It is strictly forbidden to repeat these mistakes of the past. If in the Middle Ages everything could have ended with a modest penance, then in our cruel time, a psychiatric illness may be suspected.
Respect for history is good. It is natural to have traditions in the family. But the desire to blindly repeat everything that people did in the old days will not lead to good. The difference between the life of a medieval farmer and a modern city dweller is enormous, because much that was useful for the former can harm the latter. It is also worth remembering that all of the following was optional. These absurd rituals were performed only by those who were willing to look ridiculous. They should not be imitated.
Sinister kutia
There are so many creepy signs that are associated with the traditional Christmas dish kutya that you don't want to cook this sweet porridge or put it on the table. Courageous housewives of past centuries prepared this treat at night on the eve of the holiday. Taking the pot out of the oven, they looked carefully for bad omens. If, during the cooking process, the porridge crawled out of the pot, a great misfortune is coming. If the pot itself has burst, then things are even worse. If this treat looks pale, those who gather in this house for the holiday will be seriously ill. It was possible to prevent terrible events by delivering a pot with a treat to the river and throwing it into an ice-hole. In a word, without kutya it is somehow calmer.
Fight off the Devil's appetite
A festive dinner on Christmas Eve is one of the most beloved traditions by folklorists and common people. The first know that the feast was not as wonderful as it seems from the height of our time. On the night before Christmas, evil spirits walk around the world. She also wants to eat, which creates difficulties for people. Garlic can scare away uninvited guests - one clove is laid on the corners of the table under the tablecloth. It is not known whether those who turned up their noses from the "appetizing" aroma were subjected to any tests for non-involvement in the damn tribe.
Call wealth into the house
It's easy and fun to do. All adult participants in the Christmas feast must portray animals. In the old days, men were more often given the role of cattle, and women were weird in the images of birds. You need to act realistically - if you are really portraying, for example, a cow, then not only moo, but also get on all fours. Representatives of half of humanity had fun directly in the house, and the fair sex went to the chicken coop in order to please the pets with a cheerful cluck and inform the neighbors that the guests did not get drunk to hell, but were performing a magical ceremony.
Bewitch the groom
A maiden in love on Christmas Eve goes to the house where her chosen one lives. Her task will be to find the sled and gnaw off chips from their wooden part. Since the church equated the love spell with divination, black masses and did not approve of it, this must be done secretly - the holy fathers rescued the girls from the shame of being caught chewing on vehicles. Having tested the power of her own jaws and having obtained the coveted trophy, our heroine could go home. The wood chips had to be carried everywhere with him, so that the dear on a long journey would only think about the bride. It is not known whether it was allowed after the wedding to boast to the chosen one of what large piece of wood the bride was able to grab.
Look into the future
As you know, during the Christmas week it is a sin to clean the house. Taking this opportunity, on Christmas Eve, as soon as everyone goes to bed, the oldest woman in the family should perform an incredibly sloppy ceremony. An old mischievous woman takes ash from the oven and depicts a sower at the beds on which unmarried girls sleep. In the morning they will be able to inspect the condition of their shoes - whose shoes are the dirtiest, the richest spouse will get. Let the happiness of waiting allow her not to notice that the floor and the bed after her grandmother's antics, let's say, are not the cleanest.
And do you believe that our ancestors were such hooligans and madmen? Perhaps the folklorists looked so naive that the village old men made fun of them, telling fables? How do you like this version?
