A black cat crossed the road or put the keys on the table, and on the street they saw a swallow flying low above the ground. Are these just events or do they mean something?
In this article we will try to analyze such a topic as Russian signs and superstitions. Let's get acquainted with the meaning of these terms, as well as learn some verified facts about different types of human activities.
What is the difference between a sign and superstition
It is believed that an omen is something that was “noted”, that is, a repeating event with equal components. Most of them are related to the weather, but there are also those related to other areas of human life and activity.
Superstition comes from the phrase "what one believes in vain (that is, in vain)". Thus, it turns out that random coincidences belong to this category. They cannot be influenced in any way, but people believe that you just need to create the necessary surroundings, and it will work.
The only catch is that the line between theseephemeral in two terms. In fact, one over time flows into another. When climatic conditions change, Russian folk omens about the weather become superstition. And in the course of technological progress, many things become more understandable and move into the category of rules or signs.
Signs by day of the week
Monday, Wednesday and Friday in Russian folk tradition are considered days when you should not start a new business. This does not mean that nothing needs to be done, and our ancestors were lazy. By no means! They were very inventive and hardworking, as exemplified by the stunning architectural monuments, some of which are built of wood without a single nail.
It was just that Monday was the start of the week. And if something goes wrong on this day, then the other six will also suffer.
On Friday, it is also not recommended to start anything new, as the matter will subsequently move forward with difficulty, “backward.”
These two days were called heavy, unlike them, Tuesday and Saturday were easy. It is at this time that it is best to take on any work from scratch. It was also recommended to go on a long journey on these days, as it will be easy and pleasant.
There was a superstition regarding money that whoever returns or spends money on Monday will spend the entire week. And borrowing on Tuesday will lead to a lot of personal debt.
The signs of the Russian people are often intertwined with fiction and superstition, which, however, does not prevent many people from being guided by such instructions.
Signs by seasons
Once such observations were the basis of meteorological knowledge, and today grandmothers in villages, guided by signs, often give odds to weather forecasts. Let's see what events aroused particular interest in our ancestors.
Let's start with spring. At this time, many migratory birds return from their wintering grounds to their habitual habitats. It was believed that if finches fly, the cold will continue, and larks, on the contrary, bring warmth.
The raininess of spring was judged by the flight of geese. If they fly high, then the months will bring a lot of moisture.
A lot of birch sap - it will be a rainy summer, and bathing sparrows predict wet weather in the next day.
Russian summer omens usually refer exclusively to precipitation.
If frogs croak in chorus in a pond during the day, birds worry and fly low, ants hide, and flowers close, then there will be a strong thunderstorm.
Autumn signs told our ancestors about the weather in the next six months. For example, if the leaves began to fall late, then a harsh and protracted winter was expected. And the mosquitoes that appeared in November, on the contrary, spoke of a soft and warm snow season.
In winter, Russian omens were mainly guided by signs of a thaw.
So, if the trees are covered with frost, or a crow hides its head under its wing, or the evening dawn quickly burns out, it was believed that warmer days would soon come.
But batherscrows, fussing and screaming sparrows promised a blizzard and bad weather with frosts.
Here is a brief summary of the features of the environment that our grandfathers paid attention to to predict future events.
Signs involving birds
As you may have noticed above, a lot of things that Russian signs notice are based on the behavior of birds. Yes, this is true, because only these representatives of the local fauna are always in sight. Fish, wild animals, insects are less visible or much less common in everyday life.
Today, some ethnographers advocate certain superstitions, linking them to the result of the harvest and the weather. So, for example, the behavior of birds, which portends favorable conditions for filling the bins, can similarly indicate good luck in financial affairs and prosperity (as a result of a large harvest).
So, from the superstitions regarding the behavior of birds, only a dove that shits, a stork that builds a nest on your roof, and a flock of birds flying at you were considered auspicious.
Everyone else promised misfortune. We are not talking about signs related to the weather now, we will talk about them a little later.
How to summon we alth
Besides the weather and bad ones, there are also good Russian omens. Now we will talk about incidents that, in folk tradition, promise an improvement in financial well-being.
By the way, most of these signs echo the feng shui system that is popular today. If this knowledge was applied by ancient peoples who did notcould borrow them from each other, which means they may have some rational meaning.
So, you should not keep several brooms in the house, but you need to store it only with the handle down and the broom up. Also among the Slavs, the dining table was considered a symbol of prosperity, so empty containers and packaging placed on it show disrespect. Try to avoid this behavior.
Also, with the eastern tradition of yin-yang, there is something in common with the sign of taking money with the left hand, and giving it with the right. Careful attitude to banknotes, rather, has deeper roots than simple superstitions.
If you begin to behave in a disciplined manner, appreciate finances, do not crumple banknotes, keep them in a clean and beautiful wallet, then a positive shift in the whole personality is obvious, and in the financial sector in particular.
Thus, it turns out that most signs are a logical consequence of self-development and spiritual growth of a person.
Wedding omens
10 Russian signs that all couples should know will be given below. So, when a couple goes to the registry office, you should not turn around, because a mental return to domestic problems will break the mood and may lead to subsequent quarrels.
At the ceremony, you need to constantly be there, and even better, hold hands. It is believed that this is how a single energy space of the family is created.
The wedding ring is considered a symbol of the well-being of the family hearth, so in the old days it was not removed, much less givenno one to measure.
Bells, ribbons, bows and the noise of the wedding procession are supposed to ward off the evil eye from the newlyweds and attract positive energies.
Loaf with s alt is a symbol of mother earth and prosperity. If during the ceremony one of the spouses did not bite off a piece of it, the family will soon divorce.
The groom brings the bride into the house in his arms as a sign of the ease of the future life.
When they cross the threshold, the young one should first step onto the towel and walk over it, crushing some old plates. It is believed that in this way the newlyweds say goodbye to the old life. And the towel was kept all his life, as a talisman.
By the way, in the old days a glass broken at a wedding did not promise good luck. They simply tried to neutralize him with the phrase "for good luck." Whole glasses are kept in the family as a talisman of well-being.
When young people go to get married, you should choose one path and return home another.
Nothing from the wedding accessories is ever given to try on to other people, either before or after the ceremony. Even relatives and friends.
Bad omens
Having talked about the good, it is worth mentioning the bad Russian omens. Next, the most common superstitions associated with misfortune will be voiced.
S alt in the 18th century was worth its weight in gold, so scattered it promised a quarrel. As an antidote to negativity, it was recommended to turn everything into a joke, for example, sprinkle it on your head.
Whistle in the house was also not welcome. It was believed that evil spirits could be attached to them.
Clothes wearinginside out, was characterized unequivocally: “you will be drunk or you will be beaten.” And often - both the first and the second.
All the signs associated with the threshold, at their core, have a tradition of laying under it part of the ashes of the ancestors for protection. Therefore, it was forbidden to greet, step on or pass something through it.
It was also believed that walking on strange unfamiliar tracks is not worth it. It was possible to "pick up" various misfortunes.
Russian signs about nature
Probably the most common and generally recognized are Russian folk omens about the weather. They are the only ones that do not have the slightest hint of mystical overtones and are based on observations of animals and the elements.
For example, low-flying birds, agitated birds, loudly croaking frogs, flowers that closed during the day indicated that it would soon rain.
The cat, curled up, showed close frost, lying on its back - heat.
The dust-bathing birds also spoke of warm weather.
Thus, most signs that relate to natural phenomena and ambient temperature should be believed. They are based on the instinctive behavior of animals and plants, which are more sensitive than humans.
Attitude of meteorologists
There are people who believe more in signs, and there are those who trust only the forecast on TV.
Meteorologists themselves say that many Russian omens have scientific value. Over the centuries, our ancestors have learned to correlate the flowering of trees and the time of planting differentcrops, the condition of plants and the behavior of fish and animals.
So, for example, when sunflower seeds ripened, it was believed that it was time to catch catfish. And blossoming catkins on maple trees signaled the need to sow beets.
Signs about everything
In this article, we briefly got acquainted with the majority of signs related to certain areas of life.
Finally, here are some more interesting folk notes.
For example, in order to drive cockroaches out of the house, it was necessary to catch them according to the number of households, put them in a bast shoe and drag them through the threshold to the other side of the road.
If a son looks like a mother, and a daughter looks like a father, it was considered fortunate. If the children are more like a neighbor, then be in trouble.
Good luck, dear readers!
