Who is not allowed to cut a loaf and other "grain" prohibitions that existed in Russia

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

The ancient Slavs had many superstitions, and many of them were associated with bread. He was associated with the sun - the grains fell into the ground and seemed to die in it, reborn in the form of ears, like the sun, which left every day and reappeared in the morning. Read when it was impossible to cut a loaf, what kind of bread was intended for the dead, how diseases were treated with this product and why the Old Believers were forbidden to approach bread with a knife.

Echoes of paganism and oven like a window to the world of the dead

In ancient times, it was believed that the furnace is a window to the world of the dead. Baking was perceived as an act similar to cremation. During the baking process, strict rules had to be followed, for example, you could not step over oven utensils or walk under a shovel with bread. Anyone who did not bake bread should not have been present at all, so as not to impair the taste of the product and bring trouble to the house. Perhaps everything is simpler, and all these restrictions were invented with a simple goal - so that the hostess could calmly start preparing a fragrant bread, and no one at this time interfered with her, did not turn under her feet, did not touch the dishes, and so on.

Superstitions that came from paganism still exist today. People value bread, especially the older generation that has gone through hunger and devastation. Many old people never throw away even moldy bread, and some, taking a knife in their hand, think about how to cut, to themselves or from themselves? Or just break the loaf with your hands?

Before you cut bread, think a hundred times

There were hungry years in Russia. And even so, people strictly adhered to the rules associated with this food product. For example, it was not recommended to cut a freshly baked loaf after the sun went down. Most likely, there is just a direct connection with the veneration of the heavenly body. If it was about a day, then it was forbidden to cut a loaf while behind another person's back. Otherwise, he could pay for this violation with vital forces and even die.

Also, a person could become exhausted or seriously ill if someone ate a piece of bread for him. Strictly, very strictly. But if you think about it, there is a logical basis for every prohibition. Don't eat at night - that's right, in the morning you need to have something for breakfast. Do not eat bread behind a person's back - so that he does not envy, maybe he has no bread at all. And from envy, as you know, diseases can appear.

"Washed" loaf, which was intended for the dead

When the hostess took the first loaf out of the oven, it was strictly forbidden to eat it. This portion was intended exclusively for the departed ancestors, to feed their souls. They said that they would flock to the hut, smelling the incredibly tasty aroma of fresh baked goods. The first loaf had to be thoroughly "washed" "with water - this gave even more steam. After that, the bread was broken (not cut) and laid out on the windowsill or left at the dormer. The steam had to go out freely so that the dead would feel it better and fly in as soon as possible. Sometimes the first loaf was carried to the cemetery to be placed on the graves of loved ones. The dead were "fed" not only with bread, but also with pancakes. The first pancake should have been set aside for the dead.

If the loaf was forgotten in the oven, it was not recommended to eat it. They said that in this case the violator himself would lose his memory. An exception was made in those cases when one wanted to quickly forget some sad event, for example, the death of a loved one. The Slavs said that if someone dear to their hearts died, and did not get out of their head, that is, "you can't forget," then you should eat the bread left in the oven.

How bread cured diseases

According to historians, the Slavs often conducted fortune-telling with bread, and also healed with it. The pulp was supposed to attract the disease, and the person - to recover. There was, for example, the custom of treating with molten wax. It was necessary to cover the jug with flat bread (or pancake), make a hole in this improvised lid and pour the wax through it. Depending on the shape that the wax would take, the cleaver made a conclusion about the disease or the evil eye. Then everything depended only on the skill and imagination of the healer.

If a child fell ill, they used the ritual of washing with the talked-over water, which was then carefully poured into a container. A loaf of bread was also placed there so that it absorbed the ailment that tormented the baby. After fortune-telling and medical manipulations, the bread was not eaten. It should have been fed to wild birds, for which the sodden mass was carried into the forest, so that the birds could profit and "peck" diseases and misfortunes. There is mention of the custom of the Germanic tribes to burn the last loaf of bread in a hungry year, while praying to the gods of fertility. It is possible that such rituals were carried out in old Russia.

Superstitions that have remained to this day and where does the head of John the Baptist

The restrictions that were associated with bread began to gradually disappear after the arrival of Christianity. However, some of them existed among the peasants. Superstitions were sometimes striking in their originality.

For example, the "bread" prohibitions of the Old Believers of the Trans-Urals were particularly intricate: cutting bread was strictly forbidden, because it meant "cutting Christ." It was possible to break a loaf with your hands. But it gets even more complicated. It was forbidden to lay the loaf on round dishes. Reason: on a similar dish was the severed head of John the Baptist. When, at last, the meal was started, it was not allowed to dip a piece of bread in salt. And here the reason was original: this is exactly what Christ did during the Last Supper. He took a piece of bread, dipped it in salt and gave it to Judas. This means that when someone wants to repeat these actions, he betrays Christ by this.

Bread, as the Russian proverb says, is the head of everything. well and Russian hospitality also had its own customs, for example, to call chatterboxes.