When I was young and stupid, getting ready for the Christmas tree, only cooked sochily, and in the evening Burned. But when it became seriously attending the church, I understood, I was so mistaken - after all, even the "harmless" maiden magic is a grave sin in front of the Lord! Now in the Christmas Christmas Eve (holy evening) and I, and my homemade pray. If I can't get to the church (let's say, no one leave a child or kids sick), pray at home, and if it turns out, dressing up and go to God's temple.
What give prayers exactly on this day?
Through communication with the Lord and Saints, we get joy, inner calm and spiritual harmony. And the prayers in the pre-Christmas time are the strongest (no wonder this period is considered almost magical). They can give hope in the most difficult life situations, remove the pressure cargo from the soul, to feel freedom from all worldly ... But only if you completely reveal your soul (up to the most secret thoughts), and you will also pray with a sincere faith.
How can I pray?
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You can contact any words.
For example, it may be Private circulation . Speak as it is, referring to the Lord as ordinary words, respectfully, as to the dear father. You can thank for something, complain, ask for help or council. If you feel guilty, shook and ask for forgiveness.
There are even unwritten home praying rules:
- Having gathered with the family at the table, thank the Lord for sending you a meal. At the same time, the icons can be put on the table (but it is not necessary).
- Contact your son of God, Virgin Mary, as well as saints that are considered patrons of your family.
- Now read about the birth of a little Jesus from the Gospel (the part is best written by the Holy Luke).
- After that, the father of the family can start the meal. The rest of the home are joined to him.
By numerous requests of readers, we have prepared an application "Orthodox calendar" for a smartphone. Every morning you will receive information about the current day: Holidays, posts, commemoration days, prayers, parables.
Download free: Orthodox calendar 2020 (Available on Android)
But there is I. Public prayers created by priests. They are read in temples or at home.
Orthodox church prayers
First of all, the prayers read in the church hear in the sky. Especially strong are the services dedicated to large church holidays - the Christmas Eve (like all Christmas days) also refers to those.
The service begins in the evening on Christmas Eve, walks all night, connecting with the solemn morning liturgy.
In the morning, the father with believers glorify the Son of God's chants, they read the tropari of the Christmas of Jesus Christ, as well as the stimit, Kondak.
By the way! The tropar is a brief festive chant, glorifying the holiday or saint, as well as explaining all its importance. Pochihiros - the kind of liturgical chants. The more they sound in service, the more important holiday. Kondak - a brief laudatory chant.
Tropar and Kondak, dedicated to the birth of Jesus Christ, are better to know in coerciless people.
Festive Tropear Sounds like this:
A Kondak - So:
Prayers to achieve a specific purpose
If everything is fine in the house, you can just thank the Lord and your heavenly patrons, repent or read Kondak. If someone is sick, the family suffers from lack of funds, you are alone, during prayer you need to ask God for help.
Every difficult case has special prayers.
Send health or strengthen the spirit with a hard physical ailment Such a prayer for the father of heaven will help:
Ask for marriage and happiness in a relationship with the fiance You can Mother God:
To honestly earn big money and finally get rich , appeal to Jesus:
A His baby (children) Teach to contact your guardian angel here:
Important! Prayers are read on the night from 6 to 7 number, after 12 nights . Only kids can pray before, getting ready for sleep.
And also the child can read the classic christmas poem Dostoevsky "Angel's Crumb" . Or (for the first time) enable them this video. Verse is very touching, and for children - instructive, for teaches mercy and love to neighbor:
10 interesting facts about this holy day
- Traditional christmas flowers are considered green and red. It is them that is used for the festive decoration of the house, as well as thematic photo sessions.
- In foreign films, you can often see Christmas wreaths of coniferous branches at the entrance doors. This is a really Christian tradition, but it will make Catholics.
- But the traditional christmas attribute of Orthodox - candles. Our ancestors often bought thick candles. They were lit on Christmas Eve and left to burn all night before Christmas. The light of such a candle meant the light of Christ.
- It is not accepted to call guests for this holiday, but if someone runs at the light, it is sure to sit down to the table (even if this is a stranger or at all - it is believed that in the image of the poor man, experiencing the hearts of believers on kindness, on the ground that night The Lord God himself goes). Also good on Christmas Eve to call old relatives, congratulating the coming and asking how they have business and health.
- A sign of good tone on this day is a generosity. You can buy sweets for a neighborly poor family, in the morning to take a donation to the church. It can be both sweets and toys or cozy winter things (scarf, mittens, sweater).
- There is a tradition, according to which in the Christmas night you need to wear or something new, or at least white.
- Orthodox on the festive table is boiled (a lented porridge from barley, rice, pea or wheat, seasoned with overcooked poppy, sunflower oil, nuts, raisins, dried fruits and honey). And the next day, the bun is already boiled differently, a more satisfying recipe - fill with butter, chocolate is added ...
- 13 dishes are served on the festive table. You can serve a fish (herring and / or baked fish), soups (fish, mushroom, lean) or borsch, pies, or roasted cakes, mushrooms, potatoes. Sweet dishes are also not prohibited, the main thing is that they are set: berry kissel, honey gingerbread and other baking (often prepare yeast rolls with poppy seeds), nuts, apples (fresh or uriced), dried fruits, compote. And no alcohol!
- All dishes need to be put on the table at the same time. That is, the hostess should not run from the plate to the table, today the whole family sits at the table all evening, not separating. Each family member should try on a piece of each (!) The dishes standing on the table. That is, the Christmas Eve is a holiday of maximum family unity.
- Catholics festive feast start with clouds - lean festive bread resembling a thin crispy wafer. They are brought from the church (temple). Wasp can cover festive inscriptions or pictures. The older woman in the family dishes this cloud and distributes to all the home. Eat it needed on an empty stomach. Natives can exchange the resulting pieces, asking each other for all the insults. What the cloud looks like, can be seen in the photo below.
Why the Christmas Eve is so important for Christians?
This day is the possibility of a Christian Correctly prepare for the bright holiday of Christ Christ.On this day, our ancestors were carefully retired in the house - they found the pans, screamed the floors, rubbed the table silver. The house could decorate the branches of coniferous trees (Christians they symbolize eternal life).
Don't forget that the Christmas Eve is The last day of the Christmas post . Therefore, cook meat dishes for this holiday is still early. And in general, many Christians on the Christmas Eve adhere to a particularly strict post (of course, not counting the sick people, pregnant women, as well as young children - their diet Church permits to be according to the recommendations of the doctors).
Important! You can only sit down at the table with the advent of the first star - the Christmas Eve is called Bethlehem. This is the memory of the very star, once indicated the path to the sages to the newborn Jesus. In our country, it should appear from about 17:30. You can sit down at the table a little earlier - to climb, think, pray, but you need to eat sochily with the star.
Let's summarize ...
- Prayers on Christmas Eve are very strong, they allow you to not just talk with your heavenly patron, but also get help in a difficult moment.
- The strongest is the prayer in the temple. However, it is possible to pray at home, both by ordinary words (private circulation) and reading a prayer created by the Holy Fathers.
- Family prayers can be read by gathering behind the evening meal with a mandatory meager on the table. If you ask something specific, pray better at night from 6 to 7, after 12 hours.
The set is also associated with the Christmas Eve. Folk customs . About them will tell this video:
But what will tell about this bright feast of Mother Iululia, the spouse of the Orthodox priest, in his vloga "Popy's Diary":