Washers Day

It is not known for certain when exactly the tradition of “washing” a new acquisition or some accomplishment arose, but it has long been firmly rooted in the post-Soviet space Moreover, it was so strong that it was awarded its own holiday - the day of the washers It is celebrated annually on November 17th Is it a coincidence that the date coincides with the student’s day? Perhaps not, since both holidays involve libations And if it is students who celebrate Student’s Day, then anyone can celebrate Washing Day on a grand scale After all, everyone has a reason to “wash” something In general, the tradition of “washing” purchases was known several centuries ago, but at that time it carried a different meaning Washing meant sprinkling with holy water For an ordinary peasant family, any major purchase became an extraordinary event They could save money for things needed in the household not only for months, but also for years And of course, I wanted them to serve for a long time and bring joy to their owners Therefore, it was customary to invite a priest on this occasion He sanctified the purchase, which instilled calm and optimism in its owners With the advent of Soviet power, the church was banned, and it became difficult to officially invite a priest home Then people began to resort to cunning They arranged a feast, to which, among others, the priest came He blessed the purchase, and the table was set for the guests Later, many citizens no longer considered it necessary to invite a priest to bless a new TV or kitchen set, but the tradition of gathering guests about the purchase remained This made it possible to quickly establish friendships and simply share joy with those close to us Symbolically, “washing” a new item allows its owners to share their joy with their guests It has long been believed that people sharing a meal become not strangers, but “insiders” By treating your friends to wine and snacks, you increase your joy, as if it spreads to a wider circle of people Therefore, the owners should worry about a good, warm atmosphere at the table Guests should not skimp on kind words and congratulations You should wish the receiving party prosperity, as well as many years of service for the purchased item You can “wash” any purchase of any size, from an apartment to a new smartphone But it’s worth talking separately about the tradition of “washing” the car Rarely a car enthusiast dares to neglect it It is believed that in this case the car will not last long - it will often break down or even get into an accident There are also several specific standards of behavior for car washers: 1 Celebrate with the amount of alcohol (bottles or liters) that corresponds to the last digit of the registration number 2 Do not “wash” the entire car That is, a separate toast should be raised for each of the four wheels, as well as the spare and steering wheels 3 Do not gather guests until all necessary documents for the car have been completed 4 Be sure to put your car keys in a glass of alcohol You can "wash" not only the purchase of a car, but also obtaining a license In this case, it is not the keys that are lowered into the glass, but the corner of the driver’s license The tradition of “washing shoulder straps” has also been widespread since Soviet times Such a celebration can take place either in a restaurant or cafe, or outdoors or at someone’s home In this case, stars are placed in a glass of vodka The hero of the occasion must drink the glass in one gulp and kiss the stars Only after this is the official part of the celebration considered completed