In the last summer month, many historical and religious events are celebrated, including the Orthodox holiday on August 24 - the martyr Evpatiy Kolovrat (Evpl). But the month is rich not only with significant dates, because from August 14 to August 27 the Assumption fast lasts, which all Orthodox Christians adhere to.
From the history
The martyr Archdeacon Euplus lived and served in Sicily in the city of Katana, during the reign of Diocletian and Maximian. He was a fearless preacher who did not part with the gospel, delivering his sermons about Christ to unenlightened pagans. He was not afraid of persecution and traveled through the cities.
During one of the Gospel readings, when Eupl communicated with the pagans surrounding him, he was captured and handed over to the local ruler, before whom the archdeacon, as a true Christian, exposed idolatry. Saint Euples was subjected to severe torment and, being seriously wounded, was imprisoned for seven days. All this time he did not stop praying, and the Lord, to help the martyr, created a life-giving spring of water right in prison so that he would not die of thirst.
At the end of the confinement, Euple was again brought before a judge, before whom the already strengthened and inspired archdeacon reaffirmed faith in Jesus Christ and fearlessly accused the ruler of the shed blood of innocent Christians. For this, the martyr was brutally executed by chopping off the head. He walked there with the gospel hanging from his neck. Eppl didn’t stop reading the Holy Scripture even in his last minutes of his life, and then many people accepted the faith in Christ. Orthodox Christians honor the memory of the martyr Archdeacon Evpl, an Orthodox holiday on August 24 in whose honor is celebrated by a solemn church service.
Folk tradition
According to popular tradition, Evpatiy Kolovrat devoted his life to the conversion of pagans to the Christian faith. He never parted with the gospel, explaining to the people its meaning. After the martyr's execution, August 24 was considered a terrible day. People said that a ghostly white horse roamed the swamps in search of his lost horseman. He rode all day, and at night tore graveyard graves, trying to find a master. And nobody managed to catch the white horse. People believed that on this day the souls of the innocently killed fly over cemeteries and swamps, like wandering lights .
On the day of Eupla, according to the folk calendar, it was customary to start knitting winter things. The Orthodox holiday on August 24 is the commemoration of the martyr Archdeacon Eupatius Kolovrat, who, until the last minute of his life, taught repentance and brought people faith in Christ.
Who is the birthday of August 24
Name days in August, Orthodox holidays in August are usually celebrated taking into account the Assumption Lent, which lasts from August 14 to August 27. The two-week fast is quite strict, so only fast food is allowed . The exception is the holiday on August 19 - the Transfiguration of the Lord, when it is allowed to eat fish.
The Orthodox holiday on August 24 is rich in name days: Vasily, Maria, Fedor, Alexander, Makar, Mark, Maxim, Martin.
Memorial Day of the Martyrs Theodore and Basil
We are talking about August 24th. What holiday is celebrated on this day by the Orthodox Church? On this day, the memory of the venerable martyrs Theodore and Basil (11th century), whose relics are located in the Near Caves of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra, is honored. Saint Theodore sacrificed his wealth to the needy and went to the monastery, where Saint Basil also stayed. In moments of despondency and sorrow, Vasily supported Theodore, preventing him from succumbing to demonic temptation, and helped free himself from passionate love of money. Theodore repented of sin, and since then they have become close friends.
When the demon again appeared under the guise of an angel and told where the values were buried so that he would leave the monastery and return to the world, his comrades buried the silver they found and even under torture did not reveal their secret to the reigning prince Mstislav.
Saints Theodore and Basil were tormented to death, and the prince himself pierced the last arrow. Dying, Vasily predicted death from the same arrow, and what was said was fulfilled in the Vladimir fortress during the internecine battle in 1099. Wounded in the chest, Mstislav said that he was dying for the venerable martyrs Theodore and Basil.
Who is customary to remember in August
The Orthodox holiday of August 24 is also the day when they remember with love and reverence the martyr Sosanne. Virgin Sosanna was a relative of the Pope, was brought up in piety and Christianity and preferred carnal marriage to serving God. For this, the persecutors of Christians brutally dealt with her, and the relics of Saint Sosanna are still in Rome.
August 24 (August 11 according to the old style) pay tribute to the memory of St. Theodore, Prince of Ostrog, resting in the Far Caves of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra. In 1386, the Ostrog District was assigned to him, and the prince earned fame not only for significant military feats, but primarily for the protection of Orthodoxy in Volyn. Leaving everything, at a fairly venerable age, the Monk Theodore took the tonsure and, with the name Theodosius, until his death (in 1483) served the Lord in prayers and fasting.
Assumption Post
On the last month of summer, not only church and orthodox holidays fall on August 24 and other dates, but also the day of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin of our Mother of God, an omen of which is a two-week strict fast.
It is also a preparation for a significant date. The name of the holiday comes from the word "falling asleep," because the Mother of God seemed to fall asleep for three days, after which she was resurrected by the will of the Lord and ascended to heaven.
Just like on August 24th, what holiday does without a special, solemn service in the Holy Russian Orthodox Church? It is simply impossible to imagine. The Orthodox calendar, holidays and fasts in August for which are marked with special dates, shows that the enduring holiday of the Assumption falls on August 28. And the last multi-day fast of the year is observed by all truly believing Orthodox people.
Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
After the death of Jesus Christ for many years (according to various sources, from 10 to 22 years), His Most Pure Mother was in Jerusalem, where she lived in the house of the Apostle John the Theologian, to whom Jesus entrusted her before His execution.
She often went to the places where Jesus was crucified, Jesus died and rose again. The Most Holy Theotokos prayed in tears, remembering the sufferings of the Son, and rejoiced at the place of His Ascension, asking that Christ would soon receive Her to Him. Having become a common Mother for all Christ's disciples, She spent time in prayers and instructive conversations. Even Christians from other countries came to see the Virgin and listen to Her words.
At the end of the earthly life of the Blessed Mary, the Lord Himself appeared to Her, accompanied by the angels of heaven, in order to receive Her pure soul. Leaving the earth, She told the apostles that she would always be a prayer book for them before God. And the Lord put His Most Holy Mother above His Angels.
The pure body of the Mother of God by Her will was buried in the cave of Gethsemane, next to the graves of Her parents and the righteous Joseph. And since then, many miracles have occurred at the burial place: diseases were healed, demons were expelled, and the blind were sighted from touching the bed of the Most Holy Theotokos. And today, we feel the invisible presence of the Mother of God, and in moments of grief and despair we ask her protection: “Blessed Virgin Mary, help us!”