Despite the fact that in recent years, religion has begun to occupy a rather important place in our lives and more and more people are turning to the church, many of them, sincerely considering themselves Orthodox Christians, are rather uncertainly oriented in such an important attribute for a believer as the church calendar. While the dates of the main Orthodox holidays are known to all, the dates of many other holidays for some parishioners, especially for young people, remain a mystery.
Place on October 14 in the Orthodox calendar
Not everyone knows what a church holiday is celebrated on October 14 in the Russian Orthodox Church. A priest of any parish will patiently explain that one of the great bright holidays is celebrated on this day. This celebration is called - Protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Why is the holiday so named
The name of the holiday itself is intimately intertwined with its history and meaning. The open cover, which the Mother of God holds in her hands in the form of a bedspread, a wide ribbon - a homophore, is intended to protect believers from various sorrows, troubles, misfortunes and enemies. This holiday is considered, according to church canons, the Mother See and is celebrated only within the framework of the Russian Orthodox Church. Therefore, October 14 is an Orthodox holiday and is dedicated to the Virgin Mary, Her intercession and patronage.
The history of the feast of the Protection of the Holy Virgin
The event, to which the Orthodox holiday owes its appearance on October 14, occurred at the beginning of the 10th century AD in the then capital of the Byzantine Empire - Constantinople (Constantinople). These were the times of paganism in Russia, almost a century had to pass before its baptism by Prince Vladimir. In 911, Prince Kiev of Kiev , nicknamed the Prophet for his penchant for witchcraft (witchcraft, witchcraft), uniting Rus Kievan and Rus Novgorod and rising at the head of Slavic tribes, led the troops to conquer Byzantium. Warrior barbarians under his leadership sought to capture Constantinople, but they only managed to ruin and plunder its surroundings.
Frightened residents of the capital took refuge in the temple, where the robes were kept - the vestment of the Blessed Virgin Mary, her head cover and parts of the belt. The temple at that time was the only refuge for the townspeople.
Zealously and faithfully, people prayed at the Holy Robe of the Virgin, asking her for the salvation and expulsion of the barbarians. At this time, the holy holy fool Andrei appeared in the church with his disciple Epiphanius. The prayers continued for several days, and one day, just on the night of October 14, Epiphanius saw the appearance of the Virgin with John the Baptist and John the Theologian. The Mother of God at first walked through the air, then began to pray with the faithful and, removing the omophorion cover from her head, she covered them with all those present in the church, protecting them from the attack of the enemy.
The next morning, Prince Oleg ordered his troops to retreat from the city and hastened to withdraw them from Byzantium, without having achieved victory. So, the Most Holy Mother of God interceded for true believers and did not give the Christian people an insult to the Gentiles!
Why October 14 holidays are celebrated only in Russia
Since then, the events described above on October 14 in Byzantium began to be celebrated annually as the feast of the Virgin, her intercession for the entire Orthodox world. But Byzantium fell and disappeared from the face of the Earth as a state many centuries ago. Slowly, the tradition of celebrating October 14 as an Orthodox holiday in these territories began to fade away. Residents of Turkey, already a Muslim state, have little interest in the development of the history of Christianity in their country in past centuries and hardly know what kind of church holiday is celebrated on October 14 by Orthodox Christians.
In Greece, in another world center of Orthodoxy, for unknown reasons, on October 14, the feast of the Virgin Mary and her intercession did not take root and was not approved by the church canons as a celebration. Despite the fact that Greek Orthodox Christians are quite sensitive to such events in the history of Christianity, they still did not accept October 14 as an Orthodox holiday.
In the second half of the XII century, by the time of the reign of Andrei Bogolyubsky, the Christian faith in Russia was gaining ever stronger positions. Andrei Bogolyubsky, being a Russian prince and a pious Christian, drew particular attention to an episode from the history of the Byzantine period of the development of Christianity. According to his special decree, from 1164 on, Russia was annually celebrated on October 14 as a feast of the Protection of the Holy Virgin.
Why this holiday has become one of the most beloved for Orthodox Christians in Russia
If you ask Russian Orthodox Christians which church holiday is one of their favorites, you can often hear the answer that October 14 is the feast of the Virgin. Those who are alien to these traditions are surprised to not understand the reasons for such a love of a Russian person for both the Most Pure Mother of God, and the attitude to the holidays dedicated to her on October 14.
Since pagan times, the ancient Rus were distinguished by their pride and waywardness and always sought independence and freedom not only physical, but also their views. Prince Vladimir would never have been able to baptize Russia and instill the spirit of Christianity in Russia, if the Russian soul did not instinctively reach for the religion of light, love and kindness, recognize the Mother of God and Her Son as her relatives, as protectors and patrons of the Russian Land, I felt the constant presence of the Virgin in the heart. It is impossible to force a Russian person into a belief that his soul does not accept, it is impossible to force to celebrate those holidays that he does not like.
But, despite the special decree of Andrei Bogolyubsky, no one in Russia specifically planted veneration of the Virgin and her holidays. The soul of the Russian people responded, rather, to the real attitude of the Blessed Virgin Mary to the common people, to her love for every person, and not to the historical fact that once happened in Ancient Byzantium. And so the Russian man is not afraid to entrust Her with his soul and himself entirely. That is why she honors Her as her mother and asks the icons with Her forgiveness, pardon, blessing and help.
The Russian Orthodox Christian, as in the air, needs Her protection, in Her protection and always with faith and hope looks at Her image with a omophorion spread over those asking for protection. This faith makes life easier, helps to endure difficulties, and does not give anger and hatred in the hearts of the people. Therefore, Russian people love to celebrate October 14 - the feast of the Virgin. And only a Russian person can forgive his offenders and honestly abide by the canons prescribed by the Orthodox Church. In response, the Blessed Virgin Mary on October 14 will show mercy to every Russian person and give her motherly love.
The Mother of God care for the Russian land
Since ancient times, the Blessed Virgin Mary has been considered the protector of precisely the Russian lands. Russian people call her Mother and sacredly believe that for their devotion and love the Mother of God answers them with the same motherly love and reliably covers their Motherland with a protective blanket.
It is difficult to count all the miracles that she performed on Russian soil. No country in the world can boast of the patronage of the Mother of God.
She took special care of Russia, when the latter was threatened by foreign invaders, and gave protection to the Russian troops. As once in distant Constantinople, Russian people, following the example of those ancient Christians, prayed before Her icons if their cities were in danger of ruin and destruction by invaders. No one else in history has been able to conquer, conquer and destroy Russia, sheltered by the cover of the Virgin. And it is unlikely that the great commanders and brave Russian soldiers could win fierce battles only because of their valor, if they did not ask the Intercessor to help and protect. Always in front of the Russian army were the faces of the Saints, Christ the Savior, and necessarily the Virgin.
Help of the Most Holy Mother of God to the Soviet people during the days of World War II
And even when the Nazi troops tormented Russia, ordinary Russian people, soldiers and priests of the few churches and temples that survived by miracle, secretly from agents of the Soviet counterintelligence and the KGB, prayed to the Virgin and asked her for help.
Throughout the war and the rest of their lives, Russian soldiers carried the memory of the moment when in November 1942 the face of the Virgin appeared to them in the night sky of Stalingrad, although not all of them at that time knew which church holiday was celebrated on October 14 by Orthodox Christians. From that time began the turning point in the war and the expulsion of the Nazis from Soviet soil.
Hitler’s army, at that time the strongest in the world, conquering and trampling all of Europe, could not break through to the Volga, could not break the spirit of the Russian soldiers, inspired by the vision of the Patroness-Protector.
What was seen in the sky above Stalingrad was documented. Several dozen soldiers testified in writing. According to eyewitnesses, who managed to be found dozens of years after the war, the vision that they were lucky to see became for them a real shield not only in the war, but also in life after its end. None of these people in the future suffered from Stalinist repression.
Russian traditions associated with the celebration of October 14
What a church holiday is celebrated on October 14 in compliance with many interesting traditions, of course, those Orthodox Christians who regularly attend church know. These traditions relate to both church and folk ones, invented by the Russian people themselves, who love fun and fun.
One of the main traditions is that an icon of the Protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary must hang above the entrance door to the house . It is believed that if this condition is not met, the house will remain both unprotected from evil people and vulnerable to unclean spirits.
On this bright holiday, special care and attention should be paid to sick people, the poor, lonely old people, orphans, widows. In the old days, they were given gifts on this day, mostly clothes. Pious people believed that caring for those in need of help would make their lives happier.
To enlist the help of the Mother of God for all members of the family, on the eve of the holiday of October 13, it is necessary to spray the whole family through the sieve with holy water, while reciting a special prayer to the Virgin.
It is believed that the Blessed Virgin Mary during the holidays on October 14 helps young girls, unmarried women and widows to determine their future fate and find a husband. Therefore, for them this day is of particular importance. Those who want to get married this year come to church before the holiday, put candles in front of the icon of the Protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary and pray for marriage and happiness in family life.
Many more interesting traditions, rituals, fortunetelling and folk signs associated with the holidays of October 14th. And like in any other church holiday, on this day you cannot do everyday homework, but you need to go to church with the whole family and ask Mother for patronage and intercession. And at home, it is best to devote time to reading holy books, talking about the Savior and His Mother, saints, quiet upright prayer and spiritual enlightenment.