According to the Gospels, 6 days before the Old Testament Easter, Jesus Christ arrived in Jerusalem, where he, as a prophet and resurrector of righteous Lazarus, the Jews met. They placed their clothes and clothes under the feet of the donkey on which Christ rode. palm branches(from Greek - vaii). Since ancient times, only great rulers were greeted in such a solemn way; among the ancient Jews, the palm tree personified beauty, fertility and fun.
The Feast of the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem began to be celebrated by Christians in the 3rd century, and in Rus' - starting from the 10th century AD, while the tradition of offering palm branches was replaced by the offering of willow. This is due to the fact that in climatic conditions In Russia, the first trees that “woke up” after winter were willows.
How, where and how long is consecrated willow stored?
The consecration of the willow takes place on Saturday evening during the festive service (All-Night Vigil), after the reading of the Gospel. The priests read a prayer and sprinkle the willow branches with holy water. At the same time, according to the clergy, it is not so important how much water gets on the willow - because it is sanctified by the grace of the Holy Spirit. As a rule, the consecration of the willow is repeated in churches once again on the day of the holiday, after the Liturgy.
Blessed willow branches are usually kept at home next to icons until the next Palm Sunday.
The question often arises: what to do with “last year’s” willow? You should not throw away the blessed twig with household garbage. Priests usually give a fairly simple answer regarding dry willow: it would be prudent to burn the twigs separately from other garbage. In addition, if the willow has given roots, you can try planting it in the ground (willow likes abundant watering and shade).
Another option: you can take the branches to the temple and ask them to burn them.
The special reverent attitude towards consecrated branches is explained as follows: the fact is that the Church perceives all consecrated objects as specially marked, “removed” from ordinary everyday use. Therefore, a special attitude towards them is expected.
Another important point: It is not customary to consecrate artificial willow branches.
ACCORDING TO THE ORTHODOX PRESS
The holiday of the Lord's Entry into Jerusalem is popularly called Palm Sunday, because on this holiday all people go to church with willow trees. During the all-night vigil, all the people in the temple stand with lit candles and willows decorated with flowers.
Why willow?
Saturday evening on the eve of the holiday Orthodox churches are being transformed. Parishioners, flocking in large numbers to the service, bring with them flowers and willow branches, so that the churches look like budding meadows. Where did this wonderful custom come from and what is its spiritual significance?
The Lord Jesus Christ entered the Holy City a few days before Your suffering and death. Here He completed his three-year ministry in the field of the Messiah. To the Jewish people, chosen by God in Old Testament, it was necessary to obtain from Christ Himself a testimony of His Divine Dignity. And so the Lord enters Jerusalem, accompanied by crowds of people.
People, feeling the greatness of what was happening, cried out to Christ from the abundance of their hearts: "Hosanna!"(which means “blessed”) and spread green palm branches on His path. For a long time, kings and great conquerors were greeted with such solemnity, and now the millennial aspiration of the Jews for the coming of an earthly King who would restore the throne of David was expressed in the laying of branches. The people could not understand that the Kingdom of Christ is not of this world...
Two thousand years have passed since then. But every year we, like the inhabitants of Jerusalem, come to meet Christ in churches with tree branches (according to Church Slavic - with “vayyami”). Palm trees do not grow in Russia, and other trees have not yet blossomed due to the severity of the climate, only willows are covered with delicate hairy buds. The willow is a symbol of spring, the spiritual rebirth inherent in this time of year. It conceals leaves within itself, but does not yet let go, and thus makes it clear that our joy from the Feast of the Entry of the Lord is incomplete, but conceals within itself the beginnings of great Easter joy.
The blessing of willows happens on Saturday during the festive service - . After reading the Gospel, the priests burn the willows with fragrant incense, read a prayer and sprinkle the branches with holy water. Often parishioners worry whether holy water has gotten on the branches they brought and insist on sprinkling them again and again. But we must remember that the willow is sanctified by the grace of the Holy Spirit, therefore it does not matter whether a drop of holy water or a liter falls on the twig - the willow is sanctified. Usually the sprinkling is repeated on the day of the holiday itself, after the liturgy.
We bring consecrated willows into our homes, where we keep them with reverence, as a sign of the penetrating grace of God, until next year. Then the branches are burned and replaced with new ones. (Konstantin Slepinin. Basics of Orthodoxy)
Interest in Orthodox traditions is growing, and many people have a question: how and when to consecrate the willow in 2017? Fluffy branches are usually consecrated on Lazarus Saturday a week before Easter, and also the next day - on Palm Sunday, when Jesus, according to legend, entered Jerusalem. In 2017, Lazarus Saturday falls on April 8, and Palm Sunday falls on April 9. For all Orthodox Christians this is a big and significant holiday.
Saturday is celebrated as a confirmation of the power and love of God. It was on Saturday that Jesus resurrected his disciple Lazarus. Whoever believes will not die - so it was said. It was not only about physical life, but also about the life of the soul.
Why is the willow blessed?
Christ arrived in the city riding a donkey, and people laid palm branches in front of him as a sign of respect and recognition. Previously, only local rulers who arrived from the battlefield with victory were greeted this way. For Jerusalem, the palm tree is not an exotic plant, and branches could be obtained without problems. In domestic open spaces, the palm tree was replaced by willow or willow. Even among the Slavs, this plant was revered as an image of love of life; its buds woke up from winter sleep earlier than others.
Often before the holiday you can find ready-made bunches of willow with beautiful furry balls on the shelves. To make them bloom better, prudent sellers cut them in advance and place them in water. If you want to do this yourself, choose healthy young branches with buds. Make a small knit so that it fits in the palm of your hand. Our ancestors went to the forest to get twigs on Saturday before the sun rose. Do not cut the branches too long - about thirty centimeters is enough, a little less is possible, but in fact their size does not matter significantly. Please note that this consecrated bouquet must remain in the house for a whole year. Tie the branches with a narrow ribbon so they don’t fall apart, and when you return home, you can put them in some water.
How the willow is sacred
According to tradition, the branches can be blessed on Saturday after the evening service or after the Sunday morning service. But often, when priests go to meet parishioners, they consecrate the willow throughout the day. After reading the prayers, the branches are irrigated with special holy water. Often, parishioners are needlessly upset because, in their opinion, not enough water got onto their branches or did not get at all. These worries are in vain; the willow tufts are sanctified not by water, but by the grace of the Holy Spirit. All the branches that are brought from the temple after the service become your amulet for the whole year.
After you bless the willow, jokingly whip your household members; according to legend, this will give them good health. Our ancestors also lashed livestock in a similar way, and on Maundy Thursday they even gave blessed twigs to chew. But such a practice is not welcomed everywhere; it is believed that giving consecrated food to animals is not worth it, it is like desecration. Also, under no circumstances should you throw away a bunch of willow with garbage when it dries.
The willow should be left in the house for a year. After this time, you can put it in a stream or river, or bury it in the four corners land plot. Blessed branches will protect you from the violence of the elements and thunderstorms. They must be placed in front of the holy image. Previously, the branches were decorated with ribbons, but now this is not at all necessary. Beekeepers sometimes stick twigs around the perimeter of the apiary to collect a lot of honey and make the bees swarm better.
On holiday Sunday, you should attend a service and take a break from work. It is advisable not to indulge in worldly revelry, to pray, to stop watching television and to be imbued with the bright joy of the holiday. Let the consecrated willow protect your home from bad weather and the elements!
Private company SpaceX unveiled at its plant in California the new Dragon V2 spacecraft, designed to transport up to 7 NASA astronauts to the International Space Station.
In the next 4-5 years, the United States will have 4 of its own manned spacecraft and will achieve its goal of eliminating the use of the Russian Soyuz spacecraft, which costs the Americans $71 million per astronaut.
NASA has stopped its flights space shuttles in 2011 and since then has used only Russian ship"Union". It costs them a lot - $71 million per astronaut.
And in the near future, America’s space dependence on Russia will come to naught: private company SpaceX has unveiled its new Dragon V2 spacecraft and promises to reduce flight costs to $20 million.
"Leg" of the spacecraft:
Dragon V2 is the passenger version of the Dragon space truck, which has already flown to the ISS 3 times in the last two years. Large windows will give 7 astronauts the opportunity to enjoy views of the Earth. By the way, the Soyuz takes only three cosmonauts on board.
Other American companies are also actively working on the creation of ships and, according to estimates, Russian specialists, in the next 4-5 years, the United States will have as many as 4 of its own spacecraft that will be able to deliver astronauts into Earth orbit.
“The cone-shaped manned spacecraft has a propulsion system that is capable of landing Dragon V2 anywhere on earth with the precision of a helicopter.” Elon Musk.
In addition to the Dragon V2 being reviewed today, these will be:
- CST-100 is a manned transport spacecraft developed by Boeing:
- reusable manned spacecraft "Dream Chaser" (Russian: "Running for a dream"), being developed American company SpaceDev. The ship is designed to deliver cargo and crews of up to 7 people to low Earth orbit:
- Multi-purpose partially reusable manned spacecraft Orion, developed since the mid-2000s as part of the Constellation program:
Elon Musk is a man who came to Russia in an attempt to buy a rocket in order to send a greenhouse with plants to Mars. The man who created the company that now launches rockets into space, his Grasshopper (English “grasshopper”) with vertical take-off and landing is amazing:
The Dragon V2 ship is equipped the latest system safety and works in tandem with the extremely reliable Falcon 9 rocket. The cabin of the Dragon V2 spacecraft:
Video about Dragon ship V2. Also see "" and "".
Private company SpaceX unveiled at its plant in California the new Dragon V2 spacecraft, designed to transport up to 7 NASA astronauts to the International Space Station.
In the next 4-5 years, the United States will have 4 of its own manned spacecraft and will achieve its goal of eliminating the use of the Russian Soyuz spacecraft, which costs the Americans $71 million per astronaut.
NASA stopped flying its space shuttle in 2011 and has since used only the Russian Soyuz spacecraft to carry its astronauts into orbit. It costs them a lot - $71 million per astronaut.
And in the near future, America’s space dependence on Russia will come to naught: the private company SpaceX introduced the new Dragon V2 spacecraft and promises to reduce the cost of flights to $20 million.
"Leg" of the spaceship
Dragon V2 is the passenger version of the Dragon space truck, which has already flown to the ISS 3 times in the last two years. Large windows will give 7 astronauts the opportunity to enjoy views of the Earth. By the way, the Soyuz takes only three cosmonauts on board.
Other American companies are also actively working on creating spacecraft and, according to Russian experts, in the next 4-5 years the United States will have as many as 4 of its own spacecraft that will be able to deliver astronauts into Earth orbit.
“The cone-shaped manned spacecraft has a propulsion system that is capable of landing Dragon V2 anywhere on earth with the precision of a helicopter.” Elon Musk.
In addition to the Dragon V2 being reviewed today, these will be:
- CST-100 is a manned transport spacecraft developed by Boeing:
- reusable manned spacecraft “Dream Chaser” (Russian: “Running for a dream”), developed by the American company SpaceDev. The ship is designed to deliver cargo and crews of up to 7 people to low Earth orbit:
- Multi-purpose partially reusable manned spacecraft Orion, developed since the mid-2000s as part of the Constellation program:
It is worth saying a few words separately about 42-year-old Elon Musk, the founder of SpaceX, which built the manned spacecraft Dragon V2. This is an engineer, inventor and billionaire who made his fortune not in the sale of oil or gas, but in the field information technology, rocketry and automobile manufacturing. He is the founder of the already mentioned SpaceX company, the same PayPal and Tesla Motors that created the Tesla Model S - the main event of the automotive year 2013. Read more in the article of the same name.
Elon Musk is a man who came to Russia in an attempt to buy a rocket in order to send a greenhouse with plants to Mars. The man who created the company that now launches rockets into space, his Grasshopper (English “grasshopper”) with vertical take-off and landing is amazing:
The Dragon V2 spacecraft is equipped with the latest safety systems and operates in tandem with the extremely reliable Falcon 9 rocket. Dragon V2 spacecraft cabin:
Video about the Dragon V2 ship. Also see " Best photos in Astronomy 2013" and "10 Most large meteorites, fell to Earth."
