Calendar of Orthodox holidays for the year print. Orthodox church calendar

Large Orthodox church holidays 2016, moving with a variable date and non-moving with a constant date, one-day and multi-day fasts, fasting days, Solid weeks, days of remembrance of the dead, parental days.
Using the church calendar, you can find out exactly when Orthodox Easter will be in 2016, the date, what date is Trinity, Easter, Great Maundy Thursday and the Annunciation, Christmas, Intercession Holy Mother of God, Holy Week, Ascension, Transfiguration of the Lord, when is Trinity Day, Forgiveness and Palm Sunday.
When do Orthodox fasts begin and end, what date does it start from? Lent, Petrov, Assumption and Nativity Fast.
Easter in 2016 - May 1 (Bright Resurrection of Christ).

Twelfth holidays in 2016:

• Christmas Day January 7, 2016.


• Epiphany (Epiphany) January 19, 2016.


• Presentation of the Lord February 15, 2016.


• Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary on April 7, 2016.


• Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem (Palm Sunday) April 24, 2016.


• Ascension of the Lord June 9, 2016


• Holy Trinity Day (Pentecost) June 19, 2016.


• Transfiguration of the Lord August 19, 2016.


• Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary on August 28, 2016.


• Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary September 21, 2016.


• Exaltation of the Holy Cross on September 27, 2016.


• Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary into the temple on December 4, 2016.

Great church holidays in 2016:

• Circumcision of the Lord (St. Basil the Great) - feast day January 14, 2016.


• The Nativity of John the Baptist is a holiday on July 7, 2016.


• Apostles Peter and Paul - holiday July 12, 2016.


• The beheading of John the Baptist is a holiday on September 11, 2016.


• Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary - feast day October 14, 2016.

Average church holidays in 2016:

• February 12, 2016 - Three saints - Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, John Chrysostom


• May 6, 2016 - Great Martyr George the Victorious


• May 21, 2016 - Apostle John the Theologian


• May 22, 2016 - St. Nicholas the Wonderworker (Summer Nicholas).


• May 24, 2016 - Equal to the Apostles Cyril and Methodius.


• July 28, 2016 - Equal to the Apostles Prince Vladimir.


• October 9, 2016 - Apostle John the Theologian.


• November 26, 2016 - St. John Chrysostom.


• December 19, 2016 - St. Nicholas the Wonderworker (Winter Nicholas).

Church Orthodox fasts in 2016. Multi-day posts:

• Lent in 2016 - from March 14 to April 30


• Petrov fast in 2016 - from June 27 to July 11.


• Dormition Fast in 2016 - from August 14 to 27.


• Nativity Fast - from November 28, 2016 to January 6, 2017.

One-day posts:

• Wednesday and Friday throughout the year, with the exception of continuous weeks and Christmastide.


• Epiphany Christmas Eve - January 18, 2016.


• The beheading of John the Baptist - September 11, 2016.


• Exaltation of the Holy Cross - September 27, 2016.

Continuous weeks in which there is no fasting:

• Christmastide in 2016 - from January 7 to 17.


• Week of the Publican and Pharisee in 2016 - from February 15 to 21.


• Maslenitsa in 2016 (Cheese week) - from March 7 to 13.


• Bright Easter Week in 2016 - from May 2 to May 8.


• Trinity Week in 2016 - from June 20 to 26.

note! According to the Church Charter, there is no fasting on the feasts of the Nativity of Christ and Epiphany, which occurred on Wednesday and Friday. On Christmas and Epiphany Eves and on the holidays of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross and the Beheading of John the Baptist, a meal with vegetable oil. On the feasts of the Presentation, Transfiguration of the Lord, Dormition, Nativity and Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos, Her Entry into the Temple, the Nativity of John the Baptist, the Apostles Peter and Paul, John the Theologian, which occurred on Wednesday and Friday, as well as in the period from Easter to Trinity on Wednesday and Friday Fish allowed.

Parents' Saturdays in 2016 (All Souls' Day):

• Ecumenical Parents' Saturday (Meat and Meat Saturday) in 2016 - March 5.


• Saturday of the 2nd week of Great Lent - March 26, 2016.


• Saturday of the 3rd week of Lent - April 2, 2016.


• Saturday of the 4th week of Lent - April 9, 2016.


• Commemoration of deceased soldiers - May 9, 2016.


• Radonitsa in 2016 - May 10.


• Trinity Parents' Saturday in 2016 - June 18.


• Dimitrievskaya Parents' Saturday - November 5, 2016.

Church calendar for 2016 by month.

Orthodox church holidays in January 2016. From January 1 to January 6, 2016, the Nativity Fast continues:

• January 1, 2016 is the day of St. Ilya of Muromets, princely warrior-combatant and monk of the Pechersk Monastery.


• January 2, 2016 is the day of remembrance of Righteous John of Kronstadt.


• January 2, 2016 - celebration of the Icon of the Mother of God “Savior of the Drowning.”


• January 3, 2016 is the Day of Remembrance of St. Peter of Moscow, the wonderworker of all Russia.


• January 4, 2016 is the day of the Great Martyr Anastasia the Pattern Maker.


• January 6, 2016 - Christmas Eve.


• January 7, 2016 - Feast of the Nativity of our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ


• January 8, 2016 - Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary


• January 14, 2016 - Circumcision of the Lord


• January 14, 2016 - Memorial Day of Basil the Great, Archbishop of Caesarea.


• January 15, 2016 - Repose and second discovery of the relics of St. Seraphim of Sarov, the wonderworker.


• January 17, 2016 - Council of the 70 Apostles.


• January 18, 2016 - The Eve of Epiphany. Epiphany Christmas Eve.


• January 19, 2016 - Holy Epiphany. Feast of the Epiphany


• January 20, 2016 - Cathedral of the Baptist and Baptist John.


• January 22, 2016 - St. Philip's.


• January 23, 2016 - Memorial Day of St. Theophan the Recluse.


• January 25, 2016 - Martyr Tatiana. Tatyana's Day.


• January 25, 2016 - Icons of the Mother of God “Mammal”.


• January 27, 2016 - Equal to the Apostles Nina.


• January 30, 2016 - St. Anthony the Great.


• January 31, 2016 - Saints Athanasius and Cyril.

Orthodox church holidays in February 2016:

• February 1, 2016 is the day of St. Macarius the Great.


• February 1, 2016 is the Day of Enthronement of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus'.


• February 2, 2016 is the day of St. Euthymius the Great.


• February 5, 2016 - Cathedral of Kostroma Saints.


• February 6, 2016 is the day of Blessed Xenia of St. Petersburg.


• February 7, 2016 is the day of St. Gregory the Theologian.


• February 7, 2016 - celebration of the icon of the Mother of God “Quench my sorrows.”


• February 8, 2016 - Transfer of the relics of the saint to Chrysostom.


• February 9, 2016 - Council of New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia. Commemoration of the departed who suffered during the time of persecution for the faith of Christ. Venerable Ephraim the Syrian.


• February 11, 2016 is the day of the Holy Martyr Ignatius the God-Bearer.


• February 12, 2016 - Cathedral of the Three Saints.


• February 14, 2016 is the day of the Holy Martyr Tryphon.


• February 15, 2016 - Meeting of our Lord Jesus Christ


• February 18, 2016 - Icons of the Mother of God “Seeking the Lost.”


• February 21, 2016 - Great Martyr Theodore Stratelates.


• February 25, 2016 - St. Alexis of Moscow, wonderworker of all Russia.


• February 25, 2016 - Iveron Icon of the Mother of God.

Orthodox church holidays in March 2016: Lent continues from March 14 to April 30.

• March 1, 2016 is the day of St. Macarius, Metropolitan of Moscow and Kolomna.


• March 3, 2016 is the day of St. Leo the Great.


• March 5, 2016 - Ecumenical parental (meat-free) Saturday. Remembrance of the dead.


• March 7, 2016 - Maslenitsa. The beginning of Cheese Week.


• March 8, 2016 - The first and second discovery of the head of John the Baptist.


• March 13, 2016 - Forgiveness Sunday in 2016. The end of Cheese Week.


• March 13, 2016 - Blessed Christ for the sake of the holy fool Nikolai of Pskov.


• March 14, 2016 - the beginning of Lent 2016.


• March 15, 2016 - Icons of the Mother of God “Sovereign”.


• March 16, 2016 - Volokolamsk Icon of the Mother of God.


• March 17, 2016 - Memorial Day of the Righteous Prince Daniil of Moscow.


• March 20, 2016 - Triumph of Orthodoxy.


• March 20, 2016 - Icons of the Mother of God “Helper of Sinners.”


• March 21, 2016 - Kursk-Root Icon of the Mother of God “The Sign”. Remembrance of the dead.


• March 22, 2016 - Holy 40 Martyrs of Sebaste.


• March 25, 2016 - Simeon the New Theologian.


• March 26, 2016 - 2nd Saturday of Lent. All Souls' Day.


• March 27, 2016 - Theodore Icon of the Mother of God.


• March 27, 2016 - Sunday of St. Gregory Palamas.


• March 30, 2016 - St. Alexis, man of God.


• March 31, 2016 - Council of All Reverend Fathers of the Kiev-Pechersk.

Orthodox church holidays in April 2016: Lent continues from March 14 to April 30

• April 1, 2016 - Icons of the Mother of God “Tenderness”.


• April 2, 2016 - 3rd Saturday of Lent. All Souls' Day.


• April 3, 2016 - St. Seraphim of Vyritsky.


• April 3, 2016 - Week of the Cross.


• April 7, 2016 - Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary.


• April 8, 2016 - Cathedral of the Archangel Gabriel.


• April 9, 2016 - 4th Saturday of Lent. All Souls' Day.


• April 10, 2016 - St. John Climacus.


• April 16, 2016 - Praise of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Icon of the Mother of God " Everlasting color" and "I am with you and no one else is with you."


• April 17, 2016 - Venerable Mary of Egypt.


• April 16, 2016 - Icons of the Mother of God “Fadeless Color”.


• April 23, 2016 - Lazarus Saturday.


• April 24, 2016 - Palm Sunday. Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem.


• April 25, 2016 - Icons of the Mother of God “Murom”.


• From April 25, 2016 to May 1, 2016 - Holy Week.


• April 28, 2016 - Maundy (Maundy) Thursday.


• April 29, 2016 - Good Friday.


• April 30, 2016 - Holy Saturday.


• April 30, 2016 - Finding of the relics of St. Alexander of Svirsky.

Orthodox church holidays in May 2016:

• May 1, 2016 - Easter. Bright Resurrection of Christ.


• May 2, 2016 - Blessed Matrona of Moscow.


• May 3, 2016 - Iveron Icon of the Mother of God.


• May 6, 2016 - Memorial Day of St. George the Victorious.


• May 7, 2016 - Martyr Savva Stratelates and with him 70 soldiers.


• May 8, 2016 - Apostle and Evangelist Mark.


• May 9, 2016 - Commemoration of deceased soldiers.


• May 10, 2016 - Radonitsa. Remembrance of the dead.


• May 11, 2016 - Icons of the Mother of God “Helper of Sinners.”


• May 13, 2016 - Apostle James Zebedee. Saint Ignatius Brianchaninov, Bishop of the Caucasus.


• May 14, 2016 - Icons of the Mother of God “Unexpected Joy”.


• May 15, 2016 - Transfer of the relics of the holy noble princes Boris and Gleb. Saint Athanasius the Great.


• May 15, 2016 - Holy Myrrh-Bearing Women.


• May 18, 2016 - Icons of the Mother of God “Inexhaustible Chalice”.


• May 20, 2016 - Appearance of the Holy Cross in the sky over Jerusalem.


• May 21, 2016 - Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian.


• May 22, 2016 - Summer holiday of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. Transfer of the relics of Saint and Wonderworker Nicholas from Myra in Lycia to the city of Bar.


• May 24, 2016 - Equal to the Apostles Cyril and Methodius, Slovenian teachers. Name day of the Holy Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Kirill.


• May 25, 2016 - Mid-Pentecost.

Orthodox church holidays in June 2016: From June 27 to July 11, 2016 - Petrov fast in 2016

• June 1, 2016 - Blessed Grand Duke Dmitry Donskoy.


• June 2, 2016 - Finding of the relics of St. Alexis the Wonderworker of Moscow.


• June 3, 2016 - Vladimir icon Mother of God, New Apostle Constantine and his mother Queen Helena.


• June 5, 2016 - Venerable Euphrosyne Polotsk. Cathedral of Rostov-Yaroslavl Saints.


• June 7, 2016 - The third discovery of the head of John the Baptist.


• June 9, 2016 - Ascension of the Lord.


• June 11, 2016 - Memorial Day of the healer Luka (Voino-Yasenetsky). Icon of the Mother of God “Helper of Sinners”.


• June 14, 2016 - Righteous John of Kronstadt.


• June 18, 2016 - Trinity Parents' Saturday (commemoration of the departed).


• June 18, 2016 - Icons of the Mother of God “Softening Evil Hearts.”


• June 19, 2016 - Holy Trinity Day.


• June 20, 2016 - Holy Spirit Day.


• June 21, 2016 - Great Martyr Theodore Stratilates.


• June 24, 2016 - Apostles Bartholomew and Barnabas. Icon of the Mother of God “It is Worthy to Eat.”


• June 26, 2016 is All Saints' Day.


• June 26, 2016 - Venerable Alexandra Diveevskaya. Holy Martyr Antonina.


• June 27, 2016 - St. Varlaam of Khutyn. Cathedral of Diveyevo Saints. Icon of the Mother of God “Helper of Sinners”.

Orthodox church holidays in July 2016: From June 27 to July 11, 2016 - Petrov post

• July 6, 2016 - Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God. Cathedral of Vladimir Saints.


• July 7, 2016 - Nativity of John the Baptist.


• July 8, 2016 - Blessed Prince and Princess Peter and Fevronia.


• July 9, 2016 - Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God.


• July 11, 2016 - St. Sergius and Herman, Valaam wonderworkers. Icon of the Mother of God “Three-Handed”.


• July 12, 2016 - Holy Apostles Peter and Paul.


• July 14, 2016 - Bessrerenikov Cosma and Damian.


• July 15, 2016 - Position of the honorable robe of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Blachernae.


• July 17, 2016 - Reverend Andrei Rublev. Day of Remembrance of the New Martyrs and Passion-Bearers of Russia Tsar Nicholas, Tsarina Alexandra, Tsarevich Alexei, Princesses Olga, Tatiana, Maria and Anastasia.


• July 18, 2016 - St. Sergius of Radonezh. Icon of the Mother of God "Economissa".


• July 21, 2016 - Kazan Icon of the Mother of God.


• July 23, 2016 - St. Anthony of Kiev-Pechersk, chief of all Russian monks.


• July 24, 2016 - Equal to the Apostles Grand Duchess Olga.


• July 26, 2016 - Cathedral of the Archangel Gabriel.


• July 28, 2016 - Equal to the Apostles Grand Duke Vladimir.

Orthodox church holidays in August 2016: From August 14 to August 27 - Assumption Fast in 2016

• August 1, 2016 - Finding of St. relics of Seraphim of Sarov, wonderworker.


• August 2, 2016 is the day of the Prophet Elijah.


• August 4, 2016 - Myrrh-Bearing Mary Magdalene, Equal-to-the-Apostles. Cathedral of Smolensk Saints.


• August 5, 2016 - Righteous warrior Fyodor Ushakov. Icons of the Mother of God “Pochaevskaya” and “Joy of All Who Sorrow”.


• August 6, 2016 - Blessed Princes Boris and Gleb.


• August 7, 2016 - Assumption righteous Anna, mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary.


• August 9, 2016 - Great Martyr and Healer Panteleimon.


• August 10, 2016 - Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God “Hodegetria” - Guidebook and Seraphim-Diveevskaya “Tenderness”.


• August 14, 2016 - The Origin of the Honest Trees of the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord. Honey Spas.


• August 19, 2016 - Transfiguration of the Lord. Apple Spas.


• August 20, 2016 - St. Mitrophan of Voronezh.


• August 22, 2016 - Apostle Matthew.


• August 26, 2016 -. Icon of the Mother of God “Softening Evil Hearts.”


• August 28, 2016 - Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.


• August 29, 2016 - Icon of the Mother of God “Feodorovskaya”.


• August 29, 2016 - Postponement Miraculous Image The Lord's.


• August 31, 2016 - Icons of the Mother of God “Vsetsaritsa”.

Orthodox church holidays in September 2016:

• September 6, 2016 - Transfer of the relics of St. Peter of Moscow, wonderworker of all Rus'.


• September 8, 2016 - Icon of the Mother of God “Vladimir”.


• September 9, 2016 - Venerable Pimen the Great.


• September 10, 2016 - Finding of St. relics of St. Job of Pochaev. Cathedral of the Reverend Fathers of the Kiev-Pechersk.


• September 11, 2016 - Beheading of John the Baptist (John the Baptist).


• September 12, 2016 - St. Alexander of Svirsky. Blessed Prince Alexander Nevsky.


• September 14, 2016 - Church New Year - Church New Year.


• September 14, 2016 - Venerable Simeon the Stylite and his mother Martha.


• September 15, 2016 - Venerable Anthony and Theodosius of Pechersk. Icons of the Mother of God “Kaluga”.


• September 17, 2016 - St. Joseph of Belgorod. Prophet Moses the Seer of God. Icon of the Mother of God “Burning Bush”.


• September 18, 2016 - Prophet Zechariah and righteous Elizabeth, parents of John the Baptist.


• September 19, 2016 - Miracle of the Archangel Michael (Mikhailovo Miracle).


• September 21, 2016 - Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.


• September 22, 2016 - Righteous Godfather Joachim and Anna. Saint Theodosius of Chernigov.


• September 27, 2016 - Exaltation of the Honest and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord.


• September 29, 2016 - Icons of the Mother of God “Look at Humility.”


• September 30, 2016 - Holy martyrs Faith, Nadezhda, Lyubov and their mother Sophia.

Orthodox church holidays in October 2016:

• October 1, 2016 - Icons of the Mother of God “Healer” and “Old Russian”.


• October 5, 2016 - Memorial Day of the Prophet Jonah.


• October 8, 2016 - Day of St. Sergius of Radonezh


• October 9, 2016 - Day of the Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian. Saint Tikhon, Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'.


• October 14, 2016 - Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary.


• October 15, 2016 - Blessed Princess Anna Kashinskaya.


• October 17, 2016 - Cathedral of Kazan Saints.


• October 19, 2016 - Day of the Apostle Thomas.


• October 20, 2016 - Pskov-Pechersk Icon of the Mother of God, called “Tenderness”.


• October 21, 2016 - Cathedral of Vyatka Saints. Holy Venerable Pelageya.


• October 22, 2016 - Apostle James Alfeev. Icon of the Mother of God “Korsun”.


• October 23, 2016 - Day of St. Ambrose of Optina.


• October 24, 2016 - Cathedral of the Venerable Optina Elders.


• October 26, 2016 - Iveron Icon of the Mother of God.


• October 28, 2016 - Icons of the Mother of God “Spreader of the Loaves.”


• October 30, 2016 - Icons of the Mother of God “Before Christmas and after Christmas the Virgin”, “Deliverer”.


• October 31, 2016 - Day of the Apostle and Evangelist Luke.

Memorable dates in November 2016: From November 28, 2016 to January 6, 2017 - Nativity Fast

• November 4, 2016 - Kazan Icon of the Mother of God.


• November 5, 2016 - Dmitrievskaya Parents' Saturday (commemoration of the departed).


• November 5, 2016 - Apostle James.


• November 6, 2016 - Icons of the Mother of God “Joy of All Who Sorrow.”


• November 7, 2016 - Dimitrievskaya parents' Saturday.


• November 8, 2016 - Great Martyr Dmitry of Thessalonica.


• November 9, 2016 - St. Nestor the Chronicler of Pechersk.


• November 10, 2016 - Great Martyrs Paraskeva-Pyatnitsa. Venerable Job of Pochaev. Saint Demetrius of Rostov.


• November 14, 2016 - Unmercenary and miracle workers Cosmas and Damian and their mother, the Venerable Theodotia.


• November 18, 2016 - St. Jonah, Archbishop of Novgorod. Day of remembrance of the restoration of the patriarchate in Rus' and the election of St. Tikhon as Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'.


• November 21, 2016 - Cathedral of the Archangel Michael.


• November 22, 2016 - St. Nektarios of Aegina. Icons of the Mother of God “Quick to Hear”.


• November 26, 2016 - St. John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople.


• November 27, 2016 - Apostle Philip.


• November 28, 2016 - Martyrs and confessors Guria, Simon and Aviv.


• November 29, 2016 - Apostle and Evangelist Matthew

Orthodox church holidays in December 2016. The Nativity Fast continues from November 28, 2016 to January 6, 2017

• December 2, 2016 - St. Philaret, Metropolitan of Moscow. Icons of the Mother of God “Consolation in sorrows and sorrows.”


• December 4, 2016 - Presentation of the Most Holy Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary into the temple.


• December 6, 2016 - Blessed Prince Alexander Nevsky, in the schema of Alexy.


• December 7, 2016 - Great Martyr Catherine.


• December 10, 2016 - Icons of the Mother of God “The Sign”.


• December 11, 2016 - Memorial Day of the Hieromartyr Metropolitan Seraphim (Chichagov).


• December 12, 2016 - Martyr Paramon and with him 370 martyrs.


• December 13, 2016 - Apostle Andrew the First-Called.


• December 14, 2016 - Prophet Nahum. Righteous Philaret the Merciful.


• December 17, 2016 - Great Martyr Barbara. Venerable John of Damascus.


• December 19, 2016 - St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, Archbishop of Myra in Lycia.


• December 22, 2016 - Icons of the Mother of God “Unexpected Joy”.


• December 24, 2016 - Venerable Daniel the Stylite.


• December 25, 2016 - St. Spyridon of Trimifuntsky, wonderworker.


• December 28, 2016 - Cathedral of the Kola Saints. Cathedral of Crimean Saints.

Fast on Wednesday and Friday: Weekly fast days are Wednesday and Friday. On Wednesday, fasting was established in memory of the betrayal of Christ by Judas, on Friday - in memory of the suffering on the cross and death of the Savior. On these days of the week, the Holy Church prohibits the consumption of meat and dairy foods, and during the week of All Saints before the Nativity of Christ, one should also abstain from fish and vegetable oil. Only when the days of celebrated saints fall on Wednesday and Friday is vegetable oil allowed, and on the biggest holidays, such as Intercession, fish.
Sick and busy hard work Some relaxation is allowed so that Christians have the strength to pray and do the necessary work, but the consumption of fish on the wrong days, and even more so the full permission of fasting, is rejected by the statute.

One-day fasts: Epiphany Eve - January 18, on the eve of the Epiphany. On this day, Christians prepare for cleansing and consecration with holy water on the feast of Epiphany.
The beheading of John the Baptist - September 11. This is the day of remembrance and death of the great prophet John.
Exaltation of the Holy Cross - September 27. The memory of the Savior's suffering on the cross for the salvation of the human race. This day is spent in prayer, fasting, and contrition for sins.
One-day fasts - days strict fasting(except Wednesday and Friday). Fish is prohibited, but food with vegetable oil is allowed.

About meals on holidays: According to the Church Charter, there is no fasting on the holidays of the Nativity of Christ and Epiphany, which happened on Wednesday and Friday. On Christmas and Epiphany Eves and on the holidays of the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord and the Beheading of John the Baptist, food with vegetable oil is allowed. On the feasts of the Presentation, Transfiguration of the Lord, Dormition, Nativity and Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos, Her Entry into the Temple, the Nativity of John the Baptist, the Apostles Peter and Paul, John the Theologian, which occurred on Wednesday and Friday, as well as in the period from Easter to Trinity on Wednesday and Friday Fish allowed.

When marriages are not celebrated: On the eve of Wednesday and Friday of the whole year (Tuesday and Thursday), Sundays (Saturday), twelve days, temple and great holidays; in continuation of the posts: Veliky, Petrov, Uspensky, Rozhdestvensky; in continuation of Christmastide, on Meat Week, during Cheese Week (Maslenitsa) and on Cheese Week; during Easter (Bright) week and on the days of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross - September 27.

Orthodox calendars are one of the most important attributes of the life of any believer. It is with this calendar that the church advises to compare events planned in life.

It is important to look at the calendar so as not to plan a feast with friends on the day of Lent and not miss important dates, during which it is better to devote oneself to spiritual cleansing and thoughts about God. In addition, major Christian holidays are a great joy for religious person, and they simply must be celebrated in accordance with the spirit of the Faith and Christian canons.

Main Orthodox holidays in 2016

There are 12 of them, and 9 of them are called immutable. This means that their celebration date does not depend on Easter and remains the same from year to year.

• On January 7, Orthodox Christians celebrate the Great Nativity of Christ.
• On January 19, the entire Christian world celebrates the Baptism of our Savior.
• On February 15, in the middle of the month, the Presentation is celebrated, the meeting of Christ and the righteous elder from Jerusalem, Simeon.
• On March 4, the Annunciation is celebrated - the day of good news to the Virgin Mary about her future destiny.
• On August 19, the Transfiguration of the Lord is celebrated in all churches.
• August 28 - Assumption of the Virgin Mary, on this day they celebrate her reunion with Heaven.
• On September 21, the Virgin Mary was born; on this date her Nativity of the Virgin Mary is celebrated.
• September 27 - Exaltation of the Holy Cross, in honor of the founding of the Temple of the Resurrection on Calvary.
• December 4 - Introduction to the Temple, the feast of the first accession of the Virgin Mary at a young age up the steps to the Jerusalem Temple.

In addition to these dates, there are three more, transitional ones, on which church holidays are also celebrated:

• April 24 is Palm Sunday, the feast of the Lord’s Ascension to Jerusalem.
• June 9 - Ascension of the Lord, celebrated 40 days after Easter.
• June 19 - Trinity, the descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles.

Easter in 2016

2016 will be marked by a rather late celebration of Easter - May 1st. On this day, services will be held in all churches in memory of the bright Christ's Resurrection. This day serves as a reminder of the Kingdom of Heaven and the immortality of souls.



Then, from May 2 to May 8, Easter week will stretch. A new one begins with Easter christian year and the counting of all moving holidays and all liturgies associated with them.

Posts in 2016

The Orthodox calendar has 4 main multi-day fasts. Since the previous November 28, 2015, the main one, the Nativity Fast, has been stretching. It will end on January 6th. Then, on March 14 and will last until April 30, Lent. Petrov fast counts from June 27 to July 11. And the last, Assumption Fast - from August 14 to 27.

Also, all Wednesdays and Fridays are considered fast, except those that fall on Christmastide and continuous weeks. In 2016, Christmastide will last from January 7 to 17, and Weekends will last from February 15 to 21 (the week of the Publican and the Pharisee), from March 7 to 13 (Cheese Week, Maslenitsa), from May 2 to 8 (Easter Week) and from 20 to May 26 (Trinity Week).

Fasts accompany the day of Epiphany Eve on January 18, the day of the Beheading of John the Baptist on September 11, and the Exaltation on September 27. And since fasts differ, being strict and non-strict, it is better to prepare for each of them separately, so as not only not to eat extra food - this is not the main thing - but by this time to read spiritual literature and become purer in soul and more humble in disposition.

Remember about church holidays and the importance of prayer. Treat faith with respect, and in difficult times it will help you out without leaving you in trouble. And don't forget to press the buttons and

09.12.2015 00:30

December 4 Orthodox world celebrates the Entry of the Mother of God into the temple. The great day foreshadowed that the Most Holy...

Please enable JavaScript!

Designation of calendar background colors No post Food without meat Fish, hot food with vegetable oil Hot food with vegetable oil Hot food without vegetable oil Cold food without vegetable oil, unheated drinks Abstinence from food Big holidays

Great Church holidays in 2016

Lent
(in 2016, according to the calendar, it falls on March 14 - April 30)

Lent is designated for the repentance and humility of Christians before the holiday of Easter, on which the Holy Resurrection of Christ from the dead is celebrated. This is the most significant of all Christian holidays in Orthodox calendar.

The start and end times of Lent depend on the date of Easter, which does not have a fixed calendar date. The duration of Lent is 7 weeks. It consists of 2 fasts - Lent and Holy Week.

Lent lasts 40 days in memory of the forty-day fast of Jesus Christ in the desert. Thus, the fast is called Lent. The last seventh week of Great Lent - Holy Week - is defined in memory of the last days of earthly life, the suffering and death of Christ.

During the entire Lent calendar, including weekends, it is prohibited to consume meat, milk, cheese and eggs. Fasting must be observed with particular strictness in the first and last weeks. On the Feast of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, April 7, it is allowed to relax the fast and add vegetable oil and fish to the diet. In addition to abstaining from food during Lent, one must diligently pray that the Lord God will grant repentance, regret for sins and love for the Almighty.

Apostolic Fast - Petrov Fast
(According to the calendar in 2016 it falls on June 27 - July 11)

This post does not have a specific date on the calendar. The apostolic fast is dedicated to the memory of the apostles Peter and Paul. Its beginning depends on the day of Easter and the Holy Trinity, which falls on the current calendar year. Lent begins exactly seven days after the feast of Trinity, which is also called Pentecost, because it is celebrated on the fiftieth day after Easter. The week before Lent is called All Saints' Week.

The duration of the Apostolic Fast can be from 8 days to 6 weeks (depending on the day of Easter celebration). The Apostolic Fast ends on July 12, the day of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul. This is where the post got its name. It is also called the Fast of the Holy Apostles or the Fast of Peter.

The apostolic fast is not very strict. On Wednesday and Friday, dry eating is allowed, on Monday the consumption of hot food without oil is allowed, on Tuesday and Thursday mushrooms, vegetable foods with vegetable oil and a little wine are allowed, and on Saturday and Sunday fish is also allowed.

Fish is still allowed on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, if these days fall on a holiday with great praise. It is permissible to eat fish on Wednesday and Friday only when these days fall on a vigil holiday or a temple festival.

Dormition post
(in 2016 falls on August 14 - August 27)

The Dormition Fast begins exactly one month after the end of the Apostolic Fast on August 14 and lasts 2 weeks, until August 27. This post prepares for the Feast of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which is celebrated according to the Orthodox calendar on August 28. Through the Dormition Fast we follow the example of the Mother of God, who was constantly in fasting and prayer.

According to the severity, the Assumption Fast is close to Great Lent. On Monday, Wednesday and Friday there is dry food, Tuesday and Thursday - hot food without oil, on Saturday and Sunday vegetable food with vegetable oil is allowed. On the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord (August 19), it is allowed to consume fish, as well as oil and wine.

On the day of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary (August 28), if the devil falls on Wednesday or Friday, only fish is allowed. Meat, milk and eggs are prohibited. On other days, fasting is canceled.

There is also a rule not to eat fruit until August 19th. As a result, the day of the Transfiguration of the Lord is also called the Apple Savior, because at this time garden fruits (in particular, apples) are brought to the church, blessed and given away.

Christmas post
(from November 28 to January 6)

The Advent calendar lasts every year from November 28 to January 6. If the first day of fasting falls on Sunday, the fast is softened, but not canceled. The Nativity Fast precedes the Nativity of Christ, January 7 (December 25, old style calendar), on which the birth of the Savior is celebrated. Fasting begins 40 days before the celebration and is therefore also called Lent. People call the Nativity Fast Filippov, because it begins immediately after the day of remembrance of the Apostle Philip - November 27. Conventionally, the Nativity Fast shows the state of the world before the coming of the Savior. By abstinence in food, Christians express respect for the holiday of the Birth of Christ. In accordance with the rules of abstinence, the Nativity Fast is similar to the Apostolic Fast until the day of St. Nicholas - December 19. From December 20 until Christmas, fasting is observed with particular strictness.

According to the charter, it is allowed to eat fish on the feast of the Entry into the Temple of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and the week before December 20.

On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays of the Nativity Fast, dry eating is accepted.

If there is a temple holiday or vigil on these days, it is allowed to eat fish; If the day of a great saint falls, the consumption of wine and vegetable oil is allowed.

After St. Nicholas Memorial Day and before Christmas, fish is allowed on Saturday and Sunday. You cannot eat fish on the eve of the holiday. If these days fall on Saturday or Sunday, meals with butter are allowed.

On Christmas Eve, January 6, on the eve of Christmas, food is not allowed until the appearance of the first star. This rule was adopted in memory of the star that shone at the moment of the birth of the Rescuer. After the appearance of the first star (it is customary to eat sochivo - wheat seeds boiled in honey or dried fruits softened in water, and kutya - boiled cereal with raisins. The Christmas period lasts from January 7 to January 13. From the morning of January 7, all food restrictions are lifted. Fasting is canceled for 11 days.

One-day posts

There are many one-day posts. According to the strictness of observance, they vary and are in no way associated with a specific date. The most common of them are posts on Wednesdays and Fridays of any week. Also, the most famous one-day fasts are on the day of the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord, on the day before the Baptism of the Lord, on the day of the Beheading of John the Baptist.

There are also one-day fasts associated with the dates of commemoration of famous saints.

These fasts are not considered strict if they do not fall on Wednesday and Friday. During these one-day fasts, it is prohibited to eat fish, but food with vegetable oil is acceptable.

Individual fasts can be taken in the event of some kind of misfortune or social misfortune - an epidemic, war, terrorist attack, etc. One-day fasts precede the sacrament of communion.

Posts on Wednesday and Friday

On Wednesday, according to the Gospel, Judas betrayed Jesus Christ, and on Friday Jesus suffered on the cross and died. In memory of these events, Orthodoxy has adopted fasts on Wednesday and Friday of each week. Exceptions occur only in continuous weeks or weeks, during which there are no existing restrictions for these days. Such weeks are considered to be Christmastide (January 7–18), Publican and Pharisee, Cheese, Easter and Trinity (the first week after Trinity).

On Wednesday and Friday it is forbidden to eat meat, dairy foods, and eggs. Some of the most pious Christians do not allow themselves to consume, including fish and vegetable oil, that is, they observe dry eating.

Relaxation of fasting on Wednesday and Friday is possible only if this day coincides with the feast of a particularly revered saint, to whose memory a special church service is dedicated.

In the period between All Saints' Week and before the Nativity of Christ, it is necessary to give up fish and vegetable oil. If Wednesday or Friday coincides with the feast of the saints, then it is allowed to use vegetable oil.

On major holidays, such as Intercession, it is allowed to eat fish.

On the eve of the feast of the Epiphany

According to the calendar, Epiphany falls on January 18th. According to the Gospel, Christ was baptized in the Jordan River, at that moment the Holy Spirit descended on Him in the form of a dove, Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist. John was a witness that Christ is the Savior, that is, Jesus is the Messiah of the Lord. During baptism, he heard the voice of the Most High, proclaiming: “This is My beloved Son, with Him I am well pleased.”

Before the Epiphany of the Lord, a vigil is celebrated in churches, at which point the ceremony of consecrating holy water takes place. In connection with this holiday, fasting has been adopted. At the time of this abstinence, food intake is allowed once a day and only juice and kutya with honey. Therefore, among Orthodox believers, the eve of Epiphany is usually called Christmas Eve. If the evening meal falls on Saturday or Sunday, the fast on that day is not canceled, but is relaxed. In this case, you can eat food twice a day - after the liturgy and after the rite of blessing of water.

Fasting on the Day of the Beheading of John the Baptist

The day of the Beheading of John the Baptist is commemorated on September 11. It was introduced in memory of the death of the prophet - John the Baptist, who was the Forerunner of the Messiah. According to the Gospel, John was thrown into prison by Herod Antipas because of his exposure in connection with Herodias, the wife of Philip, Herod’s brother.

During the celebration of his birthday, the King organized a holiday, the daughter of Herodias, Salome, presented a skillful dance to Herod. He was delighted with the beauty of the dance, and promised the girl everything she wanted for it. Herodias persuaded her daughter to beg for the head of John the Baptist. Herod fulfilled the girl’s wish by sending a warrior to the prisoner to bring him John’s head.

In memory of John the Baptist and his pious life, during which he continuously fasted, fasting was defined in the Orthodox calendar. On this day it is forbidden to consume meat, dairy, eggs and fish. Vegetable foods and vegetable oil are acceptable.

Fasting on the Day of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross

This holiday falls on September 27th. This day was established in memory of the discovery of the Lord's Cross. This happened in the 4th century. According to legend, the emperor of the Byzantine Empire, Constantine the Great, won many victories thanks to the Cross of the Lord and therefore revered this symbol. Showing gratitude to the Almighty for the consent of the church at the First Ecumenical Council, he decided to erect a temple on Calvary. Helen, the emperor's mother, went to Jerusalem in 326 to find the Cross of the Lord.

According to the then custom, crosses, as instruments of execution, were buried next to the place of execution. Three crosses were found on Calvary. It was impossible to understand which one was Christ, since the bar with the inscription “Jesus the Nazarene King of the Jews” was discovered separately from all the crosses. Subsequently, the Cross of the Lord was installed according to its power, which was expressed in the healing of the sick and the resurrection of a person through touching this cross. The glory of the amazing miracles of the Cross of the Lord attracted a lot of people, and because of the crowds, many did not have the opportunity to see and bow to it. Then Patriarch Macarius raised the cross, showing it to everyone around him in the distance. Thus, the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross appeared on the calendar.

The holiday was adopted on the day of the consecration of the Church of the Resurrection of Christ, September 26, 335, and began to be celebrated the next day, September 27. In 614, the Persian king Khozroes took possession of Jerusalem and took out the Cross. In 328, Chozroes' heir, Syroes, returned the stolen Cross of the Lord to Jerusalem. This happened on September 27, so this day is considered a double holiday - the Exaltation and the Finding of the Cross of the Lord. On this day it is forbidden to eat cheese, eggs and fish. In this way, Christian believers express their reverence for the Cross.

Holy Resurrection of Christ - Easter
(in 2016 falls on May 1)

The most key Christian holiday in the Orthodox calendar is Easter - the Holy Resurrection of Christ from the dead. Easter is considered the main one between the transitory twelve holidays, since in Easter story contains everything on which Christian knowledge is based. For all Christians, the Resurrection of Christ means salvation and trampling on death.

The suffering of Christ, torture on the cross and death, washed away original sin, and therefore gave salvation to humanity. That is why Christians call Easter the Solemnity of Solemnities and the Feast of Feasts.

The Christian holiday is based on the following story. On the first day of the week, the myrrh-bearing women came to the tomb of Christ to anoint the body with incense. However, the large block that blocked the entrance to the tomb was moved, and an angel sat on the stone, who told the women that the Savior had risen. Some time later, Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene and sent her to the apostles to inform them that the prophecy had come true.

She ran to the apostles and told them the good news and told them the message of Christ that they would meet in Galilee. Before His death, Jesus told the disciples about future events, but Mary's news plunged them into confusion. Faith in the Kingdom of Heaven, promised by Jesus, came to life again in their hearts. However, not everyone was happy about the Resurrection of Jesus: the high priests and Pharisees started rumors about the disappearance of the body.

However, despite the lies and painful trials that fell on the first Christians, the New Testament Easter became the basis Christian faith. The blood of Christ atoned for the sins of people and opened the way to salvation for them. From the first days of Christianity, the apostles established the celebration of Easter, which was preceded by Holy Week in memory of the suffering of the Savior. Today they are preceded by Lent, which lasts forty days.

For a long time, discussions continued about the true date of the celebration of the memory of the events described, until at the First Ecumenical Council in Nicaea (325) they agreed to celebrate Easter on the 1st Sunday following the first spring full moon and the vernal equinox. In various years, Easter can be celebrated from March 21 to April 24 (old style).

On the eve of Easter, the service begins at eleven o'clock in the evening. First, the Midnight Office of Holy Saturday is served, then the bell sounds and a procession of the cross takes place, which is led by clergy; believers leave the church with lighted candles, and the bell is replaced by the festive ringing of bells. When the procession returns to the closed doors of the church, which symbolize the tomb of Christ, the ringing is interrupted. The holiday prayer sounds and the church door opens. At this time, the priest exclaims: “Christ is Risen!”, and the believers together answer: “Truly He is Risen!” This is how Easter Matins begins.

At the time of the Easter liturgy, the Gospel of John is read as usual. At the end of the Easter liturgy, artos - large prosphora similar to Easter cakes - are blessed. During Easter week artos is located close to the royal doors. After the liturgy, on the following Saturday, a special rite of breaking the artos is served, and pieces of it are distributed to the believers.

At the end of the Easter liturgy, the fast ends and Orthodox Christians can treat themselves to a piece of blessed Easter cake, a colored egg, a meat pie, etc. During the first week of Easter ( Bright Week) is supposed to give food to the hungry and help the needy. Christians go to visit their relatives and exchange exclamations: “Christ is risen!” - “Truly he is risen!” On Easter it is supposed to give painted eggs. This tradition was adopted in memory of the visit of Mary Magdalene to the Emperor of Rome Tiberius. According to legend, Mary was the first to tell Tiberius the news of the Resurrection of the Savior and brought him an egg as a gift - as a symbol of life. But Tiberius did not believe the news of the Resurrection and said that he would believe it if the egg he brought turned red. And at that moment the egg turned red. In memory of what happened, believers began to paint eggs, which became a symbol of Easter.

Palm Sunday. Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem.
(in 2016 falls on April 24)

The Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem, or simply Palm Sunday, is one of the most key twelve holidays celebrated by the Orthodox. The first mentions of this holiday are found in manuscripts of the 3rd century. This event has great importance for Christians, since the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, whose authorities were hostile to Him, means that Christ voluntarily accepted the suffering of the cross. The entry of the Lord into Jerusalem is described by all four evangelists, which also testifies to the significance of this day.

The date of Palm Sunday depends on the date of Easter: The Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem is celebrated a week before Easter. In order to confirm the people in the belief that Jesus Christ is the Messiah predicted by the prophets, a week before the Resurrection, the Savior and the apostles went to the city. On the way to Jerusalem, Jesus sent John and Peter to a village, indicating the place where they would find the colt. The apostles brought a colt to the Teacher, on which He sat and went to Jerusalem.

At the entrance to the city, some people laid out their own clothes, the rest accompanied Him with cut palm branches, and greeted the Savior with the words: “Hosanna in the highest! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” because they believed that Jesus was the Messiah and King of the people of Israel.

When Jesus entered the Jerusalem temple, he drove out the merchants with the words: “My house will be called a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves” (Matthew 21:13). People listened with admiration to the teachings of Christ. The sick began to come to Him, He healed them, and at that moment the children sang His praises. Then Christ left the temple and went with his disciples to Bethany.

In ancient times, it was customary to greet winners with fronds, or palm branches; this is where another name for the holiday came from: Vaiya Week. In Russia, where palm trees do not grow, the holiday received its third name - Palm Sunday - in honor of the only plant that blooms during this harsh time. Palm Sunday Lent ends and Holy Week begins.

Concerning festive table, then Palm Sunday allows fish and vegetable dishes with vegetable oil. And the day before, on Lazarus Saturday, after Vespers, you can taste a little fish caviar.

Ascension of the Lord
(in 2016 falls on June 9)

The Ascension of the Lord is celebrated according to the calendar on the fortieth day after Easter. Traditionally, this holiday falls on Thursday of the sixth week of Easter. The events associated with the Ascension signify the end of the Savior’s earthly sojourn and the beginning of His life in the bosom of the Church. After the Resurrection, the Teacher came to his disciples for forty days, teaching them the true faith and the way of salvation. The Savior instructed the apostles what to do after His Ascension.

Then Christ promised the disciples to release the Holy Spirit on them, which they should wait for in Jerusalem. Christ said: “And I will send the promise of My Father upon you; But you remain in the city of Jerusalem until you are endowed with power from on high” (Luke 24:49). Then, together with the apostles, they went outside the city, where He blessed the disciples and began to ascend into heaven. The apostles bowed to Him and returned to Jerusalem.

As for fasting, on the Feast of the Ascension of the Lord it is allowed to eat any food, both fasting and fasting.

Trinity Day - Pentecost
(in 2016 falls on June 19)

On the Day of the Holy Trinity, we commemorate the story that tells about the descent of the Holy Spirit on the disciples of Christ. The Holy Spirit appeared to the Apostles of the Savior in the form of tongues of flame on the day of Pentecost, that is, on the fiftieth day after Easter, hence the name of this holiday. The second, most famous name of the day is dedicated to the discovery by the apostles of the third hypostasis of the Holy Trinity - the Holy Spirit, after which the Christian concept of the Triune Godhead received a perfect interpretation.

On the day of the Holy Trinity, the apostles intended to meet in their home in order to pray together. Suddenly they heard a roar, and then tongues of fire began to appear in the air, which, dividing, descended on Christ’s disciples.

After the flame descended on the apostles, the prophecy “...were filled... with the Holy Spirit...” (Acts 2:4) came true and they offered a prayer. With the descent of the Holy Spirit, Christ's disciples acquired the gift of speaking different languages in order to carry the Word of the Lord throughout the world.

The noise coming from the house attracted a large crowd of curious people. The assembled people were amazed that the apostles could speak different languages. Among the people there were people from other nations; they heard the apostles offering prayers in their native language. Most people were surprised and filled with awe, at the same time, among those gathered there were also people who were skeptical about what had happened, “they got drunk on sweet wine” (Acts 2:13).

On this day, the Apostle Peter preached his first sermon, which said that the event that happened on this day was predicted by the prophets and marks the last mission of the Savior in the earthly world. The Apostle Peter's sermon was short and simple, but the Holy Spirit spoke through him, and his speech reached the souls of many people. At the end of Peter's speech, many accepted the faith and were baptized. “So those who gladly received his word were baptized, and that day about three thousand souls were added” (Acts 2:41). Since ancient times, Trinity Day has been revered as a birthday. Christian Church created by Sacred grace.

On Trinity Day, it is customary to decorate houses and churches with flowers and grass. Regarding the festive table, on this day it is allowed to eat any food. There is no fasting on this day.

Twelfth Enduring Holidays
(have a constant date in the Orthodox calendar)

Christmas (January 7)

According to legend, the Lord God promised sinner Adam the coming of the Savior back in paradise. Many prophets foreshadowed the coming of the Savior - Christ, in particular the prophet Isaiah, prophesied about the birth of the Messiah to the Jews who had forgotten the Lord and worshiped pagan idols. Shortly before the birth of Jesus, the ruler Herod proclaimed a decree on a population census, for this the Jews had to appear in the cities in which they were born. Joseph and the Virgin Mary also went to the cities where they were born.

They did not get to Bethlehem quickly: the Virgin Mary was pregnant, and when they arrived in the city, it was time to give birth. But in Bethlehem, due to the crowd of people, all the places were occupied, and Joseph and Mary had to stay in a stable. At night, Mary gave birth to a boy, named Him Jesus, swaddled him and put him in a manger - a feeding trough for livestock. Not far from their overnight stay, there were shepherds grazing cattle, an angel appeared to them, who told them: ... I bring you great joy that will be to all people: for today a Savior has been born to you in the city of David, 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” (Luke 2:10-12). When the angel disappeared, the shepherds went to Bethlehem, where they found the Holy Family, worshiped Jesus, and told about the appearance of the angel and his sign, after which they went back to their flocks.

In these same days, wise men came to Jerusalem and asked people about the born king of the Jews, since a new bright star was shining in the heavens. Having learned about the Magi, King Herod called them to him in order to find out the place where the Messiah was born. He ordered the wise men to find out the place where the new king of the Jews was born.

The Magi followed the star, which led them to the stable where the Savior was born. Entering the stable, the wise men bowed to Jesus and presented him with gifts: incense, gold and myrrh. “And having received a revelation in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another route” (Matthew 2:12). That same night, Joseph received a sign: an angel appeared in his dream and said: “Get up, take the Child and His Mother and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod wants to look for the Child in order to destroy Him” (Matt. 2, 13). Joseph, Mary and Jesus went to Egypt, where they stayed until the death of Herod.

For the first time, the holiday of the Nativity of Christ began to be celebrated in the 4th century in Constantinople. The holiday is preceded by a forty-day fast and Christmas Eve. On Christmas Eve, it is customary to drink only water, and when the first star appears in the sky, they break their fast with sochi - boiled wheat or rice with honey and dried fruits. After Christmas and before Epiphany, Christmastide is celebrated, during which all fasts are canceled.

Epiphany - Epiphany (January 19)

Christ began serving people at the age of thirty. John the Baptist was supposed to anticipate the coming of the Messiah, who prophesied the coming of the Messiah and baptized people in the Jordan for the cleansing of sins. When the Savior appeared to John for baptism, John recognized the Messiah in Him and told Him that he himself must be baptized by the Savior. But Christ answered: “...leave it now, for in this way it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness” (Matthew 3:15), that is, to fulfill what the prophets said.

Christians call the feast of the Baptism of the Lord the Epiphany; at the baptism of Christ, three hypostases of the Trinity appeared to people for the first time: the Lord Son, Jesus himself, the Holy Spirit, who descended in the form of a dove on Christ, and the Lord Father, who said: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” "(Matthew 3:17).

The first to celebrate the feast of Epiphany were the disciples of Christ, as evidenced by the set of apostolic rules. One day before holiday Epiphany begins on Christmas Eve. On this day, as on Christmas Eve, Orthodox Christians eat juices, and only after the blessing of water. Epiphany water It is considered healing, it is sprinkled at home, it is drunk on an empty stomach for various diseases.

On the feast of Epiphany itself, the rite of the great hagiasma is also served. On this day, the tradition of making a religious procession to reservoirs with the Gospel, banners and lamps has been preserved. The religious procession is accompanied by the ringing of bells and the singing of the troparion of the holiday.

Presentation of the Lord (February 15)

The Feast of the Presentation of the Lord describes the events that happened in the Jerusalem Temple during the meeting of the Infant Jesus with the elder Simeon. According to the law, on the fortieth day after her birth, the Virgin Mary brought Jesus to the Temple of Jerusalem. According to legend, Elder Simeon lived at the temple where he translated the Holy Scriptures into Greek language. In one of the prophecies of Isaiah, which describes the coming of the Savior, in the place where His birth is described, it is said that the Messiah will be born not from a woman, but from a Virgin. The elder suggested that there was an error in the original text, at that same moment an angel appeared to him and said that Simeon would not die until he saw the Blessed Virgin and Her Son with his own eyes.

When the Virgin Mary entered the temple with Jesus in her arms, Simeon immediately saw Them and recognized the Messiah in the Baby. He took Him in his arms and uttered the following words: “Now You are releasing Your servant, O Master, according to Your word in peace, because 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 Your people Israel” (Luke 2, 29). From now on, the old man could die peacefully, because he had just seen with his own eyes both the Virgin Mother and Her Son-Savior.

Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (April 7)

Since ancient times, the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary has been called both the Beginning of Redemption and the Conception of Christ. This lasted for the 7th century until it acquired the name it currently has. In terms of its significance for Christians, the Feast of the Annunciation is comparable only to the Nativity of Christ. That is why there is a proverb among people to this day that on a given day “the bird does not build a nest, the maiden does not braid her hair.”

The history of the holiday is as follows. When the Virgin Mary reached the age of fifteen, She had to leave the walls of the Jerusalem Temple: in accordance with the laws that existed in those times, only men had the opportunity to serve the Almighty throughout their lives. However, by this time Mary's parents had already died, and the priests decided to betroth Mary to Joseph of Nazareth.

One day an angel appeared to the Virgin Mary, who was the Archangel Gabriel. He greeted Her with the following words: “Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with you!” Mary was confused because she did not know what the angel's words meant. The Archangel explained to Mary that She was the chosen one of the Lord for the birth of the Savior, about whom the prophets spoke: “... and you will conceive in your womb and give birth to a Son, and you will call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end” (Luke 1:31-33).

Having heard the revelation of the Archangel Gavria, the Virgin Mary asked: “... how will this happen if I don’t know my husband?” (Luke 1:34), to which the archangel replied that the Holy Spirit would descend on the Virgin, therefore the Child born from her would be holy. And Mary humbly answered: “...behold the handmaid of the Lord; Let it be done to me according to Your word” (Luke 1:37).

Transfiguration of the Lord (August 19)

The Savior often told the apostles that in order to save people, He would have to endure suffering and death. And in order to strengthen the faith of the disciples, he showed them His Divine glory, which awaits Him and the other righteous of Christ at the end of their earthly existence.

One day Christ took three disciples - Peter, James and John - to Mount Tabor to pray to the Almighty. But the apostles, tired during the day, fell asleep, and when they woke up, they saw how the Savior had been transformed: His clothes were snow-white, and His face shone like the sun.

Next to the Teacher were the prophets Moses and Elijah, with whom Christ spoke about his own sufferings that He would have to endure. At that same moment, the apostles were overwhelmed by such grace that Peter randomly suggested: “Mentor! It's good for us to be here; We will make three tabernacles: one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah, not knowing what he said” (Luke 9:33).

At that moment, everyone was enveloped in a cloud, from which the voice of God was heard: “This is My Beloved Son, listen to Him” (Luke 9:35). As soon as the words of the Most High were heard, the disciples again saw Christ alone in His ordinary appearance.

When Christ and the apostles were returning from Mount Tabor, He ordered them not to testify before the time of what they had seen.

In Rus', the Transfiguration of the Lord was popularly called the “Apple Savior”, since on this day honey and apples are blessed in churches.

Dormition of the Mother of God (August 28)

The Gospel of John says that before his death, Christ commanded the Apostle John to take care of his Mother (John 19:26–27). From that time on, the Virgin Mary lived with John in Jerusalem. Here the apostles recorded the stories of the Mother of God about the earthly existence of Jesus Christ. The Mother of God often went to Golgotha ​​to venerate and pray, and on one of these visits, the Archangel Gabriel informed Her of Her imminent dormition.

By this time, the apostles of Christ began to come to the city for the last earthly service of the Virgin Mary. Before the death of the Mother of God, Christ and the angels appeared at Her bedside, causing those present to be gripped by fear. The Mother of God gave glory to God and, as if falling asleep, accepted a peaceful death.

The apostles took the bed on which the Mother of God was and carried it to the Garden of Gethsemane. The Jewish priests, who hated Christ and did not believe in His resurrection, learned about the death of the Mother of God. The high priest Athos overtook the funeral procession and grabbed the bed, trying to turn it over in order to desecrate the body. However, the moment he touched the stock, his hands were cut off by an invisible force. Only after this did Afonia repent and believe, and immediately found healing. The body of the Mother of God was placed in a coffin and covered with a large stone.

However, among those present in the procession was not one of Christ’s disciples, the Apostle Thomas. He arrived in Jerusalem only three days after the funeral and cried for a long time at the tomb of the Virgin Mary. Then the apostles decided to open the Tomb so that Thomas could venerate the body of the deceased.

When they rolled away the stone, they found only the funeral shrouds of the Mother of God inside; the body itself was not inside the tomb: Christ took the Mother of God to heaven in Her earthly nature.

A temple was subsequently built on that spot, where the funeral shrouds of the Mother of God were preserved until the 4th century. After this, the shrine was transported to Byzantium, to the Blachernae Church, and in 582, Emperor Mauritius issued a decree on the general celebration of the Dormition of the Mother of God.

This holiday among the Orthodox is considered one of the most revered, like other holidays dedicated to the memory of the Virgin Mary.

Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (September 21)

The righteous parents of the Virgin Mary, Joachim and Anna, could not have children for a long time, and were very sad about their own childlessness, since among the Jews the absence of children was considered as God's punishment for secret sins. But Joachim and Anna did not lose faith in their child and prayed to God to send them a child. So they made an oath: if they have a child, they will give him to the service of the Almighty.

And God heard their requests, but before that, he subjected them to a test: when Joachim came to the temple to make a sacrifice, the priest did not take it, reproaching the old man for being childless. After this case Joachim went into the desert, where he fasted and begged for forgiveness from the Lord.

At this time, Anna also underwent a test: her maid reproached her for childlessness. After that, Anna went into the garden and, noticing a bird’s nest with chicks on a tree, began to think about the fact that even birds have children, and burst into tears. In the garden, an angel appeared before Anna and began to calm her down, promising that they would soon have a child. An angel also appeared before Joachim and said that the Lord had heard him.

After this, Joachim and Anna met and told each other about the good news that the angels told them, and a year later they had a girl, whom they named Mary.

Exaltation of the Honest and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord (September 27)

In 325, the mother of the Byzantine Emperor Constantine the Great, Queen Lena, went to Jerusalem to visit holy places. She visited Golgotha ​​and the burial place of Christ, but most of all she wanted to find the Cross on which the Messiah was crucified. The search yielded results: three crosses were found on Calvary, and in order to find the one on which Christ suffered, they decided to conduct tests. Each of them was applied to the deceased, and one of the crosses resurrected the deceased. This was the same Cross of the Lord.

When the people learned that they had found the Cross on which Christ was crucified, a very large crowd gathered at Golgotha. There were so many Christians gathered that most of them could not approach the Cross to bow to the shrine. Patriarch Macarius proposed erecting the Cross so that everyone could see it. So, in honor of these events, the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross was founded.

Among Christians, the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord is considered the only holiday that is celebrated from the first day of its existence, that is, the day when the Cross was found.

The Exaltation received general Christian significance after the war between Persia and Byzantium. In 614, Jerusalem was sacked by the Persians. Moreover, among the shrines they took away was the Cross of the Lord. And only in 628 the shrine was returned to the Church of the Resurrection, built on Calvary by Constantine the Great. Since then, the Feast of the Exaltation has been celebrated by all Christians in the world.

Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary into the Temple (December 4)

Christians celebrate the presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary into the temple in memory of the dedication of the Virgin Mary to God. When Mary was three years old, Joachim and Anna fulfilled their vow: they brought their daughter to the Jerusalem Temple and placed her on the stairs. To the amazement of her parents and other people, little Mary walked up the stairs herself to meet the high priest, after which he led Her into the altar. From that time on, the Blessed Virgin Mary lived at the temple until the time came for her betrothal to righteous Joseph.

Great Holidays

Feast of the Circumcision of the Lord (January 14)

Circumcision of the Lord as a holiday was established in the 4th century. On this day, they commemorate an event associated with the Covenant made with God on Mount Zion by the prophet Moses: according to which all boys on the eighth day after birth were to accept circumcision as a symbol of unity with the Jewish patriarchs - Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

After completing this ritual, the Savior was named Jesus, as Archangel Gabriel commanded when he brought the good news to the Virgin Mary. According to the interpretation, the Lord accepted circumcision as a strict fulfillment of the laws of God. But in the Christian Church there is no ritual of circumcision, since according to the New Testament it gave way to the sacrament of baptism.

Nativity of John the Baptist, Forerunner of the Lord (July 7)

The celebration of the Nativity of John the Baptist, the prophet of the Lord, was established by the Church in the 4th century. Among all the most revered saints, John the Baptist occupies a special place, since he was supposed to prepare the Jewish people to accept the preaching of the Messiah.

During the reign of Herod, the priest Zechariah lived in Jerusalem with his wife Elizabeth. They did everything with zeal, as indicated by the Law of Moses, but God still did not give them a child. But one day, when Zechariah entered the altar for incense, he saw an angel who told the priest the good news that very soon his wife would give birth to a long-awaited child, who should be named John: “...and you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great before the Lord; He will not drink wine or strong drink, and will be filled with the Holy Spirit from his mother’s womb...” (Luke 1:14-15).

However, in response to this revelation, Zechariah smiled sadly: both he and his wife Elizabeth were in old age. When he told the angel about his own doubts, he introduced himself as the Archangel Gabriel and, as punishment for disbelief, imposed a ban: because Zechariah did not believe the good news, he would not be able to talk until Elizabeth gave birth to a child.

Soon Elizabeth was pregnant, but she could not believe her own happiness, so she hid her situation for up to five months. In the end, she had a son, and when the baby was brought to the temple on the eighth day, the priest was greatly surprised to learn that he was named John: neither in the family of Zechariah nor in the family of Elizabeth was there anyone with that name. But Zacharias nodded his head and confirmed his wife’s wishes, after which he was able to talk again. And the first words that left his lips were the words of a heartfelt prayer of gratitude.

Day of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul (July 12)

On this day, the Orthodox Church commemorates the apostles Peter and Paul, who suffered martyrdom in the year 67 for preaching the Gospel. This holiday precedes the multi-day apostolic (Petrov) fast.

In ancient times church rules hosted the Council of the Apostles, and Peter and Paul occupied the highest places in it. In other words, the lives of these apostles were of great importance for the development of the Christian Church.

However, the first apostles followed slightly different paths to faith, which, realizing them, one can involuntarily think about the inscrutability of the Lord’s ways.

Apostle Peter

Before Peter began his apostolic ministry, he bore a different name - Simon, which he received at birth. Simon lived as a fisherman on Lake Gennesaret until his brother Andrew brought him young man to Christ. The radical and strong Simon was immediately able to occupy a special place among the disciples of Jesus. For example, he was the first to recognize the Savior in Jesus and for this acquired a new name from Christ - Cephas (Hebrew stone). In Greek, this name sounds like Peter, and it was on this “flint” that Jesus was going to erect the building of his own Church, which “the gates of hell will not prevail.” However, weaknesses are inherent in man, and Peter’s weakness was his threefold denial of Christ. Nevertheless, Peter repented and was forgiven by Jesus, who confirmed his destiny three times over.

After the descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles, Peter was the first to preach a sermon in the history of the Christian Church. After this sermon, more than three thousand Jews joined the true faith. In the Acts of the Apostles, in almost every chapter there is evidence of Peter’s active work: he preached the Gospel in various towns and states located on the shores of the Mediterranean. And it is believed that the Apostle Mark, who accompanied Peter, wrote the Gospel, taking the sermons of Cephas as a basis. Apart from this, in the New Testament there is a book written personally by the apostle.

In 67, the apostle went to Rome, but was caught by the authorities and suffered on the cross, like Christ. But Peter considered that he was unworthy of exactly the same execution as the Teacher, so he asked the executioners to crucify him upside down on the cross.

Apostle Paul

Apostle Paul was born in the city of Tarsus (Asia Minor). Like Peter, he had a different name from birth - Saul. He was a gifted young man and acquired a good education, but he grew up and was brought up in pagan customs. In addition, Saul was a noble Roman citizen, and his position allowed the future apostle to openly admire the pagan Hellenistic culture.

With all this, Paul was a persecutor of Christianity both in Palestine and beyond its borders. These opportunities were gifted to him by the Pharisees, who hated Christian teaching and waged a fierce struggle against it.

One day, when Saul was traveling to Damascus with permission for the local synagogues to arrest Christians, he was struck by a bright light. The future apostle fell to the ground and heard a voice saying: “Saul, Saul! Why are you persecuting Me? He said: Who are you, Lord? The Lord said: I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is difficult for you to go against the pricks” (Acts 9:4-5). After this, Christ ordered Saul to go to Damascus and rely on providence.

When the blind Saul arrived in the city, where he found Ananias the priest. After a conversation with a Christian pastor, he believed in Christ and was baptized. During the baptismal ceremony, his sight returned again. From this day Paul's activity as an apostle began. Like the Apostle Peter, Paul traveled widely: he visited Arabia, Antioch, Cyprus, Asia Minor and Macedonia. In the places where Paul visited, Christian communities seemed to form on their own, and the supreme apostle himself became famous for his messages to the heads of the churches founded with his help: among the New Testament books there are 14 letters of Paul. Thanks to these messages, Christian dogmas acquired a coherent system and became understandable to every believer.

At the end of 66, the Apostle Paul arrived in Rome, where a year later, as a citizen of the Roman Empire, he was executed by the sword.

Beheading of John the Baptist (September 11)

In the 32nd year from the birth of Jesus, King Herod Antipas, ruler of Galilee, imprisoned John the Baptist for talking about his close relationship with Herodias, his brother’s wife.

At the same time, the king was afraid to execute John, since this could cause the anger of his people, who loved and revered John.

One day, during the celebration of Herod's birthday, a feast was held. The daughter of Herodias, Salome, gave the king an exquisite tanya. For this, Herod promised in front of everyone that he would fulfill any desire of the girl. Herodias persuaded her daughter to ask the king for the head of John the Baptist.

The girl’s request embarrassed the king, as he was afraid of John’s death, but at the same time he could not refuse the request, since he was afraid of the ridicule of the guests because of the unfulfilled promise.

The king sent a warrior to prison, who beheaded John and brought his head to Salome on a platter. The girl accepted the terrible gift and gave it to her own mother. The apostles, having learned about the execution of John the Baptist, buried his headless body.

Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary (October 14)

The holiday was based on a story that happened in 910 in Constantinople. The city was besieged by a countless army of Saracens, and the townspeople hid in the Blachernae Temple - in the place where the omophorion of the Virgin Mary was kept. Frightened residents fervently prayed to the Mother of God for protection. And then one day during prayer, the holy fool Andrei noticed the Mother of God above those praying.

Mother of God walked accompanied by an army of angels, with John the Theologian and John the Baptist. She reverently extended her hands to the Son, while her omophorion covered the praying inhabitants of the city, as if protecting people from future disasters. In addition to the holy fool Andrei, his disciple Epiphanius saw the amazing procession. The miraculous vision soon disappeared, but Her grace remained in the temple, and soon the Saracen army left Constantinople.

The Feast of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary came to Rus' under Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky in 1164. And a little later, in 1165, on the Nerl River, the first temple was consecrated in honor of this holiday.

Orthodox at its core church calendar-Easter consists of two parts - fixed and movable.
The fixed part of the church calendar is the Julian calendar, which differs by 13 days from the Gregorian calendar. These holidays fall on the same day of the same month every year.

The moving part of the church calendar moves along with the date of Easter, which changes from year to year. The date of Easter celebration itself is determined according to lunar calendar and a number of additional dogmatic factors (not to celebrate Easter with the Jews, to celebrate Easter only after the spring equinox, to celebrate Easter only after the first spring full moon). All holidays with variable dates are counted from Easter and move in time on the “secular” calendar along with it.

Thus, both parts of the Easter calendar (movable and fixed) together determine the calendar of Orthodox holidays.

Below are the most significant ones for Orthodox Christian events - the so-called Twelfth Holidays and Great Holidays. Although the Orthodox Church celebrates holidays according to the “old style”, which differs by 13 days, the dates in the Calendar, for convenience, are indicated according to the generally accepted secular calendar of the new style.

Orthodox calendar for 2016:

Permanent holidays:

07.01 - Nativity of Christ (twelfth)
14.01 - Circumcision of the Lord (great)
19.01 - Epiphany of the Lord (twelfth)
15.02 - Presentation of the Lord (twelfth)
07.04 - Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (twelfth)
21.05 - Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian
22.05 - St. Nicholas, Archbishop of Myra in Lycia, wonderworker
07.07 - Nativity of John the Baptist (great)
12.07 - Holy First. apostles Peter and Paul (great)
19.08 - Transfiguration of the Lord (twelfth)
28.08 - Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary (twelfth)
11.09 - Beheading of John the Baptist (great)
21.09 - Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (twelfth)
27.09 - Exaltation of the Holy Cross (twelfth)
09.10 - Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian
14.10 - Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary (great)
04.12 - Entry into the Temple of the Blessed Virgin Mary (twelfth)
19.12 - St. Nicholas, Archbishop of Myra in Lycia, wonderworker

Days of special remembrance of the dead

05.03 - Ecumenical Parents' Saturday (Saturday before the week of the Last Judgment)
26.03 - Ecumenical Parental Saturday of the 2nd week of Lent
02.04 - Ecumenical Parental Saturday of the 3rd week of Lent
09.04 - Ecumenical Parental Saturday of the 4th week of Lent
10.05 - Radonitsa (Tuesday of the 2nd week of Easter)
09.05 - Commemoration of deceased soldiers
18.06 - Trinity Parents' Saturday (Saturday before Trinity)
05.11 - Dmitrievskaya Parents' Saturday (Saturday before November 8)

ABOUT ORTHODOX HOLIDAYS:

TWELVETH HOLIDAYS

In worship Orthodox Church twelve great holidays of the annual liturgical circle (except Easter). Divided into The Lord's, dedicated to Jesus Christ, and the Theotokos, dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary.

According to the time of celebration, the twelfth holidays are divided into motionless(non-transient) and movable(transitionable). The former are constantly celebrated on the same dates of the month, the latter fall on different numbers, depending on the date of celebration Easter.

ABOUT MEAL ON HOLIDAYS:

According to the Church Charter on holidays Nativity of Christ And Epiphanies, happened on Wednesday and Friday, there is no post.

IN Christmas And Epiphany Christmas Eve and on holidays Exaltation of the Holy Cross And Beheading of John the Baptist Food with vegetable oil is allowed.

On the feasts of the Presentation, Transfiguration of the Lord, Dormition, Nativity and Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Entry into the Temple of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Nativity of John the Baptist, the Apostles Peter and Paul, John the Theologian, which occurred on Wednesday and Friday, as well as in the period from Easter before Trinity Fish is allowed on Wednesday and Friday.

ABOUT FASTS IN ORTHODOXY:

Fast- a form of religious asceticism, the exercise of spirit, soul and body on the path to salvation within the framework of a religious view; voluntary self-restraint in food, entertainment, communication with the world. Corporal fasting- food restriction; sincere post- limitation of external impressions and pleasures (solitude, silence, prayerful concentration); spiritual fasting- struggle with one’s “bodily lusts”, a period of especially intense prayer.

The most important thing is to realize that physical fasting without spiritual fasting brings nothing to the salvation of the soul. On the contrary, it can be spiritually harmful if a person, abstaining from food, becomes imbued with the consciousness of his own superiority and righteousness. “He who believes that fasting only means abstaining from food is mistaken. True fasting“, - teaches St. John Chrysostom, “is removal from evil, curbing the tongue, putting aside anger, taming lusts, stopping slander, lies and perjury.” Fast- not a goal, but a means to distract yourself from enjoying your body, concentrate and think about your soul; without all this, it becomes just a diet.

Great Lent, Holy Pentecost(Greek Tessarakoste; Lat. Quadragesima) - the period of the liturgical year preceding Holy Week And Easter holiday, the most important of the multi-day fasts. Due to Easter may fall on different calendar numbers, Lent also every year starts at different days. It includes 6 weeks, or 40 days, which is why it is also called St. Pentecostal.

Fast For Orthodox man- This a set of good deeds, sincere prayer, abstinence in everything, including food. Physical fasting is necessary to perform spiritual and mental fasting; all of them in their combination form the post is true, promoting the spiritual reunification of those who fast with God. IN days of fasting(days of fasting) the Church Charter prohibits modest food - meat and dairy products; Fish is allowed only on certain fasting days. IN days of strict fasting Not only fish is not allowed, but any hot food and food cooked in vegetable oil, only cold food without oil and unheated drinks (sometimes called dry eating). In the Russian Orthodox Church there are four multi-day fasts, three one-day fasts and, in addition, fasting on Wednesday and Friday (with the exception of special weeks) throughout the year.

Wednesday and Friday installed as a sign that Christ was betrayed by Judas on Wednesday and crucified on Friday. Saint Athanasius the Great said: “By allowing meat to be eaten on Wednesday and Friday, this man crucifies the Lord.” During the summer and autumn meat-eaters (periods between the Petrov and Assumption fasts and between the Assumption and Rozhdestven fasts), Wednesday and Friday are days of strict fasting. During winter and spring meat-eaters (from Christmas to Lent and from Easter to Trinity), the Charter allows fish on Wednesday and Friday. Fish on Wednesday and Friday is also permitted when the holidays of the Presentation of the Lord, the Transfiguration of the Lord, the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, the Entry of the Virgin Mary into the Temple, the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Nativity of John the Baptist, the Apostles Peter and Paul, and the Apostle John the Theologian fall on these days. If the holidays of the Nativity of Christ and Epiphany fall on Wednesday and Friday, then fasting on these days is canceled. On the eve (eve, Christmas Eve) of the Nativity of Christ (usually a day of strict fasting), which happens on Saturday or Sunday, food with vegetable oil is allowed.

Solid weeks(in Church Slavonic, a week is called a week - days from Monday to Sunday) means the absence of fasting on Wednesday and Friday. Established by the Church as a relaxation before a multi-day fast or as a rest after it. The continuous weeks are as follows:
1. Christmas time - from January 7 to January 18 (11 days), from Christmas to Epiphany.
2. The Publican and the Pharisee - two weeks before Great Lent.
3. Cheese - the week before Lent (eggs, fish and dairy are allowed throughout the week, but without meat).
4. Easter (Light) - week after Easter.
5. Trinity - the week after Trinity (the week before Peter's Fast).

One-day posts except Wednesday and Friday (days of strict fasting, no fish, but food with vegetable oil is allowed):
1. Epiphany Eve (Epiphany Eve) January 18, the day before the feast of the Epiphany. On this day, believers prepare themselves to receive the great shrine - Agiasma - Epiphany Holy Water, for purification and consecration with it at the upcoming holiday.
2. Beheading of John the Baptist - September 11. On this day, a fast was established in memory of the abstinent life of the great prophet John and his lawless murder by Herod.
3. Exaltation of the Holy Cross - September 27. This day reminds us of the sad event on Golgotha, when “for our salvation” the Savior of the human race suffered on the Cross. And therefore this day must be spent in prayer, fasting, contrition for sins, in a feeling of repentance.

MULTI-DAY POSTS:

1. Great Lent or Holy Pentecost.
It begins seven weeks before the holiday of Holy Easter and consists of Lent (forty days) and Holy Week (the week leading up to Easter). Pentecost was established in honor of the forty-day fast of the Savior Himself, and Holy Week - in remembrance last days earthly life, suffering, death and burial of our Lord, Jesus Christ. The total continuation of Great Lent along with Holy Week is 48 days.
The days from the Nativity of Christ to Lent (until Maslenitsa) are called Christmas or winter meat-eater. This period contains three continuous weeks - Christmastide, Publican and Pharisee, Maslenitsa. After Christmastide, fish is allowed on Wednesdays and Fridays, until the whole week (when you can eat meat on all days of the week), which comes after the “Week of the Publican and the Pharisee” (“week” in Church Slavonic means “Sunday”). In the next week, after the full week, fish is no longer allowed on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, but vegetable oil is still allowed. Monday - food with butter, Wednesday, Friday - cold food without butter. This establishment has the purpose of gradual preparation for Great Lent. The last time before Lent, meat is allowed on the “Meat Eating Week” - the Sunday before Maslenitsa.
In the next week - cheese week (Maslenitsa) - all week eggs, fish, dairy products, but they no longer eat meat. Making a fast for Lent ( last time eat fast food, with the exception of meat) on the last day of Maslenitsa - Forgiveness Sunday. This day is also called “Cheese Week”.
It is customary to observe the first and Holy Weeks of Great Lent with particular strictness. On Monday of the first week of Lent (Clean Monday) highest degree fasting - complete abstinence from food (pious laymen who have ascetic experience abstain from food on Tuesday as well). During the remaining weeks of fasting: on Monday, Wednesday and Friday - cold food without oil, Tuesday, Thursday - hot food without oil (vegetables, cereals, mushrooms), on Saturday and Sunday vegetable oil is allowed and, if necessary for health, a little pure grape wine (but in no case vodka). If the memory of a great saint occurs (with an all-night vigil or a polyeleos service the day before), then on Tuesday and Thursday - food with vegetable oil, Monday, Wednesday, Friday - hot food without oil. You can find out about the holidays in the Typikon or the Followed Psalter. Fish is allowed twice during the entire fast: on the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (if the holiday does not fall on Holy Week) and on Palm Sunday, on Lazarus Saturday (the Saturday before Palm Sunday) fish caviar is allowed, on Friday of Holy Week it is customary not to eat any food until it is taken out shrouds (our ancestors in Good Friday did not eat at all).
Bright Week (the week after Easter) is continuous - fasting is allowed on all days of the week. Starting from the next week after the continuous week until Trinity (spring meat-eater), fish is allowed on Wednesdays and Fridays. The week between Trinity and Peter's Fast is continuous.

2. Petrov or Apostolic Fast.
Fasting begins a week after the feast of the Holy Trinity and ends on July 12, the day of the celebration of the memory of the holy apostles Peter and Paul. It was established in honor of the holy apostles and in remembrance of the fact that the holy apostles, after the descent of the Holy Spirit on them, dispersed throughout all countries with good news, always being in the feat of fasting and prayer. The duration of this post is different years varies and depends on the day of Easter celebration. The shortest fast lasts 8 days, the longest - 6 weeks. Fish is allowed during this fast, except on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Monday - hot food without oil, Wednesday and Friday - strict fasting (cold food without oil). On other days - fish, cereals, mushroom dishes with vegetable oil. If the memory of the great saint happens on Monday, Wednesday or Friday - hot food with butter. On the Feast of the Nativity of John the Baptist (July 7), according to the Charter, fish is allowed.
In the period from the end of Peter's fast to the beginning of the Assumption fast (summer meat-eater), Wednesday and Friday are days of strict fasting. But if these days fall on the feasts of a great saint with an all-night vigil or a polyeleos service the day before, then food with vegetable oil is allowed. If temple holidays occur on Wednesday and Friday, then fish is also allowed.

3. Assumption Fast (from August 14 to August 27).
Erected in honor of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Mother of God herself, preparing to depart into eternal life, constantly fasted and prayed. We, the spiritually infirm and weak, should all the more resort to fasting as often as possible, turning to Holy Virgin for help in every need and sorrow. This fast lasts only two weeks, but its severity is consistent with the Great One. Fish is allowed only on the day of the Transfiguration of the Lord (August 19), and if the end of the fast (Assumption) falls on Wednesday or Friday, then this day is also a fish day. Monday, Wednesday, Friday - cold food without oil, Tuesday and Thursday - hot food without oil, Saturday and Sunday - food with vegetable oil. Wine is prohibited on all days. If the memory of a great saint happens, then on Tuesday and Thursday - hot food with butter, Monday, Wednesday, Friday - hot food without butter.
The food regulations on Wednesdays and Fridays during the period from the end of the Dormition Fast to the beginning of the Nativity Fast (autumn fast) are the same as during the summer meat-eater, i.e. on Wednesdays and Fridays, fish is allowed only on the days of the twelfths and temple holidays. Food with vegetable oil on Wednesday and Friday is allowed only if these days fall on holidays in memory of a great saint with an all-night vigil or a polyeleos service the day before.

4. Christmas (Filippov) fast (from November 28 to January 6).
This fast was established on the day of the Nativity of Christ, so that we could cleanse ourselves at this time with repentance, prayer and fasting and with a pure heart we would meet the Savior who appeared in the world. Sometimes this fast is called Filippov, as a sign that it begins after the day of celebration of the memory of the Apostle Philip (November 27). The regulations regarding food during this Lent coincide with the regulations of Petrov's Fast until St. Nicholas Day (December 19). If the feasts of the Entry into the Temple of the Blessed Virgin Mary (December 4) and St. Nicholas fall on Monday, Wednesday or Friday, then fish is allowed. From the day of remembrance of St. Nicholas until the pre-festival of Christmas, which begins on January 2, fish is allowed only on Saturday and Sunday. On the pre-celebration of the Nativity of Christ, fasting is observed in the same way as during the days of Great Lent: fish is prohibited on all days, food with butter is allowed only on Saturday and Sunday. On Christmas Eve (Christmas Eve), January 6, pious custom requires not to eat food until the appearance of the first evening star, after which it is customary to eat kolivo or sochivo - wheat grains boiled in honey or boiled rice with raisins; in some areas sochivo is called boiled dry fruits with sugar. The name of this day comes from the word “sochivo” - Christmas Eve. Christmas Eve is also before the feast of the Epiphany. On this day (January 18), it is also customary not to eat food until taking Agiasma - Epiphany holy water, which begins to be blessed on the very day of Christmas Eve.

Sanctified Church Time: : church new year and peace circle. This day is marked on the calendar as the beginning of the indictment. Christians did not want to share the beginning of the new year on the same day with the followers of Confucius, Allah, and Buddha, so they decided to consider September 14 (September 1, old style) to be the beginning of the Orthodox new year. The holiday of the Church New Year was established by the holy fathers of the First Ecumenical Council, who determined that the calculation of the church year should begin on September 1/14. The first day of the annual liturgical circle marks the “entrance of summer,” and the service of this day is of a festive nature, the culmination of which is the Gospel read during the liturgy, which tells about the beginning of the preaching of Jesus Christ after His Baptism and temptations from the devil in the desert. According to legend, this happened on the first day of the Jewish harvest festival, which was celebrated from September 1-8. In the Gospel we hear the Savior preaching to us the onset of the favorable “summer of the Lord.” On this day, Jesus Christ began preaching the Kingdom of God and for the first time witnessed the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies about the coming of the Messiah (Son of God) and thereby the end of the Old and the beginning of the New Testament.
Righteous Joshua (XVI century BC).
Martyrs Callistas and the brothers of her martyrs Evoda and Hermogene .
Martyr Aifala deacon.
Martyrs of 40 fasting virgins and martyr Ammuna deacon, their teacher.
Reverend Simeon Stylite and his mother Martha . Simeon the Stylite (5th century) became famous as a man of a selfless lifestyle. He opened the new kind asceticism. Wanting to test his spiritual strength and faith in God, he built a 4-meter-high pillar on the mountain with a platform on top, surrounded it with a wall, and from this “mountainous” place read sermons to numerous pilgrims. Then Simeon settled on a pillar in a small cell, devoting himself to intense prayer and fasting. Gradually he increased the height of the pillar on which he stood. Its last pillar was 40 cubits (16 meters) high. He spent 80 years in intense monastic labors, of which 47 stood on the pillar. His life was well known in Rus'; people learned from him to endure numerous difficulties of human existence in the name of a holy cause. According to an ancient tradition, it was believed that on this day it was necessary to perform charitable deeds and be merciful. In Muscovite Rus', not a single beggar was left without abundant alms on this day, and even prisoners in prison were given gifts.
Day of Semyon Letoprovedt (Semyon, Simeon the Stylite, Semyon the summer guide, summer guide, farewell to summer, Semyon day, Semyon day, first autumn, Indian summer, meeting autumn, apiary day, onion day, sitting, end of summer, beginning of autumn, last sowing). The first meeting of autumn, the end of the young Indian summer and the beginning of the old one. Many beliefs and rituals were associated with this day in ancient times. And it’s not surprising, because in pre-Petrine Rus', September 1 was considered the beginning of the new year. In 1700, Peter I moved the New Year celebration from September 1 to January 1. Gradually, the holiday lost its former meaning, but many customs remained in the lives of the peasants. For example, in villages on September 14, cockroaches and flies were buried. They put it in a coffin carved from turnip or rutabaga and carried it with crying and lamentation to bury it as far as possible from home. Those who remained at home chased the flies out of the house, “fly after fly, fly to bury the flies.” This custom goes back to pagan times and is associated with the veneration of Belbog, the ruler of all insects.
Another important custom was to extinguish the old fire and start a new one. The old men went out into the yard and rubbed two pieces of wood against each other until they began to smoke. The girl or daughter-in-law fanned the smoldering tree, and then lit a candle from the flaring fire. This fire was used to light the stove. The next morning the coals were fanned again. So the fire was kept in the stove all year. On this day, four-year-old boys were mounted on horses. This custom came from ancient times and was associated with the transition from infancy to adult life. September 14 was called Indian summer in the villages because at this time various agricultural work began (crushing hemp, soaking flax, etc.), which was usually performed by women in the open air. With Semyon, the so-called sit-ins began, when they worked in the huts in the evenings. The first day of sitting was celebrated as a family holiday. All relatives met in the house of the eldest in the family. In the old days, time was allocated for wedding weeks from summer conductor (September 14) to Guria (November 28).
From this day on, moles and mice move from fields to houses and gardens.
Weather signs on September 14: If Marfa is dirty, autumn will be rainy. Indian summer (starts on September 14) is stormy - autumn is dry, and Indian summer is dry - autumn is wet. The drier and warmer September stays, the later winter will come. If the cones on the spruce tree have grown low, there will be early frosts, and if they are at the top, real cold will come only at the end of winter.