Every day the church honors the memory of a saint or celebrates an event. Any church festivity has a deep meaning in itself - these celebrations are different from secular ones: they are always edifying, educate people, encourage them to do good deeds and set them up in the right way.
To better understand what the twelve holidays are, you should look for similar ones in the secular calendar. For example, can City Day be a similar analogue ? Of course not - let this fun be with reason, but for no reason. Or New Year? This celebration, beloved by all, but empty - to sit at the set table, make noise at night, and in the morning to collect pieces of dishes broken by the guests from the floor - that’s the whole point! The only event, perhaps that somewhat resembles the twentieth holiday, is Victory Day. This celebration is inspirational, gives life guidance, instructs. The same thing happens in the soul of a believer during church festivals.
Orientation of folk traditions
Twelve Orthodox holidays are special days that are dedicated to the main events of the secular life of Christ and his mother the Blessed Virgin Mary. In total, there are twelve such celebrations, and therefore they are called twofold. A thousand years ago, the tradition of their celebration arose, and now they are celebrated throughout the world not only by Orthodox Christians, but also by staunch atheists. Such interest is not accidental - it is church holidays (twelve) that expressively and perfectly reflect the customs and national culture of society. On Slavic land, they established themselves step by step, sweeping away demonic rituals and dark prejudices and filling with elements of ancient Slavic traditions. Their formation was lengthy and difficult. Only thanks to the Orthodox Church, most of these celebrations have survived. It was she who, scolded, forbidden, and persecuted for more than 8 decades of the 20th century, took the Christian faith under her protection and preserved the people's Orthodox heritage.
What do twelve holidays mean for people?
These days for believers are the heights of rejoicing in the year, days of approaching Jesus, days of salvation. They rejoice at the fact that the Lord turned his attention to people, that the Mother of God, being a man, the same as we all, became in the Kingdom of Heaven, and everyone can turn to her with the words: “Save us.” Believers celebrate that already here on earth, man can unite with God. Such celebrations give people hope, strengthen faith, awaken love in their hearts.
General concepts
Twelve holidays are delimited by:
- contents - Lord's (Lord's), Mother of God, the days of saints;
- solemnities of church service: small, medium, great;
- celebration time: still, moving
Eight days are set for the glorification of Jesus Christ, four are set for the veneration of the Virgin Mary, which is why some are called the Lord's and others are called the Theotokos. Easter does not apply to such celebrations - this is the most important and wonderful celebration. If the twelve days are like stars that delight people with their flicker, then Holy Easter is like the sun, without which life on Earth is impossible, and before the brilliance of which any stars fade.
Next, we will briefly talk about each twentieth holiday.
September 21 - The Nativity of the Virgin
This date is the birthday of the mother of Jesus, the Virgin Mary. Little is known about the worldly life of a woman who has given salvation to the whole world. According to legend, the pious Anna and Joachim had no children for a long time. Once in prayer, they vowed that if a child was born, they would ordain him to serve God. After that, at the same time, both dreamed of an angel, he announced that an extraordinary child would soon appear, and his fame would be heard all over the great land. As subsequent events known to everyone testify, this prophecy has come true.
September 14 - Exaltation of the Holy Cross
This twelfth holiday is dedicated to the worship of the Cross, on which the Savior accepted torment and death. This Cross, as well as the burial place of Christ were found in the holy land by Queen Elena after three hundred years.
November 21 - Introduction to the Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary
When the Virgin Mary was three years old, the righteous parents decided that it was time to fulfill the vow given to the Lord. For dedication to God, they left their only daughter in the temple, where she, immaculate and sinless, began to intensely prepare for the Mother of God.
January 7 - Christmas
This is one of the most important Christian holidays. It is officially declared the birthday of Jesus. The Gospel tells us that Mary and Joseph - the parents of Christ - were forced to spend the whole night in a cave, where a baby was born. After his birth, the cave lit up with light, and a brightest star suddenly shone in the sky.
January 19 - Epiphany, or Epiphany
In the year 30 of a new era, in the city of Bethavar, on the banks of the Jordan, that very day the baptism of the sinless thirty-year-old Jesus took place. He did not need to repent, he came in order to sanctify the water and give it to us for holy Baptism. Then the Savior went to the wilderness for 40 days in search of divine enlightenment.
February 15 - The Presentation of the Lord
This twelfth holiday is dedicated to the meeting, that is, the meeting of the god-receiver Simeon, who was looking forward to the Savior of the world, with Jesus, a 40-day-old baby whom his parents first brought to the temple for dedication to God.
April 7 - Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Blessed Virgin Mary)
Apparently, in the history of the human race there are two primary events: this is the birth and resurrection of Christ. On March 25, from the Archangel Gabriel (according to the old style), the Virgin Mary received the good news that she was destined for the birth of the Savior of the world. Hence the name - Annunciation.
Easter Sunday, Palm Sunday
After forty days in the wilderness, Jesus entered Jerusalem. On this date, believers grieve, realizing what torment and suffering were to come in the following days to Christ. The strict fast of Holy Week begins.
40 days after Easter, Thursday - Ascension of the Lord
The twelfth holiday in honor of the day when Jesus ascended into heaven, but promised to return. Note that the number 40 is no coincidence. In sacred history, this is the period when all feats end. In the case of Jesus, this is the end of his earthly ministry: on the 40th day after the Resurrection, he was to enter the Temple of his Father.
On the 50th day after Easter, Sunday - the Holy Trinity
The Trinity is sometimes called Pentecost. It was on this day that the Holy Spirit descended upon the apostles and made them prophets. In this phenomenon the sacrament of the Holy Trinity was revealed.
August 19 - Transfiguration of the Lord (Spas)
Christ, shortly before the Torment of the Cross, together with his disciples John, Peter, and James, went up to Mount Tabor to pray. While Jesus was praying, the disciples fell asleep, and when they woke up, they saw that He was talking with God the Father. At this moment, Christ was completely transformed: His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became snow-white.
August 28 - Assumption of the Mother of God (Blessed Virgin Mary)
This is a symbolic day (it is not indicated in the canonical texts) of the death of the Virgin Mary. The Virgin Mary lived a rather long life - seventy-two years by the standards of the first century of a new era.
Iconography
All the twelfth holidays have their symbolic images. The icon of a celebration in honor of which the temple was consecrated can be placed on the iconostasis in the second row from the bottom or in the local row. In temples, where there is a full iconostasis, icons of the twelfth holidays, as a rule, are placed between the deesis and local ranks.