Table of contents:
- The magic hands of the deceased, capable of relieving the disease
- Like they washed their face with soap from the dead, and took them to the courts
- How the dusk helped beekeepers, and why they had to walk around the coffin with an ax
- The incredible power of the clothes of the deceased, helping both the husband to pacify and marry
Video: How the dead in Russia helped the living, or the most common funeral superstitions
2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55
The funeral and the actions preceding this process in Russia have always depended on many superstitions. The observance of the rules was strictly monitored, and the old people tried to pass on to their descendants their knowledge about the amazing power of the dead and their and things. The attitude towards death in Russia was special. Read what the hands of the deceased were capable of, how they used the soap, with which they washed the deceased, what the death is and what power the clothes of the recently deceased person possessed.
The magic hands of the deceased, capable of relieving the disease
The hands of the deceased, according to the Slavs, had a healing effect. The peasants treated various diseases with their help. It was necessary to hold the deceased's palm over the place on the body that hurt and at the same time read the conspiracy. As for the content of the conspiracy, it was standard. They only changed the name of the disease that the person suffered from. For example, if you needed to get rid of your headache, you should whisper: "As your hand froze, still freeze my pain and get out of my head." The little finger of the deceased's left hand had a special healing effect. It had to be applied to the aching tooth, and the pain disappeared. It is unknown if these rituals worked. But they do exist, and there must be reasons for this.
Like they washed their face with soap from the dead, and took them to the courts
The soap used to wash the deceased had no less magical power. This hygiene product has been used to solve some medical problems. For example, near Vologda, soap "from the deceased" was used to treat diseases. It was believed that it absorbs the power of the dead and can help the living to overcome adversity and disease. A sick person should wash himself with them and at the same time read the conspiracy. The point was that people asked for soap to help relieve them of pain, because the deceased no longer hurts. And all the ailments had to leak out along with soapy water, dissolve in it and stop bothering the one who performed the ritual.
The Komi peoples used soap from the deceased to treat rheumatic diseases, night blindness, and calluses. It was believed that the namesakes of the deceased could receive special benefit. They also did inhalations: a remnant should be thrown onto the stove, and the patient should have breathed healing vapors. The soap from the dead was also used for cosmetic purposes. Young peasant women used it to improve the condition of their skin, mothers - to bathe their beloved children. They said that in this case, the children became docile and ceased to be capricious. With this soap, married ladies pacified their violent husbands. Moreover, pieces of the deceased's soap were often taken with them to court proceedings so that the judges were more lenient and did not pass a harsh sentence.
How the dusk helped beekeepers, and why they had to walk around the coffin with an ax
In Russia, they were very afraid of evil spirits and tried to drive them out. So that evil spirits did not bother the deceased, it was necessary to use an ax, which was a symbol of the god Perun. In some regions, a special ritual was carried out: one of the relatives of the deceased took an ax in his hands and went around the coffin three times. In this case, the blade should have been directed towards the deceased. When the actions were over, it was necessary to return to the place where the ritual began and hit the coffin with the butt of an ax with all his might. Then there was no need to be afraid that the deceased would suffer from the tricks of evil spirits.
When making the coffin, the carpenter took exact measurements from the deceased. They said that the coffin should not be cramped, otherwise the deceased would be uncomfortable and painful. And if the size is too large, then it can lead to death in the house of the deceased. To correctly measure the dead, they used an instrument called a death. It was a specially cut rail, in fact a ruler, which measured the dimensions of the departed. It was forbidden to measure living people, especially children, by the twilight. If violated, the person who was measured could die, and the child stopped growing (and this is the mildest option). That is, the deceased could take with him those who were measured with the help of a twilight.
Most often, this instrument was placed in the coffin of the deceased. But, for example, beekeepers of the Kostroma region often asked their relatives to give them their death. It was believed that this item would help prevent the swarm from flying to another owner.
The incredible power of the clothes of the deceased, helping both the husband to pacify and marry
The clothes of the deceased were also endowed with special properties. The women tried to pull out a few strings from the shroud and sew into their husband's clothes in order to tame him and make him more docile, so that he would stop offending his wife. If the widow wanted to remarry, it was recommended to unfasten all the buttons on the deceased's clothes. And in the case when the relatives wanted the widower not to marry again, the relatives of the deceased had to put a belt of thread on her.
The rituals of the Komi peoples related to the dead are interesting. They were carried out with a security purpose and were supposed to take death away from home. It was believed that it is very useful to touch the heel of the left foot of the deceased or to hold onto his boot, while stroking the sole. They said that it was good to sit in the place where the coffin stood. There were no prohibitions on passing in front of the coffin at the moment when it was carried out. But not everything is so simple. For the influence to be positive, you must immediately go back and look into the chimney. If it was impossible to do this, then it was necessary to rub the chest with sand, which was recommended to take on the way to the churchyard.
If the deceased was a sorcerer during his lifetime, then the funeral process was very terrible. Such people were buried in flooded lands, and before that, the body was pierced with an aspen stake. The head, arms and legs were cut off. After that, the grave was covered with stones. This was done so that the sorcerer did not get out and do no harm to people.
Surprise today is caused not only by the pagan rites of farewell to the deceased. But also later funeral rites, the meaning of which modern people will not understand.
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