Fortune-telling for Christmas-2025: how to know your destiny on Christmas night
Every year on January 7, Orthodox believers celebrate Christmas. In Russia, the holiday was actively fortune-telling, despite the fact that the church condemned such practices. Unmarried girls hoped to see in the mirror the image of their soulmate, and family people tried to find out how their lives would turn out in the coming year. "Izvestia" tells about the most famous Christmas fortune-telling.
How to guess at Christmas on January 7
Christmas fortune-telling was a common practice in Russia. It was practiced not only on the holiday, but also on the eve and during Svyatok (the period between the celebration of Christmas and Epiphany). It was believed that predictions made on the night of January 6-7 were the most accurate.
According to folk beliefs, one should start fortune-telling late in the evening, ideally at midnight. Before this should be dissolved hair, remove all jewelry and put on loose clothing, so that nothing interfered with the ritual. Most rituals were performed alone, but some practices required the presence of other people. For example, during fortune-telling by mirror a girl wishing to know her fate was necessarily insured by a friend, so that otherworldly forces did not drag her into their world.
In some regions fortune-tellers stood in a circle outlined with a candle, chalk, poker or a beam. It was believed that this would protect the person from the influence of evil, attracted by the ritual. If the ritual was conducted in a company, went into the circle all together, holding each other's little fingers.
It is worth noting that the Orthodox Church has a negative attitude to fortune-telling at Christmas. From the point of view of Christianity, any form of magic, fortune-telling and predictions is a serious sin, as a person voluntarily enters into contact with demons and the devil. Therefore, for believers, participation in fortune-telling is strictly forbidden.
Fortune-telling for the soulmate in Christmas-2025
The most common type of Christmas fortune-telling - on the soulmate. In Russia, girls were especially concerned about future marriage, because for them marriage was one of the main events in life. Therefore, many wanted to know what the groom would be like and how the future life would turn out.
One of the simplest love fortune-telling was name fortune-telling. Girls went out on the street and asked the first man they met what his name was. According to beliefs, the same name will be the future husband of the participant of the ritual. Another variant of simple fortune-telling is on a shoe. To do this, one shoe was taken off and thrown over the shoulder. In what direction the sock points, from where the groom will come.
Fortune-telling with mirrors was considered complicated and dangerous. The ritual was conducted in a dark uninhabited room, most often in a bathhouse. The fortune-tellers set opposite each other two mirrors, creating a "corridor", and between them put a lit candle. Then they would say the phrase "Suzheny, kryazheny, come to me for dinner" and began to look at the reflections. People believed that this was the way to see the image of the future groom. However, it was impossible to look at him for a long time in order not to cause trouble. Therefore, as soon as the silhouette appeared in the mirrors, they said "Dibs on me" and baptized three times to ward off evil spirits.
Many girls hoped to meet their soulmate in a dream. To do this, they put four kings from a fortune-telling deck under their pillow, saying, "Come to me in a dream". It was believed that the groom would come in the image of one of them. The character of the future spouse depended on the suit of the card: the king of spades was associated with an old and jealous man, the king of hearts - with a young and rich, cross - with a military or merchant, and diamonds - with someone who already has feelings for.
In other variations of this divination, girls put a comb under the pillow (the bridegroom would come to comb their hair) or put a bowl of water under the bed with a thin rod on top (the bridegroom would cross the bridge). Some people ate pickles or sauerkraut before going to bed and then asked their fiancé to bring them water.
Fortune-telling on Christmas-2025
Fortune-telling at Christmas was not only about love - many people wanted to know whether the coming year would be successful and productive. At midnight fortune-tellers went to the crossroads and listened. If there was lively talk, laughter or singing from afar, the next 12 months promised to be joyful and cheerful. Crying and cursing, on the contrary, promised trouble and conflict. Silence meant that the year would pass without much upheaval.
Wax fortune-telling was popular. To do this, a lit candle was tilted over a bowl of cold water, and then tried to predict the future by the shape of the solidified wax. The interpretations could be very different depending on the region and the imagination of the fortune-teller.
In the company of unmarried friends often fortune-telling on threads. Girls took identical pieces of thread in their hands and set them on fire. The first one to marry would be the one who would burn faster. If the thread did not burn even halfway, the marriage proposal in the coming year could not be hoped for.
Earlier Izvestia told about the history and traditions of Christmas in Russia.
