To whistle in the house - there will be no money, salt to sprinkle - to a quarrel, you can not wash the floors at night. These and other similar statements are constantly breaking with our language. And what, in fact, will happen if I wash the floor in the evening? And why not at night? What is the meaning of these statements, where did they come from?
Folk omens and how they appeared
A house for a person is not only a place where you can hide from the weather, sleep, eat. We spend most of our lives at home. The very concept of Home, Housing, Family carries a sacred meaning.
Since time immemorial, many signs and beliefs, rules and rituals have arisen around the house and household chores that helped to establish and regulate life.
Observation of natural phenomena, tracking chance and patterns in life allowed our ancestors to compile an extensive set of signs that reached the 21st century. We still abide by these rules without thinking about their meaning.
To wash the floor at night is a bad omen
Our ancestors were convinced of the existence of two warring worlds - light and dark. From sunrise to sunset, people were protected by light forces - angels. At night, the time came for the forces of the dark, before which a person was defenseless.
To do homework - to put things in order, to wash, to clean - in the light of day, was considered correct. Angels saw the zeal and zeal of the mistress and rejoiced. Thus, the positive energy of the house was fueled.
What can happen if you violate this sign? Popular wisdom claims that if you wash the floors at night, then:
- peace and harmony will leave home;
- disease and malaise will come;
- financial well-being will go away;
- damage to the house can be caused;
- there is a risk of “closing" the road to the house for good people.
The mystical meaning of the signs about the ban on mopping at night
If you wash the floor after sunset, you can wash the happiness and wealth of the house. Then it is impossible to sweep, and to throw out garbage.
Everything in the house is imbued with energy, the "spirit" of the house. What is passed beyond the threshold in the evening, even water after mopping the floor, may be in the grip of dark forces, unkind people. They can cause damage to the family. To wash floors at night - to open the road of evil spirits.
The practical roots of folk omens
Now consider this sign from a practical point of view. In the old days, floors in rich huts were (if there were) simply planks - not polished and not painted. Mopping the floor was not a matter of one hour. Here is what the mistress did:
- scraped boards with a knife;
- rubbed the floor with a sponge and liquor;
- washed thoroughly with water.
Water for this action took a lot. The wood absorbed moisture, and then required long-term drying. Therefore, the floors were rarely washed, only in spring and summer, always in the morning so that they could dry before night. In winter they managed with sweeping.
The stoves were not heated at night, the house was cooling. If you do the cleaning in the evening, the household will have to spend the night in damp and cold. So in this rule there is a rational kernel.
In fact, this popular sign concludes great wisdom: for a good housewife, all work must be done before sunset. Without light, you cannot do anything well. Electricity has appeared relatively recently.
Should floors be washed in the evening after guests leave?
Folk wisdom warns the hostess from evening cleaning after receiving guests. If visitors are pleasant to you and you do not want them to forget the path to your home, do not wash or sweep the floor after they leave. You should wait until the morning, otherwise you will “wash” the road to good people.
If the guest is unpleasant to you, wash or notice the floor to the threshold immediately after its departure. You can be sure that he will not come to you anymore.
Modern perception of belief
Centuries have passed since the days of unplanned sexes in huts. For a modern housewife, mopping is a matter of minutes. Most often, this is rubbing the laminate or linoleum with a damp cloth using household chemicals. Until night, non-useful substances do not have time to weather, a night's sleep can be ruined.
There is another argument in support of this omen. In the evening after a working day, the whole family gathers at home. At this time, it is supposed to rest, "sup" for unhurried conversations, pleasant activities. So it has been led from time immemorial: evening is the time of family, relaxation, communication. Compliance with this rule is a good reason to postpone cleaning “for later”, and not to scurry around the house after a hard day.
Is it worth believing in folk signs?
Now most of the women work day, come home in the evening. When else, if not at the end of the day, to clean up the house? Thanks to progress and electricity, daylight hours have increased. The pace of modern life dictates new rules. New signs appear, they become "folk." For example: if you wash the car in the evening, it will definitely rain in the morning!
Believe in old beliefs or not - choose for yourself. It is important that you do not become addicted to omens. Undoubtedly, they have centuries of wisdom, but try to use common sense to trust.