On December 4, the national holiday of the Introduction to the Church of the Holy Mother of God is celebrated.

Christians celebrate a church holiday on December 4, which is called the Introduction to the Church of the Most Holy Theotokos or Tretya Prechista. On this day, an event from the life of the Mother of God is remembered, when her parents brought her at the age of three to the Jerusalem temple to serve God. There Mary diligently prayed and taught God’s word.

In the folk calendar, the Introduction completes autumn and establishes a true winter. In Kyivan Rus, this holiday was dedicated to household affairs and family gatherings. Loud parties were not organized on this date.

On this day, parents engaged in the spiritual upbringing of children. Every parent wanted their child to be as righteous, hardworking and pure of soul as the young virgin Mary. Often, on December 4, children were taken to church for the first confession in their lives.

In ancient times, people believed that after the Third Purity until spring itself, one should not dig the ground, grind grain, wring linen and catch fish. In general, people rested more on this holiday, played snowballs and made snowmen.

In ancient times, Christmas fairs were opened and Christmas trees started to be sold on the Advent. Sledges were also bought on this date. Unmarried girls dressed in their best outfits for the Introduction and looked after their grooms.

What not to do on December 4

1. Do not engage in heavy physical work on this day.
2. From the Introduction until spring, you can’t catch and eat river fish – it becomes tasteless.
3. It is forbidden to hit and name-call a child, but you should not indulge too much either.
4. You cannot borrow or lend money.
5. The Christmas fast continues. You can’t eat meat, dairy and egg dishes, but you can drink some wine in honor of the holiday.
6. It is forbidden today to speak badly, to discuss a person behind his back, to wish someone harm and to be jealous.

Weather signs for December 4

• If the horse rests and does not want to go anywhere, it will soon snow.
• A frosty but sunny day today promises a mild winter.
• If on this day there is a severe frost and a strong wind blows, then in the coming days it will be cold and the summer will be dry.
• Gloomy and warm weather today – to a bad harvest next year.
• If a lot of snow fell, then the whole winter will be snowy.