For a long time the Orthodox Church decided to allocate days dedicated to the recollection of the most significant biblical events, as well as popularly revered saints and miraculous icons. They are called Orthodox holidays, in which, according to the catechism compiled by Metropolitan Filaret (Drozdov), all believers are obliged, abandoning their daily affairs, indulge in prayers and reading religious literature. In this article we will analyze what holidays according to the church calendar are provided for during the year. Let us dwell on what posts help believers to direct their thoughts to God.
The main Christian holiday
In the calendar of church holidays, the most honorable place is given to Easter, which is also called the Holy Sunday of Christ. This is explained by the significance that the event celebrated on this day has acquired for all world history. According to the testimonies of the holy evangelists, the son of God Jesus Christ, who was martyred on the cross and then resurrected from the dead, opened the way for people to the kingdom of heaven. Belief in the reality of what happened is the main Christian doctrine.
According to tradition, Easter is celebrated on the first Sunday following the spring full moon, but not earlier than the spring equinox. That is why its date changes annually in accordance with the lunar and solar cycles. The methodology for calculating the date related to each specific year is called Easter and is common to both the Alexandrian and Gregorian calendars. In 2018, this major church holiday falls on April 8th.
Rolling Orthodox Holidays
In their significance, Easter is followed by twelve holy days, three of which are transitional. They are associated with the annually changing date of Easter. The nine others are called intransient and are always marked on the same days. We begin the review with those church holidays in 2018 that annually change their date. To do this, we turn to the Orthodox calendar.
On the Sunday preceding Easter, according to the calendar of church holidays, the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem is celebrated. The people also call it Palm Sunday. According to the Gospel, on this day the Savior arrived in the capital of Judea, where he completed his earthly ministry and received the torment of the cross. In 2018, this holiday falls on April 1.
On the fortieth day after the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, his return to the throne of the heavenly father is celebrated. This holiday is called Ascension, and in 2018 it falls on May 17.
The Holy Trinity is a holiday established in honor of that great moment when, according to the prophecy of Jesus Christ, fifty days after his Sunday, the holy spirit rested on the apostles. It is also called Pentecost. They call him Trinity because on that day three divine hypostases were revealed to the world at once. According to the calendar of church Orthodox holidays for 2018, it is celebrated on May 27.
Christmas, Meeting of the Lord and the Annunciation
The remaining twelve holidays have fixed dates and are called eternal. There are nine of them. The second most important after Easter in the calendar of Orthodox church holidays is Christmas, celebrated annually on January 7. This celebration was established in honor of the earthly incarnation of the son of God Jesus Christ, immaculately conceived by the holy spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mary and born in Bethlehem.
Next on the calendar among church holidays and fasts is the Presentation of the Lord. On this holiday, Christians recall the day when baby Jesus was first brought into the temple. The word “meeting” from the Church Slavonic language is translated as “meeting”. This church holiday is celebrated on February 15th.
On April 7, the whole Orthodox world celebrates the day when the holy archangel Gabriel, appearing to the Virgin Mary, informed the good news that from her womb the son of God Jesus Christ was destined to be embodied in the world. The holiday established in honor of this event is called the Annunciation.
Transfiguration of the Lord, as well as the Assumption and the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin
The Holy Gospel tells of how, having ascended to Mount Tabor with his disciples and made a prayer there, the Lord was transformed, revealing to him his divine appearance. In memory of this significant day, a church holiday was established, celebrated annually on August 19.
Soon after - on August 28 - the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary comes. This is a recollection of the day when the Mother of God, completing the earthly journey, ascended into the heavenly chamber of her son Jesus Christ. The feast is preceded by the Assumption Lent, established in honor of the fact that the Mother of God herself led an ascetic lifestyle until the last day and prayed incessantly. The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary is the name of the holiday established in honor of the birth of the future mother of Jesus Christ - the Virgin Mary. It is celebrated on September 21.
Exaltation of the Cross, Introduction to the Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Baptism of the Lord
In the IV century, the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Queen Helen, going to Jerusalem, showed the world a cross, which once became the instrument of execution of the Savior. This event served as the basis of the holiday, celebrated on September 27 and called the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, or the Exaltation of the Cross.
Next comes the holiday, celebrated on December 4 and called the Introduction to the Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Its establishment is connected with the day when the mother and father of the Virgin Mary - Saints Joachim and Anna - dedicated her service to God.
On January 19 there is a celebration called the Baptism of the Lord. It is celebrated in honor of the great day when Jesus Christ was baptized in the waters of the Jordan River. This same holiday is called the Epiphany.
This concludes the list of twelve Orthodox holidays, each of which is a reminder of the most important events of sacred history. These days, it is customary to attend church and take part in a festive service.
Circumcision of the Lord and Nativity of John the Baptist
In addition to the above celebrations, the church calendar also provides for five holidays, which are classified as great and have a fixed date.
One of them is the Feast of the Circumcision of the Lord, established in honor of how, on the eighth day from birth, the baby Jesus was brought to the temple, where, according to Jewish tradition, the circumcision was performed on him. This event, celebrated on January 14, became a sign of the unity of the son of God with the people, among whom he was embodied in his earthly form.
The next great holiday falls on July 7th. This is the Nativity of John the Baptist. As you might guess, the holiday is based on the birth of St. John, the closest predecessor (forerunner) of Jesus Christ, who predicted the appearance of the Savior in the world and then performed a baptismal rite on it in the waters of the Jordan River.
Peter's Day and the Beheading of John the Baptist
Five days later, on July 12, Orthodox believers gather in churches to honor the service of the memory of the two supreme apostles Peter and Paul. These servants of God were honored with such a high title for the labors they put in the matter of spreading and affirming the faith of Christ on earth. In the people this holiday is known as Peter's Day.
Every year on September 11, services are held in all Orthodox churches, during which they recall the sad event of sacred history, which gave the name to this great holiday - the Beheading of the Head of John the Baptist. According to the testimonies of the holy evangelists Matthew, Mark and Luke (the Gospel of John does not say this), the baptist of our Lord Jesus Christ was beheaded at the behest of the wicked Herod - the ruler of Galilee.
Protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary
The last of the annual great holidays is the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, celebrated on October 14. Holy tradition tells how the Constantinople was captured by the Saracens on October 910, and when its inhabitants gathered in Vlacherna church, seeking salvation, the Queen of Heaven herself appeared and spread her omophorion over them. The enemies retreated, and the city was saved. The holiday established in memory of this event symbolizes the intercession of the supreme forces for all Orthodox people.
Great Lent
In addition to the church holidays, which were described above, the Orthodox calendar also prescribes a cycle of fasts, covering the whole year. In accordance with their duration, they are divided into one-day and multi-day. Let's start with the latter.
The longest and most rigorous is Lent. It includes two stages. The first of these is the Great Pentecost - forty days established in memory of how exactly during this time the Savior fasted in the wilderness. Then follows the Holy Week - the six days preceding Easter and dedicated to the memory of the last stage of the earthly life of Jesus Christ, which ended with the torment of death and death. Since Lent is associated with Easter, the dates of its beginning and end are changing. According to the calendar of church holidays and Lent 2018, it covers the period from February 19 to April 7.
Petrov Post and Uspensky
This is followed by the Post of Peter, preceding the feast of the holy chief apostles Peter and Paul (July 12). It begins on Monday, following the ninth Sunday after Easter, and ends on July 11. Thus, depending on the date of Easter, its duration can vary from 8 to 42 days. Every year from August 14 to 27, the Assumption Lent continues, established in honor of the great event of the sacred history - the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which became the end of the earthly life of the Virgin Mary.
Christmas post
And finally, the end of the calendar year is the Christmas Lent, which lasts from November 28 to January 6 and established in honor of the greatest event of sacred history - the incarnation of the earthly Virgin Mary, the son of God Jesus Christ, immaculately conceived in her womb by the power of the holy spirit. Like the Assumption Post, it has fixed dates for its beginning and end.
One day posts
Among the Orthodox church holidays and fasting, there are also separate days on which throughout the entire annual cycle (except for solid weeks, which will be discussed below), believers are required to abstain from food, marital relations and various kinds of entertainment. This is primarily Wednesday, because it was on this day of the week that the wicked Judas committed his betrayal, and the Fridays established in memory of the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ.
In addition, a one-day fast is prescribed to be observed on Epiphany Eve, preceding the feast of the Epiphany. In the people this day is also called the Epiphany of the Epiphany. The Christmas Eve got its name from a special meatless dish served on the table that day. It consists of scalded grains of rice, wheat or lentils with the addition of almond or poppy seed juice sweetened with honey.
One day fasting is also the Feast of the Beheading of John the Baptist. On this day, the martyrdom of the Lord’s forerunner is remembered, and abstinence is an expression of sadness and sorrow associated with this event.
And finally, we should remember another day in which believers renounce worldly joys. This is the feast of the Exaltation of the Cross, or the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, celebrated, as was said above, annually on September 27. This post is set as a sign of the great importance attached to this event.
Solid weeks
Concluding the conversation about which church holidays and fasting are provided for by the Orthodox calendar, it remains only to mention those times during which Wednesdays and Fridays are not fasting days. There are five of them in the year, and they are called solid weeks.
First of all, this is Christmas time, which lasts from the Nativity of Christ until the Baptism of the Lord and includes festivities and fortune-telling. In addition, fasting restrictions were abolished on the Week of the Publican and the Pharisee. It lasts from January 28 to February 3. All week is also the beloved Maslenitsa - the week preceding the beginning of Great Lent. However, meat food is already forbidden during this period, while milk, eggs and fish still remain on the tables.
Food restrictions were also completely abolished in the Bright Week - the first week after Easter. During all this time, Orthodox Christians are saturated enough after the end of Lent.
And finally, the last solid week, which is part of the annual cycle, begins on the day of the Holy Trinity and lasts for a week.