Every year, a week after the feast of Pentecost, Peter the Great begins. The date on which it originates depends on the day of Easter and the next following it after 50 days of Pentecost. Its ending always coincides with the memory day of the holy apostles Peter and Paul, in whose honor it was established - July 12. Thus, the beginning of the Petrovsky post changes, but the end does not. For this reason, its duration can be from 8 to 42 days. The people often call this post Petrovka.
Apostles Peter and Paul
These greatest servants of God, called the supreme apostles for their services, in their earthly life were completely opposite people, not only in belonging to various social strata of society, but also in their development and spiritual disposition. Moreover, if one of them - Peter - was a disciple of Christ in the days of his earthly life, then the other - Paul - never was able to personally contemplate the Savior and became attached to his service after the ascension.
About the Apostle Peter, the elder brother of the Apostle Andrew the First-Called, it is known that he was a simple fisherman, poor and illiterate. He never studied anything but his craft, and all his life's worries came down to his daily bread, which he earned with hard work. Peter at once with all his soul believed in Christ and followed him all the days of his earthly ministry. He was an ordinary weak man and, by his cowardice, renounced the Teacher three times, but his deepest repentance allowed him to become the stone on which the building of the Church of Christ was erected.
Unlike Peter, the apostle Paul had a noble birth, was a well-read man, educated, and at the beginning of his life, an irreconcilable persecutor of Christians. When the Lord filled his heart with true faith, he directed all the heat of his soul and the power of his mind to preach his teachings. With the same fervor with which he had previously persecuted the disciples of Christ, having believed, he became their mentor and support. The Petrovsky post was established in memory of these two people, personifying selfless faith and a cold mind, multiplied by strength and energy - the qualities that make up a true missionary.
The establishment of the Petrovsky post
The veneration of these great servants of God began in the first centuries of Christianity. At the same time, the church and Peter the Great was established. It was especially widespread after temples were erected in Rome and Constantinople in their honor. It was the day of the consecration of the Church of Constantinople - July 12 - that was chosen to celebrate the memory of these supreme apostles.
In Russia, this holiday and the preceding Petrovsky post appeared in ancient times. In common people, he was often called "Petrovi", and sometimes even "Petrovka-hunger strike." There is no disrespect for religion, just in the days when the post of Peter begins, last year’s harvest was coming to an end, and there was still a very long time before the new - hence the famine and the bitterly ironic name.
Name explanation
Sometimes people who are not churches, but who show interest in Orthodox values, have a question related to the name of this post. They are perplexed by the fact that the Petrovsky fast, established on the eve of the holiday dedicated to the two greatest pillars of the church, bears the name of only one of them. Does this not indicate the dominant role of the apostle Peter? Of course not, they are absolutely equal in their deeds and merits, and the name of the post was established solely because of its harmony.
Establishment of the New Testament of God
It is necessary to dwell in more detail on such an important question: why does the day when Peter the Great begins, follows the feast of Pentecost? The answer to it can be found in the writings of the holy fathers of the church. They indicate that what happened on the fiftieth day after the descent from the tomb of our Savior Jesus Christ descended on the apostles of the Holy Spirit is the fulfillment of the New Testament of God with people.
This new Zion Law, inscribed in the hearts of people, replaced the old - Sinai, whose commandments were carved on tablets of stone. On this day, the grace of the Holy Spirit was sent down to strengthen the children of the holy church in their battle of Christ. It is to cleanse the soul and body before fulfilling such an important mission that the Peter the Great was established. On the days of the feast of Pentecost itself, it would be inappropriate, since this is the period of the Savior's stay with his disciples.
What do they eat at the Petrovsky post?
And more important information for everyone. The question asked by all who intend to hold the post of Peter for the first time : what can be eaten these days? It should be noted right away that it is not as strict as Lent. Not only blessing is the eating of meat and dairy foods. Fish dishes are allowed on all days, except on Wednesdays and Fridays. Moreover, on Saturdays, Sundays, and temple holidays, wine consumption is not prohibited.
It is important to take into account such a detail that if the calendar of the Lenten Fast for a certain year has developed in such a way that its end - the feast of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul - falls on Wednesday or Friday, then this day is also part of the Lent, although with some concessions. In all other cases, there is no fasting on a holiday.
Work on yourself
But not only food restrictions include Peter the Great. What you can eat and what you can’t find out is easy. It is important to deeply understand that fasting is, first of all, work on the state of one’s own soul, in which the rejection of fast food and ordinary worldly entertainment is only an auxiliary tool. This rule is consistent with each of the posts established by the Orthodox Church, but Petrovsky has its own characteristics in this regard.
Gospel obedience
The fact is that the post was established in honor of the feast of the holy apostles - the heralds of the resurrection of Christ, who opened the door of the Kingdom of God to all who believed in it. It is in the service of the word of God that the main task of the apostolate is defined. Over time, this obedience was assigned to the hierarchs of the church - bishops and priests. They became the successors of the apostles and continue their great work. However, this does not mean at all that the laity have the right to withdraw from it.
Bearing the word of God to people is a work worthy of reward at any time of the year, especially during the period of fasting, which is the eve of the feast of the supreme apostles. Every Orthodox Christian these days could try his hand in this noble field. It offers a very wide scope of activity.
Apostolate internal and external
Everyone should direct this apostolic ministry first of all to himself. There is even such a term - “internal apostolate”. It means work, the purpose of which is to convey the good news to one’s own consciousness. Success in this endeavor will enable a person to internally accept everything that his holy church teaches. He will gain the ability to sincerely perceive God's church as a mother, and prayer will become for him a true fellowship with God.
He who succeeds in the inner apostolate will also be able to work in the field of the external apostolate, that is, to preach Christian truths among his neighbors. This, of course, is the duty of every Orthodox person, because we are responsible before God for all who surround us, and for everything that happens around us. It is very important here not to succumb to the temptation emanating from the enemy of the human race and sometimes trying to impress upon us that our weak forces will never be enough to carry out such a task. The main thing is to believe in God, and he, if his will is for it, will bestow strength.
As for the food and other restrictions mentioned above, they help us, for the time of fasting, to renounce the fuss of the earth and to devote ourselves entirely to the holy work. Everyone these days should become, to one degree or another, an apostle and precede his ministry with fasting and prayer. Yes, we are weak, weak, and often simply ignorant, but the apostles were like that. Their strength lay in faith, and they gained everything else by the invasion of the Holy Spirit and the grace of God, poured out on all who are ready to accept it.