There are different opinions about the historicity of the holy apostles Peter and Paul. In the lives of the saints, their life appears as asceticism and devotion to the ideas of Christ.

According to Christian tradition, Paul came from a wealthy family that belonged to the Jewish diaspora in the city of Tarsus. He was originally named Saul. As a Pharisee and Roman citizen, he studied languages, philosophy and jurisprudence. Supposedly, Saul was among those who persecuted Christians and was present at the stoning of Stephen, the first Christian deacon and martyr.

When Saul was traveling to Damascus to continue persecuting Christians, a bright light flashed before his eyes, Saul fell from his horse and lost his sight. A voice coming out of the light asked him why he was persecuting Christ. In Damascus, the Christian Ananias, who visited the city, returned his sight to Saul and, christening him, named him Paul. Paul subsequently became an outstanding Christian missionary and became famous for his healings.

The Catholic Church considers Peter to be the first bishop of Roman Christians. However, there is no historical reliable information about the life of Peter.

Before meeting Christ, Saint Peter bore the name Simon and was a fisherman. He and his brother Andrew were the first to be called by Jesus Christ to follow him and become "fishers of men." Seeing the special talent of Simon, Jesus named him Peter, which in Greek means “stone,” and called him the first of the apostles, the founder of the church and the keeper of the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven.

After Jesus was betrayed and captured, before the first cock crowed, Peter declared three times that he had nothing to do with the man from Nazareth. So the prediction of Christ. But then Peter repented and, together with Paul, was martyred on June 29, 67. Because of this, Peter and Paul went down in history inseparably, and in the Christian folk calendar they merged into one image. The day of their memory on June 29 according to the old style or July 12 (according to the new) is popularly called by the people one word "Petrovki".

Petrov day

The Day of the Most Highs Peter and Paul was originally introduced in Rome, where the bishops declared themselves heirs of the Apostle Peter. Then the holiday spread to other European countries.

In Russia, it coincided in time with the beginning of haymaking and entered everyday life as a milestone in the agricultural cycle. This gave him the opportunity to take root in the peasant life.

The custom of arranging a joint meal on Peter's day has been a tradition since ancient times. According to legend, once a deer ran from the forest into the village. He was taken for a gift from God, stabbed and eaten by the whole world.

On the eve of the holiday, the church established a strict fast for many days, which creates a certain psychological mood among believers. On Petrov's day they broke the fast. A suitable ram was chosen in advance, then it was redeemed by the whole world, and the former owner of the ram fed it specially for Peter's Day, and on a festive morning the ram was slaughtered and arranged a "brotherhood".

In the Upper Volga villages, the ram was replaced by a goby, also bought in a club. The slaughtered bull was boiled in several cauldrons in the village square, and after mass in the church, led by the priest, they had a "worldly" meal.

Tip 2: How Orthodox Christians Celebrate the Day of Saints Peter and Paul

The feast of the Holy Primate Apostles Peter and Paul is celebrated in the Orthodox Church on July 12 in the new style. This day began to be revered as a special celebration since the 4th century, when temples began to be erected in Constantinople in honor of these great preachers of the gospel.

The Feast of the Apostles Peter and Paul is marked by the end of St. Petrov. The fast itself began on the following Sunday of All Saints (that is, a week after the feast of the Holy Trinity). This time of abstinence was timed to commemorate the holy disciples of Jesus Christ. However, the main joy for an Orthodox Christian on the day of July 12 is not that now, at last, one can break the fast and eat meat. The main celebration of this day for the Orthodox is the prayerful veneration of the holy apostles, the remembrance of their lives. According to the tradition of the Church, the Apostle Peter and Paul died on this very day in Rome. They suffered a martyrdom. Peter upside down, and the apostle Paul's head was cut off with a sword.

The main moment of the celebration of the day of the supreme apostles for an Orthodox person is attending an Orthodox divine service. Even on the eve of a church celebration, a believer comes to church to attend the festive all-night vigil. Some Christians, at the end of the service, in order to cleanse their souls from sins and on the day of the holy feast.

On the morning of July 12, the believer goes to the church for the holiday dedicated to the holy apostles Peter and Paul. Those who are preparing for the sacrament partake of the holy mysteries of Christ. Only after the end of the liturgy does the Christian go home in the joyful abode of the spirit.

At home on the day of the holiday, a believer breaks his fast. Many are having a feast for the holy apostles. However, you need to know that if July 12 falls on Wednesday or Friday, then the Christian must fast (eating fish is allowed). But fasting on the day of the holiday should not darken the spiritual joy of the prayerful veneration of the saints.

On the feast of the holy apostles, it is customary to visit each other and congratulate all those familiar with the memory of the holy Primate Apostles.

In 2016, June 27 marks the beginning of the Petrov Lent, popularly called "Petrovka". This fast usually begins one week after the day of the Holy Trinity, on Monday. End of fasting - July 11, 2016

The establishment of Peter's fast dates back to the early days of the Orthodox Church. The ecclesiastical establishment of this fast is mentioned in the apostolic decrees: "After Pentecost, celebrate one week, and then fast; justice requires both to rejoice after receiving gifts from God, and to fast after the flesh is made lighter."

But this fast was especially established when churches were built in the name of the chief apostles Peter and Paul in Constantinople and Rome. On June 29 (according to the new style - July 12), the consecration of the Church of Constantinople took place, and since then this day has become especially solemn both in the East and in the West. The preparation of pious Christians for this holiday by fasting and prayer has been established in the Orthodox Church.

This summer fast, which we often call Peter's or apostolic fast, was formerly called the Pentecostal fast. The Church calls us to this fast following the example of the holy apostles, who, having received the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, in fasting and prayer (in labor and exhaustion, often in vigil, in hunger and thirst, often in fasting - 2 Cor. II) prepared to the worldwide preaching of the gospel. The apostles of Christ always prepared themselves for the service by fasting and prayer - they, after fasting and prayer and laying their hands on them, sent them away (Acts 13: 3). According to St. John Chrysostom, “fasting with faith gives a lot of strength; for it teaches great love of wisdom, makes a person an Angel, and even strengthens against incorporeal forces ... the one who prays as he should, and, moreover, fasts, requires little; and who requires little he will not be covetous; but he who is not covetous loves to give alms. He who fasts, he becomes light and winged, and prays with a cheerful spirit, quenches evil lusts, appeases God and humbles his arrogant spirit. That is why the apostles almost always fasted ".

"After the long feast of Pentecost, fasting is especially necessary in order to purify our thoughts and make us worthy of the gifts of the Holy Spirit," writes St. Leo the Great. soul and body, and therefore requires us to accompany him with due grace, for we have no doubt that after the apostles were filled with the power promised from above, and the Spirit of truth entered their hearts, among other secrets of heavenly teaching, at the suggestion of the Comforter, teaching was also taught on spiritual abstinence, so that hearts, being cleansed by fasting, become more capable of accepting blessed gifts, ... one cannot fight the forthcoming efforts of persecutors and the fierce threats of the wicked in a pampered body and fleshy flesh, since that which delights our external man, destroys the inner, and on the contrary, the rational soul is purified the more, the more the flesh is dead.

For this reason, an unchanging and salvific custom has been established - after the holy and joyful days celebrated by us in honor of the Lord, who rose from the dead and then ascended to heaven, and after accepting the gift of the Holy Spirit, go through the field of fasting. This custom must also be diligently observed in order for the gifts that are now communicated to the Church from God to abide in us. Having become temples of the Holy Spirit and, more than ever, having been watered with divine waters, we must not submit to any lusts, must not serve any vices, so that the dwelling place of virtue is not defiled by anything wicked.

Peter's Lent always begins on Monday, a week after Trinity, so every year the start date is different. But fasting always ends on July 12, on the day of remembrance of the apostles Peter and Paul. Starting with Peter and Paul, the day decreases by 1 hour, the people said about this "Peter and Paul took the hour away."

Peter's fast is celebrated in memory of the apostolic ministry. The Church calls us to this fast following the example of the holy apostles, who, upon receiving the gifts of the Holy Spirit, by fasting and prayer prepared for the worldwide preaching of the Gospel and in the same way prepared their successors for the same ministry.

Peter's fast is not only a memory of past persecutions by external enemies. The main enemy, as the Gospel says, is not the one who kills the body, but the one who is rooted within the soul. How often newly baptized people forgot about love for God and neighbor and returned to their former sins. Fasting is a reminder of this danger. He leaves no room for frivolous enthusiasm, but tunes in to great work.

Hunger and refusal to eat are not in themselves good for a Christian. The need for food is natural for humans. For a person, for his morality, will is important. Only a person with a strong will can overcome the thorns of evil in himself, neglect his own selfish desires for the sake of serving God and his neighbor. Fasting also serves to educate will. In fasting, a person learns to subordinate his bodily needs to the spirit.

Peter's fast depends on whether Easter happens sooner or later, and therefore its duration is different. It always begins with the end of the Triodion, or after the week of Pentecost, and ends on July 12 (June 29 OST), if the feast of the holy apostles Peter and Paul is not on Wednesday or Friday. The longest fast is six weeks, and the shortest is a week and one day.

In honor of such saints, great doxology is performed during the service. These include, for example, the Monk Cyril, Abbot of Belozersky (June 22); Saint Jonah, Metropolitan of Moscow (June 28); Apostle Judas, brother of the Lord (July 2). The same is true for the celebration of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God (July 6).

During Peter's Lent, the Church's charter prescribes weekly, for three days - on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays - to abstain from fish, wine and oil, and dryness at the ninth hour after Vespers; on the rest of the days, one should refrain only from fish. On Saturdays, Sundays of this fast, as well as on the days of commemoration of a great saint or days of the temple feast, fish is also allowed.

In honor of the holidays during fasting in Russia, it was customary to cook special pies - rybniki. Their peculiarity was that the gutted and cleaned fish is baked whole. The pies were made open so that the fish was visible, which greatly adorned the pastries. The most used product of Petrov Lent was and remains a variety of greens and dishes from it. These are green lean cabbage soup, and cold lean okroshka or botvinias, and any lean dish becomes more appetizing and tasty with greens.

In Petrov post, the most used product is still greens. On hot days it is pleasant to sip green lean cabbage soup, cold lean okroshka or botvinya, and herbs of spices perfectly diversify lean food.

Apostle Paul

Paul, who originally bore the Hebrew name Saul, belonged to the tribe of Benjamin and was born in the Cilician city of Tarsus (in Asia Minor), which was then famous for its Greek academy and the education of its inhabitants. As a native of this city, descended from the Jews, coming out of slavery among Roman citizens, Paul had the rights of a Roman citizen. In Tarsus, Paul received his first education and, probably, there he became acquainted with pagan culture, for in his speeches and letters one can clearly see traces of acquaintance with pagan writers.

He received his further education in Jerusalem, at the then famous rabbinical academy under the famous teacher Gamaliel, who was considered an expert in the Law and, despite belonging to the party of the Pharisees, was a free-thinking man and a lover of Greek wisdom. Here, according to the custom adopted by the Jews, young Saul learned the art of making tents, which later helped him earn a living by his own labor.

Young Saul, apparently, was preparing for the position of a rabbi (religious mentor), and therefore immediately after the end of his upbringing and education, he showed himself to be a strong zealot of the Pharisaic traditions and persecutors of the faith of Christ. Perhaps, by the appointment of the Sanhedrin, he witnessed the death of the first martyr Stephen, and then received the authority to officially persecute Christians even outside Palestine in Damascus.

"Apostles Peter and Paul". Domenico El Greco 1587-1592

The Lord, who saw in him “the vessel chosen for Himself,” on the way to Damascus miraculously called him to the apostolic ministry. During the journey, Saul was illuminated by the brightest light, from which he fell blind to the ground. A voice came out of the light: "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?" To Saul's question: "Who are You?" - The Lord replied: "I am Jesus, Whom you are persecuting." The Lord commanded Saul to go to Damascus, where he would be told what to do next. Saul's companions heard the voice of Christ, but did not see the light. Brought under the arms of Damascus, the blind Saul was taught the faith and on the third day was baptized by Ananias. At the moment of immersion in the water, Saul received his sight. From that time on, he became a zealous preacher of the previously persecuted doctrine. For a time he went to Arabia, and then returned to Damascus again to preach about Christ.

The rage of the Jews, outraged by his conversion to Christ, forced him to flee to Jerusalem, where he joined the community of believers and met the apostles. Due to the attempt of the Hellenists to kill him, he went to his native city of Tarsus. From here, about 43 years old, he was summoned by Barnabas to Antioch to preach, and then traveled with him to Jerusalem, where he brought help to those in need.

Soon after returning from Jerusalem - at the command of the Holy Spirit - Saul, along with Barnabas, set out on his first apostolic journey, which lasted from 45 to 51 years. The apostles traveled all over the island of Cyprus, and from that time Saul, who converted the proconsul Sergius Paul to the faith, is already called Paul. During this time of the missionary journey of Paul and Barnabas, Christian communities were founded in Asia Minor cities: Antioch of Pisidia, Iconium, Lystra and Derbe. In 51, Saint Paul took part in the Apostolic Council in Jerusalem, where he ardently rebelled against the need for pagans who became Christians to observe the rites of the Mosaic Law.

Returning to Antioch, the apostle Paul, accompanied by Silas, undertook the second apostolic journey. First, he visited the churches he had previously founded in Asia Minor, and then moved to Macedonia, where he founded communities in Philippi, Thessaloniki and Berea. In Lystra, Saint Paul acquired his beloved disciple Timothy, and from Troas he continued his journey with the Evangelist Luke, who joined them. From Macedonia Saint Paul moved to Greece, where he preached in Athens and Corinth, staying in the latter for a year and a half. From here he sent two letters to the Thessalonians. The second trip lasted from 51 to 54 years. Then Saint Paul set off for Jerusalem, visiting Ephesus and Caesarea on the way, and from Jerusalem he arrived at Antioch.

After a short stay in Antioch, the Apostle Paul undertook the third apostolic journey (56-58), visiting, according to his custom, the previously established churches of Asia Minor, and then stopped in Ephesus, where for two years he preached daily at the school of Tyrannus. From here he wrote his epistle to the Galatians (concerning the strengthening of the Jewish party there) and the first epistle to the Corinthians (concerning the disturbances that arose there and in response to the letter of the Corinthians to him). The popular uprising, raised by the silversmith Demetrius against Paul, forced the apostle to leave Ephesus, and he went to Macedonia and then to Jerusalem.

In Jerusalem, because of the popular rebellion against him, the Apostle Paul was taken into custody by the Roman authorities and ended up in captivity, first under the proconsul Felix, and then under the proconsul Festus who replaced him. This happened in 59, and two years later the Apostle Paul, as a Roman citizen, at his request was sent to Rome for the trial of Caesar. After being shipwrecked at about. Malta, the apostle reached Rome only in the summer of 62, where he enjoyed great indulgence of the Roman authorities and preached freely. From Rome, the Apostle Paul wrote his letters to the Philippians (with gratitude for the financial aid sent to him with Epaphrodite), to the Colossians, to the Ephesians and to Philemon, a resident of Colossus (concerning the servant Onesimus who fled from him). All three of these letters were written in 63 and sent with Tychicus. A letter to the Palestinian Jews was soon written from Rome.

The further fate of the Apostle Paul is not known exactly. Some believe that he remained in Rome and was martyred in 64 at the behest of Nero. But there is reason to believe that after a two-year imprisonment and defense of his cause before the Senate and the Emperor, the Apostle Paul was released and traveled to the East again. An indication of this can be found in his "Pastoral Epistles" to Timothy and Titus. After spending a long time on the island of Crete, he left his disciple Titus there for the ordination of presbyters in all cities, which testifies to his ordination of Titus to the bishop of the Cretan church. Later in his letter to Titus, the apostle Paul instructs him on how to pass the duties of a bishop. From the same message it is clear that he intended to spend that winter in Nikopol, near his native Tarsus.

In the spring of 65, he visited the rest of Asia Minor churches and left sick Trophimus in Miletus, because of whom there was an outrage against the apostle in Jerusalem, which led to his first imprisonment. Whether the Apostle Paul passed through Ephesus is unknown, since he said that the Ephesian elders would no longer see his face, but he apparently ordained Timothy as a bishop for Ephesus at that time. Then the apostle went through Troas and reached Macedonia. There he heard about the strengthening of false teachings in Ephesus and wrote his first letter to Timothy. After spending some time in Corinth and meeting the Apostle Peter on the way, Paul together with him continued the journey through Dalmatia and Italy, reached Rome, where he left the Apostle Peter, and in 66 he went further west, probably reaching Spain.

After returning to Rome, he was again imprisoned in prison, in which he remained until death. There is a legend that after returning to Rome, he preached even at the court of the emperor Nero and converted his beloved concubine to faith in Christ. For this he was put on trial, and although by the grace of God he was delivered, in his own words, from the jaws of the lion, that is, from being eaten by animals in the circus, he was imprisoned.

After nine months in prison, he was beheaded by the sword as a Roman citizen, near Rome in 67 A.D. X., in the 12th year of the reign of Nero.

The Apostle Paul wrote 14 letters, which are a systematization of Christian teaching. These messages, thanks to his broad education and insight, are very distinctive.

The Apostle Paul, like the Apostle Peter, worked hard in spreading Christ's faith and is justly revered together with him as the “pillar” of the Church of Christ and the supreme apostle. They both died as a martyr in Rome under the emperor Nero, and their memory is celebrated on the same day.

Petrovka

The Russian people considered Petrovki as their favorite summer holiday - 12 July. “It is dry in Petrovki, and the day is great”, “Peter - Pavel added the heat”, “The nightingale sings until Peter’s day”, “By Peter's day, the water in the rivers will be softened” - this is how the Russian people characterized this day. The first yellow leaves begin to fall into Petrovki: "Petrok will come and he will rip off the leaf."

From Petrov's day - red summer, green mowing; it's in full swing. By Petrov's day, they finished lifting the winter wedge. “To plow up to Petrov, to harrow up to Ilyin (August 2), to sow before the Savior (August 28)” - the peasant calendar - the clerk - urged on.

They thoroughly prepared for the feast of Peter and Paul: they whitewashed the house, decorated the house with towels, cleaned the yard, and in the morning, cleaned up, went to church.
After church, they broke the fast with mandriks (donuts made of wheat dough, eggs and cheese). It was believed that their name comes from the fact that Saints Peter and Paul, traveling around the world, ate just them.

During this holiday, the harvest began in Little Russia. Hence the popular belief that St. Peter's business is "to make rye." In one of the folk songs, Saints Peter and Paul perform as a plowman, they plow a field for autumn sowing:

Saint Peter walks the plow,
Saint Paul drives volunteers,
but God the Lord Himself sows wheat,
And Saint Elijah will be overwhelmed.

The Day of Saints Peter and Paul was a major holiday in Little Russia and southern Russia. This holy day is associated with the summer solstice. It was celebrated solemnly by the shepherds. In the Carpathian region, animal owners organized a festive round (Petrovka) on the pasture. They believed that on this day the sun plays in the same way as on Easter.

Folk traditions

Day of Peter and Paul. Peter and Paul. Petrov day. Petrovka. Peter the fisherman. Yarilin day.

The Day of Remembrance of the Apostles Peter and Paul, or, as the people said, “Peter,” was perceived as a huge holiday, for which they prepared in advance: they whitewashed the houses, decorated the walls with towels, and cleaned everywhere. In the morning that day, everyone went to church, and when they returned, they broke their fast with mandriks - special donuts baked from wheat dough, eggs and cheese. The very name of the cookie appeared because, traveling along the roads, Peter and Paul ate "mandriks". They say that on this day the cuckoo stops chucking, because, according to popular belief, she stole a mandrika from St. Peter, and for this the Lord punished her by the fact that at any given time she chokes on a mandrika and stops chuckling.

The big church holiday coincides with the most ancient pagan holiday - Yarilin's day, or the day of the scorching sun, - the apogee of summer, after which nature begins to turn towards autumn.

Peter's day - a holiday of the Sun, top of summer, Red summer, high summer.

On Peter's day, it was customary to wash with water from three springs. The peasants also went out to see how the sun would rise: they gathered at night on the hills, kindled fires and spent time waiting for dawn in games and songs. It was believed that the sun "plays" in the sky on Peter-Paul: it will shine in different colors, then it will shine clearly, then it will rise, then it will descend.

The Apostle Peter is known as the patron saint of the fishing industry. He is the patron saint of the fields. Fishermen pray to him for good luck, and on his day they put a worldly candle in the temple, asking for hints: will the fishing be successful when to cast the net.

Peter's day was also the day of all kinds of courts and the payment of duties. The church received the so-called "Peter's tribute". Peter's auctions were held in almost all large cities and villages. The peasants noticed: if it rains on Petrov's day, the whole haymaking will be wet. At the same time, a change in weather within one day, when the rain is followed by the sun, and then rain again, promised fertility. They said: "On Saint Peter, rain is a bad harvest, two rains are good, three are rich."

Peter's day - "talk" - the end of Peter's fast. Petrovki is the day of fairs. Petrovsky festivities. They go to visit, receive relatives. Only married and old people take part in the evening feast. "The peasant has a holiday that is Peter's day."

Unlike other fasts, the duration of this fast is different, since its beginning depends on the mobile holiday - Easter (it begins on Monday of the 9th Easter week, or the 2nd week after Trinity, and ends on a strictly defined day - July 12).

Folk omens on Peter's day

Peter's day is also a holiday of fishermen. The Apostle Peter is considered by the people to be the patron saint of fishing.

On Petrov's day and the sun is playing, but if it rains, the hayfields will be wet.

Do not boast, woman, that the meadow is green, but look what Peter's day is.

Peter-Pavel added the heat.

Peter and Paul have reduced the day (hour) (the nights are getting dark).

The day is waning and the heat is coming.

Hot summer on Petrov day.

Rain on Saint Peter is like horsetail.

If after Peter's day the nightingale sings for more than four days, then winter will begin after the Intercession (October 14) four weeks later.

"Peter-Pavel added the heat." Most often this day is dry, hot, light. The sun is playing on this day.

A leaf begins to fall from the trees. "It fell on a leaf from a tree, August will come, it will fall by two."

Petrov's day is in the midst of a green harvest - senkosa. They put haystacks. "Not hay in the meadow, but in the haystack." If it rains on Petrov's day, the haymaking will be wet.

Since Petrov's day, "the lightning will light the bread." On this day, they go to the springs to drink spring water and wash themselves.

"The nightingales sing until Peter's day and fall silent, the cuckoo stops chuckling - it chokes on a barley spikelet."

If the cuckoo cuckoo after Peter's day, it means that the summer will be good, long and the snow will not fall soon.

The rivers are shallowing. Harvesting mushrooms. Berry canning time.

The day is waning, the heat is coming. Get your scythes and sickles for Peter's day. Everyone who has grown up, hurry to the haymaking. A thin summer, if there is no hay. The dew wears away the scythe. With bad mows, mowing is also bad.

If it rains on Saint Peter, the harvest is poor, two rains are good, three are rich.

To plow to Petrov, to harrow to Ilyin, to sow to the Savior. Petrovka is a dung-bearer, a mezhyparye, a mezhyparye. They carry manure for couples.

What you can eat in Petrov post. Folk cuisine

Petrov Lent's kitchen

Peter's fast is relatively lax. In addition to Wednesdays and Fridays, fish is allowed at the meal. This is a summer fast, and we have at our disposal fresh early vegetables, herbs, mushrooms, berries and fruits. Summer also allows you to diversify the table with cold soups, your favorite okroshka, for example, and soft drinks. Many people relax outside the city, fish, and the catch serves as a good addition to the menu.

Vitamin salad

2 apples, 2 tomatoes, 2 fresh cucumbers, 1 carrot, 1 young celery root, 1 glass of cherries, 1 tablespoon of sugar, half a lemon.

Cut apples, tomatoes, fresh cucumbers into slices, carrots and celery root into thin strips, remove the pit from the cherry. Pour the sliced fruits and vegetables with lemon juice and sugar.

White cabbage salad

500 g cabbage, 2 apples, dill, parsley.

Chop the cabbage and grind with salt until the juice is released, add finely chopped apples, herbs, season with vegetable oil.

Salad with mushrooms and vegetables

3-4 potatoes, 150 g fresh champignons, 1 onion, 100 g sauerkraut, 1 tablespoon of vinegar, 1 teaspoon of sugar.

Boiled potatoes, cut into thin slices, combine with sauerkraut, chopped boiled mushrooms, onions. Season with vinegar, vegetable oil, sugar, salt and mix gently.

FIRST MEAL

Pea puree soup

2.5 liters of water, 500 g of peas, 1 onion, 1 carrot, salt, black pepper, 100 g of vegetable oil.

Soak dry peas for 2-3 hours in water and cook in the same water with carrots for 2-3 hours. Season with salt, pepper and rub through a sieve. Season the resulting puree with finely chopped onions and fried in vegetable oil. Serve with oven-fried white bread croutons until golden brown.

Summer cabbage soup

500 g potatoes, 500 g cabbage, 200 g tomatoes, 200 g carrots, 15 g parsley, 75 g onions, dill, parsley, salt to taste.

Put peeled and chopped carrots, parsley, onions and early cabbage into boiling water, then add whole peeled potatoes and salt. Before serving, put tomatoes cut into slices in a saucepan, let the cabbage soup boil and pour into plates, putting a slice of cabbage, 2-3 potatoes, tomatoes, dill or parsley in each plate.

Green cabbage soup from nettle

500 g sorrel, spinach or nettle, 2-3 potatoes, 1 carrot, 1 parsley root, 1 celery, 1 onion.

Put diced potatoes, carrots, parsley root, celery into boiling salted water and cook for 20 minutes. Wash sorrel or spinach thoroughly in cold water, chop finely and put in boiling vegetable broth.

Instead of sorrel, you can use young nettles prepared as follows. Free the nettle leaves from the stalks, rinse in cold water, scald with boiling water, quickly discard in a colander, not allowing the nettle to drain, and immediately chop very finely. Boil the nettle in the broth for 10-12 minutes. 5 minutes before being ready, put bay leaf and peppercorns.

Potato soup with sorrel

6 potatoes, 250 g of sorrel, 1 carrot, 1 stalk of parsley, 1 head of onion, 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil, 1 tablespoon of tomato puree, salt, pepper, bay leaf, herbs.

Put chopped potatoes in boiling water and bring to a boil. Add browned vegetables - carrots, onions with tomato puree and cook until tender. 15 minutes before the end of cooking, put chopped parsley into the soup, season with spices, and 5 minutes before being ready, add chopped sorrel leaves. When serving the soup, season with parsley or dill.

Fish soup

300 g small fish, 500 g pike perch, 1 onion.

Rinse and clean small fish, boil the broth, removing the foam. Put pieces of pike perch, peppercorns, bay leaf, onion in a saucepan with thick walls, pour over strained broth and cook until tender.

Ear with saffron

500 g small fish, 1 onion, 1 parsley root, saffron.

Boil the fish as usual, but do not put the bay leaf. Remove the fish, and add saffron to the broth, bring to a boil, strain through a colander and boil again.

COLD SOUPS

For okroshka:

Kvass from black bread

10 liters of water, 0.5 kg of crackers, 0.5 kg of sugar, 20 g of yeast.

Cut black bread into slices and dry in the oven, and brown a few slices well. Pour boiling water over, cover with a napkin and leave for several hours (4-6) to infuse, acquire color and bread flavor. Then add sugar and yeast. Kvass should ripen on the second day. Strain the finished kvass, pour into bottles, close tightly and put in the refrigerator. It is good to put mint boiled in boiling water in kvass.

Kvass from rusks

10 liters of water, 0.5 kg of rye bread rusks, 20 g of yeast, 0.5 kg of sugar, a little raisins, mint, black currant leaves.

Dry rye bread in the oven, cool, pour boiled hot water (70-80 degrees), let it brew in the heat for 1-2 hours, stirring occasionally. Drain and strain the wort. Pour the rusk sludge again with hot water and leave for another 2 hours. Strain and drain into the infusion obtained earlier. Cool to a temperature of 20-25 degrees, add sugar, yeast, mint or blackcurrant leaf, a little raisins. Leave the kvass for fermentation in a warm place for 8-12 hours. Strain, bottle, refrigerate for 2-3 days. Instead of raisins, you can put 2-3 tablespoons of cumin.

Summer vegetable okroshka

1 liter of kvass, 0.5 cups of cucumber pickle, 2 turnips, 1 cup of boiled potatoes, diced, 2 fresh cucumbers, 1 cup of green onions, 2 tablespoons of dill, 0.5 tablespoons of parsley, 1 tablespoon of grated horseradish, 0, 5 teaspoons of ground black pepper.

Cut all components, mix and pour in kvass.

Okroshka fish

1.25 liters of kvass, 1 cup of cucumber pickle, 1 cup of finely chopped fish, 2 boiled carrots, 1 cup of boiled potatoes, diced, 1 cup of green onions, 1 chopped onion, 2 fresh cucumbers, 1 tablespoon of parsley, 2 tablespoons each tarragon and dill, 0.5 lemon, 0.5 teaspoon of black pepper.

From fish to okroshka, tench, pike perch, cod are suitable. Pre-boil the fish, separate from the bones and chop. Add to the rest of the prepared ingredients and pour in kvass.

SECOND COURSES

Monastic rice

200 g of rice, 2 onions, 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil, 2 carrots, 1 tablespoon of tomato paste or tomato sauce, dried celery, dill, ground black pepper, salt.

Rinse the rice in seven waters, pour boiling water in a ratio of 1: 2, cook for 10 minutes so that the rice is "grain from grain", drain into a colander. In a deep frying pan, fry finely chopped onions in vegetable oil until golden brown, add boiled carrots and tomato grated on a coarse grater, mix. Add rice, season to taste with herbs, pepper and salt. Serve hot.

Pilaf with mushrooms

1 glass of rice, 500 g of mushrooms, 3 onions, 3 carrots, 120 g of vegetable oil.

Finely chop onions, carrots, fry them in vegetable oil. Rinse the rice, fry with the vegetables. Boil the peeled and washed finely chopped mushrooms in salted water, add rice, carrots and onions to the pan. Put on a baking sheet and bake over medium heat in the oven until the water evaporates completely. The rice should become crumbly.

Buckwheat porridge with mushrooms

1 cup kernels, 20-30 dried mushrooms, 2.5 cups water, 1 onion

Rinse dry mushrooms and soak for 2-3 hours in cold water, then boil until tender. Then put the mushrooms in a colander, strain the mushroom broth, pour into a pot, bring to a boil, salt, put the chopped mushrooms, calcined buckwheat into it, stir.

Put the thickened porridge in the oven and bring it to readiness. When serving, add fried onions to the porridge.

Mushroom pancakes

500 g potatoes, 250 g mushrooms, vegetable oil, salt.

Peel, rinse and grate raw potatoes. Finely chop the peeled mushrooms, mix them with potato mass and a little salt. Spoon the pancakes into a hot frying pan with vegetable oil and fry on both sides.

Chanterelles stewed with cabbage

1 kg of mushrooms, 500 g of white cabbage, 50 g of vegetable oil, 2 onions, salt.

Finely chop fresh chanterelles. Combine onion chopped and fried in vegetable oil with mushrooms, pour 4-5 tbsp. spoons of water and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Then add chopped fresh cabbage, salt and simmer until tender.

Mushrooms stewed with potatoes

400 g mushrooms, 4-5 potato tubers, 1/2 cup vegetable oil, 1 tbsp. a spoonful of tomato puree, onion, salt, pepper, bay leaf, dill.

Peel the mushrooms, rinse and for 5-6 minutes. dip in boiling water. Then put it in a colander and let the water drain. Cut the mushrooms into slices, put in a deep frying pan, pour over with oil. Add tomato puree, salt, pepper, bay leaf to the same pan. Put the pan over medium heat and simmer for a little (7-10 minutes). Peel potatoes, rinse, cut into slices, fry, mix with chopped fried onions and combine with mushrooms. Cover the pan with a lid. Simmer until all products are fully cooked. Sprinkle with herbs when serving.

Green peas with new potatoes

500 g green peas, 500 g potatoes, 100 g young carrots, 100 g vegetable oil, dill or parsley, salt.

Stew peas and carrots cut into circles in a little oil and water. Peel and boil the potatoes separately (cut large potatoes in half), then simmer lightly in the rest of the oil. Add stewed peas and carrots to the potatoes. Pour a glass of water in which the potatoes were boiled, sprinkle with chopped dill or parsley, cook for several minutes over low heat.

Pepper stuffed with rice

10 pepper pods, 125 g vegetable oil, 350 g tomatoes, 200 g rice, 2 onions, 1 bunch of green onions, 2 slices of white bread, parsley, dill, salt, pepper. For dressing: 50 g of vegetable oil, 2 tbsp. tablespoons of flour.

Rinse the pepper, cut off the tops with a stalk and carefully peel off the seeds. Boil the sorted and washed rice for 10 minutes in boiling water, put it on a sieve and fry in vegetable oil until golden brown, pour boiling water, salt and cook over low heat. Mix almost finished rice removed from the heat with fried onions, finely chopped green onions and parsley and dill, add peeled and seeds, finely chopped tomatoes, soaked bread, ground pepper and mix well. Fill the peppers with cooked minced meat, fry in oil on all sides, place in a suitable saucepan, cover with hot water, put peeled tomatoes and seeds and flour mixed with cold vegetable oil. Place in a hot oven for 20 minutes.

FISH DISHES

Boiled fish

Cut the fish into small pieces. Put onion, parsley root in salted water and bring to a boil. Place the pieces of fish in a deep frying pan or in a saucepan, fill it with the cooked broth so that the water does not completely cover the fish, bring it to a boil over high heat, then continue to cook the fish over low heat for 30-35 minutes, constantly adding water.

Remove the finished fish from the broth, carefully examine each piece and remove the bones.

For a side dish, you can serve boiled potatoes, sprinkled with sunflower oil and crushed garlic.

Fish stewed with vegetables

Peel the carrots and onions, wash, cut into slices and cut each of them into 4 parts.

Peel the fish from bones and skin, rinse in cold running water, cut into small pieces, combine them with vegetables, add a glass of hot water, vegetable oil, bay leaf. Place in a saucepan, cover and simmer for 40 minutes. over low heat. The lid must be tightly closed.

As a side dish, you can serve boiled potatoes, canned green peas.

REFRIGERANT AND DESSERT DRINKS

Petrovsky kvass

1 liter of bread kvass, 25 g of horseradish root, 2 teaspoons of honey.

Dissolve honey in slightly warmed bread kvass, add finely chopped horseradish root. Refrigerate for 10-12 hours in a well-sealed container, then strain. Serve kvass with pieces of food ice.

Strawberry compote (strawberry)

550 g of fresh berries, 300 g of sugar, 1.2 l of water, 2 g of citric acid.

Pour sugar and citric acid into boiling water and then cool. Sort out strawberries, strawberries or raspberries, remove damaged berries, put in a colander, immerse three times in a bucket of cold water, drain it, rinse with boiled water, put in glasses or cups, pour over chilled syrup and let it brew for 3-6 hours.

Kissel from dried apples or dried apricots

100 g dried apples, half a glass of sugar, 2 tablespoons of potato starch.

Put the sorted and washed dried apples into a saucepan, pour 3.5 cups of hot water and leave in this form for 2-3 hours. Then, in the same saucepan, put the apples on the fire and simmer for 30 minutes at a slow boil. Strain the broth through a sieve into another pan, and rub the apples, put in the broth, add sugar, mix it all and boil. Brew the resulting apple syrup with diluted potato starch. Kissel from dried apricots is prepared in the same way, but more sugar is taken.

Rhubarb Kissel

250 g rhubarb, half a glass of sugar, 2 tablespoons of potato starch.

Peel the rhubarb stalks from coarse fibers, rinse in cold water and cut into small pieces. Boil water with sugar and boil rhubarb in it until soft (5-7 minutes), then strain. Pour the diluted potato starch into the strained broth and, stirring, let it boil again. You can tint with the juice of any berries.

Lenten Russian custard pancakes

4 cups flour, 4 cups water, 20 g dry yeast, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon sugar, vegetable oil for frying.

In the evening, pour half of the flour into the pan, pour 2.5 cups of boiling water and immediately mix thoroughly so that you get a thick lump of dough. Cool the dough, pour in dry yeast diluted in 1.5 cups of warm water, mix thoroughly, cover with a napkin and leave in a warm place until morning. The next day, pour the rest of the flour into the dough, salt and sweeten, mix thoroughly, beat the dough with a wooden spatula. The pancake choux dough should be slightly thicker than the regular pancake dough, therefore, depending on the quality of the flour, you should add a little more flour to the dough, or vice versa, add a little water. Leave the dough to rise for 2-3 hours, then, without stirring more, pour a small ladle into a hot frying pan greased with vegetable oil and bake the pancakes.

Petrov day

	popular Christian
	Peter and Paul, Festival of the sun, Peter's festivities
	Day of the Holy Primate Apostles Peter and Paul (church)
Meaning:	farewell
Installed:	has ancient roots
It is noted:	eastern and southern Slavs, Christians

Celebration:	partying Petrovs, danced and swayed on a swing, watched as "the sun plays"
Traditions:	brothers, mother-in-law treated sons-in-law, washed themselves with "Petrova vodice"

Petrov day- a popular Christian holiday celebrated on June 29 (July 12). In the popular calendar of the Slavs, this is the time of the end of the "Kupala celebrations" and summer weddings, farewell to spring, the first weeding and preparation for haymaking. Peter's day was celebrated for two or three days.

Other names

Pyotr-Pavel, Petrok, Petra and Pavla, Holiday of the Sun, "Draws" (Polesie), Yarilin's day, Petrovsky heat, Petrovsky festivities, Petra-fishermen, Fisherman, Oblupa (Tulsk.), Dung, Mezhyparye, Mezhduparye, Petrov day - breaking fast, Petrovka, Feast of the patron saint of fields, Petrovsky auction, Peter's tribute, Petraki; belor. Peter i Pavel, Pyatrok; ukr. Peter's day, Peter, Peter, Peter-Paul, Peter and Paul's day, St. Peter and Paul, Day of Peter and Paul; Serb. Petrovdan; bulg. Petrovden.

Slavic customs

Peter and Paul pray for healing from fever and fever. In front of the Kasperovskaya icon of the Mother of God, they pray for relaxation, seizures, madness.

In the folk calendar, Peter's day, together with the holidays of Agrafena Kupalnitsa and Ivan Kupala, constitutes a single festive cycle, marking the full flowering of natural forces.

Summer in some places was counted from Petrov's day: "Peter conceives the summer, Ilya ends the summer" (zaonezh.). Peter's day is the "top" of summer, hot days are coming. An ironic expression has been preserved about unnecessary objects and suggestions: "I need a mitten like on Peter's day!"

Peter's day - farewell to spring (flight) and meeting of the "red summer". There was a custom on Petrov's day to arrange "Petrov's parties", to lead round dances and swing on a swing. Sometimes they started guessing games: the guys walked among the girls, covering their faces with scarves. The one who guessed it was predicted to play her wedding soon. In Zaonezhie, the last time on the "summer" Christmastide, they played pranks around the village and read fortunes.

“The sun is playing on Peter's day” (Tula province). In the southern Russian provinces, the custom to watch the sun was timed to this day, when young people of both sexes had fun, dressed up, wearing bells and bells, walked all night on the eve of the holiday, watched how the sun “plays” at sunrise (cf. “play of the sun” on Ivan Kupala), shimmering in different colors, arranged a meal in a club, rampaged. The girls brought resin or oil lamps, straw for a seat or a bench to the field: they burned fires and walked all night. “They collected 12 flowers from 12 fields and put them under their heads, saying:“ Twelve flowers from different fields, twelve good fellows! Who is the betrothed-mummer, show me and look at me. "

In some places in Belarus, weddings were celebrated on Peter the Great. The Belarusians have preserved a saying: “Before Peter, the girl is cunning, but at least rub her face on Petra” (Belorussian. Yes, Pyatra dzeўka hithra, and on Pyatra, there are creatures of her padatra); until Petrov's day, the girl tried to please the guy and get married, and if the efforts were in vain, she had to wait for the next time of weddings.

In some localities, people converged on three springs to wash themselves with "Petrova Voditsa", which was accompanied by treats with sweet wine, songs, dances and games. In Kashin and some other cities, it was customary to arrange a kind of Christmas dress. The game gathered on the bank of the stream.

In the Voronezh province, the harvesting of winter crops began, they cut down on the edge, baked bread from the new harvest.

On All Saints Week, before Peter's Day or on the first Sunday after it, they were known among the Eastern Slavs under the name of the funeral of Kostroma and Yarila. The funeral of Kostroma in the Penza and Simbirsk provinces was carried out in the following way: first of all, the girls chose from among themselves one who was obliged to represent Kostroma; then they approached her with bows, put her on the board and carried her to the river with songs; there they began to bathe her, and the eldest of those participating in the ritual bent a basket out of a splint and beat it like a drum; finally, they returned to the village and ended the day in round dances and games. In the Murom district, a different ritual setting was observed: Kostroma was represented by a doll that was made of straw, dressed up in a woman's dress and flowers, put in a trough and carried with songs to the banks of a river or lake; the crowd gathered on the shore was divided into two halves: one defended the doll, and the other attacked and tried to take possession of it. The fight ended with the triumph of the attackers, who grabbed the doll, tore off her dress and sling, and trampled the straw with their feet and threw it into the water, while the defeated defenders indulged in inconsolable grief, covering their faces with their hands and, as it were, mourning the death of Kostroma.

Three days before Peter's Day, the Serbs called them Kreshevi or Kresivo and tried not to visit the vineyards, not go to the field to pick (harvest) hemp and not wash, so that God would not send hail or disease. On these days, “live fire” was kindled, and pets were driven through the smoke of the fire to protect them from diseases.

Beliefs

Feast of Peter the Key Keeper - Keeper of the Keys to the Kingdom of Heaven.

Among the Hutsuls there was a belief that Saint Peter kept the keys to the earth all year round and only in the spring they were taken from him by Saint George; on Peter's day, the keys return to Peter again, and then autumn comes.

In the southern Russian provinces, it was believed that on this day mermaids leave (disappear), staying on earth from the Trinity.

It was believed that the cuckoo cuckoo before Peter's day, and on this day "chokes with a barley ear" - it stops when the barley is hammered or "chokes on cheese", "mandryka" (cheesecake), which were prepared for the holiday. The Belarusians, when they cooked dumplings on the festive table, used to say: “we will crush the zvzyura (cuckoo)”. In Belarus, an apocryphal story is also recorded that the cuckoo cuckoo before Peter's day, because when the Apostle Peter stole a horse, and Christ called the crow and the cuckoo as witnesses and asked whether Peter bought a horse or stole it, the cuckoo replied "cuckoo, cuckoo -drank ", and the crow" stole! stole! "; therefore, Christ allowed the crow to croak all year round (for telling the truth), and the cuckoo to cuckle only until Peter's day (for lying).

In the Russian North, there is a legend that says that on the "worldly" Peter's holiday, arranged by the villagers behind Totma, on the Vahe River, a deer ran out of the forest, sent to the "celebrating Peter" to the laity as a gift from the "apostle-holiday." The deer, which stopped in front of the cauldrons prepared in advance for cooking, was killed, skinned and boiled in cauldrons, and then eaten by the whole world. But this lasted only as long as the people lived righteously and honestly, observing the traditions of their ancestors. And when "debauchery-sin went among the people, the lie entangled the world-people with nets-snares," the Apostle Peter stopped sending "a festive meal even to people who celebrated his holy day." After that, they began to stab a bull from their herd. Years passed - and the villagers completely stopped "celebrating Petrovshchina" with the whole world, - everyone began to celebrate "naosobitsa" in his yard.

Apostles in the views of the Slavs

In the Slavic tradition, Peter and Paul are paired characters (cf. Kuzma and Demyan, Flor and Laurus), who can often act in a single image: Peter-Paul, Petro-Pavlo, Peter and Paul. The Bulgarians considered them brothers, sometimes even twins, who had a sister - Saint Helena or Saint Mary (Fiery). Peter is a younger brother and kinder: he allows farmers to work on his holiday. Pavel is the elder, he is formidable and severely punishes violators of holiday customs, sending thunder and lightning from the sky, burning sheaves. According to Serbian tradition, "the division of faiths into Orthodox and Catholic occurred after the quarrel of the apostles: Peter declared himself Orthodox (Serb), and Paul said that he was Catholic (Shokats)." In the view of the Slavs, Peter and Pavel occupy a special place, acting as the keepers of the keys to paradise (cf. the Belarusian name of the constellation Cygnus - Pyatrova stick, which is also perceived as the key to paradise). The Bulgarians also considered Saint Peter as the guardian of the Garden of Eden, guarding the golden tree of Eden, around which the souls of dead children fly in the form of flies and bees.

In Serbia, the Apostle Peter was portrayed as "riding on a golden-horned deer across a heavenly field above the ears of the earth."

Sayings and omens "The sun plays on Peter's day" (Tula province).

"From Petrov's day - red summer, green mowing."
“Pyatroўku trab had a bastard to play with, there are more grooves uzho kara prysyhae” (Belarusian).
“A thin pig grows chilly in Petrovka too; noble blood and freezes on Peter's day. "
"Petrovka cold - hungry year."
"Petro-Pavel added the heat."

Many have heard about the holiday of Peter's Day, which is not surprising, since ancient times in Russia it was of great importance, and it still has. Indeed, on this day, among other things, the memory of two apostles is honored at once - Peter and Paul.

In the folk calendar of July, Peter's Day also has a special meaning, it was even celebrated earlier for three whole days, which says a lot. In this article we will look at the traditions and rituals of the holiday, some signs, remember who Peter and Paul are, and find out the date of the celebration.

Date of celebration of Petrov's day

In Russia Peter's day is celebrated on July 12 new style and June 29 old. This date was not chosen by chance, according to ancient tradition, the apostles Peter and Paul on this day were executed in Rome: the first was crucified on the cross, the second, because he was a Roman, was executed by beheading.

* There is a version that Peter was the first to die, and exactly a year later, and Paul.

According to the second version, Christian celebrations on July 12 are scheduled in connection with the transfer of the relics of Peter and Paul to the underground catacombs of San in 258. Sebastian in southern Rome.

Be that as it may, today all religious people (both Catholics and Orthodox) honor the memory of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul.

According to church teaching, the feast of Peter and Paul is a reminder that everyone is not without sin. The same Peter denied Christ three times before his crucifixion, but then repented of what he had done.

About Peter and Paul

In folk traditions, Peter and Paul are paired characters, sometimes they were even presented as twin brothers. Peter is the older brother, more severe and revered among the people, and Paul the younger, not so strict.

Sometimes Peter was called "the cleric". This is due to the belief that it is he who stands at the gates of paradise with the keys and lets the righteous through the gates.

However, the biographies of the two apostles have little in common. Thus, Paul was not originally one of the 12 disciples of Christ, but in his youth he completely participated in the persecution of the Jews. Only after the resurrection of Jesus did he believe in God, this led to the fact that Paul devoted his life to serving the Most High, creating Christian communities.

Peter, on the other hand, was with Christ from the very beginning, was his first and most beloved disciple. He witnessed many miracles, and it is he who is considered to be the first Pope of Rome and the founder of the Christian church.

You might be interested in an article about the Church's Birthday - Spirits Day.

Holiday names

The Day of Veneration of St. Peter and Paul has a huge variety of names:

Worldly candle;
Peter-Paul;
Red summer;
Peter and Paul;
The playing of the sun;
Petrok;
Fisherman;
Feast of Peter;
Green mowing;
Petrovka, etc.

Many of them reflect the meaning of the holiday among the people, especially the "green mowing" and "red summer". Indeed, in Russia, Peter's day was the beginning of haymaking and the end of the Kupala festivities.

Peter's day: holiday traditions

First of all, it is worth noting that on this day, in the Orthodox tradition, Peter Lent usually ends. Therefore, after July 12, you can already get married. In general, it is on this day that it is better not to play weddings and not engage in such matters, this does not promise the newlyweds a happy life.

For the holiday, our ancestors began to prepare in advance, sometimes several days in advance. It was necessary to clean and decorate the house (wildflowers were most often used for decoration).

In Kievan Rus, July 12 has always been a day for anglers: at this time the summer fishing season began, and the spring season, accordingly, ended. The custom was widespread to donate to "a worldly candle for Peter the Rybolov", which was put in the church in front of his image.

In addition, the holiday has many other traditions:

According to custom, on July 12 it was customary to spend time with the family and visit relatives. People gathered at the family table, which was always accompanied by fish. Since St. Peter was the patron saint of fishermen, well, and also, fish was put on the festive table so that faith and love reigned in the family. Following an old custom, food was not immediately removed from the table.
Orthodox people always went to church to light a candle and pray. The Saints could be asked:
Upon returning from church, it was customary to prepare flat cakes. It is believed that they were most often eaten by the apostles on their travels.
There was a custom, after the completion of the church service, to follow the crossroads. And exactly where the cross is installed. There it was necessary to put something from food. It was believed that the people who took the food would praise the apostles Peter and Paul.
As with any other church holiday, you cannot:
It was also forbidden to work in the field. Our ancestors believed that the ears are gaining their greatest strength, so there is no need to disturb them.
On July 12, it was decided to "watch the sun", which promised prosperity in life.
It was also recommended to bless the water and wash in the springs. There was a belief that if you wash in 3 springs, you could free yourself from diseases, wash away your sins and take away evil spirits.
It was not supposed to eat something from the fresh harvest. Violation of this prohibition could turn into a broken fate and years of loneliness.
Folk legend says that on this day Peter himself observes the fields, and notices who works and how. And then, depending on hard work and laziness, he selects couples for the young.

Signs for the day of Peter and Paul

Most of the signs are collected in the article about the folk holidays of July, which tells about Peter's Day. Here are just a couple:

On Peter's day, the cuckoos will be silent. If this happens a week before the holiday, then winter will be early, if a week or two later - late.

Downpour - to a good harvest of livestock.

A good catch on Petrov's day foreshadowed a good harvest throughout the season.

Youth night festivities

They celebrated Peter's day not only at the home table, but also in nature. It was (and remains so in some regions) one of the favorite holidays of young people.

Earlier, during such night entertainments, it was customary to lead round dances, sing songs, while away the time playing games. Guessing the guy was a common game. For this, the guys covered their faces with scarves and walked among the girls. And the girls had to guess who exactly was hiding under the scarf.

As a rule, they had fun until dawn. After all, it was important to meet the sun, and at the same time to admire how it "plays". According to legend, the dawn sun on Peter's day plays with different colors, which is an extraordinary sight.

Towns

Nowadays, the night festivities of young people have acquired a slightly different shade. In big cities, this tradition is now completely forgotten, but in small towns and villages, in some places, it is still alive. The point is that on the night of July 12, teenagers arrange so-called "small towns", or "shukharilki" - they play pranks in every possible way.

Important: this kind of entertainment is highly discouraged by the church and the law. For some completely childish pranks, you can pay with a fine or even a real period of up to 5 years.

What do the townspeople do? Traditionally, they play pranks, but without going beyond certain limits of reason. That is, if you trample strawberries in a neighbor's garden, then you can answer for it before the law. And from a morally ethical point of view, you yourself understand what such an act looks like.

The most important thing is that such pranks do not cause any material damage. Therefore, most often:

blocked roads;

fastened a bucket of water over the door;

put a cow "cake" on the threshold;

covering up the windows in the house;

they tied a pebble to a string and knocked on the window.

Note that it was not forbidden to whip those who fell for this occupation. Therefore, those who did not want to participate in such fun - sat at home and guarded their plots.

This tradition is most popular in the Tula, Kaluga, Ryazan and Oryol regions.

Fortune telling and rituals on Peter's day

Since ancient times, the Day of Peter and Paul has been considered a men's holiday, but the girls were also looking forward to it. One of the main reasons is love magic and fortune telling. They wondered in different ways, here are just some of the ways.

On the image of the betrothed

To see the groom in a dream, the girl had to collect 12 herbs from 12 fields, and then hide them under the pillow with the words:

Twelve flowers from different fields, twelve fellows! Who is the betrothed-mummer, show me and look at me.

To fulfill a wish

We went to a birch tree and braided its three branches into a braid, tied the whole thing with scarlet ribbon or grass. Make a wish and say:

In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit!

Then they left. And three days later they came back and watched. If the birch braid has not faded and unraveled, the desire will come true.

Love spells were widespread. Conspiracies and rituals to prevent the husband from walking.

The feast of Peter and Paul belongs to the intransient, which means it is celebrated every year on the same day. Thus, Peter's day in 2018 will be July 12.

The Day of the Apostles Peter and Paul ends with the Apostolic or Peter Lent, which in 2018 continues from May 4. At the same time, the feast of Peter and Paul itself is not included in the number of fasting days. The full name of the holiday on July 12 is the Day of the Holy Primate Martyrs Peter and Paul, because, according to legend, on this day the apostles were martyred.

Peter's day - what a holiday

Peter's Day is simply the popular name for the Orthodox church holiday established in honor of the apostles Peter and Paul.

Saint Peter, the son of a common fisherman, was one of the twelve apostles - disciples of Jesus Christ. At birth, the future apostle was given the name Simon, but then from Christ he received the nickname Cephas, which in Aramaic meant "stone", that is, firm in faith. Later the name was translated into Greek, in Greek Peter is also "stone".

According to the Gospel, Peter was a participant and witness of many biblical events, it was he who betrayed his teacher three times, but then atoned for his weakness and became a bulwark of faith and the founder of the Christian church. The Apostle Peter is considered to be the first Pope of Rome.

Saint Paul, whom Orthodox Christians also commemorate on July 12, was not one of the twelve apostles, at first he was one of the persecutors of the Jews, but then, when he met the resurrected Jesus Christ, he believed in one God. Paul preached Christian doctrine in Asia Minor and the Balkan Peninsula. His messages are included in the New Testament.

Church books claim that the apostles Peter and Paul died a martyr's death on the same day - July 12 (June 29, old style).

According to legend, the Apostle Peter came to preach in Rome, where he was arrested and crucified upside down. The Apostle Paul was also executed in Rome, but since he was a Roman citizen, then the shameful execution on the cross could not be applied to him. Pavel's head was cut off.

In the Christian tradition, the names of these two saints are closely related - that is why in Russia this holiday was sometimes called "Petra-Pavla".

What not to do on Petrov Day

On July 12, the Orthodox Church does not hold a wedding on Peter and Paul.
Work is not prohibited, but still today it is worth replacing hard physical labor with spiritual care.
As with any other big church holiday on July 12, you should not do the cleaning, work in the garden or vegetable garden.
In the morning you should go to the service and pray.
And throughout the day, one should not swear, think about bad things, or wish anything bad to others.
On this day, it is customary to arrange festive family dinners and spend time communicating with loved ones in nature, but you cannot start feasts with excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages, because this is a religious holiday.
You cannot swim on Peter and Paul, as on this day there are many deaths on the water.

What you need to do on Petrov day

Go to the church for the service, before that after washing from three sources (this guaranteed the protection of Peter for a year).
Today it is imperative to confess and receive communion, thus completing Peter's fast. That is, to cleanse not only the body, but also the soul.
Cook fish. Women believed that fish on the festive table is a guarantee of peace and happiness in the house.
On this day, our ancestors prepared the first "young borscht", in which all the ingredients were of a new crop - beets, cabbage, and tomatoes. And certainly borscht should be with a young cockerel. This tradition guaranteed a secure life throughout the year.
On Petrov's day, mothers baked "mandryks" for their children - buns or donuts with cottage cheese and fruits. It was believed that the cuckoo choked on Peter and Paul and stopped chuckling.
Take a ride on a swing. If you laugh at this moment, then you will certainly be happy. And if you cry, you will shorten your life.
It is imperative to visit Peter and Paul. This is done in order not to forget about family and friends in the hustle and bustle.

Peter's day 2018: traditions and customs

The holiday of Peter and Paul was popularly considered a turning point in summer, after which nature began to prepare for autumn. autumn. People believe that on Peter's Day Saint Peter allegedly "spat on" the leaves, so after that day they no longer harvested herbs and plants, did not break branches on brooms, etc.

The customs of Petrov's day are reminiscent of the rites of the Slavs on Trinity and Ivan Kupala. In the folk traditions of the holiday, both Christian and pagan rituals associated with worship of the sun were mixed. Probably, in ancient times, all these celebrations were united, one holiday, which lasted several days, dedicated to the summer solstice. But the Peter's fast, introduced by the church after Trinity and lasting until the day of St. Peter, separated the previously united summer circle of pagan celebrations.

After Petrov's Day, July 12, the days begin to decrease rapidly, the nights become cooler - the sun turns to winter. On the eve of Petrov's day, guys, girls, women and men, in anticipation of the sunrise, went to an elevated place outside the village, where they burned fires all night, cooked porridge, sang, and had fun. This custom was called "guarding the sun". It was believed that on Peter's morning the sun plays in the sky, shimmering in different colors.

Songs, games, dances and jokes of the festivities were of a pronounced love-marriage character. At sunrise, the women pulled off their sundresses, loosened their hair and ran in one shirt around the village, chased by the guys. The girls whistled, shouted, sang, danced at this time.

On Peter's Day, as well as on the holiday of Ivan Kupala, bonfires were often burned. Shepherds lit huge torches and carried them around the livestock pens. This was intended to protect the animals. For this, wreaths were also woven to decorate cattle, corrals and hedges, and wreaths were hung on dishes.

Before Petrov's Day, in many Slavic traditions, there was a ban on eating fruits of the new harvest, mainly apples. They believed that on Peter's Day Saint Peter shakes an apple tree in paradise, then collects the children and treats them with apples; if someone's mother breaks the ban, her child loses the apple. On Petrov's Mother's Day, before trying the fruits, they took them to the cemetery, gave them to the beggars, handed them out in memory of the dead, or arranged refreshments for the neighbour's children, and only after that the ban on eating fruits was lifted.

Signs and beliefs on Petrov day

The holiday of July 12 is one of the important days of the year, when they celebrated the time of harvest and the weather until the end of summer.

On Peter's day, beetles and swallows fly low - wait for rain.
Petrovka walked - fell on the sheet, Ilya walked - two fell out.
It is clear to Peter and Paul - the year will be good.
On Petrov's day, it rains - the harvest is not bad, two rains are good, and three are rich. In Petra, the lightning is dawning.
Fish jump out of the water - to bad weather;
If a dog rolls on the ground, toads croak hoarsely, ants clog the anthill, and mosquitoes bite with double force, it will rain;
Petrok will come and tear off the sheet.
If the weather is dry on Petrov's day, it will be warm until the end of summer;
Downpour in the morning - to a bad harvest, at lunchtime - to a good one, and if it rains three times a day, then the harvest will be plentiful and rich;
From Petrov's day, red summer, green mowing.
Peter and Paul reduced the day, but increased the heat;
We are starving for Peter, we feast on Savior;
The nightingales sing to Peter, and the cuckoo is kukuet.
On Peter and Paul, the cuckoo stops singing;
From Petrov's day in the field, harvest (mowing).
If it rains on Petrov's day, the haymaking will be wet;
Petrovka is a hunger strike.
If it rains on Petrov's day, then another 40 days will be bad weather.