What a church holiday on May 8 of the year. Calendar of church and Orthodox holidays in May
We offer you a church calendar of Orthodox holidays in May 2016, the exact and correct date (number) of all religious holidays. What church holidays are celebrated in May, when there will be Orthodox Easter, the exact date of the holiday, when there will be Parental Day of Commemoration of the Dead Radonitsa.
1st of May
Easter. Easter is a great bright Christian holiday established in honor of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. "Holidays, a holiday and a celebration of celebrations," - this is how the Orthodox call it. Easter is considered the most important event of the church year. Easter is preceded by Great Lent, which begins on March 14 and will last 40 days, until the very Resurrection of Christ. On the Easter holiday, it is customary to consecrate and treat each other with cakes and red-colored eggs, which symbolize the blood of Christ.
Maximov Icon of the Mother of God
May 2
Memorial Day of the Holy Blessed Eldress Matrona of Moscow
Memorial Day of St. John the Old Cave in the church calendar
May 2-9 - Bright Week - the week following Easter. Bright Sunday is preceded by Great Lent, after which Bright Week begins. It lasts seven days, starting from Easter and ending with Thomas's week. At this time, the posts on Friday and Wednesday have already been canceled. And evening and morning prayers are replaced by the singing of the Easter hours. For all seven days, it is customary to ring the bells every day, and festive crusades are usually performed. All days of the week are called bright, it is supposed to hold services according to the Easter rite.
the 6th of May
Icons of the Mother of God "Life-Giving Source". In the 5th century near Constantinople there was a grove dedicated, according to legend, to the Most Holy Theotokos. In this grove there was a spring, for a long time glorified by miracles, but gradually overgrown with bushes and mud. In 450, the warrior Lev Markell, the future emperor, met a lost blind man in this place, helped him to get out on the path and settle in the shadows. In search of water for the traveler who had lost his strength, he heard the voice of the Mother of God, commanding him to find an overgrown source and anoint the eyes of the blind with mud. When Leo fulfilled the command, the blind man immediately received his sight. The Mother of God also predicted to Leo that he would become emperor, and seven years later this prediction came true.
Memorial Day of the Great Martyr George the Victorious
May 8
Week 2 after Easter, Antipascha or St. Thomas.
Memorial Day the Apostle and Evangelist Mark church holidays
May 9
Memorial Day of St. Stephen, Bishop Velikopermsky
Commemoration of the departed warriors
May 10
Radonitsa, Parent's Day To understand what date is the parent's day, you need to know the date of Easter. The deceased are commemorated on the 9th day after it. The second designation of the parental day is Radonitsa. The name is derived from Radunitsa. So they called one of the pagan Gods. He kept the souls of those who had gone to another world. In order to provide peace to their ancestors, the Slavs begged the spirit with sacrificial gifts. Radunitsa was transformed into Radonitsa so that the words "family" and "joy" could be read in the name of the holiday. By the way, historically, the Russians called relatives not only of blood relatives, but in general of all ancestors. Therefore, it does not contradict traditions to bring Easter gifts to the graves of strangers.
Memorial Day of the Apostle and Hieromartyr Simeon, Bishop Jerusalem, a relative of the Lord
May 11
Memorial Day St. Cyril, Bishop of Turov
12 May
Memorial Day Reverend Memnon the Wonderworker. The Monk Memnon the Wonderworker from his youth asceticised in the Egyptian wilderness. Through heavy fasting labor, he achieved the victory of spirit over flesh. Becoming hegumen of one of the Egyptian monasteries, he wisely and carefully led the brethren. Helping them with prayer and advice, the monk did not stop his exploits in the struggle against temptations. Through unceasing prayer and labor, he received the gift of clairvoyance: through his prayer, a source of water was opened in the desert, the locust, which destroyed the crops, died; those who were shipwrecked, having called him for help, were saved. After the death of the saint, the mere invocation of his name drove away the locusts and destroyed any intrigues of the spirits of malice.
May 14
The icons of the Mother of God "Unexpected Joy" are the icon of the Mother of God revered as a miracle-working in the Russian Orthodox Church. The iconography of the image arose under the influence of the story of the miraculous vision of a sinner, described by Dimitri of Rostov in his work "Watered Fleece" (1683). The history recorded by the saint tells that a certain person had the custom to pray every day in front of the icon of the Mother of God, and then go on an evil deed planned by him. But one day during prayer he “sees the image of the moving and living Mother of God with her Son. Looks, the baby's ulcers opened on the arms and legs, and in the side, and blood flows from them in streams, like on the Cross. In fear, the man asked the Virgin Mary about the ulcers and wounds of the Divine Infant and received the answer that sinners crucify Jesus Christ again and again and make her grieve for their deeds. The sinner persistently asked the Mother of God to have mercy on him and to pray to her son about it. The Mother of God agreed, but twice Jesus rejected her prayer for the forgiveness of the sinner.
Athanasius the Great, Archbishop Alexandria
Transfer of the relics of the Blgvv. book. Boris and Gleb according to the church calendar
Putivl Icon of the Mother of God
May 17
Of the Old Russian Icon of the Mother of God. The Old Russian Icon of the Mother of God is an icon of the Mother of God revered in the Orthodox Church. Believers revered the icon as miraculous, its celebrations are performed on May 4 (17) - the day of bringing a copy of the icon to Staraya Russa. The largest external icon in the world (278 cm high, 202 cm wide).
May 18
Icons of the Mother of God "Inexhaustible Chalice"
May 19
The Day of Remembrance of the Righteous Job the Long-suffering is the day of remembrance of two saints: the righteous Job and the Passion-Bearer Tsar Nicholas II, born on this day. The destinies of the saints overlap in many ways. The long-suffering Job, humbly enduring the most difficult trials, was rewarded with the blessing of God. The royal martyr Nicholas II with his family was also doomed to terrible trials, but on earth he did not receive a reward, having accepted a martyr's death with the hope of Eternal Life.
May 20
Remembrance of the appearance in heaven of the Cross of the Lord in Jerusalem
Zhirovichi Icon of the Mother of God Orthodox holiday
May 21st
Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian. The Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian occupies a special place among the chosen disciples of Christ the Savior. Often in iconography, the Apostle John is depicted as a meek, majestic and spirit-bearing old man, with features of virgin tenderness, with the seal of complete tranquility on his brow and the deep gaze of a beholder of ineffable revelations. Another main feature of the spiritual image of the Apostle is revealed through his teaching on love, for which he was primarily named the Apostle of Love.
Transfer of the relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker from Myra in Lycia to Bar
May 24
Equal to the Apostles Methodius and Cyril, Slovenian teachers - brothers from the city of Soluni (Thessaloniki), creators of the Old Slavonic alphabet and language, Christian preachers. Canonized and revered as saints both in the East and in the West. In Slavic Orthodoxy, “Slovenian teachers” are revered as saints equal to the apostles. The accepted order of mentioning: in scientific and popular science texts - first Cyril, and then Methodius; in church and liturgical use - in the reverse order (probably because Methodius had a higher rank than his younger brother).
May 28
Memorial Day Saint Pachomius the Great. The founder of the monastic community, the Monk Pachomius the Great, was born in the 3rd century in Thebaid, in Upper Egypt. Pachomius was baptized and retired in the Egyptian desert, where he began to lead a harsh ascetic life. Hearing once a voice commanding him to build a monastery, the monk established a monastery in the wilderness. Soon an Angel of God appeared to him in the form of a schema-monk and gave him the charter of monastic life. Pachomius taught the monks of his monastery to place their hope only on the help and mercy of God.
Transfer of the relics of the Monk Ephraim of Perekomsk, Novgorod miracle worker, Orthodox holidays
Venerable Theodore the Sanctified
May 30
Day of Remembrance of the Monk Euphrosyne, in the world of Evdokia, led. book Moscow church holidays
May 31
Memorial Day of the Holy Fathers of the Seven Ecumenical Councils. The Seven Ecumenical Councils are the formation of the Church, its dogmas, the definition of the foundations of the Christian doctrine. Therefore, it is very important that in the most secret, dogmatic, legislative issues, the Church never took the opinion of one person as the highest authority. It was determined, and to this day it remains, that the authority in the Church is the conciliar reason of the Church.
The fixed part of the church calendar is the Julian calendar, diverging by 13 days from the Gregorian one. These holidays occur annually on the same date of the same month.
The movable part of the church calendar moves along with the changing date of the celebration of Easter from year to year. The very date of the celebration of Easter is determined according to the lunar calendar and a number of additional dogmatic factors (not to celebrate Easter with the Jews, to celebrate Easter only after the spring equinox, to celebrate Easter only after the first spring full moon). All holidays with variable dates are counted from Easter and move in time of the "secular" calendar with it.
Thus, both parts of the Easter calendar (movable and fixed) together determine the calendar of Orthodox holidays.
Below are the most significant events for an Orthodox Christian - the so-called Twelve 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 2016:
Non-rolling holidays:07.01 - Nativity of Christ (twelve)
14.01 - Circumcision of the Lord (great)
01.19 - Baptism of the Lord (twelve)
15.02 - Presentation of the Lord (twelve)
07.04 - Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (twelve)
21.05 - Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian
22.05 - Saint Nicholas, Archbishop of Myra in Lycia, miracle worker
07.07 - Nativity of John the Baptist (great)
12.07 - Saints first. apostles Peter and Paul (great)
19.08 - Transfiguration of the Lord (twelve)
28.08 - Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (twelve)
11.09 - Beheading of John the Baptist (great)
09.21 - Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (twelve)
September 27 - Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord (twelve)
09.10 - Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian
14.10 - Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos (great)
04.12 - Introduction to the Church of the Most Holy Theotokos (twelve)
19.12 - Saint Nicholas, Archbishop of Myra in Lycia, miracle worker
Days of special commemoration of the departed
05.03 - Universal parental Saturday (Saturday before the week of the Last Judgment)
03.26 - Universal parental Saturday of the 2nd week of Great Lent
02.04 - Universal parental Saturday of the 3rd week of Great Lent
09.04 - Universal parental Saturday of the 4th week of Great Lent
10.05 - Radonitsa (Tuesday of the 2nd week after Easter)
09.05 - Commemoration of the dead warriors
18.06 - Trinity parental Saturday (Saturday before Trinity)
05.11 - Dmitrievskaya parental Saturday (Saturday before November 8)
ABOUT ORTHODOX HOLIDAYS:
TWO HOLIDAYS
In worship Orthodox Church twelve great feasts of the annual liturgical circle (except for the Easter holiday). Subdivided into Lord's, dedicated to Jesus Christ, and Theotokos, dedicated to the Most Holy Theotokos.
By the time of celebration of the twelveth holidays divided into motionless (intransitive) and movable (carryover). The former are constantly celebrated on the same days of the month, the latter fall on different dates every year, depending on the date of the celebration. Easter.
ABOUT HOLIDAY MEALS:
According to the church charter on holidays Nativity of Christ and Epiphanythat happened on Wednesday and Friday, there is no post.
IN Christmas and Epiphany 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 Meeting, Transfiguration of the Lord, Dormition, Nativity and the 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 allowed on Wednesday and Friday.
ABOUT FASTS IN ORTHODOXY:
Fast - a form of religious asceticism, exercise of the spirit, soul and body on the path to salvation within the framework of a religious view; voluntary self-restraint in food, entertainment, communication with the world. Corporal post - restriction in food; sincere fasting - limiting external impressions and pleasures (solitude, silence, prayer concentration); spiritual fasting - struggle with one's "bodily lusts", a period of especially intense prayer.
The most important thing is to realize that fasting bodily without fasting spiritual brings nothing for the salvation of the soul. On the contrary, it can be spiritually harmful if a person, abstaining from food, is imbued with the consciousness of his own superiority and righteousness. “Those who believe that fasting only means abstaining from food is mistaken. True post, - teaches St. John Chrysostom, - there is removal from evil, curbing the tongue, deferring anger, taming lusts, stopping slander, lies and perjury. " Fast - not a goal, but a means to distract from the delight 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; Latin Quadragesima) - a period of the liturgical year preceding Holy Week and easter, the most important of the many days of fasting. Due to the fact that Easter may fall on different dates 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. Fourties.
Fast for an Orthodox person it is a set of good deeds, sincere prayer, abstinence in everything, including food... A bodily fast is necessary for the fulfillment of a spiritual and mental fast, all of them in their association form fasting true, contributing to the spiritual reunification of fasting with God. IN days of fasting (days of fasting) Church Charter prohibits meager food - meat and dairy products; fish is allowed only on some fasting 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 long-term fasts, three one-day fasts, and, in addition, fast on Wednesday and Friday (with the exception of special weeks) throughout the year.
Wednesday and Friday installed as a sign that on Wednesday Christ was betrayed by Judas, and crucified on Friday. Saint Athanasius the Great said: "By allowing food on Wednesday and Friday, this man crucifies the Lord." In summer and autumn meat-eaters (periods between Petrov and Dormition posts and between Dormition and Christmas posts), Wednesday and Friday are the days of strict fasting. In winter and spring meat-eaters (from Christmas to Lent and from Easter to Trinity), the Charter allows fish on Wednesday and Friday. Fish on Wednesdays and Fridays is allowed and when these days fall on the holidays of the Presentation of the Lord, the Transfiguration of the Lord, the Nativity of the Virgin, the Entry of the Virgin into the Temple, the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos, 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 the fast on these days is canceled. On the evening (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.
Continuous weeks (in Church Slavonic the week is called a week - days from Monday to Sunday) means the absence of fasting on Wednesday and Friday. Established by the Church as an indulgence before a many-day fast or as a rest after it. Continuous weeks are as follows:
1. Christmastide - from 7 to 18 January (11 days), from Christmas to Epiphany.
2. Publican and Pharisee - two weeks before Great Lent.
3. Cheese - the week before Great Lent (eggs are allowed for the whole week, fish and milk, but without meat).
4. Easter (Light) - the week after Easter.
5. Trinity - a week after Trinity (the week before Peter's Lent).
One-day fasts, except Wednesday and Friday (days of strict fasting, no fish, but food with vegetable oil is allowed):
1. Epiphany Eve (Eve of the Epiphany) January 18, the day before the feast of the Epiphany. On this day, believers prepare themselves for accepting the great shrine - Agiasma - the baptismal Holy water, for its purification and consecration at the upcoming holiday.
2. Beheading of the head of John the Baptist - September 11. On this day, a fast was established in memory of the abstinent life of the great prophet John and his lawless murder by Herod.
3. Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord - September 27. This day reminds us of the sad event on Calvary, when "ours for the sake of salvation" suffered on the Cross the Savior of the human race. And therefore this day must be spent in prayer, fasting, contrition for sins, in a feeling of repentance.
LONG DAY FASTING:
1. Great Lent or Holy Lent.
It begins seven weeks before the feast of Holy Easter and consists of Forty days (forty days) and Holy Week (the week preceding Easter). Forty days was established in honor of the forty-day fast of the Savior Himself, and Passion Week - in remembrance of the last days of earthly life, suffering, death and burial of our Lord, Jesus Christ. The total continuation of Great Lent together with Holy Week is 48 days.
The days from Christmas to Great Lent (before Shrovetide) are called Christmas or winter meat-eaters. This period contains three continuous weeks - Christmastide, Publican and Pharisee, Shrovetide. After Christmastide, fish is allowed on Wednesdays and Fridays, up to the solid week (when you can eat meat on all days of the week), which comes after the "Week of the Publican and the Pharisee" ("week" in Church Slavonic means "Sunday"). In the next week, after the solid week, fish is no longer allowed on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, but vegetable oil is still allowed. Monday - food with butter, Wednesday, Friday - cold without butter. This establishment has the goal of gradual preparation for Great Lent. The last time before fasting meat is allowed on "Meat-Passing 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 are invited to Lent (the last time they eat fast food, with the exception of meat) on the last day of Shrovetide - Forgiveness Sunday. This day is also called "Cheese week".
It is customary to observe the first and Passion Weeks of Great Lent with particular rigor. On the Monday of the first week of fasting (clean Monday), the highest degree of fasting is established - complete abstinence from food (pious laymen with ascetic experience abstain from food on Tuesday). On the rest of the 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 never vodka). If the memory of the 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 during 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 Lazarev Saturday (Saturday before Palm Sunday), fish caviar is allowed, On Friday of Holy Week, it is customary not to eat any food before taking out shroud (our ancestors did not eat at all on Good Friday).
Bright week (week after Easter) - continuous - modest is allowed on all days of the week. Starting from the next week, after a solid one until Trinity (spring meat eater), fish is allowed on Wednesdays and Fridays. The week between Trinity and Peter Lent is a continuous one.
2. Petrov or Apostolic Fast.
Fasting begins a week after the feast of the Holy Trinity and ends on July 12, on the day of the commemoration of the holy apostles Peter and Paul, Installed 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, abiding always in the deed of fasting and prayer. The duration of this fast in different years is different and depends on the day of the celebration of Easter. The shortest fast is 8 days, the longest is 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, cereal, mushroom dishes with vegetable oil. If the memory of the great saint happens on Monday, Wednesday or Friday - hot food with butter. On the feast of the Nativity of John the Baptist (July 7), fish is allowed according to the Charter.
In the period from the end of Peter's Lent to the beginning of the Assumption (summer meat-eater), Wednesday and Friday are the days of strict fasting. But if on these days the holidays of the great saint fall with an all-night vigil or a polyeleos service the day before, then food with vegetable oil is allowed. If on Wednesday and Friday there are temple holidays, then fish is also allowed.
3. Assumption fast (from 14 to 27 August).
Installed in honor of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos. The Mother of God herself, preparing to depart into eternal life, constantly fasted and prayed. But we, spiritually weak and weak, should all the more often resort to fasting, turning to the Most Holy Virgin for help in every need and sorrow. This fast lasts only two weeks, but according to its 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 fishy. 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 the great saint happens, then on Tuesday and Thursday - hot food with butter, Monday, Wednesday, Friday - hot food without butter.
The food regulations on Wednesdays and Fridays in the period from the end of the Dormition fast to the beginning of 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 twelve and temple holidays. Food with vegetable oil on Wednesday and Friday is allowed only if these days are the feast days of the 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 was established for the day of the Nativity of Christ, so that we cleanse ourselves at this time by repentance, prayer and fasting and with a pure heart we 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 the commemoration of the Apostle Philip (November 27). The food charter for this fast coincides with the charter of St. Peter's fast until the day of St. Nicholas (December 19). If the feasts of the Entry into the Church of the Most Holy Theotokos (December 4) and St. Nicholas fall on Monday, Wednesday or Friday, then fish is allowed. From the feast day of St. Nicholas to the forefeast of Christmas, which begins on January 2, fish is allowed only on Saturday and Sunday. On the prefeast of the Nativity of Christ, fasting is observed in the same way as during the days of Great Lent: fish is forbidden all days, food with butter is allowed only on Saturday and Sunday. On the eve of Christmas (Christmas Eve), January 6, a pious custom requires you not to eat until the first evening star appears, after which it is customary to eat coliva or oozy - wheat grains boiled in honey or boiled rice with raisins, in some areas boiled dry fruits with sugar. The name of this day - Christmas Eve - comes from the word "soothing". There is also Christmas Eve before the feast of the Epiphany of the Lord. On this day (January 18), it is also customary not to eat food until the adoption of Agiasma, the holy Epiphany water, which is consecrated on the very day of Christmas Eve.
May 2016 will be rich in church (Orthodox) holidays. Perhaps, this is the second month after January that adults and children are looking forward to. After all, the main event in May 2016 is the coming of the bright Easter of Christ, and hence the end. It is May 1 - on the first day of the last spring month, this wonderful and long-awaited holiday will come.
Orthodox church holidays in May 2016
From May 2 to May 8, according to the church calendar, there follows the Bright Easter week, otherwise called continuous week... It should be noted that no wedding ceremonies are performed during this week.
May 8 (Sunday) - Day of Remembrance of the Apostle and Evangelist Mark. Otherwise he was called John-Mark as a sign of his connection with Rome. The winged lion becomes the symbol of this day. The apostle Mark devoted his whole life to serving Christianity, but he died at the hands of pagans.
May 22 - the whole Orthodox world will celebrate the holiday of the summer Nikolai (Nikola Veshchny). On this day, the transfer of the relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker took place. On this day, one should pray to the great saint with requests to save the harvest, livestock and economy from adversity. This day is one of the funniest holidays of the spring-summer cycle (see).
All other church holidays that will be celebrated this month, you can find in the calendar of Orthodox holidays and fasting, which is made in the form of a table.
Calendar of Orthodox holidays and fasts for May 2016
Orthodox posts in May 2016
In addition to the holidays, there are also one-day church fasts Wednesday and Friday. They happen not only in May, but last weekly throughout the year. Fasting on Wednesdays is observed because of the betrayal of Judas the Savior, and Friday fasting is in honor of the mortal torment on the cross that Jesus Christ had to experience. On these days, you should refrain from eating meat and milk. However, everyone who is engaged in hard physical labor is allowed to relax the fast so that after a hard day, strength remains for repentance and prayer. Also, Orthodox fasts are allowed to observe not so strictly sick people and children.
Summing up the results of May 2016, we can say that there will be several one-day church fasts in it (May 11, 13, 18, 20, 25 and 27). There will be no posts for many days.
Also see:, we choose a name for the child according to the calendar.
There is no divine service brighter and more joyful than Orthodox Easter. It is said that Easter night is the most silent and quiet night of the year. The Easter service begins with a procession of the cross around the church, with candles in the hands of all those gathered and singing: "Thy Resurrection, Savior Christ, the Angels sing in heaven: and on earth, grant us (honor) praise Thee with a pure heart." This procession is reminiscent of the procession of the myrrh-bearers in the early morning to the Savior's Tomb to anoint His most pure Body. Walking around the church, the procession of the cross stops in front of the closed main doors, and the priest begins the matins with the exclamation: "Glory to the Holy, Consubstantial, life-giving and indivisible Trinity." Then, like the Angel who announced to the myrrh-bearers about the Resurrection of Christ, he sings three times, together with other clergymen, the troparion of Easter "Christ is Risen from the Dead." Everyone enters the open doors of the church and after the priest's joyful words “Christ is Risen!”, Exulting, they answer “Truly Risen!”. On this night in Easter kissing and welcoming evangelism, people's hearts are opened to the jubilation of love.
On the same day - memory mch. John the New
MAY 2
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The bright week is solid. Monday of Bright Week. The solemn celebration of Easter lasts the entire week (week), it is called Easter or light.
On the same day - memory blzh. Matrona of Moscow
MAY 3
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Tuesday of Bright Week. Iberian Icon of the Mother of God.
On this day, they also remember the one who converted to Orthodoxy Ahmed... A Muslim by origin, he lived in Istanbul, held a significant government post, and by the time of his conversion he was already quite mature in years. He had a Russian concubine, a slave. Apparently, distinguished by religious tolerance, Ahmed allowed her to freely attend the Christian church. Over time, Ahmed noticed special grace-filled changes in her that took place every time she came from the divine service. Interested in this, he expressed a desire to the priest to attend the liturgy during the patriarch's service, and received such an opportunity. As a distinguished guest, a special place was prepared for him. And so, during the liturgy, this Muslim official suddenly saw that from the trikiriy and the fingers of the patriarch, who blessed the people, rays emanated and passed onto the heads of all Christians, and only his own head remained deprived. Amazed at this miracle, Ahmed expressed a desire to be baptized immediately, which was secretly done on him, probably by the patriarch himself. The name "Ahmed" was replaced by a Christian name at baptism.
For some time, the future martyr remains a secret Christian. There were a lot of secret Christians both among the Muslim dignitaries (including even the mullahs) and among the common population. For many years they came to the "Al-Sufi Mosque" and secretly performed daily Christian prayers. Secret Christians still exist in the countries of the Muslim world. Just as there are open Christians, including converts, sometimes for years carrying the podvig of confession.
So, for a while St. Ahmed remains a secret Christian. This continued until one day, at one meeting, the nobles began to argue about what is above all. When it came to Ahmed's turn and asked for his opinion, he suddenly announced loudly for everyone: "Above all, the Christian faith." And he confessed himself a Christian. St. Ahmed went to the end and was martyred on May 3, 1682
THE 6TH OF MAY -
Friday of Bright Week... Honoring icons of the Mother of God "Life-Giving Source"... The icon was painted to commemorate the discovery of a miraculous water source near Constantinople by Emperor Leo in 450, which brought healing to the suffering. On this day in churches, prayers of water are performed, processions of the cross to water sources: the Church glorifies the Mother of God as our Intercessor and Intercessor, Whose intercession many wondrous grace-filled miracles are performed in the world.
Memory of St. vmch. George the Victorious, patron saint of the army and the city of Moscow. The valiant military leader withstood the most severe tortures from the persecutor of Christians, the emperor Diocletian, with his courage led to faith, among many others st. mch. Queen Alexandra - the wife of his tormentor. Vmch. The defenders of the Fatherland, Christ-loving soldiers, pray to George the Victorious.
MAY 7 - Saturday of Bright Week. Distribution of Artos... The word "artos" is translated from Greek as "leavened bread". The use of artos begins from the very beginning of Christianity. Imitating the apostles, the first pastors of the Church established on the feast of the Resurrection of Christ to place bread in the church as a visible expression of the fact that the Savior who suffered for us has become for us the true bread of life.
Artos is consecrated on the first day of Holy Easter at the Liturgy after the prayer behind the ambo. The anala with artos is placed on the sole in front of the image of the Savior for the entire Bright Week. At the end of the Liturgies, processions of the cross are solemnly performed with him around the church. On Saturday of Bright Week, the artos is shattered and at the end of the Liturgy (when kissing the cross) it is distributed to the people.
The particles of the consecrated bread received in the temple are reverently kept by the believers as spiritual healing from diseases and infirmities.
Artos is used in special cases, for example in illness, and always with the words “Christ is Risen!
Memory mch. Savva Stratilat..
8 MAY –
Antipaskha. Week 2 after Easter, Apostle Thomas... The 2nd week after Easter is called Antipascha, as the end of the celebration of Bright Week and meaning "instead of Easter", otherwise it is called the renewal of Easter. On this day, the appearance of Christ to the disciples is remembered, among whom was the Apostle. Thomas, who did not want to believe the resurrection of the Lord until he himself saw the Risen One. Having assured Thomas by touching His wounds, the Lord said: "Blessed are those who have not seen and believed."
In the same day - memory of st. the apostle and evangelist Mark, also called John-Mark, apostle from 70, nephew of ap. Barnabas, was born in Jerusalem. The house of his mother Mary was adjacent to the Garden of Gethsemane. On the night when the Lord Jesus Christ was led to the high priest for judgment, John-Mark followed the Savior, wrapped in a cloak, and fled from the soldiers who were trying to seize him. St. Mark was the closest companion of the apostles Peter, Paul and Barnabas. When together with ap. Peter Mark was in Rome, Christians asked him to write for them everything that he had heard about Christ from Peter. This is how the Gospel of Mark appeared. This apostle is traditionally depicted with Leo, because his Gospel begins with the sermon of St. John the Baptist, like the voice of a lion in the wilderness.
MAY 9 - Victory Day... In churches after the Liturgy, a thanksgiving prayer service and a lithium for the deceased soldiers are performed.
Memory sshmch. Basil, Bishop of Amasia and St. Stephen, Bishop of Great Perm.
MAY 10 - WELCOME. Commemoration of the departed... Radonitsa is called the Easter commemoration of the dead, performed on the Tuesday of the second week after Easter. The Church calls on us, following the example of the Lord, to proclaim the joy of the Bright Resurrection of Christ to all who have died from eternity. A memorial meal is served on Radonitsa, and part of the food is given to the poor brethren for the commemoration of the soul.
Today is memory the apostle and martyr Simeon, a relative of the Lord. St. Simeon was the son of Cleopas, the younger brother of St. Joseph the Betrothed. In adulthood, he believed in Christ and became one of His disciples, denouncing idolatry. In the year 63 after the death of St. ap. James, the first Bishop of Jerusalem, Christians chose St. Simeon. The hundred-year-old Simeon was crucified by pagans on the cross.
MAY 12 - Memory nine holy martyrs of Kyziches... The holy Christian martyrs came from different places. All of them, according to God's knowledge, ended up in the city of Kizik, located on the shores of the Dardanelles. Christianity in this city spread even during the time of the Apostle Paul, but the persecution of the pagans led to the fact that many of the believers fled from the city. Nine Christians, united by love for the Lord, openly confessed Christ. For such daring they were seized and brought before the ruler of the city. They were tortured for several days and then beheaded with a sword. This happened at the end of the 3rd century. In 324, under the emperor Constantine the Great, the incorruptible bodies of the martyrs were removed from the ground and placed in a temple built in their honor.
MAY 13 - Memory st. Apostle James (Zebedeeva). He was one of the 12 apostles, brother of John the Theologian, one of the closest disciples of Jesus Christ and witnessed the greatest miracles of the Savior during His earthly life. After the ascension of Jesus Christ and the descent of the Holy Spirit, the Holy Apostle preached the Gospel in Judea and received a martyr's death in Jerusalem. He was beheaded in 44. Before his death, he prayed to the Lord for the forgiveness of his tormentors and the guidance of the unreasonable on the path of truth.
The church honors the memory today saint Ignatius Brianchaninov, Bishop of the Caucasus and Black Sea (1867). In 1827 he was a novice at the Alexander-Svirsky monastery in the Olonets province. The saint could see the state of mind of other people. He expounded the ascetic teaching of the Holy Fathers of the Church in relation to the needs and spiritual needs of the people of the modern world.
MAY 14 - Memory of St. Pafnutia Borovsky (1478). He was the abbot of the Borovsky monastery. The monk helped poor, sick, indigent people, and during his lifetime he was a great miracle worker and seer.
Today is a holiday icons of the Mother of God "Unexpected Joy", very revered in Russia. In many churches, near this icon, healings of the sick were performed.
MAY 15 –
Week 3 after Easter, holy myrrh-bearing women... On this Sunday, the Church commemorates the holy myrrh-bearing women - the faithful disciples of the Lord during His lifetime, who were the first to receive the message of the Bright Resurrection of Christ: Mary Magdalene, Susanna and others. Therefore, the Week of Myrrh-Bearing Women is also called Orthodox Women's Day.
Together with the holy myrrh-bearing women on this day we remember righteous Joseph and Nicodemuswho served at the burial of Christ, and later - preached in their own country about the Risen Lord, having endured many persecutions from the Jews.
In the same day- Transfer of the relics of the Blgvv. princes of Russia Boris and Gleb, in the holy baptism of Roman and David (1072 and 1115). The first Russian saints. The divine overcomes the human. The life of the holy martyrs and passion-bearers Boris and Gleb tells us about this: a rare case in the lives of the saints, when it is not the courageous joy of those who go to death for Christ that is painted, but weakness, struggle and tears. It is all the more obvious that, in the end, the saints triumph not by their own, but by Christ's power.
16TH OF MAY - Rev. Feodosia, abbot of Kiev-Pechersk(1074), who in 1064 organized the life of the first communal monastery in Russia according to the strict charter of St. Theodora the Studite: endless humility, tireless work, nothing in property. The Kiev-Pechersk Lavra became the glory of Holy Russia. Saint Theodosius was very fond of Prince Izyaslav and often invited him to his palace for spiritual conversations. Many boyars were his spiritual children. Combining firmness with meekness, St. Theodosius was not afraid to expose their vices and crimes.
Also on this day is honored icon of the Mother of God of the Assumption of Kiev-Pechersk - one of the oldest revealed icons in the Russian Orthodox Church. The Most Holy Theotokos presented it to 4 Byzantine architects, who in 1073 brought the icon to St. Anthony and Theodosius of Pechersky. The icon has repeatedly defended the country from the invasion of enemies. The Mother of God blessed the Russian troops marching to the Battle of Poltava (1709).
Today is a celebration icons of the Mother of God of Svensk... Chernigov prince Roman Mikhailovich, while in Bryansk, lost his sight. Hearing about miracles and healings from the miraculous image of the Mother of God of the Caves and from the great miracle workers Anthony and Theodosius of Kiev-Pechersk, the prince sent alms to the monastery with a request to bring the icon to Bryansk. One of the nights the priests accompanying the icon were to spend on the banks of the Svena River. Getting up in the morning, they went to pray in the boat to the icon, but they did not find it there, and were surprised to see it on the mountain opposite the river, standing on an oak between the branches. This miraculous phenomenon, from which the icon was named Svenskaya, was announced to Prince Roman. He hurried to this place, where he fervently prayed for enlightenment and vowed to build a temple and a monastery on this holy place. At the same moment he saw a path in front of him and ordered to install a cross here. A prayer service was served in front of the icon. The prince kept his word. At this place, a temple was soon built in honor of the Dormition of the Mother of God. He ordered the miraculous icon to be overlaid with gold and silver. And then in memory of the appearance of the Svensk icon on May 16 (May 3, O.S.), a holiday was established. Already during the reign of Ivan the Terrible, at his behest, the old salary was replaced with a new one, for which he donated gold, pearls and precious stones.
In 1812, when hordes of the French were striving for Bryansk, the inhabitants of his city made a procession with the miraculous image of the revered Svensk Icon of the Mother of God. In gratitude for the deliverance of Bryansk from destruction, in 1815 the inhabitants arranged a golden robe with crowns on the icon of the Intercessor.
This saint's icon was painted by St. Alipy, who studied icon painting from Byzantine painters. On the icon in front of the golden throne, on which majestically sits the Blessed Virgin with the blessing Child, stand two holy men, the founders of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra - St. Aantonius (left) and St. Theodosius (right).
MAY 18 - holiday icons of the Mother of God "Inexhaustible Chalice"... This icon became famous for its miraculous work in 1878. The Tula peasant Stephen was possessed by the ailment of drunkenness; once in a dream an elder appeared to him and ordered to receive healing to go to the Serpukhov monastery to the icon of the Mother of God "Inexhaustible Chalice". Stephen went to the monastery, where, after a long search, such an icon was found. After performing a prayer service in front of this image, Stefan returned home completely healthy and free from illness.
Soon the news of the miraculous image spread throughout Russia, and many began to offer prayers to this icon for their relatives and friends, possessed by passion. wine drinking... This tradition continues to this day.
MAY 19 - on this day the Church commemorates the Old Testament righteous man Job the Long-suffering,and on the same day in 1868 the holy martyr emperor was born Nicholas II, canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church. He keenly felt that his life was similar to Job's martyrdom. His knowledge of his fate was truly prophetic. "I have more than a premonition," he said, "that I am doomed to terrible trials and that I will not be rewarded for them in this world."
Tsar Nicholas II and his family were the bearers of the ideals of Holy Russia, the ideals of Orthodoxy. Unlike many people of that era - Christians by name only - they took Orthodoxy seriously. They were God's chosen ones, and therefore people are not of this world (John XV, 19); in the then high society, they were strangers. True Christians, they were persecuted in the world; their mournful path was crowned with martyrdom. Today, in the host of other Russian saints, they stand before Christ in prayer for Russia.
This day is also honored memory of st. Martyr Varvar, a warrior. There is so little information about this saint that even his real name is unknown. He was born at the end of the 8th century and lived in the first half of the 9th. He was a Muslim. Miraculously escaping death during the war, he was left alone in enemy territory and engaged in robbery. Moving from place to place, he robbed and killed lonely Christian travelers, terrorizing the entire district. One day the Barbarian entered the temple intending to kill the priest. The liturgy was going on. There was a priest named John. The barbarian was waiting for the end of the service in order to accomplish his plan without witnesses. But a miracle happens, for a moment he sees the Angels, in all the splendor of their greatness, co-serving the priest of God whom he intends to kill. In amazement and fear, the robber fell to his knees, and, having waited for the end of the service, brought repentance and asked to be granted the sacraments of Baptism. Father John fulfills his request. Having become a Christian, the saint retires in the mountains, indulging in fasting and prayer and avoiding communication with the local residents. One late evening, Nikopol hunters, who had stopped for the night, mistakenly mistaking a saint from a distance for an animal making his way through the tall grass, shot him with a bow. The saint meets death completely peacefully and calmly, forgiving his accidental murderers who mourn their mistake.
MAY 21ST - Memory of the apostle and evangelist John the Theologian, occupying a special place among the chosen disciples of Christ the Savior. Service of Love is the entire life path of the apostle, who is called the apostle of Love. On this day, every year the place of his burial is covered with the finest pink dust, which is collected by believers as help from various diseases. In Petrozavodsk, in the city center on Krupskaya Street (behind the Palace of Schoolchildren's Creativity), a wooden church has been erected in the name of St. John the Theologian.
Today –
memory of Arseny the Great. The saint was led to monastic life by the wonderful destinies of God. He was the mentor of Arcadius and Honorius, the sons of Theodosius the Great, the Byzantine emperor. According to the state of the world, he belonged to the senators and enjoyed special honor among the courtiers. Living at court, Arseny, beaming with luxury in appearance, spent the ascetic's residence, constantly thinking about monastic life.
Once he considered it necessary to punish Arkady for his offense. Angry, the young man decided to kill his teacher. His intention became known to Arseny. He began to pray to God: “Lord! Teach me how can I be saved? And there was a voice to him? “Arseny! Run from people and you will be saved. " At night, he took off the clothes of the courtier, put on the rags of a beggar and left the palace, boarded a ship sailing from Constantinople to Alexandria. He went into the desert, where thousands of monks were conducting the most exalted residence.
When Arseny, arriving at the skete, explained about his intention to take monasticism, he was taken to Elder John Kolov. The elder put him to the test. When they sat down to eat to eat the bread, the elder did not invite Arseny, but left him standing. He stood with his eyes fixed on the ground and thinking that he was standing in the presence of God before His Angels. The elder took the biscuit and threw it to Arseny. He explained the elder's deed as follows: The elder, like the Angel of God, knew that I was like a dog, even worse than a dog, and therefore he gave me bread like that. As a dog is served: I will eat bread the way dogs eat it. He got up on his hands and feet, took the bread with his mouth, carried it to the corner and ate it there. The elder, seeing his humility, said: "From him there will be a skilled monk."
Arseny achieved special spiritual success and was numbered among the many holy ascetics, and became known as Arseny the Great. He spent 55 years in great deeds and died at 95 years old. Venerable Arseny the Great taught: "Many times I repented of my words, but never in silence."
22ND OF MAY - Week 4 after Easter, about relaxed. Today the Church recalls the miraculous healing by the Lord Jesus Christ of a man who had suffered from a serious illness for 38 years. This healing took place at the Sheep Font (pool) outside the wall of the Jerusalem Temple. In the healing of the paralytic, the Church sees a way of renewing the life of all mankind through the Resurrection of Christ. The Church calls on believers to turn to the Lord for the healing not only of bodily illnesses, but also of the soul relaxed by sins.
Transfer of the relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker from Myra in Lycia to Bar (1087).
The people celebrate the memory of St. Nicholas is called "May Nicholas" Almost a thousand years ago, the relics of the saint were transferred to the Italian city of Bari in the southern part of the country. At the same time, a crypt was built, in which they rested reverently.
In 1911, Archpriest John Vostorgov, the future new martyr, laid the foundation stone for a Russian Orthodox church. The inspiration and the first donor was the Tsar-Martyr Nicholas II, the chairwoman of the Construction Committee was the Monk Martyr Grand Duchess Elizabeth, and the first ruling bishop was Metropolitan Benjamin of Petrograd, who was also canonized as holy martyrs. For more than 60 years, nun Nicholas lived at the temple, who even before the construction of the temple received the blessing of the Optina elders to live in Bari. Church of St. Nicholas in Bari is the only Orthodox Church in these parts, therefore its significance for Orthodoxy is invaluable. Many pilgrims from Russia, since the 90s, have the opportunity to visit the temple and pray at the relics of the great Wonderworker.
MAY, 23RD - the apostle Simon Zealot... The Apostle Simon came from Cana of Galilee and was the son of St. Joseph the Betrothed, the Lord's brother in the flesh and one of the 12 apostles. It was at his wedding feast that the Lord performed His first miracle - the transformation of water into wine; amazed by this, Simon believed in Jesus Christ as the True God and, leaving everything, followed Him.
MAY 24 - Week 7 after Easter, of the holy fathers of the I Ecumenical Council
(325).
Memory equal to the Apostles Methodius and Cyril, Slovenian teachers.
MAY 25 - The Celebration of Pentecost... In churches, after the Liturgy, water is blessed.
Memory sshmch. Hermogenes, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, miracle worker.
MAY 26 - glorified st. George the Confessorwho together with his wife Irina was exiled to prison for veneration of icons, and martyr Alexander- A 17-year-old warrior was tortured to death by the emperor Maximian when a young Christian rejected his persuasion to join the pagan idolaters.
MAY 28 - memory of the faithful tsarevich Demetrius of Uglich and Moscow (1591)... The son of Ivan the Terrible, he was eight years old was stabbed to death with a knife in Uglich, Yaroslavl province. Rumor attributed this murder to the supporters of Boris Godunov, who later became tsar. With the death of the Tsarevich, the family of the Moscow sovereigns - the descendants of Rurik - died out. St. Demetrius's relics were transferred to Moscow in 1606 and rest in the Archangel Cathedral of the Kremlin.
MAY 29 - 5th week after Easter, about the Samaritans.
In today's Gospel, during the Divine Liturgy, the Lord's words are read about the source flowing into eternal life, about those who receive the Word of Christ. This makes it possible to realize that faith is not only one's own acquisition or the fruit of one's own work, but is always a gift from God. To be a believer means to be a worshiper of God, that is, to be able and willing to worship God.
Today is memory st. Theodore the Sanctified... At the age of 14, the saint left his parental home and settled in one of the Egyptian monasteries. Hearing about the exploits of St. Pachomius the Great, he went to him. Venerable Pachomius left him in his monastery and commissioned him to conduct spiritual conversations on the Holy Scriptures with the monastery brethren. Soon St. Pachomius blessed St. Theodora to be the abbot of the Tevinis monastery, and he himself retired to a more secluded monastery. After the death of St. Pachomia the Great Venerable Theodore became the head of all Thebaid monasteries.
MAY 30 - memory st. Stefan, Patriarch of Constantinople and st. Euphrosyne, in the world of Evdokia, the Grand Duchess of Moscow (1407). Day memory of St. righteous Jonah of Odessa. When the southerners came to Fr. John of Kronstadt, he said: “Why do you bother to come to me? You have your own John of Kronstadt - Fr. And she". Between them, these two lamps, there was mutual love and reverence. Archpriest Jonah revealed in his life many different images of holiness. He was an exposer of schism and heresy, an excellent preacher, a zealous missionary and a nourisher of the poor, an ascetic and a good shepherd.
MAY 31 - angel day from Alexandra, Claudia, Faina, Julia, Peter, Christina, Andrew and Paul in memory of the martyrs of the III-IV centuries.
