Trinity is a moveable feast celebrating the Holy Trinity, the Christian belief that the nature of God exists as Three Persons — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, but yet One God. Historically, Christian churches recited the Athanasian Creed on Trinity Sunday. Trinity Sunday (also called the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity) falls one week after Pentecost Sunday, but since the date of Pentecost Sunday depends on the date of Easter, which changes every year, Trinity Sunday falls on a different date each year as well.
The date in Ukraine is set in accordance with the Orthodox Christian Church’s calendar. Many Orthodox churches base their Easter date on the Julian calendar, which differs from the Gregorian calendar used in many western countries.
Rites
Trinity is a kind of symbol of the return to life. On this wonderful holiday nature comes to life, blooms and fills with bright colors and alluring scents. On this day, all Orthodox people decorate their home with greenery, birch twigs with calamus branches, prepare a festive table and invite guests to come over for celebration. That is why Trinity is also known as the ‘Green Sunday’. Some people leave food on graves when visiting cemeteries to honor dead relatives and friends. Various forms of public entertainment, including those with skomorokhs (clowns), take place on this day.
One of the most famous and common rituals is blowing wreaths on the water, although there are many other equally famous rituals such as steaming in bath with birch branches to attract a lot of money or preparing healing drinks from herbs to cure diseases. The celebration of Trinity in Ukraine is a big event with many people going to church and following traditional rituals.
Photo sources: 123RF.com, Massimo Vernicesole, Ivan Vasylyev / shutterstock.com. All images belong to their rightful authors.
