Why did they bake pancakes and roast pork on October 14

Orthodox believers on October 14 celebrate the Intercession of the Most Holy Mother of God. In the folk tradition - the Third All-Pure, the Intercession, the First Winter. Insulated houses, baked pancakes, roasted pork and arranged weddings.

In the national calendar, Pokrov marks the end of the agricultural year and the onset of winter. On this day, the first snow often fell, this event was not just expected, but was considered a good sign. People believed that just as the Virgin once covered believers with her cloak in the besieged church of Constantinople, so she now shelters the world with snow from troubles and misfortunes. From that moment on, the peasants left the land alone - it could not be disturbed until spring. “God shuts the earth in the winter – nahai yana adpachivaya,” said the people. All vegetables were transferred to the house from the garden, since frosts were expected from Pokrov, although weak.

They began to insulate the house and outbuildings, preparing them for the winter cold: they heaped the cracks, strengthened the windows, checked whether the shutters closed well so that they did not get torn by the impending snowstorms. It was believed that Pokrov prepared for winter and home. To enlist his support, the stove put a treat - milk and sweet cakes.

Heat in the house was an indispensable condition for survival, so people tried in every possible way to “bait” it with various rituals. For example, the stove on the Pokrov was necessarily heated first with dry branches of fruit trees - apple trees, cherries and plums. The hostesses baked round pancakes, symbolizing the Sun, so that everyone would live safely until spring without colds and other diseases. They prepared a festive dinner, the main dish of which was freshenin - pork or boar meat. Since Pokrov has long been associated with the custom of covering the heads of women with a headscarf after marriage, special attention was paid to matrimonial plans on this day. On October 14, the girls went to church, put up a candle and said: “Prayer-father, cover the earth with a snowball, and me with a wife.” Wedding season began - many families waited for matchmakers, and marriages concluded on these days were considered successful and happy. The girls, who were, so to speak, in active search, did not shy away from divination, there were many types of them. Divination on bread, pancakes and candles - in short, everything you can. It may seem ridiculous to a modern man, but for a woman in the old days to be without a husband was a terrible shame. The maximum that an old maid could count on was to be a shelter in the family of a brother or sister, to look after other people's children. The fate is not the most desirable, agree.

The most popular and simple divination is on autumn leaves. I had to go to the intersection and throw a bunch of leaves in the air. Whichever way the wind blows away, wait for them. And under the pillow put a piece of cloth or ring and waited for a dream. A dream with a clear face of the groom foreshadowed an imminent wedding, and if the image was vague, then fate has not yet been decided. But hope is not lost, that is the most important thing.

NOTES

♦ If the leaves from the trees completely flew by the Cover, then the winter is expected to be light and snowy, and if left, wait for frosts and blizzards.

♦ It is raining - for a damp and snowless winter.

♦ The full moon on the night of October 14 means that the future summer will be dry.

TRUTH

♦ The unmarried girls went to the temple in the early morning: the first to set the candle, the first to marry.

♦ Dishes from the festive table had to be shared with those in need, so that there was prosperity in the future.

bebenina@sb.by