What is Thursday salt, how it was prepared and what it was used for

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

The ancient Slavs had many superstitions and customs, some of which were everyday. For example, this can include the preparation of the so-called Thursday salt. It was difficult to find a family where they would not do this once a year. This salt was considered the best talisman against evil spirits. It is clear that the peasant women procured salt to protect their families. Read when and how they made the Thursday salt, what the bast was needed for and how it lured love.

The night before Maundy Thursday - do not sleep, do salt

Thursday or black salt was the most popular amulet, since every woman could make it on her own. To do this, you did not need to go to a sorcerer or healer. In order for the salt to be strong, it was necessary to make it on a certain day. It was Maundy Thursday, which occurred some time before Easter.

It was at this time that the hostesses could create a really powerful and effective amulet that was able to protect the family for a long time, namely at least a year. So, black salt should have been baked on the evening before Maundy Thursday. If for some reason this could not be done, it was possible to postpone the process until Thursday morning. Such a ritual is described in Stoglav, one of the most important religious and church documents of the 16th century.

How peasant women baked salt in bast shoes

Quarter salt could be prepared in several ways, but the most famous was the method of baking in bast shoes. It was necessary to take ordinary table salt and fill it with water so that the mass was completely saturated. It turned out a muddy porridge of salt, which should be mixed with the crumb of bread. If the bread was a pity, then it was possible to use the waste after the preparation of kvass, and sometimes the peasant women used ordinary ash. When everything was ready, the salted gruel had to be carefully wrapped in a clean cloth and put in an old bark bark.

After that, the peasant woman melted the stove and put the bast shoes either in the epicenter of the fire, or hid them in the coals. The flaps had to be closed and wait until the salt hardened. This usually took about four hours. When the process was over, the bast shoe (or what was left of it) was taken out, and the salt was broken into pieces. An important moment came - grinding in a mortar. From a long stay in the oven, the salt turned black, because its second name was exactly "black".

One should not forget about the most important condition when performing this simple ritual: it was necessary to constantly read prayers. The Slavs said that only the word of the Holy Scripture and the bright fire of the Russian stove could be made from an ordinary product that is in every kitchen, a magic amulet, capable of fighting evil spirits and other things.

The last step in the preparation of black salt was its obligatory consecration in the altar. With the help of this action, it was possible to achieve the impartation of incredible power to salt, comparable only to the power of holy water. The amulet should have been kept behind the icons hung in the red corner of the hut, then it did not lose its strength.

Black salt that protects both the cow and the warrior

Thursday salt could be used in many ways. For example, there have been cases when a cow fell ill. This was a very serious problem for the peasants, and the reason was always called the tricks of the evil spirits. To save the family wet nurse, the hostess had to take some Thursday salt as soon as possible and add it to the food or drink offered to the cow. And not only animals were subjected to such procedures. People were also treated with black salt: in case of a cold or other illness, it had to be eaten with warm liquid. If any part of the body ached, then black salt should have been rubbed over the sore spot or made a hot lotion out of it.

In the event that someone had a long road ahead or such a serious test as serving in the tsarist troops, they took a little Thursday salt, put it in an amulet, which was then hung around the neck next to the cross. A person received two amulets at once and was under reliable protection. A wanderer could boldly go on a journey, and a warrior could defend his homeland from the enemy.

Another use of Thursday salt was to sprinkle eggs that they ate when breaking the fast on Easter Sunday. It was also placed in water to irrigate the beds when planting crops. Such manipulation helped to protect the garden from both bad weather and the evil eye. Black salt was truly a universal amulet, concentrating the energy of higher forces and directing it in the right direction.

How salt lures money and love

The most popular were the rituals associated with attracting love and money. Some people still believe that this will help them get rich and become happy. To prevent money being transferred in the house, it was necessary to sprinkle bills or coins with black salt, while reading the plot. It said that with this salt a person attracts gold into the house, which should not be translated, like stars in the sky on Maundy Thursday.

Women very often tried to lure love. It was necessary to sprinkle black salt on the tablecloth, making a small hill. A candle was put in it. After it was lit, they read the conspiracy: "Let the servant of God (here the name of the chosen one was called) be one with the servant of God (here the name of the woman who made the love spell was called)." When the candle burned out, the salt had to be poured into a bag and hidden for at least three days. After that, it was time for a new ritual. Salt was poured in the same place, the candle was put back and so on, until the end. And again the mass was postponed for three days. The time came for the last manipulation, after which the black salt was collected and carried to the house of the man whom they wanted to bewitch. There it was scattered near the door. It was believed that after this, a good fellow simply cannot help but fall in love with a red girl.

Well, bread has always been revered in Russia. AND it was strictly forbidden to do these things with him.