Orthodoxy and traditions of the Cossacks

Orthodoxy determined the life path of a Cossack from the first day of his earthly life, from baptism to mourning at his departure to the other world, shaped his worldview.

The Cossacks attached great importance to the sacrament of baptism, claiming that before baptism babies do not have a Guardian Angel and a holy Heavenly Intercessor, and children who died without being baptized will not appear at the Last Judgment. Hence great respect for godparents.

Before carrying the child to the church (for baptism), he was placed in penance (before the icons) and prayed: "Give him, Lord, talent and happiness, a good mind and long years."

When the baby was teething, his parents, putting him on a horse, took him to the church to offer prayers to John the Warrior for him to be a brave Cossack.

According to the Cossacks, children are a sign of well-being, a sign of "God's blessing on the family." The absence of children was considered God's punishment.

Folk wedding ceremonies were recognized by Orthodoxy. After the bride and groom agreed to the marriage, they were placed next to each other and, having prayed to God, blessed them, saying: "May God give us hearing to see, it is desirable to receive."

The suitors, approaching the house, said three times: "Lord, Jesus Christ, son of God, have mercy on us." Answered from the house: "Amen" and opened the door.

All the main actions of wedding ceremonies were also accompanied by prayers. On the day of the wedding, with the good news before noon, the father and mother blessed the bride with a holy icon, who, having made three prostrations, kissed the Holy face, bowed at the feet of her parents. The groom, having received the blessing of his parents, went to the bride. A priest with a cross walked ahead, then boys carried blessed icons with a shroud. The wedding ceremony was the only proof of the legality of the marriage!

At Christmas, they went to glorify Christ, starting from the chieftain's house. "Christ is born" and others were sung in the houses. Round dances were conducted on the Trinity. Young people organized parties. The throne holidays of the villages were especially revered. On the throne holidays, Christmas, Easter, on the day of state name days, public treats were arranged. At the send-off of the Cossacks to the service, the clergy had to offer prayers. Solemn memorial services were held annually for the deceased soldiers.

The Orthodox faith was reflected in many small details of everyday life, no important work was started without prayer. Brothers exchanged their crosses, made friendship "to the grave", "because the cross is a big deal" .

They often went to the priest for advice. Various promises were made. The concept of sin was solid: "It is a sin for relatives to marry their brides - up to the 4th native side" (it was already allowed to marry on the 4th native side), "It is a grave sin to quarrel with parents", this is bad - one did not respect one's father, which means God did not respect
Failure to fulfill the dying will of parents was considered a grave sin.

A person does not dare to take life - the life that God gave him, therefore abortion was considered a grave sin. Getting angry (offending) is also a sin: "We, the Cossacks, are a people who do not forget, the anger has passed and we go to the world willingly, and this is good, because we forgive on Earth and we ourselves will be forgiven in Heaven. So according to the Law of God."

Cossacks keenly felt their eternal spiritual connection with their dead parents. On the eve of the wedding, the bride and groom visited the graves of their parents or relatives, "father and mother must be respected - it will be useful in the next world." Children should not do anything without their parents' consent and blessing. After their death, they are commemorated on the day of their birth and death, distributing alms to the needy and serving them on the memorial table of the temple (the basis of almsgiving is to feed the hungry and needy from one's abundance). Beggars, cripples (or as they used to be called - the poor), destitute, lonely old people who need the help of their farm were especially honored during the distribution of alms. The children knew where these lonely old people lived and delivered ready-made food to them at the request of their mother or father: pies, donuts, cakes, pancakes, as well as groats, flour, butchered a boar - took it, caught fish or prepared butter - took it, etc. sharing one's wealth was a necessity of life.

The most valid and God-pleasing almsgiving is secret, so that no one but God knows the good you do.

It is said that the wealthiest Cossacks harnessed a horse to a cart, poured grain into it, tied a cow to the back of the cart, wrapped cloth (in Cossack terms - canvas) around its horns, drove away and left this harness as alms on the road. People knew about the form of this almsgiving, and those who did not feel the need considered it a sin to use this almsgiving.

It was also practiced to leave this harness inconspicuously near the house of a poor family, tying the horse to the mud or the gate.

Cossacks often sold part of their property, and the money was determined to be given to the church after death as a memorial to the soul.

A son who does not respect his parents will definitely be in hell, and in this world they were punished by deprivation of parental blessing, which was considered a big deal. What is a person in the world without it? - Nothing will be lost, the whole life will go wrong and it will be neither warm nor cold. That is why they even left their father, came to their senses, come, repent and ask "Give me, they say, Father, my blessing, otherwise my conscience will torment me," so the other ran for many years.

In extreme cases, very rare, parents cursed disobedient children - "that's how the husband disappeared." But the mother's curse is not so terrible: "The mother will say a word in her heart, and then she herself begins to pray." And if the father cursed - that's the end, and I would like to, but not return it.

It was believed that God would protect against "unclean power" - it is enough to illuminate yourself with the sign of the cross, say the Holy prayer - "Lord, Jesus Christ, son of God, have mercy on us" and no evil spirits of sorcerers will do anything.

The judges sat down at the table, having previously made the Sign of the Cross and said "Bless, Lord." Removing the icon from the wall and kissing it was considered a means of proving one's innocence, in many cases the thief did not dare to take such an oath - "remove the icon from the wall" and confessed to the crime. If the guilty did not confess, they prayed to John the Warrior and put a candle (upside down) so that his conscience would torment him. They tried not to scold the thief, but to wish him well, they offered prayers for his health, so that his conscience would torment him. It often led to remorse. The court could also sentence to church repentance.

The church of the Cossacks is the most important asset, the Cossacks usually built a church with the whole society. No wonder the Cossacks, coming to new lands, started by building a church or chapel. So did the Cossacks Abroad, who were forced to find themselves in a foreign land.

The repair and decoration of churches was done at the expense of the Cossack treasury. They collected offerings from everyone - bread, cloth, etc. The collected was sold at auction.

Before the beginning of the Liturgy, the parishioners poured wheat in front of the western door of the church. After the liturgy, the clergy served a thanksgiving prayer over the bread. The money from the sale of bread went to the renovation of the temple.

The Cossacks tried to take care of their clergy. Ordinary Cossack and special allotments, rewards for needs, and public prayers were allocated to them. Voluntary donations were often brought to them. Many researchers of the XIX-XX centuries distinguish the special piety of the Cossacks, wealth and order in the churches. "The order and silence in the temples during the service are wonderful. It is not customary to say hello in temples and talk," wrote the ethnographer Haruzin. It was in the past.

There were no atheists among the pre-Soviet Cossacks. The path to knowing God began in the family. It was in his native house that the child was introduced to religion. It is through the family, first of all, that religious beliefs, the consciousness of their priority, the most important social values, traditions, and ethical norms are transmitted from generation to generation.

From an early age, the child learned religious rites in the family, participating in the Divine Service. This participation gives a constant sense of the presence of God everywhere and everywhere.
The well-being of any society depends on the well-being and strength of the family. And the strength of family foundations is in direct dependence and connection with people's commitment to religious instructions and principles.

In our difficult time, apart from Orthodoxy and the Church, there is no other unifying force of the real Cossack movement in one direction.

So we should remember that true patriotism without the rules of faith, without obedience to the Church, without repentance, without Orthodoxy will not survive under "modern" freedoms.

Returning to the Church, fulfilling its statutes will lead to Truth, faith, hope and love, and this is what will make us worthy of the restoration of the Orthodox State.