Main holidays in Orthodoxy. Main Orthodox holidays

In Orthodoxy, there are twelve most significant holidays - these are 12 especially important events of the church calendar, in addition to the main holiday - the great event of Easter.

This number includes both moving holidays and holidays with a fixed date. The most important holiday and celebration of celebrations is the Resurrection of Christ (Easter). We have prepared a complete list of these holidays. The dates of non-moving holidays are indicated according to the Gregorian calendar.

Twelfth Immovable Holidays

This is the main event of the year for Orthodox Christians. The full church name of the holiday is the Bright Resurrection of Christ. The celebration is timed to coincide with the resurrection of Jesus Christ after the crucifixion.

The date of Easter is calculated according to the lunisolar calendar. The holiday is celebrated on the nearest Sunday after the first full moon, which occurs after the spring equinox. The date falls between April 4 and May 8.

- Sunday before Easter. The holiday is celebrated seven days before Easter, on the 6th Sunday of Lent.

Orthodox Christians most often call this event Palm Sunday and celebrate it when there is a week left before Easter. It is connected with the coming of Jesus to the holy city.

- celebrated on the 40th day after Easter.

Celebrated 40 days after Easter ends. Falls annually on the fourth day of the week. It is believed that at this moment Jesus appeared in the flesh to his heavenly Father, our Lord.

— The Holy Trinity is celebrated on the 50th day after Easter.

Falls on the 50th day after the end of Great Easter. 50 days after the resurrection of the Savior, the Holy Spirit descended on the Apostles.

Christian believers call Easter the holiday of holidays. At the heart of this main church is the legend of the miraculous resurrection of Jesus Christ, crucified on the cross by the verdict of the Jewish court-Sanhedrin. The idea of ​​resurrection is central, so the holiday in honor of this event is given a special role.

Easter is celebrated on the first day after the spring equinox and the full moon, provided that it should never coincide with the Jewish holiday. Thus, Easter is a “nomadic” holiday, falling on a different date every year.

Three other important twelve-day holidays are tied to Easter - the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem, the Ascension of the Lord and Trinity Day.
The Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem is also called Palm Sunday and is celebrated on the last Sunday before Easter. This holiday is based on the Gospel legend about how, before his martyrdom and resurrection, Jesus Christ arrived in Jerusalem, where the people, welcoming him, threw palm branches on the road in front of Jesus.

The Ascension of the Lord is celebrated on the 40th day after Easter. It is based on the Gospel legend about the ascension of Jesus Christ to heaven in the presence of his disciples.

In Rus', Trinity merged with the Slavic holiday of Semik, dedicated to the spirits of vegetation. This is where the custom came from decorating houses with greenery on Trinity Sunday and performing round dances around the birch tree.

The Feast of the Holy Trinity is based on the story of the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles on the 50th day after Easter. The Orthodox Church attaches special significance to this event and interprets it as Jesus’ covenant to bring the message of Christianity to all nations.

Impermanent Twelfth Holidays

According to the object of glorification, Orthodox holidays are divided into the Lord's holidays (associated with Jesus Christ) and the Theotokos (dedicated to the Most Holy Theotokos); the Christian Church also celebrates holidays in honor of saints.

There are a total of 9 twelve holidays that are not transferable, but assigned to specific dates. These include the Nativity of Christ, celebrated by the Orthodox Church on January 7; Epiphany of the Lord, celebrated on January 19; On February 15, Candlemas is celebrated; April 7 – Annunciation; On August 19, the Transfiguration of the Lord is celebrated; August 28 is the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and September 21 is the Nativity of the Mother of God; The Exaltation of the Holy Cross falls on September 27, and the Entry into the Temple of the Blessed Virgin Mary falls on December 4.

1-2. Conception Ave. Mother of God from Anna (December 9), Nativity Ave. Mother of God (September 8)
The righteous parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Joachim and Anna, were barren until old age. But they constantly prayed to God, asking to give them a child. The Lord heard their prayers, and Joachim and Anna had a Daughter, whom they named Mary, which means “lordship, mistress, hope.”
The Feast of the Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary existed in Byzantium already from the 8th century, and in the West it began to be celebrated from the 9th century.
The Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary was established at the end of the 5th - beginning of the 6th century in Jerusalem and was associated with the construction of the Church of the Mother of God on Probatik. In Rome, the tradition of celebrating this day appeared in the 7th century with the arrival of Byzantine monks in Rome who fled from the Arabs. Pope Sergius I (687-701) established the feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the calendar of the Roman Catholic Church.
They have been celebrated in the Armenian Church since the 13th century.

3. Introduction to the temple Ave. Mother of God
When the Blessed Virgin Mary was three years old, her parents took Her to the Jerusalem Temple. It seemed that baby Mary would not be able to climb the high staircase of 15 steps leading to the temple. But when She was placed on the first step, She quickly reached the top of the ladder, supported by the power of God. The high priest Zechariah, the future father of John the Baptist, led Mary into the Holy of Holies of the temple, where only the high priest had the right to enter only once a year - to offer a sacrifice. The introduction into the Holy of Holies was evidence of the highest destiny of the Virgin Mary to become the Mother of God.

Until the age of 15, the Most Pure Virgin lived at the temple in the company of pious virgins, reading the Holy Scriptures, doing handicrafts and constantly praying and growing in love for God.

The origin of the holiday was associated with the construction of the Temple of the Blessed Virgin Mary on the site of the old Jewish Temple by Emperor Justinian (527-565). the consecration of which took place on November 21, 543. When the temple became a Muslim mosque, the day of its consecration began to be celebrated throughout the Christian world as the Feast of the Entry into the Temple of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

In con. VII - beginning In the 8th century, this holiday began to be celebrated in Constantinople, from the 10th-11th centuries in the West, and from the 14th century it was included in the cycle of official holidays of the Roman Catholic Church.

The holiday has been celebrated in the Armenian Church since the 18th century.
The date of celebration in all Churches is November 21/December 4.

4. Annunciation Ave. Mother of God
This great holiday was established in memory of the announcement by Archangel Gabriel to the Blessed Virgin Mary of the good news of the birth of the Savior of the world from Her. Son of God. This event is told in the Gospel of Luke (1, 26-38).

In the ancient Church, when the feast of the Epiphany was not divided into separate holidays and was celebrated on January 6, the Annunciation was celebrated on the day of the forefeast. It is difficult to say when it became a separate holiday. Undoubtedly, the construction of the Church of St. played an important role in its selection. Helen, mother of Constantine the Great, in Nazareth, at the place where, according to legend, the angel appeared before Mary. The day of the consecration of this temple and the annual celebration of this day turned into a local holiday of the Annunciation, which from the beginning of the 7th century gradually spread to the entire Christian world.

The Armenian Church celebrates the Annunciation on April 7/20, and the Orthodox and Catholic Churches on March 25/April 7.

5. Dormition Ave. Mother of God
One of the five main holidays of the Armenian Church, which is celebrated on the Sunday closest to August 15 (from August 12 to 18). According to legend, shortly before the death of the Mother of God, all the apostles, without talking to each other, gathered together in Her house. At three o'clock in the afternoon, a bright Divine light suddenly shone in Her room and the Lord Jesus Christ Himself descended from heaven, surrounded by angels, and received the soul of His Most Holy Mother. The apostles buried her pure body in a cave and closed the entrance to it with a large stone.

On the third day, the Apostle Thomas appeared. The apostles decided to open the entrance to the cave so that Thomas could venerate the body of the deceased. When they rolled away the stone, the cave was empty.

The Feast of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary has been celebrated in Jerusalem on August 13 since the beginning of the 5th century. The place of celebration was a church built 3 miles from Jerusalem on the road to Bethlehem. Then the holiday began to be celebrated on August 15 in Gethsemane at the site of the grave of the Mother of God. In the 6th century, it spread to Syria; at the end of the century, Emperor Mauritius ordered the celebration of the Dormition of the Mother of God throughout the empire, and in the 7th century, the holiday was already celebrated in the West.

6. Finding an honest belt Ave. Mother of God
During the reign of the Byzantine emperor Arcadius (395-408), the belt of the Blessed Virgin Mary was found in Jerusalem. A new church was built in Constantinople, in which the Holy Belt of the Mother of God was placed for the worship of believers and the holiday was established on August 31.

In ancient times, some compilers of calendars of the Armenian Church, speaking about this holiday, noted:

“If you want to celebrate, celebrate,” and Catholicos Simeon Yerevantsi (1763-1780) made the holiday obligatory and set the date of celebration for Sunday in the period from August 26 to September 1.

7. Finding incense Pr. Mother of God
In the 5th century Two pilgrims, on their way to Jerusalem, were passing through Galilee and saw a crowd near the house of a Jewish woman. When they entered the house, they saw an incense burner with a robe. According to the owner, it belonged to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Having made an exact copy, the pilgrims replaced the incense, and took the real one to Constantinople and gave it to the Patriarch, who placed it in the Church of the Most Holy Theotokos and approved the feast of the Finding of the Virgin's incense on June 2.

In the Armenian Church, the holiday became obligatory according to the approval of Catholicos Simeon Yerevantsi, who appointed the celebration for the 5th Sunday after Pentecost.

The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary is celebrated by the Orthodox Church on September 21st according to the new style. The Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary was established by the Church in ancient times; the first mention of it dates back to the 4th century.

Holy Scripture says almost nothing about the birth and circumstances of the childhood of the Most Holy Theotokos; church Tradition has preserved news of this for us.

In the Galilean city of Nazareth, a descendant of King David, Joachim, lived with his wife Anna. The entire life of the couple was imbued with love for God and people. Until they were very old, they did not have children, although they constantly prayed to God to give them a child. Childlessness in Old Testament times was considered a punishment from God, therefore Joachim, as a person displeasing to God, was not even allowed to make sacrifices in the temple. Righteous Anna also suffered reproach (shame) for her barrenness. The couple made a vow: if they had a baby, they would dedicate it to God. For their patience, great faith and love for God and each other, the Lord sent Joachim and Anna great joy - at the end of their lives they had a daughter. At the direction of the angel of God, the girl was named Mary.

The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary is the first fixed feast of the annual liturgical cycle. This is explained, first of all, by the spiritual significance of this event: with the birth of the Most Holy Theotokos, the Incarnation and salvation of people became possible - the Virgin was born, worthy of becoming the Mother of the Savior. Therefore, according to the expression of church hymns, the birth of the Virgin Mary became joy for the whole world.

Troparion of the holiday: Thy Nativity, O Virgin Mother of God, joy was proclaimed (announced) to the whole universe: from Thee has risen (because from Thee has risen) the Sun of righteousness, Christ our God, and having destroyed the oath, He gave (gave) a blessing, and having abolished death, the gift of ( gave) us eternal life.

Kontakion of the holiday: Joachim and Anna were freed from the reproach of childlessness (reproach for childlessness), and Adam and Eve were freed (freed) from mortal aphids (destruction, destruction as a result of death), Most Pure One, in Thy holy Nativity. Then Thy people also celebrate the guilt of sins (the burden of sin), having been delivered (having been delivered), always calling upon Thee (exclaiming to Thee): the barren (barren) gives birth to the Mother of God and the nourisher of our life.

Introduction to the Temple of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The Entry into the Temple of the Blessed Virgin Mary is celebrated by the Orthodox Church on December 4th. The exact date of the establishment of the feast of the Entry into the Temple of the Blessed Virgin Mary is unknown, but already in the 8th–9th centuries the holiday was celebrated in many Churches of the Orthodox East.

Church tradition reports that in fulfillment of the vow made by the parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary to dedicate the child to God, at the age of three the Blessed Virgin was taken to the Temple of Jerusalem. On the way to the temple, She was preceded by young maidens with lamps. There were 15 large steps in front of the temple entrance. The parents placed young Mary on the first of these steps, and at that moment a miraculous event happened: alone, not supported by adults, She climbed the high, steep steps.

The High Priest met the Most Pure Virgin and, by the inspiration of God, did an unusual thing that surprised everyone: having blessed the Virgin, He led Her into the Holy of Holies. According to the law, it was allowed to enter this part of the temple only once a year and only to the high priest. The extraordinary introduction of the Blessed Virgin into the temple shows that She herself will become a living temple for God the Word.

The Virgin Mary lived and was raised at the temple until she was fourteen years old - the age of majority.

Troparion of the holiday: Today (now) the favor of God is the transfiguration (foreshadowing), and the preaching of the salvation of people (sermon about the salvation of people): in the temple of God the Virgin clearly appears and announces Christ to everyone. That we too will cry out loudly (we will cry out loudly); Rejoice, fulfillment of the Creator’s vision (fulfillment of the Divine plan for us)!

Kontakion of the Feast: The Most Pure Temple of the Savior, the valuable Chamber and the Virgin, the sacred Treasure of the glory of God, is today introduced into the house of the Lord, sharing the grace that is in the Divine Spirit (carrying with Him grace in the Divine Spirit), and the Angels of God sing (It) The village is heavenly.

Nativity

The great event of the Nativity of Christ is celebrated by the Church on January 7 (new style). The establishment of the celebration of the Nativity of Christ dates back to the 1st century of Christianity.

The circumstances of the birth of the Savior are told in the Gospel of Matthew (chap. 1–2) and the Gospel of Luke (chap. 2).

During the reign of Emperor Augustus in Rome, a nationwide census was carried out in Judea, as one of the Roman provinces. Every Jew had to go to the city where his ancestors lived and enroll there. Joseph and the Virgin Mary came from the family of David and therefore went from Nazareth to the city of David, Bethlehem. Arriving in Bethlehem, they could not find a place for themselves in an inn and stopped outside the city, in a cave where shepherds drove their cattle in inclement weather. In this cave at night, the Son of the Savior of the world was born to the Blessed Virgin Mary. She swaddled the Divine Child and placed Him in a manger, where the shepherds put food for the livestock.

The Bethlehem shepherds were the first to learn about the birth of the Savior. That night they grazed their flocks in the field. Suddenly an angel appeared before them and said to them: “Do not be afraid! I proclaim to you great joy, which will be not only for you, but also for all people: today a Savior has been born in the city of David (that is, Bethlehem), who is Christ the Lord. And here is a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.” At the same time, a numerous heavenly army appeared with the angel, glorifying God and crying: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men” (Luke 2.8-14). The shepherds, hastening, came to the cave and saw Mary, Joseph and the Baby lying in a manger. They bowed to the Baby and told about what they had seen and heard from the Angels. Mary kept all their words in Her heart.

On the eighth day after the birth of the Child, His Mother and Joseph, according to the law, gave Him the name Jesus, as indicated by the angel.

Joseph and the Most Holy Mother of God with the Infant Jesus were still remaining in Bethlehem, when the Magi (scientists, wise men) came to Jerusalem from a distant country in the east. They bowed to the Child and presented Him with gifts: gold, incense and myrrh (precious fragrant oil). All the gifts of the Magi are symbolic: they brought gold to Christ as the King (in the form of tribute), incense - as to God (because incense is used during worship), and myrrh - as to a Man who was about to die (because at that time the dead were anointed and rubbed with fragrant oils). Tradition has preserved the names of the Magi, who later became Christians: Melchior, Gaspar and Belshazzar.

In the Incarnation, God's love and mercy for sinful people was revealed. The Son of God humbled Himself, humbled Himself, put aside the greatness and glory inherent in Him as God, and accepted the living conditions of fallen humanity. Sin once made people enemies of God. And so God Himself became Man in order to renew human nature, deliver people from the power of sin and reconcile them with Himself.

Believers prepare for the worthy celebration of the Nativity of Christ by fasting for forty days. A particularly strict fast is held on the day before Christmas - it is called Christmas Eve; on this day, according to the Church Charter, it is supposed to eat sochivo (wheat with honey).

Troparion of the holiday: Thy Nativity, Christ our God, has risen up the worldly light of reason (enlightened the world with the light of the knowledge of the true God): in it (through the Nativity of Christ) those serving the stars (the Magi) learned by the star (were taught by the star) to bow to Thee, the Sun of Truth, and Lead to You, from the heights of the East (to know You, East from above), Lord, glory to You!

Kontakion of the holiday: The Virgin today gives birth to the Most Essential (Eternally Existing) One, and the earth brings a den to the Unapproachable One, Angels and shepherds praise, and the Magi (magi) travel with the star: for for our sake, a young youth (little Youth), the Eternal God, was born.

Epiphany or Epiphany

The Baptism of our Lord Jesus Christ is celebrated by the Holy Orthodox Church on January 19th. Until the 4th century, Epiphany was celebrated by Christians simultaneously with the Nativity of Christ; this single holiday was called Epiphany.

The circumstances of the Baptism of the Lord are described in all four Gospels (Matt. 3.13–17; Mark 1.9–11; Luke 3.21–23; John 1.33–34).

At the time when Saint John the Baptist preached, called the people to repentance and baptized, Jesus Christ turned thirty years old, and He, like other Jews, came from Nazareth to the Jordan to John the Baptist to be baptized. John considered himself unworthy to baptize Jesus Christ and began to restrain Him, saying: “I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me? But Jesus answered him: leave me now (that is, do not hold me back now) because this is how we need to fulfill all righteousness” (Matthew 3.14-15). “To fulfill all righteousness” means to fulfill everything required by the Law of God and to show people an example of doing the will of God. After these words, John obeyed and baptized the Lord Jesus Christ.

After the baptism was performed, when Jesus Christ came out of the water, the heavens suddenly opened up (opened) above Him; and Saint John saw the Spirit of God, who in the form of a dove descended on Jesus, and from heaven the voice of God the Father was heard: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3.17).

After Baptism, Jesus Christ went out to public service and preaching.

The Baptism of the Lord was a harbinger of the church Sacrament of Baptism. Jesus Christ, by His life, Death and Resurrection, opened the Kingdom of God for people, into which a person cannot enter without Baptism, that is, birth of water and the Spirit (Matthew 28.19–20; John 3.5).

The Feast of Epiphany is called Epiphany, since at this moment God revealed (showed) people that He is the Most Holy Trinity: God the Father spoke from heaven, God the Son incarnate was baptized, and God the Holy Spirit descended in the form of a dove.

The special feature of this holiday is two great blessings of water. The first happens on the eve of the holiday (on Christmas Eve), and the other happens on the very feast of the Epiphany. In ancient times, on the day of Epiphany, Jerusalem Christians went to the Jordan River to bless water - a place especially associated with the Baptism of the Savior. In this regard, in Rus', the Epiphany procession is called the procession “to the Jordan”.

Troparion of the holiday: In the Jordan I am baptized to You, O Lord, (when You were baptized in the Jordan) Trinity adoration appeared (then the mystery of the Holy Trinity was revealed on earth with particular clarity). For the voice of the parents (the voice of God the Father) testified to You (testified of You), calling Your Son beloved (calling You beloved Son), and the Spirit, in the form of a dove (in the form of a dove), informed your word statement (confirmed the testimony of God the Father) . Christ God has appeared (appeared), and the world has enlightened (enlightened), glory to Thee.

Kontakion of the holiday: Thou hast appeared this day (now) to the universe, and Thy light, O Lord, has been marked (imprinted) on us, in the mind (reasonably) singing Thee: Thou hast come, and Thou hast appeared, the Unapproachable Light.

Candlemas

The Presentation of the Lord is celebrated by the Church on February 15th. This holiday has been known in the Christian East since the 4th century.

The circumstances of this event are described in the Gospel of Luke (Luke 2.22–39). The word "meeting" means "meeting."

Forty days passed after the Nativity of Christ, and the Most Holy Theotokos, together with righteous Joseph, brought the Infant Jesus to the Jerusalem Temple to fulfill the Law of Moses. According to the Law, every first-born male must be brought to the temple on the fortieth day to be dedicated to God (if it is the first-born from the tribe of Levi, he was left at the temple for upbringing and future service; parents bought the first-born from other tribes for five coins). On the fortieth day after giving birth, the mother of the baby had to make sacrifices for purification (women from poor families usually brought two pigeon chicks).

In the temple, the Baby was met by the elder Simeon, who came there at the inspiration of the Spirit of God, and the prophetess Anna, who lived at the temple.

Righteous Simeon, to whom God promised that he would not die until he saw the fulfillment of the Old Testament promises about the Savior of the world, took the Baby in his arms and recognized the Messiah in Him. At this moment, Simeon the God-Receiver, turning to Christ, uttered prophetic words: “Now you are releasing Your servant, O Master, according to Your word in peace: for my eyes have seen Your salvation, which You have prepared before the face of all people, a light for the revelation of tongues and the glory of people. of your Israel." (Luke 2.29–32).

The righteous elder predicted to the Blessed Virgin Mary the heartache that She had to endure, compassionate with Her Divine Son in the feat of His earthly life and death on the Cross.

After this meeting, Anna the prophetess announced to all of Jerusalem about the birth of the Savior.

Troparion: Rejoice, blessed Virgin Mary, for from You has risen the Sun of Truth, Christ our God, enlightening those who are in darkness (enlightening those in the darkness of error): rejoice and you, the righteous elder, are received into the arms of the Liberator of our souls, who gives us resurrection.

Kontakion: You sanctified the womb of the Maiden with Your birth, and blessed the hand of Simeon, as befitting, having preceded (as it should have been, having warned him), and now You have saved us, O Christ God, but pacify the life in battle (pacify discord) and strengthen the people (whom ) you have loved, O One who loves mankind.

Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary is celebrated by the Orthodox Church on April 7th. The first mention of the celebration of the Annunciation dates back to the 3rd century.

The circumstances of the Annunciation are described in the Gospel of Luke (Luke 1.26–38).

When the time predetermined by the Creator arrived, the Archangel Gabriel was sent to the Blessed Virgin with the good news of the imminent birth of the Son, who will be the Son of the Most High and will be called Jesus. Mary asked how all this could be fulfilled if She remained a virgin? The angel answered Her: “The Holy Spirit will come upon You, and the power of the Most High will overshadow You; therefore the Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God” (Luke 1.35). Obedient to the will of God, the Virgin listened to the messenger with meekness and said: “Behold, the Servant of the Lord; Let it be done to me according to your word" (Luke 1.38).

God could not accomplish the salvation of man without the consent and participation of man himself. In the person of the Blessed Virgin Mary, who agreed to become the Mother of Jesus Christ, all creation responded with consent to the divine call to salvation.

The Day of the Annunciation is the day of the Incarnation: in the womb of the Most Pure and Immaculate Virgin, God the Son took on human flesh. The chants of this holiday emphasize the incomprehensibility of the mystery of the incarnation and birth in the flesh of the Lord Jesus Christ for the human mind.

Troparion of the holiday: The day of our salvation is the main thing (now is the beginning of our salvation), and the manifestation of the sacrament from the ages (and the manifestation of the mystery predetermined from the ages): the Son of God is the Son of the Virgin (the Son of God becomes the Son of the Virgin), and Gabriel preaches grace. In the same way, we will cry out to the Mother of God (exclaim): Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with you.

Kontakion of the holiday: To the chosen victorious Voivode (To You, the chosen Military Leader), as having got rid of the evil (having gotten rid of troubles), we sing thanksgiving to You (we sing a song of gratitude and victory to You) Thy servants, Mother of God, but as (as) having an invincible power, from all Free us from troubles, let us call You: Rejoice, Unbrided Bride.

Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem

The first mention of the celebration of the Entry into Jerusalem by the Christian Church dates back to the 3rd century.

This event is described by all four evangelists (Matt. 21.1–11; Mark 11.1–11; Luke 19.29–44; John 12.12–19).

This holiday is dedicated to the memory of the solemn Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem, where the Lord entered to suffer and die on the cross. Six days before the Jewish Passover, Jesus Christ made a solemn entry into Jerusalem to show that He is the true King and goes to death voluntarily. Approaching Jerusalem, Jesus Christ sent two of His disciples to bring Him a donkey and a colt, which no one had ever sat on. The disciples went and did as the Teacher commanded them. They covered the donkey with their clothes, and Jesus Christ sat on it.

In Jerusalem they learned that Jesus, who raised four-day-old Lazarus, was approaching the city. Many people, gathered from everywhere for the Easter holiday, came out to meet Him. Many took off their outer garments and spread them for Him along the way; others cut palm branches, carried them in their hands and covered the path with them. And all the people who accompanied and met Him exclaimed in joy: “Hosanna (salvation) to the Son of David! blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord (i.e., worthy of praise, coming in the name of the Lord, sent by God) the King of Israel! Hosanna in the highest! (Matthew 21.9)

After the solemn entry into the city, Jesus Christ came to the Temple of Jerusalem and drove out all those who were selling and buying. At the same time, the blind and lame surrounded Christ, and He healed them all. The people, seeing the power of Jesus Christ and the miracles He performed, began to glorify Him even more. The high priests, scribes and elders of the people were jealous of the people’s love for Christ and looked for an opportunity to destroy Him, but did not find it, because all the people persistently listened to Him.

Passion Week begins at the Entrance to Jerusalem. The Lord comes to Jerusalem by His will, knowing that he is going to suffer.

The solemn entry of the Lord into Jerusalem is celebrated by the Church on the last Sunday before Easter. This holiday is also called Palm Sunday or Vai week (in the Church Slavonic language “vai” is a branch, “week” is a Sunday day). During the all-night vigil in the church, the branches are consecrated (in some countries - palm branches, in Russia - flowering willow branches). The branches are a symbol of Christ's victory over death and a reminder of the future general resurrection of the dead.

Troparion of the holiday: Before Your Passion, assuring us of the General Resurrection (before Your Passion, assuring us that there will be a General Resurrection), You raised (resurrected) Lazarus from the dead, O Christ our God. In the same way, we, like youths (like children), bearing signs of victory (carrying branches as a sign of the victory of life over death), to You, the Conqueror of death, we cry (exclaim): Hosanna in the highest, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!

Kontakion: On the throne in heaven (seated on the throne in heaven), carried on the earth by lots (and on earth walking on a colt), O Christ God, the praise of angels, and the chanting of children, you received (accepted) those calling to You: blessed Thou shalt call forth Adam to come!

Easter – Holy Resurrection of Christ

Easter is the oldest holiday of the Christian Church. It was established and celebrated already in the 1st century, during the life of the holy apostles.

The Holy Scriptures do not describe the Resurrection of Christ itself, but numerous testimonies about the appearances of the Risen Christ to the disciples (Matthew 28.1–15; Mark 16.1–11; Luke 24.1–12; John 20.1–18). Sacred Tradition says that the Most Holy Theotokos was the first to know the news of the Resurrection of Christ.

The Gospels tell us that on the third day after the Crucifixion, the Myrrh-Bearing Women went to the cave in which Jesus was buried to complete the burial rite. Approaching the coffin, they saw that the huge stone that covered the entrance to the cave had been rolled away. Then they saw an Angel who told them that Christ was no longer among the dead, He had risen.

A little later, the Lord Himself appeared to Mary Magdalene, and then to the other Myrrh-Bearing Women. On the same day, the Risen Lord appeared to the Apostle Peter, then to the two apostles going to Emmaus, then, passing through closed doors, to the eleven apostles who were staying together.

Among the annual holidays, the Resurrection of Christ is the greatest and most joyful; it is “the holiday of the holidays and the triumph of celebrations.”

Another name for the holiday is Easter. This holiday received this name in relation to the Old Testament Easter (from the word “passover” - “passing, passing by”). Among the Jews, this holiday was established in honor of the deliverance of the Jewish firstborn from death during the tenth Egyptian plague. An angel passed by Jewish houses as their doors were anointed with the blood of a sacrificial lamb. In the Christian Church, this name (Easter) acquired a special meaning and began to mean the transition from death to life, from earth to heaven, which became possible for believers thanks to the Sacrifice of Christ.

The Holy Resurrection of Christ is celebrated by the Orthodox Church on the first Sunday after the spring full moon, always after Jewish Easter. Christians prepare for this holiday during a long and especially strict Lent.

The festive service is celebrated with special solemnity. Long before midnight, believers come to the temple and listen to the reading of the book of the Acts of the Holy Apostles. Before midnight, the Easter procession leaves the church and goes around it accompanied by quiet singing: “Thy Resurrection, O Christ the Savior, the angels sing in heaven, and grant us on earth with a pure heart to glorify Thee.” All those praying walk with lighted candles, just as once upon a time the Myrrh-Bearing Women with lamps walked early in the morning to the tomb of the Savior.

The procession stops at the closed western gates of the temple, as if at the doors of the tomb of Christ. And here the priest, like the angel who announced the myrrh-bearing women about the Resurrection of Christ, is the first to proclaim victory over death: “Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death and giving life to those in the tombs.” This troparion is often repeated at the Easter service, as well as the exclamations of the clergy: “Christ is Risen!”, to which the people respond: “Truly He is Risen!”

The solemn celebration of the Resurrection of Christ continues for a whole week, called Bright Week. These days, Christians greet each other with the words: “Christ is Risen!” and the response words: “Truly He is Risen!” At Easter there is a custom of exchanging painted (red) eggs, which serve as a symbol of the new, blissful life revealed from the Savior’s tomb.

Church services preserve the Easter mood in believers even after Bright Week - Easter hymns are sung in churches until Easter and the Ascension of Christ. During the liturgical year, every seventh day of the week is also dedicated to the celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, which is therefore called Little Easter.

Troparion: Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death (having conquered) and giving life to those in the tombs (giving life to those in the tombs, i.e., the dead).

Kontakion: Even though You descended into the grave, Immortal, (even though You descended into the grave, Immortal), You destroyed the power of hell and resurrected You, like a conqueror, O Christ God, Who told the myrrh-bearing women: Rejoice! and by Thy apostle grant (bestow) peace, grant (give) resurrection to the fallen.

Ascension of the Lord

The Ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ is celebrated by the Orthodox Church on the fortieth day after Easter.

The establishment of the Feast of the Ascension of the Lord dates back to ancient times and refers to holidays that, like Easter and Pentecost, were established by the apostles themselves.

The Ascension of the Lord is described in the Gospel (Mark 16.9–20; Luke 24.36–53) and in the book of Acts of the Holy Apostles (Acts 1.1–12).

On the fortieth day after the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, the disciples gathered in one house. Jesus Christ appeared to them and talked with them, saying: “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day; and repentance and forgiveness of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses to this (Luke 24.46–48). Go into all the world and preach the Gospel (that is, the news of the Resurrection of Christ and the teaching of Christ) to every creature” (Mark 16.15). Then the Savior told the disciples that he would soon send them the Holy Spirit; Until this time, the disciples were not supposed to leave Jerusalem. Talking with his disciples, the Savior went out with the apostles to the Mount of Olives. There He blessed the disciples and, as He blessed them, began to move away from them and ascend into heaven, and soon a cloud hid Christ from the eyes of the apostles.

Having ascended, the God-man Jesus Christ sat at the right hand of God the Father. Sitting “at the right hand,” i.e., “on the right, on the right hand,” means special honor, special glory. The Ascension of Christ into heaven shows the purpose of human life: union with God and life in the glory of the Kingdom of God. It is important that not only the soul, but also the human body participates in this glory. In the Ascension of Christ, human nature was planted at the right hand of the glory of God, that is, glorified.

The angels who appeared to the disciples immediately after the Ascension comforted the apostles, amazed and saddened by the new separation from the Teacher, reminding them that the Lord would come again - in the same way as he ascended to heaven.

After His Ascension into heaven, Christ the Savior did not abandon the believers. He invisibly and inseparably abides in the Church.

Troparion: Thou art ascended in glory, O Christ our God, having created joy as a disciple, by the promise of the Holy Spirit, by the former blessing communicated to them, for Thou art the Son of God, the deliverer of the world (when through Thy blessing they were completely convinced that Thou art the Son of God, the Redeemer of the world) .

Kontakion: Having fulfilled your concern for us (fulfilling the plan for our salvation), and having united those on earth (earthly) with the heavenly, you ascended in glory, Christ our God, in no way departing, but remaining persistent (not leaving those living on earth, but remaining inseparably with them), and crying out (calling out) to those who love Thee: I am with you, and no one is against you (no one is against you)!

Pentecost

The descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles is celebrated by the Orthodox Church on the fiftieth day after Easter.

The holiday in memory of the event of the descent of the Holy Spirit was established by the apostles. They celebrated it annually and commanded all Christians to especially honor this day (Acts 2.14, 23).

On the fiftieth day after the Resurrection of Christ, all the apostles, together with the Mother of God and other disciples, unanimously remained in prayer and were in the same upper room in Jerusalem. Suddenly a sound came from heaven, as if from a rushing strong wind, and filled the whole house where the disciples of Christ were. Tongues of fire appeared and rested (stopped) one on each of them. Everyone was filled with the Holy Spirit and began to glorify God in different languages ​​that they did not know before.

The Jews then had the great holiday of Pentecost in memory of the giving of the Sinai legislation (the establishment of the Covenant between God and the people). On the occasion of the holiday, many Jews gathered in Jerusalem, coming from different countries. Hearing the noise, a huge crowd gathered near the house where the disciples of Christ were. All the people were amazed and asked each other: “Are not these all Galileans who speak? How do we each hear our own dialect in which we were born... do we hear them speaking in our own languages ​​about the great deeds of God? (Acts 2.7-11) And some said in bewilderment: “They were drunk with sweet wine” (Acts 2.13).

Then the Apostle Peter, standing up, said that the apostles were not drunk, but that the Old Testament prophecy about the granting of the gifts of the Holy Spirit to all believers was fulfilled. The Holy Spirit was sent to the apostles by the Risen and Ascended Jesus Christ. Peter's sermon had such an effect on those who heard it that many believed in the Lord Jesus as the Messiah and Son of God. Peter then called on them to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, so that they too could receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:36–37). Those who believed in Christ willingly accepted baptism; there were about three thousand of them that day.

The Feast of Pentecost is called the birthday of the Church. From the day of the descent of the Holy Spirit, the Christian faith began to spread rapidly, the number of believers increased day by day. The apostles boldly preached to everyone about Jesus Christ, the Son of God, about His suffering for us and the resurrection from the dead. The Lord helped them with numerous miracles that were performed by the apostles in the name of Jesus Christ. To perform the Sacraments and preach, the apostles appointed bishops, presbyters and deacons. The grace of the Holy Spirit, clearly taught to the apostles in the form of tongues of fire, is now given invisibly in the Orthodox Church - in the holy Sacraments through bishops and priests who are the direct successors of the apostles.

The Day of Pentecost is also called the Day of the Holy Trinity, sometimes simply - the Trinity. On this day, the Third Person of the Holy Trinity openly revealed Himself - the Holy Spirit, who created the Body of the Church of Christ, poured out His gifts on Christians and united with them forever. The day after Pentecost is dedicated to the special glorification of the Holy Spirit and is called the Spiritual Day.

The doctrine of the Holy Trinity has a deep moral meaning for believers. God is Love, on the day of Pentecost, divine love was poured into the hearts of believers by the Holy Spirit. The service for the Feast of the Holy Trinity teaches Christians to live in such a way that in their mutual relationships a grace-filled unity in love is realized, the image of which is shown by the Persons of the Most Holy Trinity.

Troparion: Blessed art thou, O Christ our God, who are wise fishermen of things (who made wise fishermen), sending down upon them the Holy Spirit, and with them caught (attracted to faith) the universe (the whole world): Lover of mankind, glory to Thee.

Kontakion: When the Most High descended (when the Most High descended during the construction of the Tower of Babel and mixed languages), dividing the languages ​​(peoples), He divided the nations; When He distributed the fiery tongues into unity, we all called (when He distributed the fiery tongues, He called everyone to unite), and accordingly we glorify the All-Holy Spirit.

Transfiguration

The Transfiguration of the Lord Jesus Christ is celebrated on August 19th. The holiday was established no later than the 4th century.

The event of the Transfiguration of the Lord is described by the evangelists Matthew and Luke (Matthew 17.1–13; Luke 9.28–36) and the Apostle Peter (2 Pet. 1.16–18).

Shortly before His suffering, Jesus Christ took three disciples - Peter, James and John, and went up with them to a high mountain to pray. According to legend, this was Mount Tabor. While the Savior was praying, the disciples fell asleep from fatigue. When they woke up, they saw that Jesus Christ had been transformed: His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became white and shining. At this time, two Old Testament prophets appeared on the mountain - Moses and Elijah. They talked with Christ about the suffering and death that He had to endure in Jerusalem.

At this, extraordinary joy filled the hearts of the disciples. Peter exclaimed with feeling: “Lord! It’s good for us to be here; If you want, we will make three tabernacles (that is, tents) here: one for You, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” Suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and they heard from the cloud the voice of God the Father: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; Listen to him! (Luke 9.33–35) The disciples fell to the ground in fear. Jesus Christ came up to them, touched them and said: “Rise up and do not be afraid.” The disciples stood up and saw Jesus Christ in his usual form. When they came down from the mountain, Jesus Christ commanded not to tell anyone about what they saw until He rose from the dead.

On Mount Tabor, the Lord Jesus Christ, having been transformed, showed the glory of His Divinity. God opened the eyes of the apostles, and they were able to see the real greatness of their Divine Teacher, as far as a person can see it. Having become witnesses of the Transfiguration, the apostles during Holy Week had to understand that the Lord, who has divine power and authority, suffers and dies according to His will.

Troparion: Thou art transfigured on the mountain, O Christ God, showing Thy glory to Thy disciples, as unto men (as far as they could see it). May Your ever-present light shine upon us sinners too, through the prayers of the Mother of God, Light-Giver, glory to You!

Kontakion: You were transfigured on the mountain, and as the host of your disciples (as far as your disciples were able to contain), they saw your glory, O Christ God: so that when (so that when) they see you crucified, they will understand the suffering freely, peace ( to the world) they preach that You are truly the Father’s radiance.

Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The Dormition of our Most Holy Lady Theotokos is celebrated by the Orthodox Church on August 28. The first mention of Christians celebrating the Dormition of the Mother of God dates back to the 4th century.

The Gospel says nothing about the earthly life of the Mother of God after the Ascension of the Savior. Information about Her last days was preserved by Church Tradition.

The Apostle John the Theologian, according to the will of the Lord Jesus Christ, took the Mother of God into his home and took care of Her until Her death. The Blessed Virgin Mary enjoyed general reverence in the Christian community. She prayed with Christ's disciples and talked with them about the Savior. Many Christians came from far away, from other countries, to see and listen to the Blessed Virgin.

Until the persecution brought by Herod Antipas against the Church, the Most Pure Virgin remained in Jerusalem, then moved with the Apostle John the Theologian to Ephesus. While living here, She visited the righteous Lazarus in Cyprus and Mount Athos, which she blessed as Her destiny. Shortly before her death, the Mother of God returned to Jerusalem.

Here, the Ever-Virgin often stayed in those places with which the most important events in the life of Her Divine Son were connected: Bethlehem, Golgotha, the Holy Sepulcher, Gethsemane, the Mount of Olives - there She prayed earnestly, again and again experiencing the events with which they were associated. The Most Holy Theotokos often prayed that Christ would quickly take Her to Himself into heaven.

One day, when the Most Holy Mary was praying like this on the Mount of Olives, the Archangel Gabriel appeared to Her and announced that in three days Her earthly life would end and the Lord would take Her to Himself. The Most Holy Mother of God was incredibly happy about this news; She told the Apostle John about her and began to prepare for her death. There were no other apostles in Jerusalem at that time; they went to different countries to preach about the Savior. The Mother of God wanted to say goodbye to them, and the Lord miraculously gathered all the apostles to Her, except Thomas. The Mother of God consoled the disciples, promising not to abandon them and all Christians after Her death and to always pray for them.

At the hour of her death, an extraordinary light illuminated the room where the Mother of God lay; The Lord Jesus Christ Himself, surrounded by angels, appeared and received Her most pure soul.

The solemn transfer of the Most Pure Body from Jerusalem to Gethsemane began. Peter, Paul and James, together with the other apostles, accompanied by a multitude of people, carried the bed of the Mother of God on their shoulders. The sick received healing from Her fragrant body.

The Jewish high priests sent their servants to disperse the procession, kill the apostles and burn the body of the Mother of God, but the angels struck the blasphemers with blindness. The Jewish priest Athos, who tried to overturn the bed of the Mother of God, was punished by an angel who cut off his hands, and received healing only after sincere repentance. Those who were blind also repented and received their sight.

Three days after the burial of the Mother of God, the late Apostle Thomas arrived in Jerusalem. He was very upset that he did not have time to say goodbye to Her. The apostles, who themselves were in sadness, opened the coffin to give Thomas the opportunity to say goodbye to the Mother of God. Great was their amazement when they did not find the body of the Mother of God in the cave.

The apostles' concerns about the fate of the body of the Most Pure Virgin Mary were soon resolved: during evening prayer they heard angelic singing and, looking up, saw the Mother of God in the radiance of heavenly glory, surrounded by angels. She said to the apostles: “Rejoice! I am with you all the days." This is how the Lord Jesus Christ glorified His Mother: He raised Her up before all people and took Her to Heaven with Her most holy body.

The Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos is a holiday colored at the same time by sadness about the end of Her life's journey and joy about the union of the Most Pure Mother with the Son. On the day of the blessed death of the Mother of God, all humanity found a Prayer Book and Heavenly Intercessor, an Intercessor before the Lord.

The Church calls the end of the earthly life of the Most Holy Theotokos Dormition (sleep), and this is associated with a new experience of death after the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. For a person who believes in Christ, death becomes a sacrament of birth into new life. Physical death is like a dream, during which the deceased await the general resurrection from the dead at the Second Coming of Christ (1 Thess. 4.13-18).

Christians prepare for the Feast of the Assumption by fasting for two weeks (from August 14), as strict as Lent.

Troparion: At the Nativity (at the birth of Jesus Christ) you preserved your virginity, at the Dormition you did not forsake the world, O Mother of God; You reposed to the belly (passed on to eternal life), Mother of the essence of the Belly (being the Mother of Life, that is, Christ), and through Your prayers you delivered our (eternal) souls from death.

Kontakion: In the prayers of the never-sleeping Mother of God and in intercession (intercession), the immutable hope, the grave and mortification (death) were not restrained (were not restrained): just as the Mother of the Life, put to the life, the One Who dwelt in the ever-virgin womb (Christ, who dwelt in Her virgin womb, resettled Her as the Mother of Life to eternal life).

Exaltation of the Holy Cross

This holiday is one of the great holidays and is celebrated on September 27th. It was installed in the 4th century in memory of the Finding of the Lord's Cross.

One of the first Christian historians, Eusebius of Caesarea, describes this event and its background as follows. Emperor Constantine the Great, being a pagan still inclined to accept Christianity, became convinced of the power and glory of the Cross of Christ. One day, on the eve of a decisive battle, he and his entire army saw the sign of the cross in the sky with the inscription: “By this, conquer.” The next night, Jesus Christ Himself appeared to the emperor with the Cross in his hand and said that with this sign the emperor would defeat the enemy; and ordered to arrange a military banner (gonfalon) with the image of the Holy Cross. Constantine fulfilled God's command and defeated the enemy. After the victory, the emperor took Christians under his protection and declared the Christian faith dominant in the Byzantine Empire. When imp. Constantine abolished execution by crucifixion and issued laws promoting the spread of the Church and the establishment of the faith of Christ.

Experiencing feelings of reverence for the Cross of the Lord, Constantine the Great wished to find the Venerable Tree of the Cross of the Lord and build a temple on Calvary. In 326, his mother, Queen Helena, went to Jerusalem in search of the Cross of the Lord.

According to legend, the place where the Holy Cross was found was indicated under the ruins of a pagan temple by an elderly Jew, who later converted to Christianity with the name Kyriak. Near the Place of Execution they found nails, a tablet with an inscription in three languages, which was nailed over the Head of the crucified Christ, and three crosses. In order to find out which of the three crosses is the Cross of the Lord, some evidence about it was needed. And this testimony was revealed by the miraculous power of the Cross: according to the testimony of many historians, a woman who was dying was healed by the touch of the Cross of the Lord.

In reverent joy, Queen Helena and all those who were with her paid veneration to the Cross. But a lot of people gathered, and not everyone could venerate the Venerable Tree of the Holy Cross, and not everyone could even see it. Then Patriarch Macarius of Jerusalem, standing in a high place, began to raise (erect) the Holy Cross, showing it to the people. The people worshiped the Cross, exclaiming: “Lord, have mercy.”

This is where the holiday of the Exaltation of the Honest and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord began, which was established in the year of its discovery.

For their merits and zeal for spreading the Christian faith, Constantine the Great and his mother Helen received the title of saints equal to the apostles, that is, equal to the apostles.

This holiday is marked by strict fasting in remembrance of the Savior's Passion on the Cross.

Troparion of the holiday: Save, O Lord, Thy people and bless Thy heritage (heritage), granting victories against the enemy (over enemies) and preserving Thy residence (Christian society) through Thy Cross.

Kontakion of the holiday: Having ascended to the cross by will (ascended on the cross according to His will), to the namesake of Your new residence (who bear Your name, that is, Christians) grant Your bounty, O Christ God; We rejoice in Thy power, giving (giving) victories to us in comparison (over enemies), Thy help, a weapon of peace, an invincible victory (may we have Thy help - a weapon of reconciliation and an invincible victory - the Cross).

For our readers: the main Christian holidays with detailed descriptions from various sources.

In Orthodoxy, there are twelve most significant holidays - these are a dozen especially important events of the church calendar, in addition to the main holiday - the great event of Easter. Find out which holidays are called twelve and are most solemnly celebrated by believers.

Twelfth Moving Holidays

There are fickle holiday numbers in the church calendar, which turn out to be different every year, just like the date of Easter. It is with this that the transition of an important event to another date is associated.

• Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem. Orthodox Christians most often call this event Palm Sunday and celebrate it when there is a week left before Easter. It is connected with the coming of Jesus to the holy city.
• Ascension of the Lord. Celebrated 40 days after Easter ends. Falls annually on the fourth day of the week. It is believed that at this moment Jesus appeared in the flesh to his heavenly Father, our Lord.

• Day of the Holy Trinity. Falls on the 50th day after the end of Great Easter. 50 days after the resurrection of the Savior, the Holy Spirit descended on the Apostles.

Twelfth Feasts

Some especially important days in the church calendar remain fixed and are celebrated at the same time every year. Regardless of Easter, these celebrations always fall on the same date.

• Birth of the Virgin Mary, Mother of God. The holiday is celebrated on September 21 and is dedicated to the birth of the earthly mother of Jesus Christ. The Church is convinced that the birth of the Mother of God was not an accident. She was initially assigned a special mission to save human souls. The parents of the Heavenly Queen, Anna and Joachim, who could not conceive a child for a long time, were sent by providence from Heaven, where the angels themselves blessed them to conceive.
• Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Orthodox Christians celebrate the day of the Virgin Mary's ascension into heaven on August 28th. The Assumption Fast, which ends on the 28th, is timed to coincide with this event. Until her death, the Mother of God spent her time in constant prayer and observed the strictest abstinence.
• Exaltation of the Holy Cross. Christians celebrate this event associated with the discovery of the Life-Giving Cross on September 27. In the 4th century, the Palestinian queen Helen went in search of the Cross. Three crosses were dug up near the Holy Sepulcher. They truly identified the one on which the Savior was crucified, with the help of a sick woman who found healing from one of them.
• Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary into the temple, celebrated on December 4. It was at this time that her parents made a vow to dedicate their child to God, so that when their daughter was three years old, they would take her to the Jerusalem Temple, where she stayed until her reunion with Joseph.
• Nativity. Orthodox Christians celebrate this godly event on January 7th. The day is associated with the earthly birth of the Savior in the flesh, from his mother the Virgin Mary.

• Epiphany. The event falls on January 19 every year. On that very day, John the Baptist washed the Savior in the waters of the Jordan and pointed out the special mission that was destined for him. For which the righteous man subsequently paid with his head. The holiday is otherwise called Epiphany.
• Meeting of the Lord. The holiday takes place on February 15th. Then the parents of the future Savior brought the divine baby to the Jerusalem Temple. The child was received from the hands of the Virgin Mary and Saint Joseph by the righteous Semeon the God-Receiver. From the Old Church Slavonic language the word “meeting” is translated as “meeting”.
• Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Celebrated on April 7 and dedicated to the appearance of the Archangel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary. It was he who announced to her the imminent birth of a son who would perform a great deed.
• Transfiguration. The day falls on August 19th. Jesus Christ read a prayer on Mount Tabor together with his closest disciples: Peter, Paul and James. At that moment, two prophets Elijah and Moses appeared to them and informed the Savior that he would have to accept martyrdom, but he would resurrect three days later. And they heard the voice of God, which indicated that Jesus had been chosen for a great work. This twelfth Orthodox holiday is associated with such an event.

Each of the 12 holidays is an important event in Christian history and is especially revered among believers. These days it is worth turning to God and visiting church. Take care of yourself and your loved ones and don't forget to press the buttons and

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Major Christian holidays and fasts

Easter- the main Christian holiday established in honor of the miraculous resurrection of Jesus Christ crucified on the cross, as narrated in the Gospels. Celebrated on the first Sunday after the spring equinox and full moon. To calculate the dates of celebration, tables (Easter) are compiled. For Orthodox churches, Easter falls between March 22 and April 23 according to the Julian calendar.

Nativity- one of the main Christian holidays, established, according to church doctrine, in honor of the birth of Jesus Christ. Celebrated on December 25th. The temporary discrepancy between the celebration of the Nativity of Christ by different churches is due to the fact that a number of churches (Russian, Bulgarian, Serbian and other Orthodox churches) use the Julian calendar, December 25 of which corresponds to January 7 of the Gregorian calendar.

Trinity- a holiday in honor of the descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles, which is interpreted by the church as the beginning of the widespread spread of Christianity. Celebrated on the 50th day from Easter and usually falls in the last days of May or early June.

Presentation of the Lord- a holiday in honor of the meeting (Candlemas) of the righteous Simeon of the Messiah - the child Christ, whom his parents brought to the temple to be dedicated to God. Celebrated on February 2(15).

Epiphany (Epiphany)- a holiday in memory of the baptism of Jesus Christ by the prophet John the Baptist in the Jordan River. The water blessing ceremony (Jordan) is celebrated on January 6 (19).

Transfiguration- a holiday in honor of the transfiguration of Jesus Christ, who revealed his divine nature to his disciples shortly before the Calvary sufferings. Celebrated on August 6 (19).

Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem (Palm Sunday)- a holiday in memory of the entry of Christ into Jerusalem, the inhabitants of which greeted the Son of God by throwing palm branches on the road in front of him. In popular life, the holiday was called Palm Sunday, because in Slavic countries in its ritual the role of palm branches was played by willow branches blooming by this time. Celebrated on the last Sunday before Easter.

Ascension- a holiday in honor of the ascension of Christ into heaven. Celebrated on the 40th day after Easter.

Exaltation- a holiday in memory of the so-called erection in the 4th century. in Jerusalem above a crowd of believers of the cross on which, according to legend, Christ was crucified. Celebrated on September 14 (27).

Nativity of the Virgin Mary- a holiday in honor of the birth of the Virgin Mary - the mother of Christ. Celebrated on September 8 (21).

Introduction to the Temple of the Virgin Mary- a holiday in memory of the solemn entry of three-year-old Mary (the future mother of Jesus) into the Jerusalem Temple, where she was given by her parents to be raised. Celebrated on November 21 (December 4).

Annunciation- a holiday associated with the Christian legend about how the Archangel Gabriel told the Virgin Mary the good news about the upcoming birth of a divine baby. Celebrated on March 25 (April 7).

Dormition of the Virgin Mary- a holiday in memory of the death of the Virgin Mary - the mother of Christ. Celebrated on August 15 (28).

Protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary- a holiday in memory of the appearance around 910 in the Blachernae Church in Constantinople of the Mother of God, extending her veil over all believers. Celebrated on October 1 (14).

Posts- abstinence for a certain period from eating any food or its individual types (especially meat). Fasting takes up about 200 days in the Orthodox church calendar. Every believer must fast on Wednesdays and Fridays throughout the year, on Epiphany Eve, on the day of the beheading of John the Baptist, on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. In addition, there are four multi-day fasts:

spring (Great) - begins on the Monday after cheese week (Maslenitsa) and lasts about 7 weeks until Easter;

summer (Petrov) - begins on the first Monday after Spiritual Day and ends on June 29, the day of Saints Peter and Paul; autumn (Assumption) - 15 days before the Feast of the Assumption; winter (Rozhdestvensky, or Filippov) - 40 days before Christmas.

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The Orthodox Church has its own calendar. It is different from ours - for example, the year begins in September, not January. The Church calendar has its own - Church - holidays. What are the main holidays in Orthodoxy? How many holidays are there in Christianity? What are the twelve holidays? We tell you the most important things you need to know.

Orthodox calendar: what is it?

The Church lives according to the so-called Julian calendar: a yearly cycle in which there are the same number of days as in our “regular” calendar, and in general everything is exactly the same, with the only difference that the beginning of the year (and the Church beginning of the year) is September 1, not in January.

Every day in the Church is a memory of some event or saint. For example, on January 7, the Nativity of Christ is remembered (or rather, celebrated). And thus, over the course of a year, the Church “lives” all the main events of its history, the earthly life of Christ, the Mother of God, the Apostles, and also remembers all its saints - not only the most revered (for example, Ambrose of Optina), but in general all of them. Each saint has his own day of remembrance, and every day of the year is a memory - a holiday - of one or another saint, and most often, not one, but several saints are remembered per day.

(For example, take March 13 - this is the day of remembrance of ten saints: St. John Cassian the Roman, St. Basil the Confessor, Hieromartyr Arseny Metropolitan of Rostov, Hieromartyr Nestor Bishop of Magiddia, Reverend Wives Marina and Kira, Hieromartyr Proterius Patriarch of Alexandria, St. John-named Barsanuphius Bishop . Damascus hermit of Nitria, venerable martyr Theoktirist, hegumen of Pelicites, blessed Nicholas Sallos of Christ for the sake of the holy fool of Pskov)

It turns out that if the secular calendar is divided into holidays and non-holidays (and there are very few holidays in it), then the Church calendar consists entirely of holidays, since every day one or another event is remembered and the memory of one or another saint is celebrated.

This is a reflection of the whole essence of Christian existence, when rejoicing in the Lord and His saints does not occur on certain days of the week or year, but constantly. Whether it was a joke or not, a proverb was even born among the people: “For the Orthodox, every day is a holiday.” Actually, that's exactly the case. Although, there are exceptions: some days of Lent, which require special concentration.

Icon “for every day of the year” - an image, if possible, of all the saints and the main Church Feasts

What holidays are there in Christianity?

Speaking in very general terms, Holidays in the Orthodox Church can be divided into the following “categories”:

• Easter(Resurrection of Christ) is the main holiday.
• Twelfth holidays- 12 holidays that remind of the main events in the life of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Jesus Christ. Some of them are reflected in the texts of the New Testament (the Gospel or the Acts of the Apostles), and some (the Nativity of the Mother of God, the Entry into the Temple of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord) are taken from Church Tradition. Most of them have a specific date of celebration, but some depend on the date of Easter. We tell you more about each Twelfth holiday below.
• Five Great Non-Twelfth Holidays. Circumcision of the Lord and the memory of St. Basil the Great; Christmas of St. John the Baptist; Memory of the Apostles Peter and Paul, the Beheading of John the Baptist and the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos.
• Any Sunday of the year- as a direct reminder of the Resurrection of Christ.
• Middle Holidays: Days of remembrance of each of the Twelve Apostles; Finding the honest head of John the Baptist; Days of remembrance of Saints John Chrysostom and Nicholas the Wonderworker, as well as the 40 Martyrs of Sebaste. Memory of the Vladimir and Kazan icons of the Mother of God. In addition, the average holiday for each temple is its Patronal Feast. That is, the memory of the saints in whose honor the altar or altars are consecrated, if there are several of them in the temple.
• Small Holidays: all other days.

Main holidays in Orthodox Christianity

Easter, Resurrection of Christ

When is Easter celebrated: on the first Sunday after the full moon, no earlier than the vernal equinox on March 21

The main holiday is Holiday. The memory of the Resurrection of Christ, which is the center of all Christian doctrine.

In all Orthodox churches, Easter is celebrated with night services and a solemn religious procession.

Read more about Easter on Wikipedia

Easter celebration dates 2018-2027

• In 2018: April 8
• In 2019: April 28
• In 2020: April 19
• In 2021: May 2
• In 2022: April 24
• In 2023: April 16
• In 2024: May 5
• In 2025: April 20
• In 2026: April 12
• In 2027: May 2

Icon of the Resurrection of Christ

Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The annual cycle in Orthodoxy begins not on January 1, as in the “secular” world, but on September 1, so the Nativity of the Virgin Mary is the first Twelfth holiday in the Church year. During it, as on all Mother of God feasts, clergy dress in blue.

see: Colors of vestments: what they are and what they mean

Exaltation of the Holy Cross

The Exaltation of the Honest and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord is the only twelfth holiday that is not directly related to the years of the life of the Savior or the Mother of God. Or rather, it is also connected, but not directly: on this day the Church remembers and celebrates the finding of the Holy Cross, which occurred in 326 near Calvary - the mountain where Jesus Christ was crucified.

Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary into the Temple

Another of the twelve feasts of the Mother of God in Orthodoxy. It was erected in memory of the day when the parents of the Most Holy Theotokos - holy righteous Joachim and Anna - brought her to the Jerusalem Temple, in the Holy of Holies of which she lived until her betrothal to Joseph. All these years she was fed with food from heaven, which was brought to her by the Archangel Gabriel.

Icon of the Entry into the Temple of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Nativity

The Nativity in the flesh of the Lord God and our Savior Jesus Christ is the second, along with Easter, a holiday that is preceded by many days (40 days) of fasting. Like Easter, the Church celebrates Christmas with a solemn night service.

This is the most important holiday in Orthodoxy after the Resurrection of Christ.

Epiphany

On this day, the Church remembers and celebrates the baptism of our Lord Jesus Christ in the waters of the Jordan River by John the Baptist.

Icon of the Baptism of the Lord

Presentation of the Lord

This Holiday was established in memory of the day when the Mother of God and Joseph brought the baby Jesus to the temple for the first time - on the 40th day after His birth. (This was the fulfillment of the Law of Moses, according to which parents brought their first sons to the temple to be dedicated to God).

The word "Meeting" means "meeting." This was the day not only of the bringing of Jesus to the temple, but also of the meeting - there, in the temple - of Elder Simeon with the Lord. The pious old man had lived to be almost 300 years old at that time. More than 200 years earlier, he was working on a translation of the Bible and doubted the correctness of the text in the book of the prophet Isaiah - in the place where it was said that the Savior would be born of a Virgin. Simeon then thought that this was a typo and that in fact the word “young woman” was meant, and in his translation he wanted to take this into account, but the angel of the Lord stopped the elder and assured him that he would not die until he saw with his own eyes the fulfilled prophecy of the prophet Isaiah .

And so it became.

Icon of the Presentation of the Lord

Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

On this day, the Church remembers and celebrates the day when the Archangel Gabriel brought the news to the Virgin Mary that she would become the mother according to the flesh of our Savior Jesus Christ.

Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem, Palm Sunday

When is it celebrated: the nearest Sunday before Easter

The holiday was established in memory of the solemn entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem on a donkey. The people greeted Him enthusiastically. Many believed that the Savior would deliver them from the yoke of the Roman Empire and, first of all, they expected exactly this from Him. He did not come for this, and a few days later Christ was condemned and crucified...

Ascension of the Lord

When is it celebrated: 40th day after Easter

On this day, the Church remembers and celebrates the Ascension of the Savior into heaven. This happened on the 40th day after His resurrection - and after He appeared to His apostles for these forty days.

Day of the Holy Trinity

When is it celebrated: 50th day after Easter

This is the memory of the day when the Holy Spirit descended on the Apostles in the form of tongues of fire and “they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” From the moment the Holy Spirit descended, the Apostles could speak in any languages ​​with any nations - to bring the Word of God to all corners of the world.

And very soon - and despite all persecution - Christianity became the most widespread religion in the world.

Church of the Life-Giving Trinity at the Moscow Compound of the Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra in Moscow. Trinity Day is a patronal holiday for this church.

Transfiguration

Transfiguration of the Lord God and our Savior Jesus Christ. On this day, the Church celebrates a moment that, like most other Twelve Feasts, is described in the Gospel. The appearance of the Divine greatness of the Savior before three closest disciples during prayer on the mountain. “His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became white as light.”

Icon of the Transfiguration of the Lord

Dormition of the Virgin Mary

For Christians, earthly death is not a tragedy, but the gateway to eternal life. And in the case of saints - a holiday. And the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary - the twelfth Feast - is one of the most revered by the Church. This is the last twelfth holiday in the annual cycle of the Orthodox Church.

Icon of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary

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