The priest spoke about the folk rites of Ascension unacceptable by the church.

There are no special ecclesiastical taboos on the Ascension of the Lord, but the church considers widespread folk rituals and omens to be superstitions and does not approve. Priest Alvian Tkhelidze, head of the youth department of the Stavropol Diocese, told Izvestia about this.

"There are no special prohibitions on the feast of the Ascension in the church. Just like on other church holidays, it is advisable not to work on Ascension if possible. This day should be devoted to prayer and rest. But again, if you have a shift and you work in shifts, then where to go — of course, you need to go to work if you can't skip it that day. And if there is an opportunity to skip, then it would be good to pray on this day and rest," the priest said.

Priest Philip Ilyashenko, Vice-rector of St. Petersburg State University, agrees with Alvian Tkhelidze. He believes that the Feast of the Ascension is not about limitations, but about opportunities.

"Ascension speaks of victory over death. And the history of this day shows that it is possible for every person," he told Izvestia.

In addition, Ilyashenko shared his opinion on folk traditions.

"It is important to separate traditions and superstitions. For example, baking "ladders" (traditional lean baking in the form of a ladder. In itself, it does not carry the vain and false in itself, until a person puts a sacred meaning into the process. But if the hostess bakes "ladders" with the thoughts that it will bring her good luck, this is already a superstition, and the church does not encourage this," said Priest Ilyashenko.

As an example of vain and false faith, traditions unacceptable by the church, the priest cited birch divination, which is popularly known as "birch curling."

Tkhelidze, in turn, stressed that the church does not believe in omens, superstitions, folk rituals and rituals. The only true ritual is the usual Christian prayer.

Earlier, Priest Alvian Tkhelidze spoke about the importance of Orthodox Women's Day. According to him, the Myrrh-Bearing Women's Day is dedicated to the heroic deeds of the holy women who accompanied Christ and his disciples. At the same time, they showed true Christian love.