Red Hill is a folk holiday full of joy and fun, celebrated immediately after Holy Sunday. About the traditions and customs of the holiday, about the date the Red Hill will be celebrated in 2020, about its significance in the national calendar of our ancestors - in our article.
the date of the
Red Hill is firmly connected with Easter, which means that the date of this holiday is floating. According to the church calendar, it is celebrated on the following Sunday after Easter, that is, seven days after Bright Day.
Red Hill in 2020 falls on April 26, Sunday.
The date of the holiday can be calculated independently, just find out Easter date in 2020. And since Bright Sunday falls on April 19, then adding seven days, we get the day of celebration.
Beautiful holiday
In Slavic languages and dialects, the word "red" did not mean color at all. This word had its own, special meaning - “beautiful”, “funny”, “blooming”. And the name “Red Hill” primarily meant “a bright, colorful, joyful holiday”, the day when the fun was in full swing, and all the participants in the festive action looked especially attractive - beautiful, flowering, cheerful.
The name of the day was given by the central place of celebration - a small elevation on the edge of the settlement, a mound or just an open area, where festivities took place. The area was surely decorated by the treasured day, a swing was installed on it, poles for climbing, benches for gatherings - they made it “beautiful”, “red”. Hence the name - Red Hill.
Most of all, young people were waiting for this day - because folk traditions made girls and boys the main characters in the celebration.
Well, in addition, weddings resumed on Krasnaya Gorka - marriage was forbidden during Lent and Easter Week, and Antipasa became the first day when wedding bells rang in the air. It was believed that a marriage made on Krasnaya Gorka would certainly be happy, and family life would be long and rich.
Other names
The holiday, celebrated the next Sunday after Easter, has several names: Red Hill, Antipasa, Fomina Week. And each of them has its own rationale.
- Red hill. This name, as mentioned above, comes from the Old Slavonic “beautiful”, and means “beautiful” or “joyful holiday”.
- Antipasa. The word “Antipasa”, which is unusual for the ear of modern man, actually has nothing “against” traditional Easter. Translated from Greek, “anti” means “instead of”, meaning “additional”. The name itself reveals the meaning of the holiday - an addition to Easter, a special holiday for those who did not have time or were unable for some reason to celebrate Christ Sunday.
By the way, the service on Antipasa is held in the same way as on the twelfth holidays, although formally it is not.
- Fomina week. The name is given in honor of the Apostle Thomas, a disciple of Christ. After his death, Jesus appeared to the ten apostles, but Thomas was not among them. Hearing that the Teacher came to his disciples, the apostle did not believe (remember the proverb “Thomas the unbeliever”? Yes, yes, it was this story that influenced the emergence of a stable expression). He exclaimed that until he was personally convinced of this, he would not believe in the resurrection of Christ. And now, a week after Easter, Jesus appeared again, this time before Thomas. In honor of this biblical event, a holiday is named.
Traditions
Red Hill is a youth holiday.Once this holiday was considered a dating day - guys and girls from different villages met at the festivals, looked closely at each other, showed sympathy. And of course, they began to prepare for it in advance. New dresses and shirts, ribbons and belts, decorated with embroidery and first greens - everyone tried to look their best. And practically no one was left alone that day - not going out for festivities was considered a bad omen.
The day began with the call of spring. The first beauty sat down - or simply the most cheerful girl - was appointed a "round dance". At the head of the beloved, unmarried girls got out on a hill on the outskirts of the village and with the first rays of the sun began to call out spring - to invite her to visit.
For married women, there was their own rite - enclosure. Participants gathered at the outskirts and harnessed to the plow. They walked around the village, making a furrow - so houses were fenced off from troubles and misfortunes.
The “youngest” ones — children and adolescents — had their own special signs. First of all, this is egg skating - colored eggs (those that were left from Easter or specially prepared for this day) rolled down from small slides or mounds. And if the egg reached the foot and did not break at the same time, then the owner will be lucky and happy.
After the rites, it was time for general fun. Walks, round dances, songs, swinging, competitions between guys, treats, going on a visit and much, much more - Red Hill is just made for fun.
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