Church calendar of the year with holidays. Orthodox church calendar. Days of Special Remembrance for the Dead
The fixed part of the church calendar is the Julian calendar, which is 13 days apart from the Gregorian. These holidays fall every year on the same date of the same month.
The movable part of the church calendar moves along with the date of Easter, which changes from year to year. The very date of the celebration of Easter is determined according to lunar calendar and a number of additional dogmatic factors (do not celebrate Easter with the Jews, celebrate Easter only after the spring equinox, celebrate Easter only after the first spring full moon). All holidays with variable dates are counted from Easter and move in the time of the "secular" calendar along with it.
Thus, both parts of the Easter calendar (movable and fixed) together determine the calendar Orthodox holidays.
The following are the most significant events for an Orthodox Christian - the so-called Twelfth Feasts and Great Feasts. Although the Orthodox Church celebrates holidays according to the "old style", which differs by 13 days, the dates in the Calendar for convenience are indicated according to the generally accepted secular calendar of the new style.
Orthodox calendar for 2015:
Permanent Holidays:07.01 - Christmas (twelfth)
14.01 - Circumcision of the Lord (great)
19.01 - The baptism of the Lord (twelfth)
02.15 - Meeting of the Lord (twelfth)
07.04 - Annunciation Holy Mother of God(twelfth)
May 21 - Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian
May 22 - St. Nicholas, Archbishop of Myra of Lycia, Wonderworker
07.07 - Nativity of John the Baptist (great)
12.07 - Holy First. Apostles Peter and Paul (great)
19.08 - Transfiguration of the Lord (twelfth)
28.08 - Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (twelfth)
11.09 - Beheading of John the Baptist (great)
21.09 - Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (twelfth)
September 27 - Exaltation of the Holy Cross (twelfth)
09.10 - Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian
14.10 - Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos (great)
04.12 - Entry into the Church of the Most Holy Theotokos (twelfth)
December 19 - St. Nicholas, Archbishop of Myra of Lycia, miracle worker
Passing Holidays:
08.02 - Cathedral of New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia
01.25 - Week of Zacchaeus the Publican
01.02 - Week about the publican and the Pharisee
08.02 - Week of the prodigal son
15.02 - Week of the Last Judgment
16.02 - Cheese Week
February 22 - Remembrance of Adam's exile. Forgiveness Sunday
01.03 - Triumph of Orthodoxy
08.03 - Week 2 of Great Lent, St. Gregory Palamas, Archbishop Thessalonica
15.03 - Week 3 of Great Lent, Holy Cross
March 22 - Week 4 of Great Lent, St. John of the Ladder
March 29 - 5th Sunday of Great Lent, St. Mary of Egypt
04.04 - Lazarus Saturday (Saturday of the 6th week of Great Lent)
04/05 - Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem (twelfth)
06.04 - Great Monday
07.04 - Maundy Tuesday
08.04 - Great Wednesday
09.04 - Maundy Thursday. Last Supper
10.04 - Good Friday. crucifixion of christ
11.04 - Great Saturday. The Descent of Christ into Hell
April 12 - Resurrection of Christ. Easter
April 19 - Week 2 after Easter (Anti-Easter). Remembrance of the assurance of St. Thomas
26.04 - Week 3 after Easter, holy myrrh-bearing women
03.05 - Week 4 after Easter, about the relaxed
May 10 - Week 5 after Easter, about the Samaritan woman
17.05 - Week 6 after Easter, about the blind
May 21 - Ascension of the Lord (40th day after Easter, twelfth)
May 24 - Week 7 after Easter, St. Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council
May 31 - Pentecost. Holy Trinity Day (50th day after Easter, twelfth)
01.06 - Day of the Holy Spirit (first Monday after Pentecost)
06/07 - Week 1 after Pentecost, All Saints
06/14 - Week 2 after Pentecost, all the saints who shone in the Russian land
Days of Special Remembrance for the Dead
February 14 - Ecumenical parental Saturday (Saturday before the week of the Last Judgment)
03.07 - Ecumenical parental Saturday of the 2nd week of Great Lent
March 14 - Ecumenical parental Saturday of the 3rd week of Lent
March 21 - Ecumenical parental Saturday of the 4th week of Great Lent
April 21 - Radonitsa (Tuesday of the 2nd week of Easter)
30.05 - Trinity parental Saturday (Saturday before Trinity)
09.05 - Commemoration of the deceased soldiers
07.11 - Dmitriev parental Saturday (Saturday before November 8)
ABOUT ORTHODOX HOLIDAYS:
TWENTH HOLIDAYS
In worship Orthodox Church twelve great feasts of the annual liturgical cycle (except for the feast of Pascha). Subdivided into Lord's, dedicated to Jesus Christ, and Theotokos, dedicated to the Most Holy Theotokos.
According to the time of celebration, the Twelfth Feasts divided into motionless(non-passing) and mobile(passing). The former are constantly celebrated on the same dates of the month, the latter fall on different numbers every year, depending on the date of the celebration. Easter.
ABOUT MEAL ON HOLIDAYS:
According to the church charter on holidays Christmas And Epiphany that happened on Wednesday and Friday, there is no post.
IN Christmas And Epiphany Christmas Eve and on holidays Exaltation of the Holy Cross And The Beheading of John the Baptist food with vegetable oil is allowed.
On the feasts of the Presentation, the Transfiguration of the Lord, the Assumption, the Nativity and Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos, the Entry into the Temple of the Most Holy Theotokos, the Nativity of John the Baptist, the Apostles Peter and Paul, John the Theologian, which happened on Wednesday and Friday, as well as in the period from Easter before Trinity fish is allowed on Wednesday and Friday.
ABOUT LOSTS IN ORTHODOXY:
Fast- a form of religious asceticism, an exercise of the spirit, soul and body on the path to salvation within the framework of a religious outlook; voluntary self-restraint in food, entertainment, communication with the world. bodily fasting- restriction in food; spiritual post- restriction of external impressions and pleasures (solitude, silence, prayerful concentration); spiritual post- the struggle with their "corporal lusts", a period of especially intense prayer.
Most importantly, you need to be aware that bodily fasting without spiritual fasting brings nothing to save the soul. On the contrary, it can be spiritually harmful if a person, abstaining from food, becomes imbued with the consciousness of his own superiority and righteousness. “The one who thinks that fasting is only abstaining from food is mistaken. true post, - teaches St. John Chrysostom, - there is a removal from evil, curbing the tongue, putting off anger, taming lusts, ending slander, lies and perjury. Fast- not a goal, but a means to distract from the pleasure of your body, to concentrate and think about your soul; without all this, it becomes just a diet.
Great Lent, Holy Forty Day(Greek Tessarakoste; Lat. Quadragesima) - the period of the liturgical year preceding Holy Week And Easter, the most important of multi-day posts. Due to Easter may fall on different numbers of the calendar, great post also each year starts on a different day. It includes 6 weeks, or 40 days, therefore it is also called St. Forty-cost.
Fast for an Orthodox person is a set of good deeds, sincere prayer, abstinence in everything, including food. A bodily fast is necessary to perform a spiritual and spiritual fast, all of them in their union form post true, contributing to the spiritual reunion of fasting with God. IN days of fasting(days of fasting) the Church Charter prohibits modest food - meat and dairy products; fish is allowed only on some fast days. IN days of strict fasting not only fish is not allowed, but any hot food and food cooked in vegetable oil, only cold food without oil and unheated drink (sometimes called dry eating). In the Russian Orthodox Church there are four multi-day fasts, three one-day fasts, and, in addition, a fast on Wednesday and Friday (with the exception of special weeks) during the whole year.
Wednesday and Friday established as a sign that on Wednesday Christ was betrayed by Judas, and on Friday he was crucified. Saint Athanasius the Great said: "Allowing me to eat fast food on Wednesday and Friday, this person crucifies the Lord." In the summer and autumn meat-eaters (periods between the Petrov and Assumption fasts and between the Assumption and Rozhdestvensky fasts), Wednesday and Friday are days of strict fasting. In winter and spring meat-eaters (from Christmas to Great Lent and from Easter to Trinity), the Charter allows fish on Wednesday and Friday. Fish on Wednesday and Friday is also allowed when the feasts of the Meeting of the Lord, the Transfiguration of the Lord, the Nativity of the Virgin, the Entrance of the Virgin into the Temple, the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Nativity of John the Baptist, the Apostles Peter and Paul, the Apostle John the Theologian. If the holidays of the Nativity of Christ and the Baptism of the Lord fall on Wednesday and Friday, then fasting on these days is canceled. On the eve (eve, Christmas Eve) of the Nativity of Christ (usually the day of strict fasting), which happened on Saturday or Sunday, food with vegetable oil is allowed.
Solid weeks(in Church Slavonic a week is called a week - the days from Monday to Sunday) mean the absence of fasting on Wednesday and Friday. They were established by the Church as an indulgence before a multi-day fast or as a rest after it. Solid weeks are as follows:
1. Christmas time - from January 7 to 18 (11 days), from Christmas to Epiphany.
2. Publican and Pharisee - two weeks before Lent.
3. Cheese - a week before Lent (allowed the whole week of eggs, fish and dairy, but without meat).
4. Easter (Bright) - a week after Easter.
5. Trinity - a week after the Trinity (week before Peter's fast).
One day posts, except Wednesday and Friday (days of strict fasting, without fish, but food with vegetable oil is allowed):
1. Epiphany Christmas Eve (Eve of Theophany) January 18, the day before the feast of the Epiphany. On this day, believers prepare themselves for the adoption of the great shrine - Agiasma - baptismal holy water, for purification and consecration with it at the upcoming holiday.
2. The beheading of John the Baptist - September 11. On this day, a fast is established in memory of the abstemious life of the great prophet John and his lawless murder by Herod.
3. Exaltation of the Holy Cross - September 27. This day reminds us of the sad event on Golgotha, when the Savior of the human race suffered on the Cross "for our salvation". And therefore this day must be spent in prayer, fasting, contrition for sins, in a feeling of repentance.
MULTI-DAY POSTS:
1. Great Lent or Holy Forty Day.
It begins seven weeks before the feast of Holy Pascha and consists of Forty days (forty days) and Holy Week (the week leading up to Pascha). Forty days was established in honor of the forty-day fast of the Savior Himself, and Holy Week - in remembrance last days earthly life, suffering, death and burial of our Lord, Jesus Christ. The total continuation of Great Lent along with Holy Week is 48 days.
The days from the Nativity of Christ to Great Lent (until Shrovetide) are called the Christmas or winter meat-eater. This period contains three continuous weeks - Christmas time, Publican and Pharisee, Shrovetide. After Christmas time on Wednesdays and Fridays, fish is allowed, up to a continuous week (when you can eat meat on all days of the week), coming after the "Week of the publican and the Pharisee" ("week" in Church Slavonic means "Sunday"). In the next, after a continuous week, fish is no longer allowed on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, but vegetable oil is still allowed. Monday - food with oil, Wednesday, Friday - cold without oil. This establishment has the goal of gradual preparation for Great Lent. The last time before fasting, meat is allowed on the "Meat Week" - the Sunday before Shrovetide.
In the next week - cheese (Shrovetide) eggs, fish, dairy products are allowed all week, but meat is no longer eaten. They head for Great Lent (the last time they eat fast, with the exception of meat, food) on the last day of Shrovetide - Forgiveness Sunday. This day is also called "Cheesefare Week".
It is accepted with special strictness to observe the first and Holy Weeks of Great Lent. On Monday of the first week of fasting (Clean Monday), the highest degree of fasting is established - complete abstinence from food (pious lay people who have ascetic experience abstain from food on Tuesday as well). On the remaining weeks of fasting: on Monday, Wednesday and Friday - cold food without oil, Tuesday, Thursday - hot food without oil (vegetable, cereal, mushroom), on Saturday and Sunday vegetable oil is allowed and, if necessary for health, a little pure grape wine (but in no case vodka). If a memory of a great saint happens (with an all-night vigil or a polyeleos service the day before), then on Tuesday and Thursday - food with vegetable oil, Monday, Wednesday, Friday - hot food without oil. You can inquire about the holidays in the Typicon or the Followed Psalter. Fish is allowed twice for the entire fast: on the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos (if the holiday did not fall on Holy Week) and on Palm Sunday, on Lazarus Saturday (the Saturday before Palm Sunday) fish caviar is allowed, on Friday of Holy Week it is customary not to eat any food before taking out shrouds (our ancestors did not eat at all on Good Friday).
Bright Week (the week after Easter) - solid - modest is allowed on all days of the week. Starting from the next week after the solid up to the Trinity (spring meat-eater), fish is allowed on Wednesdays and Fridays. The week between Trinity and Peter's Lent is continuous.
2. Petrov or Apostolic post.
Fasting begins a week after the feast of the Holy Trinity and ends on July 12, on the day of the celebration of the memory of the holy apostles Peter and Paul, established in honor of the holy apostles and in remembrance of the fact that the holy apostles, after the descent of the Holy Spirit upon them, dispersed to all countries with the good news, always abiding in the feat of fasting and prayer. The duration of this post is different years different and depends on the day of the celebration of Easter. The shortest post lasts 8 days, the longest - 6 weeks. Fish in this post is allowed, except Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Monday - hot food without oil, Wednesday and Friday - strict fast (cold food without oil). On other days - fish, cereals, mushroom dishes with vegetable oil. If the memory of a great saint happens on Monday, Wednesday or Friday - hot food with butter. On the feast of the Nativity of John the Baptist (July 7), according to the Charter, fish is allowed.
In the period from the end of the Petrov fast to the beginning of the Assumption fast (summer meat-eater), Wednesday and Friday are days of strict fasting. But if the holidays of a great saint fall on these days with an all-night vigil or a polyeleos service the day before, then food with vegetable oil is allowed. If temple holidays occur on Wednesday and Friday, then fish is also allowed.
3. Assumption fast (from August 14 to 27).
Established in honor of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Mother of God herself, preparing to depart into eternal life, constantly fasted and prayed. We, the spiritually weak and weak, all the more should resort to fasting as often as possible, turning to the Blessed Virgin for help in every need and sorrow. This fast lasts only two weeks, but in severity it is consistent with the Great. Fish is allowed only on the day of the Transfiguration of the Lord (August 19), and if the end of the fast (Assumption) falls on Wednesday or Friday, then this day is also fish. Monday, Wednesday, Friday - cold food without oil, Tuesday and Thursday - hot food without oil, Saturday and Sunday - food with vegetable oil. Wine is prohibited on all days. If the memory of a great saint happens, then on Tuesday and Thursday - hot food with butter, Monday, Wednesday, Friday - hot food without butter.
The charter about food on Wednesdays and Fridays in the period from the end of the Dormition Fast to the beginning of the Christmas (autumn meat-eater) is the same as in the summer meat-eater, that is, on Wednesdays and Fridays, fish is allowed only on the days of the Twelfth and Temple holidays. Food with vegetable oil on Wednesday and Friday is allowed only if these days fall in memory of the great saint with an all-night vigil or with a polyeleos service the day before.
4. Christmas (Filippov) fast (from November 28 to January 6).
This fast is set for the day of the Nativity of Christ, so that we purify ourselves at this time by repentance, prayer and fasting and with a pure heart meet the Savior who has appeared in the world. Sometimes this fast is called Filippov, as a sign that it begins after the day of celebration of the memory of the Apostle Philip (November 27). The charter on food during this fast coincides with the charter of Peter's fast until the day of St. Nicholas (December 19). If the feasts of the Entrance into the Church of the Most Holy Theotokos (December 4) and St. Nicholas fall on a Monday, Wednesday or Friday, then fish is allowed. From the day of memory of St. Nicholas to the pre-feast of Christmas, which begins on January 2, fish is allowed only on Saturday and Sunday. On the feast of the Nativity of Christ, fasting is observed in the same way as on the days of Great Lent: fish is forbidden on all days, food with butter is allowed only on Saturday and Sunday. On Christmas Eve (Christmas Eve), January 6, a pious custom requires not to eat food until the first evening star appears, after which it is customary to eat kolivo or sochivo - wheat grains boiled in honey or boiled rice with raisins, in some areas boiled dry fruits with sugar are called juicy. From the word "sochivo" comes the name of this day - Christmas Eve. Christmas Eve is also before the feast of the Epiphany. On this day (January 18) it is also customary not to eat food until the adoption of Agiasma - baptismal holy water, which they begin to consecrate on the very day of Christmas Eve.
There are many holidays and fasts in the church calendar that every Orthodox Christian should know and, if possible, observe. In order to make it easier to figure out when and what posts will be in 2015, and what holidays they are associated with, there is a special calendar for each month.
January 2015
In January 2015, the fast continues, which began on November 28, 2014. This Christmas post. This post ends January 6, 2015 of the year.
6th January- a holiday called Christmas Eve(The Eve of the Nativity of Christ). On Christmas Eve, they usually refuse food at all until the first star, which announced the birth of Christ. After Christmas Eve, it is customary to eat grains of soaked wheat with honey and fruits.
Jan. 7–Nativity, one of the most important Orthodox holidays. This is a holiday in honor of the birth of Jesus Christ from the Virgin Mary.
From 7 to 17 January A holiday that lasts 11 days and is called Christmas time. These days you can guess and carol.
January 18 - again Christmas Eve, but already Epiphany. Eve of the Theophany of the Lord on the eve of the feast of the Baptism of the Lord.
January 19- holiday Epiphany. It is also called the Holy Epiphany. On this day, Jesus Christ was baptized in the Jordan River. It is customary to bless the water, plunge into the hole and collect the blessed water for the whole year.
February 2015
February 15 - Meeting of the Lord. It symbolizes the meeting of the Old and New Testaments.
From 16 to 22 February— Cheese Week, or as it is usually called, Maslenitsa. Starts a week before Lent. Pancakes are baked at Shrovetide, a dummy of Maslenitsa is burned, and sleigh rides are made.
February 22 - Forgiveness Sunday. On this day, everyone asks each other for forgiveness in order to start fasting with a pure good soul. At the liturgy, Christians will be able to hear the reading of the Gospel.
From February 23 starts great post, the longest and strictest fast of the year (ends April 11).
March 2015
The whole month goes on great post.
April 2015
April 5 - Palm Sunday. Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem. On this day, the Orthodox illuminate willow branches in the church, decorate icons in the house with them and keep them all year round.
April 7 - Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin. The good news is that the Savior Jesus Christ will be born.
12th of April - Holy holiday Easter, Christ's Resurrection. Feast in honor of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the main event of the Orthodox Christian of the year. Divine services continue for 40 days. On this day they do Easter cakes and paint eggs.
May 2015
May 21st - holiday Ascension of the Lord. This is a holiday in honor of the ascension of Jesus Christ in the flesh into heaven.
May 31 - Holy Trinity Day. A holiday in honor of the descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles, which pointed to the trinity of God.
June 2015
July 2015
July 8 is the day of the Blessed Prince and Princess Peter and Fevronia. Day of Family, Love and Fidelity.
August 2015
August 2 - Ilyin's day. From this day, according to legend, bad weather begins and it is forbidden to swim.
From August 14 to August 27 - strict Assumption post, in memory of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
August 28 - Assumption of the Blessed Virgin. This day is dedicated to the memory of the death of the Mother of God - the Virgin Mary.
September 2015
September 11 - Beheading of John the Baptist. Parents day. Funeral services are being held.
October 2015
November 2015
From November 28, 2015 to January 6, 2016 - Christmas post, which was established in honor of the Nativity of Christ.
December 2015
The whole month goes on Christmas post. December 4 - Entry into the Church of the Most Holy Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary. On this day, the parents of the Virgin brought her to church.
These are the most important holidays and fasts in 2015. There are also many other church memorial days, less significant.
Church Orthodox calendar for 2015
(dates are given according to the new chronology)
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Major holidays fast days The days are solid(no food restrictions) Days of Remembrance of the Dead * passing church holidays Folk holidays beliefs and rituals ======================================================================================September 14, 2014 (September 1, old style) - The beginning of the indiction - the church new year.
Beginning of the liturgical church year.
The Birth of the Virgin Mary is celebrated in the family of the righteous Joachim and Anna. This was an extraordinary phenomenon, for even then the Lord assigned Her the most important role in the history of all times and peoples - to carry out the Divine plan for the salvation of all people on Earth.
It is celebrated on the date when the finding of the Cross of the Lord took place in 326 near Golgotha, where Jesus Christ was crucified. Since the 7th century, along with this event, they also began to celebrate the return of the Life-Giving Cross from Persia by the Greek emperor Heraclius. It is customary to cook lean meals based on vegetables and sunflower oil.
October 8 - Memorial Day of Sergius of Radonezh and all Rus' wonderworker, revered in the face of saints as a reverend. He founded the Trinity Monastery.
Dates marked:
September 25 (October 8) - death Reverend Sergius of Radonezh(his death);
July 5 (18), 1422 - the acquisition of relics. They were exported several times under the threat of fire or war. In 1812, when the Russian troops left Moscow, the relics were transferred to the Kirillo-Belozersky monastery complex. And during the Great Patriotic War were sent to Solikamsk, Perm region. Now the relics have been returned and stored in the Lavra in the small town of Sergiev Posad.
July 6 (19) - Cathedral of the Radonezh Saints, the day of the joint glorification of the holy monks of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra.
In addition, on August 24 (September 6) the appearance of the Most Holy Theotokos to St. Sergius is celebrated.
Veil Day is a significant day among Orthodox holidays, which, according to legend, begins its history in 910, when the Mother of God appeared to those praying in the Blachernae Church in Constantinople.
That year, Byzantium fought against the Saracens, and people were worried about the city. On Sunday they gathered for an all-night vigil to pray, and when already in the dead of night the Blachernae church was filled with people, Saint Andrew suddenly saw, as it were, the Mother of God hovering over everyone. She was surrounded by angels, and she herself was illuminated by a soft glow. The Most Holy Theotokos prayed together with everyone. When she finished praying, she took off Her thin veil and spread it over all the people below. While the Mother of God was praying, her veil was also visible, but after Her departure, it became invisible. But taking it with her, She sent grace to all the people standing there.
Since ancient times in Rus' this day was celebrated as a real holiday, it was also believed that on Pokrov Day Autumn meets Winter. At the same time, girls gathered for evening parties - gatherings with girlfriends and the wedding season began. The most favorite topics were, of course, conversations about future marriage, about the betrothed and preparation for wedding ceremonies.
If this day falls on Wednesday or Friday, then in honor of the holiday, eating fish and caviar is allowed.
November 1 - Dimitrovskaya (Dmitrievskaya) Parents' Saturday.Commemoration of the dead.
Initially, on Dimitriev Saturday in Rus', soldiers who fell on the battlefield were commemorated. This memorable day was first established by Dmitry Donskoy, the Grand Duke of Vladimir and Moscow, the collector of the Russian land. It was during his reign that the beginning of the unification of individual principalities into a single state was laid, which subsequently helped to free themselves from the yoke of the Golden Horde.
After a significant victory in the Battle of Kulikovo over the Mamai army on September 8, 1380, Dmitry entered the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, where he prayed for the repose of the soldiers who had not returned from the battlefield. Then he proposed to commemorate the fallen in battle every year before October 26 (the memory of St. Demetrius of Thessalonica - November 8, N.S.). Today, on Dimitrov Saturday, people remember their parents who passed away untimely. The day of remembrance of parents must be attributed to Saturday, because. it is a day of rest and most suitable for praying for the repose of the dead.
Archangel Michael is the most revered among the characters in the Bible. In Orthodoxy, the Archangel Michael protects and patronizes the heavenly warriors, is the head of the holy army of Angels and Archangels, for which he is also called the Archangel. In 1239, he defended Novgorod with his appearance and forbade Batu to go on the offensive against the city.
In addition to Christianity, Michael the Archangel is also well known in Judaism and Islam.
In Rus', they were convinced that evil spirits were afraid of the Archangel Michael and, as soon as they saw him, they hurried headlong to hide wherever possible.
After St. Michael's Day, the wedding season traditionally ended, it was the very last holiday of Autumn.
On the first day of the week, meals without oil are allowed. On the second and fourth days - with its addition. On the third and fifth days - dry eating: coarse bread, vegetables, fresh fruits. Fish dishes are also allowed on weekends. Further on January 5, 2015: on the first, third, fifth days of the week, dry eating, on the second and fourth - dishes without oil, on weekends - with oil.
Also highlighted are the dates when it is supposed to eat twice and drink wine: November 29, 8, 13, 17, 18, 19, 22, 30 December and January 2.
From January 3, when the Pre-celebration of Christmas begins, previously allowed fish dishes are excluded from the menu, incl. and on weekends. The same rules should be followed at the end of 2015.
The holiday is also called Christmas Eve or Christmas Eve. Christmas Eve is celebrated on January 18, on the eve of Epiphany.
Its name comes from "sochi", which meant grains of wheat soaked from the juice from the seeds. According to custom, the start of eating on this day should be only after the ascent of the first star in the sky, at a time when strict fasting comes to an end. The appearance of the long-awaited star is expected as a symbol announcing the birth of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem. Breaking the fast with sochivom or kutya - eating soaked wheat grains with the addition of honey and fruits. According to tradition, people who are preparing to be baptized on Christmas fasted, thus preparing themselves for the sacrament. And after baptism, it was allowed to use honey as a symbol of the sweetness of spiritual gifts.
January 7 - Christmas
Christmas is one of the main Christian holidays. In many countries around the world, Christmas is celebrated on December 25, close to the winter equinox. In Russia, it is celebrated on January 7 and has lost its link to the date of the solar solstice.
After Christmas, the dishes on the table become more satisfying, because fasting, when it was forbidden to eat fatty foods, has already ended. Menu recipes will be more varied. In addition to the traditional kutia, Orthodoxy has a custom of baking a Christmas cake or other pastries, and many offer their guests to taste the Christmas goose with apples. Children were given sweets in the form of caramel cockerels.
Christmas time lasts 11 or 12 days, each of which is considered a holiday. They end with the Baptism of the Lord. There is no post during this period. Many folk beliefs and customs are also associated with it.
Then they carried out Christmas divination. The most successful were considered: January 6 - Rozhdestvensky, January 13 - Vasilyevsky, January 18 - Epiphany evenings. On these dates, all evil spirits were rampant, the nights were the most dangerous and critical.
The most interesting divination was obtained on Feoktistov Day, January 17th. To ward off spoilage, it was necessary to sew the thistle into an amulet and put it on a neck ribbon next to the cross. This rite was also intended to help wanderers.
Kolyada is one of the most popular festivities Orthodox calendar. Caroling also begins on January 7, when in the morning merry gangs go around the houses and sing Christmas church or other benevolent songs to the owners. For this, carolers received a sweet treat. According to a long tradition, carolers scattered grain - for prosperity, swept corners - to cleanse the dwelling of evil spirits, poured water on the hosts.
Special ceremonial cookies were baked for Kolyada: carols or goats. They were given away during caroling. Children also played with them, gave away to relatives and friends, but one or several carols were always left for the next year as amulets.
Today, caroling is performed mainly by children on Christmas days: January 6, 13 and 18.
The festival dates back to the 4th century. When Jesus was 8 days old after his birth, he received circumcision, which was prescribed by the Old Testament for boys in commemoration of the Testament of God.
All-night vigil is performed in churches on this night.
This holiday is also called Epiphany Christmas Eve, since then the Epiphany of the Lord is celebrated.
A prerequisite on this day is to observe a strict fast in order to cleanse the body and prepare it for consecrated water. You can eat only once after the liturgy. In the Typicon, it is also recommended to eat sochivo.
When the eve or Epiphany evening comes, according to ancient beliefs, evil spirits begin to come out of their shelters. Until this time, you need to have time to put crosses with chalk on everyone doorways and windows. It was believed that such a rite would protect the dwelling and the owners from the penetration of demons into the house. if the owner forgot to put crosses, then something bad can happen.
The baptism of Jesus in the water of the Jordan is celebrated. The ceremony was performed by John the Baptist. According to legend, when He entered the river, the Holy Spirit descended upon him. At the same time, a voice from heaven said: "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." This is how the appearance of God (Theophany) took place in the fullness of the Trinity: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove.
Epiphany is celebrated everywhere, and it ends with a special sacrament - bathing in an ice-hole or dousing with blessed water. To do this, holes were cut in advance on lakes and rivers, often in the form of a cross, they were called “Jordan” after the name of the Jordan River in memory of the Baptism of Jesus.
It was believed that if you plunge into such an ice hole, then a person will be healthy all year. Also earlier it was possible to meet couples who agreed on this day about their imminent wedding. They said about such people: “To a happy family life!”.
On January 12, 1755, Empress Elizabeth signed a decree on the construction of Moscow University. And the petition was submitted by Count Ivan Shuvalov, who specially sent it to the Empress on the name day of his mother, Tatyana Shuvalova.
Later, in a small wing, a parish was arranged here in honor of the holy martyr Tatiana, and she began to patronize all the students.
Thus, the most noisy All-Russian holiday of students was born. In churches, candles are lit for successful studies.
A meat-eater is the period when it is allowed to eat meat food. It usually begins at the end of a post.
On the third and fifth days of the week, fish dishes are allowed. In the remaining days, you can eat fast food, without fasting.
Means "meeting" or "bringing to the Temple". In the context of the memorable date lies an important event: the bringing by Joseph and Mary to the Jerusalem temple of the baby Jesus on the fortieth day after Christmas in order to dedicate it to God. They were met by Simeon the God-bearer. He had been waiting for this moment for a long time.
Long ago, he was translating the Holy Scriptures from Hebrew into Greek on behalf of the Egyptian king Ptolemy II. And when he read the words "Behold the Virgin in the womb shall receive and give birth to a Son," he thought that instead of the word "Virgin" there should be the word "Wife." He wanted to correct it, but the Angel of God stopped him and said that he would live until he was convinced of the correct spelling. And now, after almost 300 years, Simeon, on the guidance of the Holy Spirit, came to the Temple. He saw Jesus there.
This holiday is also celebrated in Lutheranism.
The I and II acquisition of the head of John the Baptist is celebrated, forcibly truncated on the orders of the tetrarch of Galilee Herod Antipas. The head was revered as the most important part of the relics of St. John the Baptist. There were three acquisitions in total.
Commemoration of the Forty Sebastian Warriors, who died as martyrs for their faith not far from the city of Sevastia. At the beginning of the 4th century, Christian soldiers served as part of the Roman army. When the commander demanded from them a sacrifice to the pagan god, he heard their refusal. After that, he drove forty men into the icy water of the lake in anticipation of their imminent death. But they didn't freeze. Then he ordered to kill their shins and burn them at the stake.
This is the spring equinox, when night equals day. Winter is leaving, and the long-awaited Spring is coming. The people baked Larks, Forty - special cookies in the form of birds or the sun, so that Spring would hurry up and fly faster on the wings of these first birds.
Celebration of the good news brought by the Archangel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary, that she will soon be from the flesh Son is born God's.
Larks are also baked.
* Lent
Triodi is three preparatory weeks(weeks) before Lent:
* February 2-8 - Week of the publican and the Pharisee. The first of four Sundays in preparation for fasting. Lay people are allowed to eat everything, even eggs, meat and fish dishes. Monks - no meat.
* February 8 — Week (Sunday) about the prodigal son. Second Sunday before Lent.
* February 9-15 - Meat Week.
* February 14 - Universal meat-and-fat Parental Saturday
* February 16-22 - Cheese Week (Maslenitsa). Orthodox people bake pancakes in the shape of the sun, see off Winter by burning Maslenitsa, and organize folk festivals.
* February 22 - Forgiveness Sunday- the festivities on Maslenitsa are ending. After this, a strict Great Lent begins, which continues until Easter itself.
You should fast to the fullest extent. The main meaning of this action, as it has long been believed, is the purification of one's heart in preparation for the celebration of Easter.
* March 7, 14, 21 - Parental Universal Sabbaths. Days of Special Commemoration of the Dead.
* February 23 - Beginning of the First Week of Great Lent. Clean Monday.
The first and final weeks of Great Lent are the strictest regarding the intake of any food. Holy Week is the last post. It reflects the suffering and death of the Savior and his imminent Resurrection. Church services call on believers to empathize with the torments of Christ.
There was such a saying among the people: “Prokhor da Vlas has come - spring is coming with us!” Now this day is also celebrated as Defender of the Fatherland Day, men are congratulated, especially those who served and defended the Motherland.
Jesus resurrected Lazarus from Bethany on the fourth day after his death. Then he lived another thirty years and died a second time in Cyprus. The transfer of his relics is also celebrated in October.
You can eat caviar from fish.
Jesus came to Jerusalem riding on a donkey, people joyfully greeted him and waved palm branches. In Russia, palm branches have been replaced by willow. It is allowed to eat fish and dishes from it.
Dedicated to the memory of the presence of Jesus Christ in the tomb and his descent into hell (according to the teachings of most Christian denominations).
* April 12 - Easter - Bright Resurrection of Christ
This is the main holiday of the liturgical year and of all Orthodox, the resurrection of Christ, who atoned for all human sins, is celebrated. In Jerusalem, there was a tradition of slaughtering a young lamb, roasting it and eating it in a small family circle during the night.
Services continue for forty days, until the very celebration of the Ascension of the Lord (May 21).
It is customary to greet each other with the phrase: Christ is Risen!". The respondent should say: Risen indeed!". On Easter, they also baked larks - small cookies in the shape of the sun or birds.
Throughout the week, the main gates of the temples are opened and left open - until Bright Saturday, when, after the service, the artos, consecrated leavened bread, is divided into pieces.
On all days, matins are laid, processions are made with the sprinkling of all with holy water. There is no post.
Until the day of the Holy Trinity (until May 31), on the third and fifth days of the week, you can eat fish and dishes from it. In the remaining days - fast food, no fasting.
Trinity continuous week from 1 to 7 June. Fast food is allowed throughout the week, even on the traditionally fasting third and fifth days of the week.
* April 19 - April 25 - Radonitskaya week. Fomin week. Red hill
Krasnaya Gorka is a pre-Christian holiday of seeing off winter and welcoming spring. Non-Orthodox people on this Sunday consider it their duty to go to the cemetery and commemorate the dead. Although in the tradition of Orthodoxy it is customary to commemorate the dead starting from the day of Radonitsa.
Young people led round dances on Krasnaya Gorka, the spring sun called out: “Hello, Red Sun, roll out from behind the mountain, rise up into the bright world!”
April 21 Radonitsa - the main Parent's day,along with Trinity Saturday (May 30).
Dead relatives were remembered on Radonitsa. On this day, funeral services are held in Orthodox churches. It is customary to bring food (except meat) to the temple on the funeral table. It is also customary to visit cemeteries after the service and arrange a “joyful commemoration” (remembering the good deeds of deceased relatives).
On the same days, they also tried to agree on a wedding, and to hold it itself no later than May, which was already considered a bad omen.
They commemorate those who died during the Great Patriotic War. The hostilities claimed the lives of more than 26.5 million Soviet citizens. They remember those who fell in battle, fighting for their homeland. But much more, about two-thirds of those who have died, are civilians. All of them are remembered on this day.
Simon the Zealot (Zealot) is one of the apostles of Christ. He preached His teaching to the Jews. He died a martyr in 107.
The people also call this holiday: "Simon's Day", Name Day of the Mother of the Raw Earth, "Simon's sowing".
It is forbidden to work on the ground, it is considered a sinful act. In the morning, leaving the house, every peasant had to bow to the Earth, because. all wealth comes from her.
There was also a belief that on this day, and also on January 7, Mother Earth Cheese could open its bowels and swallow it for perjury, for untruth and an unfulfilled promise.
If a person went to other lands, he took with him a small handful of his native land. In a foreign land, she helped him overcome difficulties, gave strength and healed from illnesses.
Jesus' ascension to heaven is celebrated in front of his disciples. It is celebrated on the 40th day from Easter.
Starting from the Resurrection of Jesus, all the apostles felt joy. Some days He himself appeared to them. Jesus ascended, which symbolically showed that at the end of the world, He would descend to the sinful earth in the same way as He had now returned to His Father.
Jesus Christ promised that after 10 days he would descend to his disciples as the Comforter from God the Father in the form of the Holy Spirit. Thus the phenomenon Holy Trinity.
On Russian soil on Ascension and on memory of John of the Ladder (* March 22), and also on Lazarus Saturday (* April 4) they baked stairs - a special cookie in the form of stairs. It was believed that they facilitate the way up and help the ascension of the soul of the righteous to paradise.
Trinity, Green Christmas time- combined holidays: Semik, Trinity Ecumenical Parental Saturday, Trinity Sunday, Spirits Day, Navskaya Trinity.
Trinity was celebrated together, starting from the 7th Thursday of Easter. The celebration lasted, as a rule, for several days and symbolized the end of Spring and the beginning of Summer.
7th Thursday, which in 2015 falls on *May 28(transitional date) called Semikom, commemorated those who died against their will: who drowned or committed suicide. At the same time, they remembered children who died not baptized.
The following Saturday parental , falling on * May 30, is also called "Trinity Grandfathers" when the dead are commemorated. It is on this day that you should remember your loved ones who have passed away, and not on the Trinity itself, as many do.
* May 31 - the day of the Holy Trinity (Pentecost) , often called Mermaid or Green.
On the 50th day after Pascha, the Holy Spirit descended from heaven on the Apostles in the form of fiery flames, after which they began to speak all the languages of the world and were able to preach the Gospel throughout the earth.
On this day, Orthodox churches and dwellings are decorated with freshly cut birch branches, hence the second name of the holiday - Green Sunday.
After the holiday Holy Trinity Trinity or Green Week follows, lasting from *1 to *7 June.
The cult of plants is revered everywhere. They decorate interior spaces Houses.
Here are the special days:
In Siberia, young people gather for the last festivities in the spring. Somewhere a ceremony was held Seeing Kostroma“, a kind of farewell to Spring. Kostroma was portrayed by one of the youth, dressed in a girl's sundress.
Mermaids then come out of the water, sit on the shore and comb their long hair. The girls were forbidden to go out alone to work in the field or swim: mermaids can take them to them.
They harvested branches of birches, maple, oak, mountain ash, as well as herbs and wild flowers, from which wreaths were then woven on the head. Everywhere the master's outbuildings, the gate were also decorated, wreaths were put on cattle, scattered over the beds. Later, on Spirit Day, some of this grass and twigs were collected and dried. It was believed that she would protect the house from evil spirits, from all sorts of troubles, and help the owner to improve his health. At the very end of the celebration of the Trinity, the owners of the yard had to destroy all the rest of the greenery. It was set on fire, thrown into deep pits and ravines, launched along the river, thrown onto tall bushes and trees. Thus, people got rid of the mermaids, and those after the Trinity will no longer appear on earth.
The third miraculous finding of part of the relics of John the Baptist is celebrated.
It is also called Peter's Retreat, established in remembrance of Peter and Paul. In 2015, it lasts 34 days. On the third and fifth days of the week, a dry deed is supposed - you can eat bread, vegetables and fresh fruits. These days, the meal is served only once - on the eve.
If the first, third or fifth days fall on the memorable day of a saint, then warmed meals are allowed with the addition sunflower oil. When the holiday falls on a Tuesday or Thursday, fish dishes and wine are also allowed. You can eat twice a day.
On weekends, you can eat vegetable food with the addition of oil, wine and fish dishes. Meals are also allowed twice a day.
This post is not strict, it is worth abstaining only from meat and dairy foods, and sometimes fish.
It was originally timed to coincide with the summer solstice, and has ancient pagan roots. It is also called "Midsummer's Day" or "Ivan Travnik", it is celebrated mainly at night.
After the adoption of Christianity, the ritual of the celebration passed to the day of John the Baptist, celebrated on June 24th. In our country, the astronomical significance of the holiday has been lost.
The ancient rites were better preserved among Belarusians and Ukrainians, while in Russia they were a little forgotten or transferred to other holidays.
Since ancient times, people celebrated Ivan Kupala at night, using water, fire and herbs in their rituals. It was obligatory to bathe in rivers or lakes before sunset. They swam in the water of the rivers, which from that day became safe, evil spirits came out of them, and right up to Ilyin's day it was possible to safely swim in the reservoir.
That night, the narrowed and mummers got out. The girls gathered herbs during the day, wove wreaths and walked around in them. And the young men had to remember the wreaths of the girls they liked. Later they removed the wreaths in order to send them down the river. Downstream, each young man had to get a wreath and not make a mistake, otherwise the betrothed would go to another. Among the girls it was said that "Whoever you kiss that night, you will be connected with that."
They also danced, jumped over large ritual fires, holding hands, went into the forest to look for a fern flower. It was believed that the one who finds it will gain wonderful opportunities or will find all the treasures that were hidden in the ground.
Herds of cattle were driven through the hot coals to get rid of ailments.
They celebrate the birth of John the Baptist from the righteous Elizabeth and Zechariah, who lived during the time of the Jewish king Herod. All their lives, the spouses did not have children, and they prayed that God would give them a son. The prayer was heard, and a boy was born, who was named John.
Long before this event, when Zechariah was in the temple, an angel appeared to him and informed him that soon a son would be born to him and his mission on Earth would be "to present to the Lord a people prepared."
Zechariah, already quite old, doubted the words of the Angel and for this he was left speechless. The ability to speak returned to him only after the birth of his son and not immediately, but eight days later, when the turn came to choose a name for the baby.
The Nativity of Christ is timed to the winter solstice, and John the Baptist is timed to the summer solstice. On this occasion, John himself said this: “He must increase, but I must decrease,” which is symbolic with a change in the length of the day.
In Russia, the celebration is celebrated according to the Julian calendar.
Unlike St. Valentine's Day, which is celebrated on February 14 mainly by teenagers and young people, the day of Peter and Fevronia has a deeper meaning and ancient history.
The legend tells that once upon a time the future Prince Peter lived in the Murom land, who fought with fiery serpent and therefore fell ill with leprosy. No one could cure him, no matter how hard the healers tried. Then he had a dream where it was said that he would receive healing only from a girl named Fevronia, who lived in the Ryazan region. Fevronia was the daughter of a beekeeper who collected honey from forest bees. She helped Peter defeat the disease, and soon after that they got married.
They lived their whole lives soul to soul, took the monastic vows and wished to die on the same day and hour. And so it happened. They asked to bury their bodies together in one coffin. A special tomb was made with a division inside. But church ministers considered this incompatible with monastic custom, and their bodies were transferred to different monasteries. The next day they reappeared side by side. Peter and Fevronia found their peace in Murom.
It was believed that after this day it was already possible to swim fearlessly: the tricks of the mermaid are not terrible, because they go into the depths of the reservoirs and fall asleep there. At the end of the Kupala games, pairs of betrothed were formed, who then played weddings until Mikhailov's Day (November 21).
We started mowing meadow grasses. The sign “If it rains today, it will be good harvest honey."
The family union of Peter and Fevronia is considered exemplary in relation to love of spouses and happiness in the family.
The celebration of this day begins in the 4th century. This happened for the first time in Rome, where the bishops retained the succession from the Apostle Peter.
In 258, the relics of Peter and Paul were transferred. This event took place on June 29th. Later, its meaning was lost and the day of the common martyrdom of these saints, which falls on June 29, is now celebrated.
On the third and fifth days of the week, dry eating: bread, vegetables and fresh fruits. The rest of the days - fast food.
Other names of the holiday: Day of Elijah the Prophet, Thunderer, Holder of Thunderstorms, Carrot.
Elijah the prophet (in Hebrew - Eliyahu) lived more than three thousand years ago: in the 9th century BC. Among Orthodox Christians, the prophet Elijah has always enjoyed great popularity.
According to legend, the Prophet Elijah was taken to heaven alive. He was "hidden by a whirlwind from the fiery chariot", on which he dropped his outerwear. Often depicted on icons along with a chariot.
Since ancient times, in paganism, he patronized and disposed of all earthly and natural forces. They prayed to him when there was a drought, so that he would send fertile moisture to the earth. He threw lightning in a thunderstorm, set the weather for sowing or haymaking, gave fertility to scarce soils, etc.
From Ilyin's day it was forbidden to swim in the reservoirs, tk. Here comes the evil spirit. According to legend, from Ivan's Day (July 7), she went out to land in full force, where the prophet Elijah hunted her. Those who dared to enter the water, let alone swim in it, should be punished with boils and other skin diseases. Sometimes mermaids could even drown (lure a person to themselves).
This is the very first saved August. It is also called wet or poppy, "Maccabee", "Medolom".
It was first installed in 1164 by Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky to commemorate the victory over the Volga Bulgars.
According to legend, starting from this day, beekeepers should start collecting honey in apiaries, because. bees no longer carry honey. For the first time, processions to the water were made in churches.
The people always treated everyone with honey, distributed it to the homeless and the poor. It was considered a bad sign to eat the honey of a new crop before the onset of the Honey Savior. Until this holiday, only honey from the previous year was allowed.
They call him Maccabee in memory of the seven Old Testament martyrs of the Maccabees, who laid down their violent heads for their homeland.
They baked in Honey Spas honey, poppy gingerbread who consecrated in the church, and also drank intoxicated honey.
Established in honor of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In this post, not only bodily cleansing takes place, but also spiritual. It is important during this period not to have fun in noisy companies, not to quarrel, to refrain from numerous temptations. You should fast to the fullest extent. On the first, third and fifth days of the week - dry deed. It is allowed to eat only bread, vegetables and fresh fruits. Eat once at 15:00. On the second and fourth days of the week, cooked vegetables without oil are also allowed. There is also one meal at 15:00.
Sunflower oil is allowed on weekends. They eat twice a day, in the morning and in the evening. These days, until August 19 - the Transfiguration of the Lord - the consecration of grapes and apples takes place in churches. Until this time, the use of these fruits is prohibited. Usually in Rus', a fasting table was set with new potatoes, mushrooms, fresh vegetables and fruits that ripen in this season.
This is the second Spas of August. Fish dishes are also allowed.
As the Gospel tradition says, once upon a time Jesus ascended Mount Tabor of Galilee together with his disciples: Peter, John and James and began to pray. And suddenly His face changed, as if light began to emanate from Him, and the garment of Jesus became snow-white. At the same time, a brightest cloud arose nearby, from which Moses and Elijah stepped. The voice said, “This is my beloved Son; Listen to him."
Apples are harvested in estates and farms. Those people who do not have their own apples are sure to include some part of the fruit. Until now, it was impossible to taste apples, this was equated with sinful deeds, but with the beginning of the Savior, it is already possible. It was believed that in the next world, the Mother of God gives sweet fruits to those children whose parents did not eat apples before this holiday. And if they tried the forbidden fruit earlier, they don’t give it.
They remember the Dormition (death) of the Mother of God.
Archangel Gabriel appeared to the Virgin Mary and informed her of her imminent death.
According to legend, the disciples of Jesus, who at that moment were in different parts of the world and were preaching about the Teachings of Christ, were miraculously transported in the twinkling of an eye and arrived in Jerusalem. There they said goodbye to the Virgin Mary and buried Her. But the only apostle Thomas was not present at the ceremony. He came to Jerusalem only after three days and wanted to say goodbye to her. To do this, the apostles gathered at the tomb and threw back the stone that crushed the entrance. Opening the coffin, they found only the fragrant clothes of the Virgin. On the eve, when the apostles gathered to have a meal, She appeared before them and reassured them: “Rejoice! “For I am with you all the days.”
Continues through November 27th. Dry days on the third and fifth days of the week: bread, vegetables and fresh fruits that have not been thermally processed. The rest of the days - fast food. Among the peasants, this time was very popular among young people as a time for weddings. But most weddings were played from October to mid-November, because. all work in the field was almost completely completed, and the harvest was summed up.
It is also called Oreshny, Kholshchov, the third in a row in August.
Christians celebrate the transfer to Constantinople in 944 of the miraculous image of the Savior - a cloth of fabric, where the face of Jesus Christ was imprinted.
Grain harvesting is coming to an end in the fields, winter crops are being sown. Nuts (hazel) fully ripen in the forests.
The newly built wells are consecrated among the people, and the old ones go around in circles, as if closing the “warm time”. They bake bread, start selling canvases and canvases.
According to the legend, if the cranes fly away for the holiday, then the Pokrov will be frosty.
They remember the soldiers who died for the Faith and the Fatherland. For the first time, Empress Catherine II commanded to remember the dead on the battlefield, when in 1769 military operations were carried out against the Turks and the Poles.
It is customary to fast in the morning and throughout the day. Meals should be prepared from vegetables or fruits, it is possible to add vegetable oil.
It was impossible to eat round fruits and vegetables, because. they looked like the head of the Prophet. So potatoes, onions, apples, turnips were banned. Sharp objects, knives, were removed from the table away from human eyes, as symbolizing the sword, with which the head of John the Baptist was truncated. In some regions, it was forbidden to serve red drinks that looked like the blood of the Baptist.
Funeral services are performed in churches on this day, and children whose parents have already died remember them.
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Almost every person has heard about church holidays celebrated by all Orthodox people. People who are not initiated, far from church affairs, should understand these holidays in order to distinguish them one from one. There are twelve of these holidays celebrated by the church, and only Easter stands apart.
All other devout people are used to dividing the holidays into Lord's, that is, those that are dedicated to our Lord Jesus Christ, as well as Theotokos, that is, dedicated to the Most Holy Theotokos who gave birth to Christ. In addition, all church holidays can be divided into mobile, that is, passing and fixed - non-passing. If the second from year to year are celebrated on the same day of the calendar year, then the first can fall on a variety of dates and they depend on the celebration of the day of Great Easter.
Undoubtedly, each such festival implies a certain choice of meal. For example, according to the constitution Orthodox Church on the Nativity of Christ and also on the day of the Epiphany, which occur on Wednesday and Friday, the people do not fast. During the period of Christmas Eve, as well as Epiphany Eve, on the day of the Beheading of Ivan the Baptist, or on the feast of the Exaltation of the Lord's Cross, people could eat food flavored with oil. On the Intercession, the Assumption, as well as on the feasts of the Nativity of John the Baptist, the Transfiguration and the Presentation of the Lord, which also happened on Wednesday or Friday, as well as on the days from Easter to Trinity, people are allowed to eat fish.
One of the most important forms of religious asceticism, which speaks of commitment to faith and the salvation of one's own soul and body, is a religious fast. It is through self-restraint in food, religious belief self-purification and spiritual development can be achieved. At the same time, fasting can be both bodily, when they refuse only food, and spiritual, which implies abstinence from springtime entertainment and delights. A believer at this time needs prayerful concentration, solitude, and also silence. That is, spiritual fasting is a struggle with your bodily passions - the period when you need to pray with special zeal. At the same time, the church notes that bodily fasting will mean nothing without spiritual fasting for the salvation of the human soul. The main fasts for any Orthodox person are Lent, which lasts forty days and always begins on different days. Every believer should keep the Orthodox church calendar for 2015 with him and sacredly honor all church rites.
Twelfth non-movable holidays
January 7 - Christmas
January 19 - Epiphany (Theophany)
February 15 - Meeting of the Lord
April 7 - Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
August 19 - Transfiguration of the Lord
August 28 - Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
September 21 - Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
September 27 - Exaltation of the Holy Cross
December 4 - Entry into the Church of the Most Holy Theotokos
Twelfth rolling holidays in 2015
April 5, 2015 - Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem
April 12, 2015 - Easter
May 21, 2015 - Ascension of the Lord
May 31, 2015 - Holy Trinity Day. Pentecost.
Great holidays
January 14 - Circumcision of the Lord
July 7 - Nativity of John the Baptist
July 12 - Holy Apostles Peter and Paul
September 11 - Beheading of John the Baptist
October 14 - Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos
Church multi-day fasts in 2015
March 23 - April 11 - Lent
June 8 - July 11 - Petrov Post
August 14 - 27 - Dormition Fast
November 28, 2015 - January 6, 2016 - Advent Post
Solid weeks in 2015
January 7 - 17 - Christmas time
February 1 - 7 - Publican and Pharisee
February 16 - 22 - Cheese (Maslenitsa)
April 12 - 18 - Easter (Light)
May 31 - June 6 - Troitskaya
Days of Special Remembrance for the Dead in 2015
February 14 - Saturday meat-and-fat (Universal Parental Saturday)
March 7 - Saturday of the 2nd week of Great Lent
March 14 - Saturday of the 3rd week of Great Lent
March 21 - Saturday of the 4th week of Great Lent
April 21 - Radonitsa
May 9 - Commemoration of the deceased soldiers
May 30 - Saturday Trinity
November 7 - Saturday Dimitrievskaya
From January 2 to January 6, 2015, a strict fast should be observed. Until that time, fasting is considered non-strict and limited to the use of modest foods.
Restrictions of non-strict fasting:
Monday - fats and oils are excluded.
On Tuesday and Thursday, oil can be consumed.
Saturday and Sunday - any fish is allowed.
Wednesday and Friday - Exclusively dry eating. Bread, any raw vegetables and fruits are allowed.
For January 2-5, the post will be as follows:
On Monday, Wednesday, Friday - exclusively dry food.
Tuesday and Thursday - vegetable food without added oil.
On Saturday and Sunday - butter is allowed to be consumed.
The proximity of the feast of the Nativity of Christ to the winter solstice is based on the Gospel testimony. For this reason, throughout Europe, this holiday is celebrated on December 25th. In the post-Soviet space, the Nativity of Christ has lost its astronomical affiliation with the solstice, and the Russian Orthodox Church celebrates this event on January 7th. Traditional Christmas meals are served.
This holiday is celebrated annually by Christians in honor of the event that took place on the Jordan River.
John the Baptist performed the baptism of Jesus, during which, according to the Gospels, the Holy Spirit descended on Christ, appearing in the form of a dove.
On the feast of the Epiphany, Christians bless the water. This usually happens in Churches or on reservoirs, in specially carved holes in the shape of a cross. In addition, there is a tradition of swimming in an ice hole, which gives a person good health for a whole year.
The one who was baptized on this holy joyful day will be happy all his life.
The ancient Slavic word “Sretenie” means “meeting” in modern Russian. On this day, humanity in the person of Simeon met with God. Also, this date is considered the moment of the meeting Old Testament and the New Testament.
The holiday called the Annunciation speaks for itself. On this day, the Virgin Mary was announced about a good event - the conception of the Divine Infant Christ took place. It is accepted that this holiday should not be overshadowed by any sad or unpleasant news. As on Easter and Magpies, on the Annunciation they bake cookies in the form of Larks or the Sun.
According to the gospel, one day Jesus went to the mountains with three disciples. John, Peter, James and Jesus climbed the mountain and gave themselves up to prayer. During the conversion to the Lord, the face of Jesus suddenly changed, became bright and radiant like the sun. Clothes found White color. At the same moment, a bright cloud appeared in the sky, from which two great prophets appeared - Elijah and Moses.
During this period, apples ripen. Until that time, eating an apple is considered a sin. Such a strict ban is associated with a belief that says that in the next world, the Mother of God gives ripe juicy fruits to children whose parents do not taste apples before the Savior, and gives nothing to those whose parents could not resist the temptation.
Feast of the Catholic and Orthodox Church. Dedicated to the memory of the Assumption (death) of the Mother of God. On this day, according to church tradition, the apostles, who preached in different states, miraculously gathered in Jerusalem in order to say goodbye and carry out the burial of the Virgin Mary.
On this day, according to holy tradition, the Virgin Mary was born in the family of the righteous Joachim and Anna. The doctrine of the Church says that the birth of the Mother of God, the future mother of Jesus, is not an accidental and unusual event. She was destined for a key role in the Divine plan for the salvation of all mankind.
Then in Jerusalem, near Mount Golgotha, where Jesus Christ was crucified, a Cross was made. Since the century this day has become a sign of the return of the Life-bearing Cross by the Greek emperor Heraclius from ancient Persia.
Common Christian holiday. It is based on Holy Tradition, which tells believers that Mary's parents, Saint Anna and Saint Joachim, fulfilling their promise to consecrate their daughter to God, brought the three-year-old Mother of God to the temple of Jerusalem, where she lived until her betrothal to the righteous Joseph.
This day, according to popular belief, is the day of the arrival of winter. She travels the Earth in a white fur coat and with her icy breath creates beautiful patterns on cold window panes.
Twelfth rolling holidays
Palm Sunday. Great holiday. On that day, Jesus arrived in Jerusalem on a donkey. The people joyfully greeted him and threw palm branches on the road. In Rus', they were replaced by willow.
This is the last Sunday before Easter. It is forbidden to work on this holy day. Fish is served at the table, despite Lent.
40 days after Easter, the Ascension of Jesus Christ is celebrated. This miracle happened in the presence of 12 disciples-apostles - Jesus ascended to heaven. All of them felt the holiday, because for 40 days He appeared to them, sometimes all together, sometimes one of them. But on that day they all beheld how Christ ascended on earth, and understood that if the end of the world comes, He will return to earth in exactly the same way as He departed to the Father. Jesus promised the disciples that in 10 days He would come down to them and become the Comforter from God the Father as the Holy Spirit. There will be a single appearance of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit (Holy Trinity).
On this day, ceremonial cookies in the form of a ladder are traditionally baked. According to popular belief, such ladders facilitate the road to heaven and symbolize the ascent of the spirit of the righteous to paradise.
Eastern Slavs celebrate the Trinity with a whole cycle, which begins after the seventh Thursday after Easter. This Thursday is called Semik and they commemorate on such a day unbaptized children and people who did not die by their own death: suicides, drowned people, etc.
Next comes Parental Saturday, another name for which is “Trinity Grandfathers”. This day is the main one to remember. Then Trinity Sunday, or Rusal (Green) day, followed by Trinity week.
Green Week is marked by two important days - Spirits Day on Monday and Navskaya Trinity, or Rusalkin Great Day - on Thursday. In Ukraine and Belarus, these days are called Green Christmastide.
Green Week got its name due to the cult of vegetation, because it has a special meaning for the Slavs. These days, ritual Trinity greens are harvested: young cut birch trees, branches of maple, birch, mountain ash, hazel, oak, grass, flowers, from which wreaths are then woven and worn on the head on Ascension Day. In addition, such decorations decorate the house outside and inside on other holidays. They are pushed into outbuildings, wells, hung on the gates and on the horns of cows, and wreaths are thrown into the garden.
Part of the greenery collected on Monday was dried and then used as a talisman against unclean forces and other troubles, as well as for divination or healing.
At the end of the holiday, all excess greenery is burned, thrown away in remote places, floated on water or thrown onto trees.
Great holidays
The evidence of such an event as the Circumcision of the Lord, according to the Eastern Church, comes from the 4th century.
It says that on the eighth day after His birth, Jesus received circumcision, which is obligatory for all child boys.
According to the Old Testament law, this action symbolizes the Covenant of God with Abraham the forefather and his descendants.
In Russia, this day is widely known as “old New Year". It is celebrated according to the new calendar, which coincides with the traditional New Year, according to the old calendar. hence the name.
The feast of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist is celebrated annually 6 months after the Nativity of Christ. Such a gap is based on the gospel testimony, which points to a six-month difference in age between John and Jesus. Since the church holidays of Christmas are close to the solstices (summer and winter), the sun rises under the sign of Christ, and decreases under the sign of John.
For the first time this holiday is mentioned in the IV century. At first it was celebrated in Rome - the bishops of the city conducted their reception from the Apostle Peter. According to the Julian calendar, this day is celebrated on June 29, because it was this date in 258 that was marked by the transfer of the relics of Peter and Paul. After a while, the essence of the event was somewhat distorted and partially lost. It is for this reason that June 29 (July 12) is perceived as the day of the martyrdom of the Apostles-Saints Paul and Peter.
One of the most important holidays for the Russian Church.
The first significant day of autumn. According to the Slavic folk tradition, on this day they celebrate the meeting of winter with autumn.
The holiday is based on the legend about the appearance of the Mother of God in Blachernae Church in 910. In those days, Constantinople was threatened by a terrible danger - the Byzantine Empire was at war with the Muslims (Saracens). And then one bright Sunday afternoon, during a church service, when there were many worshipers in the church, Saint Andrew raised his eyes to heaven and saw the Mother of God walking through the air. All in all, surrounded by angels, she prayed for the people around her. And then she took off the veil and spread it over the people. And while She was in the temple, people sat on this veil. But as soon as She left, the covering also disappeared from sight, but it left grace to people.
Church multi-day fasts in 2015
The essence of the human feat that takes place during Great Lent is the cleansing of the heart.
Every Saturday of Lent (March 7, 14 and 21) is Parents' Day, the day of commemoration of the dead.
On parental day, Orthodox Christians go to churches where church funeral services are performed.
It is customary to take with you and carry food to church, except for meat, in order to bring them to the funeral table.
Fasting is strict, eating is forbidden on the first day, complete abstinence.
On the second day, you can eat hot without fats and oils.
The next three days, according to the charter, dry eating. You can eat bread, any raw fruits and vegetables, but only once a day, in the evening.
Other weeks:
On Monday, Wednesday, Friday, according to the charter, dry eating. Fasting people can eat bread, any raw fruits and vegetables, but only once a day, in the evening.
On Tuesday and Thursday - only vegetable food is allowed, without oil and only in the evening.
On Saturday and Sunday, you can eat 2 times a day, exclusively vegetable food with oil.
Monday, Wednesday and Friday in the Dormition fast - dry food. Allowed bread, vegetables and fruits in raw form.
On Tuesday and Thursday you can eat boiled, hot vegetables and other vegetable dishes, but without oil and fat.
On Saturday and Sunday, fasting people are allowed oil.
Until August 19, it is forbidden to eat apples and grapes until the feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord comes, or, as the people say, Apple Savior.
November 28, 2015 - January 6, 2016 - Advent Post
Allowed meals during Advent:
From November 28, 2015 to December 19, 2015 (St. Nicholas Day)
On Mondays, you can eat food without oil.
Tuesday Thursday. Saturday and Sunday are fish days.
Wednesday and Friday - dry eating. Cold vegetable food without oil and bread.
On the feast of the introduction into the temple of the Most Holy Theotokos, fish dishes are allowed at the meal.
Further up to January 1, 2016 inclusive:
On Mondays, any food without oil and fat.
On Tuesdays, Thursdays, it is allowed to eat dishes with butter.
Saturdays and Sundays are fish days.
On Wednesday and Friday exclusively dry food.
Further to January 5, 2015 inclusive, the most strict week:
Monday, Wednesday and Friday strict dry eating.
On Tuesdays and Thursdays, food without butter.
Oil is allowed on Saturday and Sunday.
Church daily fasts.
Wednesday and Friday of the whole year, with the exception of continuous weeks and Christmas time.
The holiday is celebrated in memory of the creation of the Cross of the Lord. This event took place, according to the tradition of the Church, in the distant year 326.
Then in Jerusalem, near Mount Golgotha, where Jesus Christ was crucified, a Cross was made. Since the century, this day has become a sign of the return of the Life-bearing Cross by the Greek emperor Heraclius from Persia.
On this day, you should eat vegetables and vegetable oil.
Solid weeks
There is no fasting, you can eat as usual.
In this continuous week, very modest food is allowed, although there is no fasting as such. Even on Wednesday and Friday.
The parable from the Pharisee and Publican is one of the most famous parables of Christ the Savior, which is mentioned in the Gospel of Luke. She denounces pride and talks about the importance of sincere repentance.
The publican and the Pharisee prayed to God daily. Only one of them, the Publican, prayed sincerely and repentantly, realizing his sins. The other, the Pharisee, came to God with his head held high, full of confidence in his sinlessness. He sought to boast of his virtues, was puffed up by his righteousness. Using this parable as an example, the Church teaches people that true virtue is humility and repentance, while pride is a big obstacle that needs to be fought.
Last week before Great Lent.
A busy and joyful week. It is allowed to indulge your weaknesses and eat various goodies until you are full.
Butter, fish and dairy products, eggs are all available. Only meat is excluded.
The usual fast on Wednesday and Friday can be omitted, with the exception of the rule that one should fast on this day until the evening, and eat only dinner. The statute prescribes to renounce only meat dishes, but other modest foods can be consumed in plenty. In addition, on these two days one should not celebrate the liturgy while Cheese Week is in progress.
The essence of Maslenitsa is reconciliation with relatives, loved ones and friends, forgiveness of offenses and an apology, full spiritual and physical preparation for Great Lent. This week should be dedicated to your closest people.
week after Easter. There is no post.
There is no strict fast, but it is worth eating only modest food, not adhering to the Charter.
Days of Special Remembrance for the Dead
IN parent Saturday Orthodox Christians go to churches where funeral services are performed.
It is customary to take food with you to church, except for meat, in order to bring them to the requiem table.
Parent's day, as well as the day of remembrance of the dead. This is Tuesday, 2 weeks after Easter, it received its name in commemoration of the great joy of the living and already deceased in the Resurrection of Christ.
Like Trinity Saturday, Radonitsa is the main parental day. During this period, Orthodox Christians go to churches where funeral services are performed. It is customary to take food with you to church, except for meat, in order to bring them to the requiem table.
After the church, it is customary to go to the cemetery, fix the graves of relatives who have died, and pray for their souls.
