself: "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: prepare the way of the Lord, make straight the paths of our God in the steppe."
John the Baptist is the most revered Christian Saint after the Virgin. The Church honors the memory of the Forerunner seven times a year.
The Savior Himself spoke of him this way: "From those born of women, no greater (prophet) than John the Baptist has arisen."
The Miracle of Conception and Christmas
The gospel of Luke tells about the miraculous circumstances of the conception and birth of St. John. The future prophet was born into the family of a Jewish priest near Hebron (El-Khalil) south of Jerusalem. On the maternal side, John was a relative of Jesus Christ and was born six months earlier than Him.
The parents of the future prophet, the righteous Zechariah and Elizabeth, reached old age without having children, since Elizabeth was barren. Childlessness in those days in the Israeli people was considered a punishment from God. Therefore, childless spouses were often condemned by others.
The archangel Gabriel announced the birth of his son Zechariah in the temple: "... do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will give birth to your son, and you will call his name: John." Zechariah doubted the truth of the prophecy, and for this he was temporarily speechless.
The birth of the long-awaited son for the parents was a sign of the omnipotence of God and an indication of the special mission of the newborn. Thus, by the grace of God, John escaped death among the thousands of murdered babies in Bethlehem and its environs.
According to legend, the rumor about the birth of John reached King Herod, and when the Magi came to Jerusalem asking where the born King of the Jews was, Herod remembered his son Zechariah and, having issued an order to beat the babies, sent murderers to the city where the righteous lived.
The path to prophecy
From a young age, the future righteous man chose an unusual way of life - he retired to the uninhabited Judean desert and, settling in one of the wild caves, lived there in prayer and fasting until the age of 30.
The Forerunner wore the simplest, coarsest clothes, made of camel hair, girded with a leather belt. His food consisted only of roots and plants, wild honey and locust (a kind of locust). Therefore, he is often compared with the prophet Elijah, who also lived in the Judean desert, wore a hair shirt and a leather belt.
© Sputnik / V. Druzhkov
Reproduction of the icon "John the Baptist in the Desert"
The future Saint, hiding in the depths of the desert and seeking only fellowship with God, was waiting for the Lord Himself to call him for prophetic service. This day came in 28-29 AD, during the reign of Emperor Tiberius.
Saint John began to preach in the vicinity of the Judean Desert and on the banks of the Jordan. He baptized people by immersing them in water and preached repentance. The essence of his sermon was that before receiving an external washing, people must be morally cleansed, and thus prepare themselves for the acceptance of the Gospel.
Although the baptism of the Forerunner was not yet the grace-filled sacrament of Christian baptism, its meaning lay in the spiritual preparation for the acceptance of the future baptism with water and the Holy Spirit.
Many residents of Jerusalem and the country of Judea, knowing about the strict and virtuous life of John, having heard about his teaching, full of power and greatness, came to him and were baptized by him in the Jordan.
Baptist of the Lord
The power of his preaching was so great, and the number of people wishing to be baptized increased every day, that many began to think that St. John was the Messiah expected by everyone.
But John answered the secret thoughts of the people like this: "I baptize you with water, but the Strongest of me is coming after me, from whom I am not worthy to untie the strap of my shoes; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire."
And this day has come - Jesus Christ - the Savior of the world, came to John at the Jordan to be baptized. Baptism was accompanied by miraculous phenomena - the descent of the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove and the voice of God the Father from heaven: "This is My beloved Son ..."
After receiving a revelation about Jesus Christ, the prophet John told the people about Him: "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world." Hearing this, two of John's disciples joined Jesus Christ. These were the apostles John (the Theologian) and Andrew (the First-Called, brother of Simon-Peter).
Death of the righteous
With the baptism of the Savior, the prophet John practically completed his prophetic ministry. He fearlessly and severely denounced the vices of both ordinary people and the powerful of this world.
In particular, the Baptist accused the Jewish king Herod of having an illegal relationship with his brother's wife, Herodias. Herod did not like this, and he imprisoned the prophet.
But, the hatred of Herodias was even stronger, and she was looking for a reason to kill the righteous. During one of the feasts, Solomiya, the daughter of Herodias, pleased the king with her dance, and he promised to give her whatever she wanted.
© Sputnik / Boris Ignatovich
Icon "The Beheading of John the Baptist"
At the instigation of her mother, she demanded the severed head of John the Baptist on a platter. The king granted her wish, and Solomiya gave the head to her mother. The Orthodox Church remembers the martyrdom of the prophet on the day of the Beheading of John the Baptist, which marks September 11th.
The disciples of John the Baptist buried his body in the Samaritan city of Sebastia. But Herodias did not allow the head of John the Baptist to be buried along with the body and kept it in her palace. The head was secretly buried by the maidservant of the queen, the Holy Myrrh-bearing John, on the Mount of Olives.
Features of worship
In the Orthodox Church, the Nativity of John the Baptist is one of the great holidays, although it is not the twelfth. It is celebrated six months before Christmas.
The peculiarity of a great holiday is that it has one day of afterfeast, which is not the case with similar holidays. According to the expression of church hymns, St. John was "a bright morning star", which foreshadowed the coming into the world of the Sun of Truth - Christ the Savior.
This feast is celebrated according to the usual rule set for the vigil service to the Saint, but the significance of St. John himself and the feast of his Nativity is celebrated in the service by the fact that at Matins the canon to John the Baptist is read first, which is not preceded by the canon of the Most Holy Theotokos.
In terms of the structure of the service and the solemnity of the celebration, the Nativity of John the Baptist is approaching the greatest holidays. In connection with such an outstanding solemnity on this joyful day, everything for the dead is categorically excluded from the services. It is eliminated on this day by the Church Charter, and does not simply prohibit the introduction of memorial prayers into public worship.
The Nativity of John the Baptist always falls on Petrovsky Lent, which ends with the celebration of the memory of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul - July 12th. On the feast of the Nativity of John the Baptist, according to the Charter, it is allowed to eat fish.
Through St. John, everyone comes to church with repentance - he is the patron of all believers.
What are they praying for
As a preacher of repentance, they pray to him for admonishing sinners, for granting vision and understanding of their sins and their causes, for the communion of unbaptized people, those of little faith and sectarians to the Church and for the gift of a repentant feeling, for helping prisoners.
They resort to him for spiritual help during long fasts. From ancient times, the prophet John was especially revered by peasants and beekeepers, so he is asked for an abundance of earthly fruits.
Prayer
To the Baptist of Christ, the preacher of repentance, do not despise me who repents, but copulated with your heavenly ones, praying to the Lord for me, unworthy, dull, weak and sad, fallen into many misfortunes, troubled by the stormy thoughts of my mind. I am a den of evil deeds, by no means having an end to sinful custom, I am nailed because my mind is an earthly thing. What I will do, I do not know, and to whom I will resort, that my soul be saved, only to you, Saint John, name the grace of the name, as before the Lord, according to the Theotokos, it is greater for you to be born of all: you were honored to touch the top of the King of Christ, who takes away the sins of the world, the Lamb of God. Pray him for my sinful soul, but from now on, at the first ten hours, I will bear the good burden and accept bribes with the latter. To her, the Baptist of Christ, an honest Forerunner, an extreme prophet, the first in the grace of a martyr, mentor of fasting and desert dwellers, purity to a teacher and a close friend of Christ, I pray, I resort to you, do not reject me from your intercession, but raise me up, fallen by many sins, renew my soul with repentance, as if with a second baptism, better than both, thou art the chief, with baptism they washed away sin, but preach repentance for the cleansing of someone’s bad deeds; cleanse me, defiled by sin, and compel me to enter, otherwise nothing badly enters into the Kingdom of Heaven. Amen.
Material prepared by Sputnik Georgia based on open sources
The Nativity of John the Baptist is a great non-twelfth Orthodox holiday. In 2020, it is celebrated on July 7th. The full church name of the holiday is the Nativity of the honest glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist of the Lord John. It is dedicated to the birth of St. John - the Baptist of Jesus Christ.
The content of the article
history of the holiday
John the Baptist was born into the family of a Jewish priest Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth. The couple were elderly and considered themselves infertile. One day, the Archangel Gabriel appeared to Zechariah in the temple. He predicted to him the birth of a son. The priest expressed disbelief, for which the Archangel punished him with dumbness. Zechariah regained his gift of speech on the eighth day after the birth of his son John.
After the birth of Jesus Christ, King Herod ordered the destruction of all babies in Bethlehem. Elizabeth fled into the wilderness with her son John. There he spent his childhood. At the age of thirteen, John the Baptist began preaching in the wilderness and around the Jordan River. The preacher gained fame. Students began to surround him. John baptized people in the waters of the river. Baptism symbolized repentance and spiritual cleansing of a person. He foretold the coming of Christ and baptized Jesus.
Traditions and rituals of the holiday
On the eve of the Nativity of John the Baptist, an all-night vigil is served in churches. At the divine liturgy, stichera and canons are read, in which John the Baptist and the event of his birth are glorified.
After the morning service, people bless the water, herbs and flowers. It is believed that the plants consecrated in the church on this day protect and heal from diseases.
Parishioners make a pilgrimage to Orthodox shrines named after the Prophet.
Among the people, the Christian holiday of the Nativity of John the Baptist coincides with the pagan celebration of the summer solstice - Ivan Kupala. On this day, people arrange mass bathing, gather herbs, kindle fires and dance around them, sing songs. Girls weave wreaths, perform magic rituals and tell fortunes.
What can and cannot be eaten on the Nativity of John the Baptist
The holiday falls on Peter's post. During this period, believers are forbidden to eat meat and dairy products, eggs. But on the Nativity of John the Baptist, parishioners are allowed to include fish and some red wine in their diet.
What not to do on the Nativity of John the Baptist
On this day, the Orthodox Church forbids doing hard physical work, getting angry, cursing.
It is forbidden to give, sell, borrow something from home, pick up coins or banknotes found on the road - this can lead to poverty.
Do not pour water on pregnant women, children and the elderly. It is believed that their bodies are sensitive to evil spirits, and it can harm them.
On this day, you can not offend and beat pets. If you hit the cattle, then it may not give milk and not bring offspring.
Signs and beliefs for the Nativity of John the Baptist
- A rainy day is a sign of a good harvest.
- Starry night - for the harvest of mushrooms in the fall.
- To see a snake on the Nativity of John the Baptist is to disappointment and trouble.
- A girl who on this day will wash herself with dew in the morning will retain her youth and beauty for a long time.
- The singing of a cricket on a festive night portends good news.
