January 5: International Fasting Day, Epiphany Eve
Kyiv • UNN
Anyone who wants to give their body a break from the New Year and Christmas holidays can join the celebration of the International Fasting Day
Today, on January 5, anyone who wants to give their body a break from the New Year and Christmas holidays can join the celebration of the International Fasting Day, UNN writes.
The event has recently emerged, and it is primarily attended by supporters of a healthy lifestyle and proper nutrition.
At the same time, it is not necessary to go on a strict fast, but food unloading will be very useful. It is better to gradually switch to light meals for a while, not overloaded with fats and carbohydrates.
You should also give up carbonated drinks and alcohol.
All of this is aimed at normalizing metabolic processes in the body, allowing it to recover and return to the usual rhythm of life. On a fasting day, it is advisable to consume more liquids, such as purified water without gas, herbal teas, and homemade unsweetened compotes.
According to the New Julian church calendar, today is Epiphany.
The Baptism of the Lord is an extremely important event for Christians. Today it is advisable to observe the strictest possible fast.
Traditionally, on this evening, you should put on the table hungry kutia, which is made without dairy products, lean pancakes, dumplings with potatoes and cabbage, and oatmeal jelly.
It is on Epiphany Eve that churches begin to bless water.
It is believed that the water blessed on Epiphany Eve has a strong blessing effect that is not lost even after it is diluted with plain water. Holy water should be treated in a special way. A church shrine should be kept in a special place, next to icons. This way it can retain its power for a long time.
Traditionally, on Christmas Eve, on the eve of the Epiphany, girls would tell fortunes and children would go out to do caroling. During caroling, it is customary to give a sprig of hazel to each host. If the carolers were young boys, they would usually carol under the windows of the girls who were in the process of giving birth. If a house with a girl was bypassed, it meant that she was still pregnant.
Name days on January 5 are celebrated by Hryhorii, Iosyp, Matvii, Roman, Semen, Serhii, Yevheniia, and Tetiana.
