Name days of Catherine: history, traditions and a little bit of fortune telling

The person's name is an integral part of it. A great poet, nurtured by the Russian land, asked: "What's in a name you mine?" We will answer: a holiday. As you know, most people have holy patrons. They are determined by the name. And every saint has his own day of memory, a day of reverence - a birthday. Today we will talk about such a holiday, which is honored in many countries of the world, is the day of the name day of Catherine.

What kind of saint is behind this name, what does it mean?

Since the time of the ancient Greeks, the name Catherine meant purity and purity. It was from the Greek "katarios." But the patron saint of this name lived in Alexandria. Orthodox birthday of Catherine - the day of veneration of the Holy Great Martyr Catherine of Alexandria. According to legend, this saint was an example of true chastity and purity. Despite wealth, nobility and a living mind, she remained innocent: once she had a dream in which she married with Christ Himself. The next morning she had a ring on her finger, which the divine husband had given her in a dream.

St. Catherine of Alexandria in her whole life helped many Christians. According to legend, she saved the sacrificed during the pagan rituals of zealots of Christianity. Once upon a time, philosophers, whom the emperor sent, deceived by the emperor, turned to their faith. Among the scientists was the wife of the emperor. All of them were executed for treason.

For all this, the emperor sentenced Catherine to execution through the wheel. But when the saint approached the gun, a blow from the sky broke him into pieces. Still, the Emperor was not afraid. Thus, for his true faith in the Holy Trinity and the refusal to follow the passions, the Great Martyr was beheaded in 305.

For a long time the name day of Catherine is celebrated according to the church calendar: December 7 and 17 - according to the rules of the Orthodox Church. A 2 and 13 February, 9, 22 and 24 March; 5 and 28 April; November 25 - according to the rules of the Catholic.

Catherine's names are not only the day of reverence for the holy martyrs and one virgin who bore this name. This is also the traditional folk customs associated with this day. For example, on the night of December 7, girls in Russia were wondering. One of the favorite types of fortune telling was this: on the night of "Katerina" a twig of cherry was torn off and put into the water. If it bloomed - then, the girl will marry next year. Another popular method of divination is bread. After supper, the girl left a piece of bread and put it under the pillow so that in the dream the betrothed came to "break bread." It was believed that the dreamed girl will share the bread - will marry him.

Also on the name day of Catherine opened the sledge way - it was the first day of festivities. The youth arranged for fun, gave each other gifts and ran race in the snow. The holiday was called "Ekaterina-sannitsa". To this day, the sleighs were painted and decorated in every way, new ones were rolled around, old ones were repaired.

December 7, Catherine's birthday party is celebrated by many celebrities. Long since this name was called girls in the most diverse strata of the population: from queens to serfs. Throughout the world, this nickname has gained great popularity: Katherine, Katarina and others - all derivatives from "Catarios".