Today is the Annunciation! What are the traditions and customs of the holiday.

Every year on March 25, the Orthodox Church celebrates the Annunciation.

Annunciation name days and names:

Blagovec, Blagovecta, Blagoy, Blago, Blaga, Evangelina, Evelina and Bangel

It is one of the major spring holidays and part of the Easter holiday cycle.

Annunciation is a holiday for all Christians, regardless of the tradition and the church they belong to. According to the Bible, on this day the Archangel Gabriel brought the Virgin Mary the good news that she would give birth to the Savior of mankind, the son of God Jesus Christ. In the folk imagination, this day is associated with the arrival of migratory birds and the arrival of spring, and therefore on this day it is mandatory to eat "something green" (nettles, spinach, lapad, etc.) It is also a tradition on this day at the table to have fish, as usually fish is prepared - fish with rice. It is obligatory to bake a pita, which is smeared with honey and distributed to neighbors and relatives.

For Bulgarians, today's holiday is also known as Blagovets.

Annunciation customs:

In folk traditions, the Annunciation is considered "half Easter".

On this day, the ears of little girls are pierced, and the lambs and goats are branded, because it is believed that they will not be hurt. In the days before the holiday, treasure hunters look for buried treasures.

Another custom that is observed on the eve of Blagovec,

is the cleaning of village yards and the lighting of ritual spring fires with the collected waste. Next to them, the maidens sing ritual songs and go round the houses in the village to announce that the cuckoos have arrived, and with them spring.

According to another popular belief, if you hear the voice of a cuckoo, you should touch a piece of bread and steam so that you will be full and rich throughout the year, and the new harvest will be fruitful.

It is believed that if the Annunciation trees are planted, they will bear much sweet fruit.

On this day, get up early so that the year will be rich.

Beekeepers open the hives and release the bees to collect sweet honey.. It is believed that on the Annunciation even the strongest poison loses its power.

According to the belief, the elves and fairies come out on this day. Snakes and lizards "wake up and come out of their holes." In this connection, a number of ritual actions are performed, which, according to folk beliefs, have a protective and repulsive power.

Before sunrise they light a fire in one or three places or in all corners of the yard and put cow dung to smoke and drive away the reptiles. Children and adults hit tins and bells and run around the yard and the house. These actions are accompanied by the utterance of a special verbal formula:

"Run, snakes and lizards, today is Blagovets" or "Run, snakes, Blagovets sha va clamp down' and the like. Jumping over the fire, the boys rub their feet lightly so that snakes don't bite them in the summer. Again, for protection, women don't sew "so that the snakes don't pierce them", they don't knead bread, "because a snake will crawl on it"

The Annunciation is also not allowed to perform any household activities, as long as they are not imperative. The only exception is cooking, because every Christian holiday must have a festive meal.

On this day, the whole family goes to church, and necessarily in new clothes. That's how it attracts the new positive energy and the soul is reborn to good.

The festive table for the Annunciation:

At the ritual meal, they must eat bread prepared without milk and without eggs, only with soda, because they must observe The Easter fasts, the bread is placed on a ceramic plate and covered with a red cloth. After everyone in the family is seated at the table, the cloth is removed and a piece of the ritual bread is given to each person. The next day in the morning everyone must carry the piece of bread in their pocket.

In addition to bread, fish is prepared and, traditionally, pies, pies and onions are prepared, and the consumption of wine is allowed

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