There are many interesting symbols associated with the holiday of the Holy Trinity. Signs for Trinity
If our homes are filled with the unique smell of freshly cut grass, forest greenery and wildflowers, the greatest Orthodox holiday is on the doorstep - the Feast of the Holy Trinity. An amazing holiday that combines pagan and Christian traditions.
The Holy Trinity has stepped on the threshold
Trinity, as you know, is celebrated 7 weeks after Easter. The name of the holiday is given in honor of the Descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles, which indicated the threefold nature of God: “God the Father created all things, God the Son redeems humanity from slavery to the devil, God the Holy Spirit sanctifies the world through the founding of the Church and the preaching of the faith.”
According to the Bible, the Holy Spirit descended on the disciples of Christ, gathered in one of the upper rooms, and endowed them with the knowledge of many languages, so that they would go around the world to glorify God and baptize people with the new faith. Then the Lord blessed the apostles for the construction of the church. This day is considered the founding day of the church.
Pentecost, as Trinity is also called, because it occurs 50 days after Easter, ends the cycle of numerous spring holidays. By this time, nature had already completely changed into its lush, bright green outfit. And this is not without reason, because the main symbol of the holiday is greenery, as the beginning, renewal and formation of the Christian church.
Traditions and customs of the Trinity in the old days
Preparations for the holiday began, as usual, with cleaning. Each housewife spent a day or two putting things in order both in the yard and in the house, decorating them with green branches, fragrant flowers and grass. Our ancestors believed in the magical power of green plants, symbolizing prosperity, wealth and continuation of life.
On Saturday, the eve of Trinity, churches commemorated people who died of their own free will, and those who drowned and disappeared.
The celebration of Trinity continued for three days. Resurrection, also called Green Sunday, began with a solemn service in churches, after which Christians hurried to their own or their relatives' houses for a generous festive table. Towards evening, the festivities acquired a wide scope: people poured into the streets, round dances, chants, dances took place... In the late evening it was necessary to be especially careful. It was believed that evil spirits came to life on these days, so you could easily meet a mermaid, mavka or other mythical creature. It was for this reason that it was impossible to swim all week, because the mermaid could drag him into the water and tickle him to death.
This is another meaning of green jewelry. Fresh young greenery is a symbol of cleansing, renewal and life-giving power, which protects and protects from evil spirits and unkind people. A week later, all the “green decorations” were burned at the stake. But the grass with which the temple was decorated was not treated like this - it was dried, and all year it served as a talisman against the evil eye and ill-wishers.
A good sign on Trinity was considered to be the meeting of a guy and a girl or a matchmaking match. But for the wedding it is advisable to choose a different date. According to legend, a marriage that takes place on this day will be unsuccessful.
How is Trinity celebrated today?
Today, fortunately, traditions are returning. And the celebration of Trinity is not much different from how our ancestors celebrated the holiday (except that they don’t dance in circles). Modern people also tidy up their homes in preparation for the holiday; they also decorate houses and temples with flowers and herbs, believing in their power against evil spirits; They also attend church, after which they also visit each other.
Trinity is celebrated solemnly and magnificently. In churches, holiday chants are held and special prayers are read.
Open your soul like a window, let warmth and goodness in, just like you let summer into your home! May the Holy Trinity protect you and all your loved ones, granting spiritual harmony, excellent health and faith in a happy tomorrow. Happy Orthodox holiday - Trinity!
On Pentecost you cannot walk alone in nature or swim. Any body of water is a high-risk zone, our ancestors believed! Today we’ll talk about the most ancient prohibitions on the Trinity, and also try to understand the essence of the greatest church holiday.
Very soon a wonderful Christian holiday will come feast of the Holy Trinity, which in 2018 falls on May 27. This is the 50th day after Easter, falling, as in other years, on Sunday. That is why the Trinity is also called Pentecost.
I really like this bright and joyful summer holiday, and I always look forward to it with special trepidation. I love this day for the special atmosphere, for the wonderful service in the church, for the beauty when Orthodox churches are decorated with greenery (freshly cut grass is usually placed on the floor, icons are decorated with spring flowers and young tree branches), and for the harmonious state that I feel on Trinity .
However, the Trinity is shrouded in an incredible amount of traditions, rituals and beliefs, which can sometimes be difficult to understand and understand what is true and what is not. Therefore, I turned to my good friend Anna for advice on this matter.
Anya’s husband is Father Alexey, whose services my whole family loves to attend, and Anya herself is a very bright and wonderful person. She happily told me how to properly celebrate the day of the Holy Trinity-Pentecost, as well as about what absolutely cannot be done on this day.
What date is Trinity this year?
According to the Gospel, on the 50th day after the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit descended on the apostles, who together with the Mother of God gathered for prayer in a house on Mount Zion. This phenomenon took the form of tongues of flame that enveloped the apostles, but they did not burn, but gave joy and peace.
Suddenly they spoke in every possible language to bring the Word of God to the masses. Next, the apostles baptized almost three thousand people, which means the process was completed the birth of the Christian church.
Traditionally, on Pentecost, the Holy Trinity is remembered: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Church literature says that in the evening before Trinity, the Holy Spirit descends to Earth. It sanctifies and blesses everything around, it fills a person’s soul with goodness, love, faith, and patience.
TRADITIONS AND PROHIBITIONS ON THE TRINITY
For a long time, on this day, for the first time after Easter, the prayer “To the Heavenly King” is read. According to the clergy, from this day on, morning and evening prayers begin with the reading of the Trisagion. In addition, prayers to the Holy Trinity and the Lord's Prayer are read.
Don't forget to pray:
“Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us” (repeat 3 times)
“Most Holy Trinity, have mercy on us; Lord, cleanse our sins; Master, forgive our iniquities; Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities, for Thy name’s sake.”
The clergy also say that You can't go to Trinity follow common signs and superstitions, many of which give advice on what supposedly “cannot” be done on Trinity (swimming, going to the forest and field, working).
First of all, this day is necessary live like a Christian- go to church, pray, take communion, try to be kind and attentive to your loved ones, spend free time with them.
Tell your friends and acquaintances on social networks about this article. Let there be more kindness and light around us!
Each temple is not just an architectural structure, but a collection of visible material objects denoting the invisible and mysterious world. There is not a single random touch in the architecture of an Orthodox church and its decoration: the material, ornaments, painting themes, liturgical objects and vestments - everything is full of deep meaning. Therefore, floral decoration should organically fit into the interior of the temple, not dominating, but only emphasizing the deep meaning of the service.
The most significant and important places are chosen for floral decoration in the temple. The Royal Doors, located in the center of the iconostasis, are decorated with a flower garland and a composition on both sides. The icon of the holiday is decorated, installed on a special platform - a lectern. It is important that the flowers are in harmony with the frame and the icon. They decorate the throne icon of the saint or holiday in whose honor the temple was consecrated. It is customary to decorate revered miraculous icons, shrines with the relics of a saint, a shroud, a cross and a candle with flowers. There are many ways to decorate, only the forms and techniques of floral design change, which create beautiful elements. Flowers and greenery emphasize the spiritual meaning of the festive event. 
When choosing plants in the temple, any flowers are used that emphasize the beauty of the icons. Preference is given to plants that are mentioned in the Bible or look like stylized flowers on icons, in paintings, or in temple ornaments.
Flowers must be in harmony with the main color of the holiday being celebrated and match the vestments of the clergy. Sundays, feasts of the apostles, prophets, and saints are celebrated in golden-colored vestments. On the feasts of the Mother of God, the vestments are blue, on the days of remembrance of the martyrs - red, for the saints and holy fools - green. Trinity Day, Spiritual Day, the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem are also celebrated in green vestments, the Ascension and Transfiguration in white vestments. On the days of honoring the Cross of the Lord, the color of the robe is purple, during Lent – purple, black.
Each Orthodox holiday has its own traditions of floral decoration. Christmas is a celebration of the purity of birth, its color is white. The temple is decorated with spruce branches and spruce trees. Coniferous evergreens are a symbol of immortality, eternal life. The decoration uses white plants - lilies, chrysanthemum, gypsophila with the addition of greenery.
White color is a symbol of purity, so it is chosen as the main background for Epiphany. All the decoration of the temple should be reminiscent of cleansing, renewal, and rebirth. On Good Friday, the Shroud of the Savior is also decorated with snow-white flowers, reminiscent of the whiteness of the cloth in which Christ was wrapped at burial, symbolizing spiritual light and purity. White flowers decorate the temple and the icon of the holiday of the Transfiguration of the Lord. 
On Palm Sunday, churches are decorated with branches of fluffy willow, replacing the branches of a date palm in the middle zone. After the Week of the Cross, decorations are dominated by red flowers - roses, carnations. Red flowers are a sign of the approaching Passion of Christ. At the Annunciation, white lilies are used in the decoration as a symbol of this holiday. They are also placed next to the festive icon of Archangel Gabriel, who brought the Good News. White lilies, as a symbol of purity and innocence, also adorn the shroud of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary. On the Mother of God holidays, in addition to white ones, plants of blue and dark blue shades are used. The shrouds are decorated with garlands of flowers.
The Holy Resurrection of Christ is the most important of the holidays. Easter decorations are characterized by bright red-orange tones, reflecting the joy that fills the hearts of Christians on this day. One of the symbols of Easter is the egg. Egg-shaped compositions are made from carnations and rose petals.
Trinity is one of the most beautiful holidays; in terms of its design, it is a holiday of greenery - a symbol of life. Trinity week is popularly called “green Christmastide.” The holiday combines sincere joy and fun, and a deep prayerful mood. Greenery and flowers symbolize spiritual spring. The fragrance of flowers signifies the fragrance of spiritual gifts given to the souls of believers by the Life-Giving Lord. Greenery is a soul that blossoms because it has been touched by the grace of the Holy Spirit. On the day the disciples gathered to receive the Holy Spirit, their upper room was decorated with greenery. In memory of this, on this day we decorate our churches with green branches.
The decorations are made from a variety of flowers, including wildflowers. The floor of the temple is covered with mown grass. Birch branches are considered a traditional design element on this day: on Trinity, all churches are buried in the young greenery of birch trees. Wildflowers and meadow herbs fill everything with their fragrance. 
When you enter the temple and see flowers, your soul becomes festive! And we remember the words of St. right John of Kronstadt: “Flowers are the remains of paradise on earth.” They remind us of Divine generosity and Wisdom. Man is filled with love and gratitude to the Creator of all things, exclaiming along with the psalmist David: “Wonderful are Your works, O Lord! You have created all things with wisdom!”
P.S. I would like to thank our wonderful parishioners: thanks to their donations for flowers, there are more opportunities for decorating the temple.
Prepared by Irina Muslimova
On the 50th day after Easter, Orthodox Christians celebrate the Holy Trinity. This day is often also called Pentecost or Green Week, and it is no coincidence. Since we celebrate Trinity on the 50th day after Easter, on this day the Holy Spirit descended on the apostles, and they received the gift of understanding the Holy Scriptures in order to preach.
However, Trinity is also the birthday of the Church. 12 simple, uneducated people suddenly began to understand different languages and were able to conquer the whole world - not with weapons, not with force, but with the Gospel preaching. As we know from the history of the Church, they were even able to defeat the most skilled rhetoricians of that time. On this day, the Lord breathed into a small community of people the power thanks to which they were able to bring millions of people to Christ.
It is clear that without God’s help the apostles could not have done this, so the holiday of Trinity is another chance for us to be confirmed in faith in Christ.
Bishop Jonah of Obukhov, Head of the Synodal Department of the UOC for Youth Affairs, Abbot of the Trinity Monastery of Jonah, spoke about this and much more on the eve of Trinity.
So, what do we celebrate on Trinity Day, and why did the church holiday become a national holiday?
How do services on Trinity differ from services on other days, and what is this special Trinity Vespers?
It is known that Trinity is often called the “Green Christmastide”. Where does the tradition of decorating temples and homes with green shoots and flowers come from on this day?
What should you remember when celebrating Trinity? And what will the abbot of the Trinity Ionian Monastery say to the inhabitants and parishioners of the monastery on the patronal holiday?
– Vladyka, Trinity is a public holiday, and for most people the day off on Monday is an opportunity to relax, go out into nature, to the countryside. If we talk about Trinity in a nutshell, what do we celebrate on this day?
– Indeed, Trinity, thank God, thanks to the fact that our state is returning, albeit partially, to the traditions of Christianity, is a public holiday. This holiday always falls on a Sunday because it is celebrated 50 days after the Resurrection of Christ, after Easter. And always on the 50th day, the commemoration of the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles, or the Feast of Pentecost, takes place.
The name “Holy Trinity Day” is later - on this day the descent of the Holy Spirit has always been commemorated. This is the birthday of the Church, because on this day the apostles received the gifts of the Holy Spirit in order to preach the Gospel throughout the world.
After all, who were the apostles? These were illiterate fishermen, simple hard workers. We see a historical paradox: 12 unlearned people conquered the whole world - not with weapons, not with force, not with eloquence, not with their education, but with the preaching of the Gospel. They truly conquered the entire universe, and without God’s clear help it was impossible to do this.
We see the gifts of the Holy Spirit that the apostles received and were able to use, thanks to which we all believe in Christ and are children of the Church.
“It is on the day of the Holy Trinity that we bend our knee...”
– What are the features of the service on this day?
– The Divine Service of the Holy Trinity differs from the usual services that are performed on Sundays. On this day, at the end of the Liturgy, that is, the morning service, a special Trinity Vespers is celebrated, during which kneeling prayers are read, in which we ask the Lord to send us abundantly the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
During the period from Easter to Pentecost, the feast of the Holy Trinity, no kneeling is performed in the church, because these are days of special Easter joy, these are days when the whole universe triumphs. And during this period, repentant kneeling prayer in church is inappropriate.
But it is on the day of the Holy Trinity that we bend our knee, asking that the Lord would introduce us to the grace of the Holy Spirit. So that he would admonish us with the same Spirit with which he admonished the apostles, admonished generations of saintly preachers who carried the word of God to the whole world.
“When the Trinity is associated exclusively with some botanical objects, it always jars”
– The Trinity has several names, including in Ukraine this holiday is called “Holy Greenery” - both churches and apartments are decorated with greenery. Tell me, where does this tradition come from, and will the temple in your monastery be decorated?
– Unfortunately, many church traditions that have developed over the centuries of the Church’s existence overlap with the dogmatic content of the holiday. Almost every person will say what needs to be done on the first, on the second Spas, when the poppy is blessed, and when honey or greens, when something else, but cannot say what all these traditions are connected with.
It always jars me when, say, the Transfiguration of the Lord is called the “Apple Savior.” After all, this is a holiday when the Lord revealed and revealed His Divine glory to the apostles. After all, the Lord did not become different on the Feast of the Transfiguration - He only showed them a little, as far as they were able to perceive, the glory of His Divinity. And when a holiday is associated only with the consecration of some food products and so on, it really bothers me.
Indeed, there is an ancient tradition of decorating your homes and churches with green shoots as a sign that the Holy Spirit renews every person. As a sign that a person, nourished by the Holy Spirit, begins to blossom and has the opportunity to bear fruit to Christ.
Yes, this is a very good symbolic comparison. But when there is a preponderance towards decorating churches and houses with greenery, when the Trinity is associated exclusively with some kind of botanical objects, it always offends.
It must be remembered that all traditions associated with Christian holidays are only an addition to them, only a decoration of these holidays, but not their main essence.
“The main thing to remember when celebrating Trinity is that the Church was born on this day”
– What then is the main thing on the holiday of Trinity?
– The most important thing to remember when celebrating Trinity is that the Church was born on this day. On this day, the Holy Spirit descended on the apostles, and they began to preach in other languages, which they did not know before, they received the gift of understanding the Holy Scriptures. After all, I repeat, they were all illiterate ordinary people. And they were able, as we know from the subsequent history of the Church, to often compete on equal terms and defeat the most skilled rhetoricians and preachers of their time.
That is why we say that the Church was born on this day. On this day, the Lord breathed into the small community of apostles who had not yet come to their senses after the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Christ, the power thanks to which they were able to conquer the whole world, thanks to which they were able to bring the entire universe to Christ.
“If someone acts, in our opinion, wrongly, then by condemning him, we condemn Christ Himself.”
– Vladyka, Trinity for your monastery is a patronal holiday, and every year on this day you preach a festive sermon. What will it be about this year?
– Probably, this year I will talk, as in previous years, about the birthday of the Church, about the grace of the Holy Spirit, which gives a person the opportunity to be saved and become like God.
After all, we know from the words of Elder Paisius of Athos that we have only sins, and that what is good in us is by the grace of the Holy Spirit. I will say that if we see a brother sinning or not succeeding, or making some mistakes, we need to remember: before condemning him, giving him some kind of verdict, the Lord is the source of virtue and prosperity in a person, and only thanks to by the grace of God man can become a better person.
If someone acts, in our opinion, wrongly, then by condemning him, we condemn Christ Himself, who has not yet given this person His Grace. We condemn Christ, who, for some reason, in his own thoughts, has not yet granted this person the gifts that we and those around us may have.
Therefore, always, if we see that someone is doing something wrong, that someone is sinning, we need to sigh and say: “Lord, give him your grace, heal him and correct him.” This is what I will talk about.
– We thank you for your answers to our questions. We congratulate you on the upcoming patronal holiday, and our viewers on the holiday of the Holy Trinity! All the best!
10.06.2014
What associations do you have when, movingly, you contemplate a young talent, with a tiny finger tapping on the piano keys “No one to break a birch tree, no one to break a curly tree”? Did you know that a simple musical exercise contains pagan ideas about the forces of nature, ancient beliefs and customs associated with plants and mermaids, seeing off spring and welcoming summer, and also the celebration of the great Christian holiday - Trinity? A young birch is a symbol of the twelfth summer holiday, awakening, bestowing health and harvest, blessing all living things.
In the past, this day was celebrated especially colorfully and solemnly - parishioners came to church services with branches of young birch, bouquets of fragrant spring flowers and herbs prepared for Lenten Wednesday. After the liturgy, we went home for a festive meal with the obligatory scrambled eggs, and then it was time for fun festivities. One of the folk customs, which has pre-Christian roots, includes a cycle of actions associated with a white-trunked tree. They chose a beautiful low (often far from other trees) birch, some of its branches were bent to the ground and secured with the help of grass growing around, the top was “broken”, other branches were “braided”, decorated with flowers, wreaths and ribbons.
Sometimes they connected the tops of two adjacent birch trees. After this, the holiday continued with songs and round dances (“There was a birch tree in the field…”) around the decorated tree. Then there was a ritual meal in the open air with food brought in advance. It was imperative to place a dish with a treat in front of the tree, which the birds would later peck. In some areas, the ritual was performed earlier, on Semik, on Thursday, and was called the “meeting of mermaids.” It was believed that water maidens came ashore at this time to water the earth and plants with life-giving moisture, and then rested, swaying on the branches of a birch tree. Swimming on Trinity Sunday was prohibited - “mermaids will tickle you.”
On Monday, the Day of the Holy Spirit, the reverse ritual of “developing” the birch tree was performed so that the tree “would not be offended.” This is a strange explanation, considering that after the decorations were removed from the tree and the branches were straightened, it was cut down, dressed in a girl’s outfit - a long white embroidered shirt, and worn around the village in women’s attire all day. Often a teenage girl was hidden under a long dress. She, hidden from view, carried the tree, supporting it by the trunk. It seemed as if the birch was moving on its own. It all ended with the tree being drowned in a pond or burned at the stake, thus destroying the mermaid (who “sits on the branches”).
Today, ancient rituals and traditions are returning to us, which can be approached creatively and with concern for the environment. For example, in a ritual with curling and, especially, development, you can leave some of the decoration, fun picnics and do without chopping the green beauty. What about mermaids? Let them remain in fairy tales, legends, poems and songs, giving all Trinity rites a charming mystical aura.
