March 22 (March 9 according to the Julian calendar) The Orthodox Church celebrates a special holiday dedicated to the memory of the Sebaste martyrs. Day 40 of saints is a holiday of all Orthodox Christians. He is one of the most revered and beloved among all believers. On this day, the solemn liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts is celebrated. 40 saints is a holiday that usually falls during strict fasting, when dry eating (bread, fruits and vegetables) is allowed.
history of the holiday
In 313, Constantine the Great, the first Christian Roman emperor, having come to power, immediately issues a decree that all Christians are given the opportunity of free worship. This meant that their rights were equated on a par with the Gentiles. Thus, Emperor Constantine legalized Christianity. And in general, he began to contribute in every possible way to its growth and prosperity. However, his co-ruler, whose name was Licinius, was an inveterate pagan, in his part of the Roman Empire, on the contrary, he tried in every possible way to eradicate Christianity, because it began to spread on a special scale in its lands. Therefore, because of the fear of treason, Licinius began to prepare for war and began to clear his troops of Christians.
40 saints - holiday of Orthodox Christians
The courageous detachment of 40 soldiers was from Cappadocia (modern Turkey), was part of the Roman army, which was located in the city of Sevastia. Once, the pagan military leader Agricoleus ordered these valiant Roman soldiers to renounce Christ and offer sacrifices to the pagan gods. But they refused to do this, and then they were put in prison, in which they began to pray intensely. And then the soldiers heard the voice of God: "He who endures to the end, he will be saved." In the morning they were again forced to renounce the Christian faith, but this time they did not obey, and again they were thrown into prison.
Torture for Christ's Faith
A week later, an important dignitary Lysy arrived in Sevastia, who decided to arrange a trial of strong-willed soldiers. He commanded to stone them, but for some reason the stones flew past the soldiers. Then Lysy himself threw a stone at them, and hit directly in the face of Agricolaus. It was then that the tormentors realized that some invisible force protects fearless warriors.
Constantly praying in prison, the martyrs again heard the voice of the Lord, who comforted them and said: “He who believes in Me, if he dies, will live again. Dare and do not be afraid, and you will receive crowns incorruptible. " The interrogations were repeated over and over again every day, and the servants of Christ's faith were always adamant.
There was a severe frost on the street, and then the martyrs were prepared for new torture. They were first undressed, and then driven into an ice lake for the whole night, and a bathhouse was melted nearby on the shore in order to thus break the will of the martyrs. After midnight, one of the soldiers nevertheless surrendered and ran to bask in the bath, but, having crossed its threshold, he immediately fell dead.
Forty Warrior
By three in the morning the Lord sent warmth to the martyrs, brightened all around, the ice melted, and the water became warm. At this time, all the guards were fast asleep, except for one - Aglaya. Seeing that a bright crown appeared above the head of each martyr and counting them 39, he decided that the escaped warrior was left without a crown, and then he decided to join the holy martyrs.
After waking the guards, he announced to them that he was a Christian. But the torture did not end there. After this, the staunch warriors were knocked down. When they all died, their bodies were loaded onto carts and taken to be burned. But one of the soldiers named Meliton was still alive, and the guards left him, but his mother took the body of her son, dragged him to the cart, and then put him next to the other martyrs. The bodies of the holy martyrs were then burned, and the remains of the bones were thrown into the water so that no one could collect them. Three days later, at night the holy martyrs appeared to the Bishop of Sebaste, blessed Peter, and ordered to collect their remains and put them to burial. The bishop, along with his assistants at night, collected the remains and buried them with all honors and prayers.
40 saints: holiday, signs. What can not be done
On this day, you should not be lazy, but it’s better to prepare well for the meeting of spring and appease it with your culinary pastries. On the feast of 40 saints, the signs are quite interesting and distinctive. It is believed that winter ends on this holiday, and spring comes. Very often this day coincides with the equinox. It is also called Sorochintsy, Magpies, Larks, because after winter wandering from the south migratory birds fly to us and bring spring with them. If we talk about signs, then on that day, gardeners can get an answer to when to start planting seedlings.
On the festival, 40 holy signs are mainly related to the weather. So, on this day you can judge the weather for the next 40 days. If it is frosty, then this weather will last another 40 days. If birds arrive, then this is to early heat. But if from the Meeting to the Magpies not a single rain fell, then the summer will be arid.
40 saints is a holiday that was previously celebrated like this: it was accepted that day to bake 40 rolls and cookies in the form of larks with spread wings. By tradition, they were distributed to children so that they would spring with fun and jokes. This is also done so that the bird in the household is healthy. On this day, girls who dream of marriage, cook forty dumplings and treat them guys.
In general, the Orthodox people love festivities and fun on this day. 40 Saints is a holiday that once again reminds us of how important faith is for each person and what torment true Christians are willing to endure for it.