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Golovosek (holiday): history, traditions, folk signs
Day of deprivation of St. John's head
History
On Herod's birthday, a rich feast was held, in which, along with the guests, a young girl named Salomea danced. She was the daughter of his cohabitant Herodias. Salome liked Herod so much that he ordered her to ask for everything she wanted. The girl asked for advice from her mother. Herodias ordered her daughter to ask St. John's head on a platter. Learning this, Herod was upset, because he was very afraid of the wrath of God. But a promise is a promise. Later the request was carried out, the Prophet was chopped off and Salome was brought in a dish.
As the legend says, the head continued to scold the ruler and his concubine for their connection. For this, Herodias took her, stripped her tongue with a needle and buried it in the ground. The wife of the royal master saw all this and secretly dug out the head of the Holy One. John (that's the name of the keyman's wife) put her in a vessel and buried it on the Mount of Olives near the estate of Herod. The body of the Holy Baptist was buried by his disciples.
Punishment
After some time, all the villains were struck by the punishment of God. Salome had failed under the ice while traveling along the Sikoris River. The icehead decapitated her, and the body was never found. The head of Salome was brought to Herodias and Herod, as it was done in time with John. Herod suffered a defeat when Aref (the Arabian king) moved his troops against him. After this, Herod and Herodias were exiled to Spain, where they died in poverty and shame.
After a while, John appeared in a dream to two novices of the Jerusalem church and pointed to the burial place of his head. They dug up the shrine, put it in a sack and went home. On the way they met a potter who agreed to carry a precious burden. At night, John came to him in a dream and asked him to run away from the novices along with the shrine.
In the potter's family, the head was passed down from generation to generation and, in the end, fell into the hands of the cruel and power-hungry Eustace. He used the power emanating from the head, and deceived many innocent people. After a while, his lies were revealed to everyone, and Evstafy fled the city in disgrace and humiliation, buried his head in the cave. He very much hoped that after a while he could pick it up again. But this did not happen, the Lord protected the shrine. There settled pious hermits, who created a monastery on this site. In 452, the servant of the monastery of Markello came in a dream John and pointed to the burial place of the head. The shrine was moved to Emessa, then to Constantinople. That's how the Orthodox came Ivan Golovosek.
Day of the second and third acquisition of the head
The holiday of the second acquisition of John's head in the Orthodox Church is celebrated on February 24. The third time the shrine was acquired by Patriarch Ignatius, who moved his head to the church. At the moment part of the shrine is stored in Rome, and another - in France. The third acquisition is celebrated on the Julian calendar on May 25, this day is also lean.
Holiday Golovosek. Traditions and folk signs
People say that it is impossible to cut anything this day, or else scarlet blood will flow, so Golovosek is a holiday in which borsch was not cooked and, moreover, was not eaten, it was a great sin for the peasants. It was allowed to eat all lean food or nothing at all. Bread can not be cut, only to break.
On the eve of the holiday peasants, according to the national tradition, made a clay headless doll. In the evening, on the day of Golovosek, two girls took a scarecrow and carried it to the river. After that, all the gathered had to mourn for him, as his own deceased. After that, the doll was taken and thrown into the river. This personified John the Baptist.
On this day it was customary to distribute food to the poor, needy and wanderers.
Also Golovosek is a holiday in which peasants remembered those who died in the war and prayed for warriors, as it was believed that their deaths are very similar to the unfair departure of the Prophet.
Signs
People said that a child born on this holiday would be unhappy all his life.
Belarussian beliefs said that the spots on the moon signify the head of John.
Representatives of the weaker sex on this day it was impossible to eat.
For men
Golovosek - a holiday in which men were forbidden to shave and get a haircut. Also they did not want to look in the mirror on this day, to take hold of the head and touch the round objects.
Observe all traditions and signs in the Feast of the Beheading of John's Head, and the Lord will surely protect you.
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