Thursday salt: what is needed, what is useful, how to cook

Thursday salt is specially prepared salt, over which prayer is said on Maundy Thursday. After that, salt is popularly considered to be consecrated. It is also called "passionate" or "black" salt, as it often turns dark during cooking due to calcination with rye bread, herbs or charcoal. Why Thursday salt is so called, how to prepare and use it, and how it is useful — in the Izvestia article.

Thursday's salt: why it's called that

The name "Thursday" is directly related to Clean Thursday, the day when it is prepared. It is believed that it is on this day that salt acquires special power due to prayers, the energy of Holy Week and the blessing of the day itself.

There is also a legend that during early Christianity, salt was prepared on the Thursday before Easter to be used in Easter week meals and to protect the house from all evil. Over time, this became a folk tradition, especially widespread in the Slavic regions.

Nowadays, the consecration of the "Thursday salt" is becoming popular again, and many are convinced of its miraculous power.

As Archpriest Andrey Efanov explains, the elevation of Thursday's salt to the rank of a shrine is nothing more than an arbitrary innovation.

"I do not know who elevated this salt to the rank of a special shrine (there is a prayer over salt in the Breviary, but this is not the consecration of pure church salt, but simply a prayer similar to the prayer for the blessing of livestock, sowing and vegetables). Now this custom is becoming popular in some parishes and monasteries, but this is nothing more than an arbitrary innovation. You can treat this in different ways - you can read a prayer over salt, and you can bring it on a certain day for consecration. However, it is strange to attribute any special healing power or grace to her."

According to him, the Orthodox have other shrines: at least holy water, and most importantly, Holy Communion.

However, there is a legend that "Thursday salt" has long been prepared on Mount Athos, harvested on Maundy Thursday immediately for the whole year and used for healing.

How Thursday salt is used

People do not use Thursday salt like regular salt — they do not over-salt food or throw it at random, they treat it with respect and even reverence.

Here are the main ways to use it:

• It is added to food on difficult days, when feeling unwell, tired.;
• It is put in bread at Easter to "sanctify" the meal.;
• it is scattered in the corners of the house during cleaning — as a protection from evil forces;
• It is kept in a red corner next to the icons or in a pouch on the chest next to the cross.;
• It is soluble in water and is used for colds, joint pain, and headaches.;
• It is used in cleansing baths to relieve fatigue.;
• It is believed that a pinch of Thursday salt can calm anxiety and insomnia.;
• in case of drought or misfortune in the family, salt was thrown into the fire with prayer.;
• they gave it to newborns (very little — for a talisman);
• They were used in protective rites when they blessed a house or fields.

How to make Thursday salt on Maundy Thursday

The cooking process is simple, but it requires inner concentration and a prayerful state. This should be done on Maundy Thursday morning (April 17, 2025) after ablution and morning prayer.

Thursday's Salt Recipe:

Ingredients:

• ordinary coarse rock or sea salt (preferably not iodized);
• rye bread or breadcrumbs (you can add cumin, thyme, dill);
• ashes from consecrated willow or birch logs (optional);
• dried herbs: St. John's wort, celandine, yarrow (optional).

How to make Thursday salt:

• dry the bread (or breadcrumbs) and grind it in a mortar or grind it with your hands;
• mix the bread crumbs with salt (in a ratio of about 3:1);
• Put the mixture in a cast iron pot, clay pot, or thick-walled frying pan.;
• Bake in the oven or on the stove over low heat, stirring, until the salt turns gray or almost black; it should dry, but not burn.;
• allow to cool, sift through a sieve, and transfer to a clean jar or bag made of natural fabric.

During cooking, it is recommended to recite a prayer — most often this is the "Our Father". You can also pronounce: "Lord, bless my house, my family, and deliver me from all evil. Amen to that."

Keep salt in a dry, clean place, preferably near the icons.

How is Thursday salt useful?

Thursday salt is considered not just a seasoning, but a real storehouse of strength and protection, especially if it was prepared with faith and prayer.

Its main useful properties are popularly believed to be:

• protects the house from scandals, quarrels, and the evil eye;
• It helps with headaches, fatigue, and skin diseases.;
• relieves anxiety, insomnia;
• it helps to "remove" negativity from the house, especially after quarrels, illnesses, and death.;
• it gives food a special taste and "warmth".

Many believe that Thursday salt protects the family, especially if used correctly: with gratitude, prayer and only when needed.