Since ancient times, there has been a belief in Rus' that lovers who get married on Krasnaya Gorka will never part. And still, many couples want to enter into a union on this day, paying tribute to Russian wedding traditions. What kind of holiday is this and where did the tradition of getting married on Krasnaya Gorka come from?

Krasnaya Gorka is now the first Sunday after Easter; this day became a holiday with the advent of Christianity on Russian soil. But the roots of Krasnaya Gorka go back to the times of paganism in Rus', when in this way people rejoiced at the final arrival of spring.

How Krasnaya Gorka was celebrated in Rus'

“Red” among the Slavs meant “beautiful, beautiful, elegant,” so for the festivities they chose the most beautiful hill in the area - they wanted to be closer to the sun. And the snow melted first from the hills and hillocks, which also mattered in the choice of location. Sun worship, the worship of the pagan god Yarila was reflected in the fact that things in the shape of a circle acquired symbolic meaning on this day. Even as a treat, the girls cooked scrambled eggs, baked pancakes, round pies and loaves.

Krasnaya Gorka was not only a holiday of spring, the renewal of nature, but also a day of youth.

All the young boys and girls always got ready for the holiday, put on their best outfits, showed off in front of each other in order to impress and find a bride or groom. The girls sang spring songs, danced, danced in circles, and treated everyone gathered to various dishes. The guys burned fires and measured their strength and dexterity. And then everyone played games together, got to know each other and talked. It was even believed that, by staying at home, young people doomed themselves to failure in love until the next Krasnaya Gorka, or to a worthless husband, a worthless wife and an unhappy family life.

It was also customary to celebrate weddings on this holiday. There are several reasons for this.

• Firstly, in the village the entire way of life was subordinated to the agricultural annual cycle, so weddings took place either before the sowing season, or in the fall, after the harvest, so that the festivities did not interfere with work.
• And secondly, Krasnaya Gorka was the first holiday after Lent and long weeks of abstinence, when it was again possible to get married, indulge in fun and enjoy a variety of food. For example, the tradition of baking a wedding loaf and welcoming the newlyweds with “bread and salt” dates back to this holiday.

Now Krasnaya Gorka is still a very popular wedding date among young people, especially if they are going to not only get married, but also get married. If you believe in the signs of your ancestors and have chosen Krasnaya Gorka as your wedding day, then submit documents to the registry office in advance, because there may be many people who want to get married on this day.

Red Hill is a holiday celebrated a week after Easter. According to Christian tradition, it is on this day, after a long break associated with Great Lent and Bright Week, that a series of weddings begins. It is believed that wedding played on this day becomes the key to a long, happy and prosperous family life. In 2013, Krasnaya Gorka falls on May 12.

Ancient traditions and rituals

Red Hill is not a completely Christian holiday. It replaced the day dedicated to the Slavic deity Yarila - the sun god. As often happened at the dawn of the formation of a new religion, the pagan holiday was replaced with a Christian one, and in order to avoid popular outrage, some ancient traditions were preserved. That is why echoes of old rituals are still heard in the rituals performed on Krasnaya Gorka.

The main meaning of the holiday is the celebration of the arrival of spring, as a symbol of the rebirth of nature, the birth of a new life. On this day, it is customary to decorate the table and home with everything round, that is, with peculiar “suns”. And the “red” hill because on this day the festivities were held on the highest hill, on which the snow had already melted and the first grass had appeared. “Red” means “beautiful.”

Wedding on Krasnaya Gorka

In nature, the cycles of “life” (flourishing) and “death” (withering) are inextricably linked with each other, therefore it is customary to remember ancestors on Krasnaya Gorka. In the old days, after a wedding, young people went to the cemetery to bow to their departed relatives and ask for the protection of their new family. They left food for the deceased and brought them a glass vodka , bowed.

Nowadays, this tradition is no longer observed in this form, that is, newlyweds do not come to the churchyard. But many other people visit the graves of people dear to them on this day, which, by the way, is much more correct than doing this on Easter.

Eggs were rolled onto Krasnaya Gorka from a real or constructed mountain. It was believed that if an egg rolls smoothly and stops smoothly and remains intact, then the one who released it would have a prosperous year.

The newlyweds also took part in this fun. They pushed eggs down the hill together and watched how they rolled down - side by side or separately, faster or slower than each other, how they stopped - together or one egg rolled further. Based on this, they concluded how family life would go.

Modern script

If you decide to have a wedding on Krasnaya Gorka, you can turn to ancient traditions. This will make the celebration unique and unforgettable.

Obfuscation of traces

After the registry office, instead of the traditional ride around the city in cars, you can order a ride in carts (or carriages) for the newlyweds and those guests who were present at the registration of the marriage. And after the restaurant, the newlyweds should take the most confusing route home.

The wedding “train” has always had a sacred meaning. The newlyweds were taken to church one way, and to the feast by another, deliberately confusing the tracks and choosing roundabout routes so that evil spirits could not first interfere with the wedding, and then with the entire future life of the newlyweds.

Bread and salt

Wedding on Krasnaya Gorka

Nowadays, as a rule, even those newlyweds who do not undergo a wedding ceremony are greeted by newly-made mothers-in-law after the registry office with an icon and bread and salt (another combination of pagan and Christian rituals).

However, it would not be amiss to recall that among the ancient Slavs, the loaf symbolized the sun and its gifts - light, warmth, goodness, well-being. So don’t neglect the tradition of offering beautiful round bread. And if at the beginning of the wedding feast you give pieces of loaf to all the guests, then grace and happiness will touch them too.

Red sun

So if your girlfriends are ready to “say goodbye” to your bachelor life in such an original way, then give them this opportunity. By the way, the groom's friends can do the same.

Krasnaya Gorka is a cheerful, noisy festival of youth, takes place exactly a week after Easter, symbolizing the arrival of sunny spring, the awakening of nature. Since ancient times, the Slavic peoples revered him, waited impatiently and prepared in advance - they sewed beautiful clothes, learned songs, baked round holiday loaves, painted eggs.

When is Krasnaya Gorka celebrated?

Pagan rituals in our time are closely intertwined with Christian ones, but the original meaning of the holiday remains - the search for a worthy life partner. Its name is also quite understandable - the hill is well warmed by the sun, the grass on it rises earlier than in the lowlands, so the hill was chosen as the place for the festivities, and “red”, as is known, means “beautiful”. Young people, dressed in their best clothes, will gather for the festivities this year to celebrate the Krasnaya Gorka 2017 holiday, which will take place on April 23, in a cheerful atmosphere. There are other names for the ancient Slavic action - Antipascha (in the sense of “instead of”) and Thomas Sunday, in honor of the Apostle Thomas, who did not believe in the resurrection of Christ until Jesus appeared before him on the eighth day after the Ascension.

Traditions of the Krasnaya Gorka holiday

Spring celebrations were dedicated to Yarila, the young God of the sun and rebirth, a symbol of love, tenderness, and purity. The deity with clear blue eyes was depicted in the brightest, joyful colors - the sun illuminated his blond hair, a scarlet cloak flowed behind his shoulders, and herbs and flowers grew in the places where his bare feet stepped. In 2017, Krasnaya Gorka, as before, will gather a noisy youth group in nature; boys and girls should not miss the opportunity to have fun and show their best side. It has long been believed that those who do not come to the holiday doom themselves to an unsuccessful marriage or loneliness. Some villages in Russia even today celebrate the holiday in old traditions, which have become overgrown with details and have become a truly spectacular event. Tourists from cities come there to admire and take part in the folk festivities. From the most beautiful young ladies, they choose the best one - a singer and ringleader, they call her Leda or Lada, under her leadership the young people lead round dances, echoing her in chants. Games are held, in a modern way - competitions in which the guys demonstrate their bravery, and the girls, decorated with multi-colored ribbons and bright wreaths, demonstrate dexterity, mastery, and a cheerful character. It is believed that finding a couple on this day means laying a solid foundation for future family life. From this day on, matchmaking began en masse.

Rituals of the holiday Krasnaya Gorka

There was also a place for older women in the festive rituals. Rural women undertook to protect their village from diseases, misfortunes, and natural destructive phenomena - fires and floods. Even before sunrise, they gathered outside the outskirts, harnessed themselves to the plow and drove a furrow around the village, reading saving prayers - the deeper the furrow, the more reliable the protection of the settlement from crop failure, drought and similar adversities was considered; the resulting cross when closed was also a good sign. What date is Krasnaya Gorka 2017, you can find out from the church calendar; on this day, rituals are performed that inspire young people for their upcoming family life.

Girls and boys throw colored eggs, an even slope and a surviving egg down a slide - fortunately and luckily, they also threw a coin into a well or other body of water, while making a wish. And you can ensure long life and health by praying on Krasnaya Gorka - it is believed that both God and deceased relatives will hear your request, who will definitely help in later life. And for wealth, at dawn you should wash yourself in front of the icon; the result will be best if the eldest of the family washes the youngest.

Church rituals are still honored by parishioners to this day. The solemn service ends with the distribution of prosphora, called antidoron; you need to take a piece on your right hand, placed on your left in the form of a cross. They eat consecrated bread on an empty stomach, right in church.

Wedding on Krasnaya Gorka

After completion, weddings are allowed to take place. It is necessary to pay attention when Krasnaya Gorka 2017, what date the holiday falls is of great importance - you should avoid getting married in May. It is believed that if you get married this month, you will suffer for the rest of your life. 2017 will delight the newlyweds - April weddings do not contradict the conclusion of a happy union. In the upcoming 2016, the holiday fell in May, so especially superstitious young people postponed the fateful event and are waiting for the wedding to finally come on Krasnaya Gorka in 2017. And young people who have just found each other go to visit those who got married in last year to married couples - for advice and blessings. It is customary to treat them with scrambled eggs, reminiscent of the sun, and specially baked round bread.

Wedding and wedding ceremonies held on Krasnaya Gorka 2017 are a holiday for everyone. Unmarried youth are gaining experience so that in the coming years, on the same day, they can hold a celebration in compliance with ancient traditions:

• commemoration of ancestors after the wedding, treats were left at the cemetery, and deceased relatives, especially if they were parents, were asked to protect the young family;
• rolling eggs into the mountains - the newlyweds simultaneously launched paints and watched the process, whether the eggs would roll side by side or scatter in different directions, which one would run away faster;
• travel to the church, or the registry office, and back to the house - the roads must certainly be different, preferably confusing, in order to mislead the evil spirits who decide to interfere with the happiness of the young;
• bread and salt - symbols of the sun, prosperity, warmth are especially honored on this day; at wedding celebrations, all guests are treated to the same loaf;
• red and white were considered the main colors at weddings celebrated on Krasnaya Gorka. In former times, the bride wore a red dress on this day. Now the halls are decorated in these shades.

A wedding on Krasnaya Gorka will certainly become the happiest event in the lives of the newlyweds; prosperity and love will accompany the couple for the rest of their lives.

Krasnaya Gorka is a holiday known since pagan times. At the end of April (pollen) - beginning of May (travnika), the ancient inhabitants of Rus' welcomed spring after the end of the harsh winter. Songs, round dances, rolling eggs from the green hills, baking pies and loaves, all-night celebrations calling for the quickest onset of spring were dedicated to the Sun God Yarila. Scrambled eggs and other holiday dishes were made in a round shape, symbolizing the beginning of a new circle of life and the shape of the Sun. Young people dressed festively, girls wove ribbons into their braids and went out to Krasnaya Gorka to meet the guys. Popular belief threatened guys who did not go out to Krasnaya Gorka with a freckled wife, and girls - loneliness until old age. Those young people who met on Krasnaya Gorka and agreed on a wedding received Yarila’s blessing for a long and happy family life and prosperous offspring.

Christian traditions have preserved the celebration of Krasnaya Gorka. He was allotted the first Sunday after Easter, when the 7-week ban on . The opportunity that arose after a long break gathered such a number of people wishing to get married that the church did not have time to serve. Therefore, the lucky ones who were lucky enough to get married on Krasnaya Gorka were promised a happy marriage on earth and in heaven after a wedding of warmth and light. Orthodox Slavs, in honor of St. Thomas, call the day of Krasnaya Gorka St. Thomas Day, and the following week – St. Thomas Week. On Fomin's Day, the young people agreed to get married, and on Fomin's Day they got married and had a wedding. This week, the priests had difficulty in getting everyone married.

Schedule when Krasnaya Gorka by year

Wedding on Krasnaya Gorka It is also considered favorable due to economic conditions, because After the celebration, a wide field of field work opens up, so the appearance of a new young family member capable of doing work on a personal plot is always welcome. Popular belief states that the more fun the wedding on Krasnaya Gorka is, the more abundant the harvest will be. Based on established traditions, a belief was born that a wedding on Krasnaya Gorka never leads to divorce.

Traditions and signs developed certain rituals that young people performed on Krasnaya Gorka Day. Boys and girls who wanted to get married came to visit the newlyweds who got married at the beginning of the year. The newlyweds wished the guests who came to them happiness in their married life and treated them to egg dishes symbolizing peace, harmony and beauty - painted eggs, eggs baked in ash, scrambled eggs. Unmarried girls strove to Krasnaya Gorka before other family members to feed the pregnant cow and caress her; this, according to legend, gave her hope of getting married and becoming pregnant in the near future. An egg with a double yolk, given to the groom on Krasnaya Gorka, promised him wealth, and one given to the bride promised the birth of twins. A dressed-up sorcerer came to the wedding in the temple on Krasnaya Gorka, who after the ceremony pronounced amulets against damage and the evil eye and wishes for love and prosperity. Then the sorcerer in the young people’s hut drew crosses with his finger in the corners, and placed dishes with grass and spells of happiness under their bed. For the beauty of married life on this day, the bride’s clothes must have red jewelry. At the wedding, pairs of single boys and girls stood in front of the groom, they scattered on command, those of them whom the groom caught first, according to legend, got married before others. The bride and groom stood in the center of the round dance of guests who, holding hands, walked around the newlyweds clockwise and wished them love and happiness. At the end of the wedding, the bride blessed the unmarried girls for marriage, wrapping them with a ribbon pulled from her braid.

The friendly traditions of weddings on Krasnaya Gorka also attract modern youth; on this day, as a rule, there are the longest queues at the registry offices, and the largest number of people getting married in churches. Confidence in a happy married life when getting married on this day is instilled by nature itself, in which all living things awaken in the spring, the season of the year symbolizing birth and love.

When Krasnaya Gorka falls in April, according to statistics, almost 50% of weddings in these years are registered at Krasnaya Gorka. In the next 5 years, Krasnaya Gorka falls on a month in 2018 and 2020. The scenario of these weddings is often based on ancient traditions. The decoration of the wedding celebration is dominated by red and white colors of ribbons, balloons and other accessories, harmoniously combined with the landscape that has begun to turn green. The bride's ransom is accompanied by the traditional humorous jokes of her friends in multi-colored aprons. Guests at the banquet table are treated to compliments (caramel cockerels and pies in tulle with red bows). Traditional paraphernalia for photo sessions are bouquets of wild flowers, wreaths and baskets with pies.

In 2018, Krasnaya Gorka falls on April 15; not many people are expected to get married on Krasnaya Gorka, because... Many are guided by the popular belief that those who leave the month will suffer in married life. But according to the Orthodox calendar, May begins not on the first, but on the 14th of May. Therefore, those who want to definitely have a wedding on Krasnaya Gorka can be guided by the Orthodox calendar, according to which Krasnaya Gorka falls in April.

Weddings on Krasnaya Gorka are incredibly popular - it seems that all couples want to get to the registry office at this time. It is believed that a family created on this day will be happy, friendly and strong. At the same time, few people know the true reason for the popularity of Krasnaya Gorka - we tell you in detail.

What is Krasnaya Gorka

First of all, let’s decide what date is Krasnaya Gorka? It's easy to calculate - this is the first Sunday after Easter. Krasnaya Gorka in 2017 falls on April 23, in 2018 on April 15, in 2019 on May 5, and in 2020 the holiday will fall on April 26.

The name of this day comes from antiquity. Mountains have long been the cradle of humanity and the abode of the gods; the Slavs considered them sacred and performed the most important rituals in the mountains. The word “red” for the Slavs meant not only color, but also beauty (red - beautiful, good, bright). This is where the name for the holiday of the coming spring came from, and it was celebrated with round dances and songs on the “red hills” - the highest hills in the area, on which green grass appeared early.

Wedding on Krasnaya Gorka

Why is it customary to have a wedding on Krasnaya Gorka? To answer, it is important to remember that the way of life of our ancestors depended on working in the field, because if a family did not sow or harvest on time, then they would live from hand to mouth for many months. In the spring, as soon as the ground froze after the snow, sowing work began, which was followed by tending the fields. Already at the beginning of autumn, active harvesting began. The time from mid-spring to mid-autumn was occupied with worries about food; no one even thought about celebrating the wedding. In winter frosts, weddings were rarely played; moreover, after Maslenitsa, the multi-day Lent began, which lasted until Easter - during which celebrations and weddings were prohibited. It turns out that the best time to get married is within two to three weeks after Easter and in mid-autumn. That’s why the wedding was held on Krasnaya Gorka - it was the first opportunity to get married after many months of prohibition.

Free girls and holiday

The lucky ones who chose each other were sorted out, but what were those who had not yet found a match to do? For them, Krasnaya Gorka became a time of great hope. On this day, walks were organized in big and small cities for girls who had spent too much time as brides. The grooms took to the streets for the bride's viewing and looked closely at the beauties. It was forbidden to stay at home on this day; it promised failure in personal affairs. It happened that young people chose each other right on the street. In many provinces there was a custom according to which a guy would pour water on the girl he liked. If he doused him, he should have wooed him; if he didn’t do this, he was considered an insidious offender.

Do you want a wedding on Krasnaya Gorka and believe that this day will bring happiness? Consider the practical point - there are a lot of people interested, so you need to submit an application to the registry office, book a site and a team in advance.

Paintings by artists in order: K. Trutovsky, L. Fildes, A. Korzukhin.