Holy holidays of Christians. All Church holidays - calendar, history, charter, rules

These holidays are divided into two categories:

Fixed (non-moving) holidays: they always fall on a strictly defined day of the month, regardless of the day of the week, which changes annually. These include nine twelfth church holidays:

Twelfth Feasts

Movable (moving) holidays. The moving part of the church calendar moves along with the date of celebration, which changes from year to year. All “moving” holidays are counted from Easter and move in the space of the “secular” calendar along with it.

Twelfth moving holidays:

The twelfth holidays each have one forefeast day, with the exception of the Nativity of Christ, which has 5 forefeast days, and Epiphany, which has 4 forefeast days.

The number of days of post-feast varies from 1 to 8 days, depending on the greater or lesser proximity of some holidays to others or to days of fasting.
Some of the Lord's holidays, in addition, are preceded and concluded by special Saturdays and weeks (Sundays).

The services of the twelve feasts of the fixed circle are in menstruation. Services for the twelve feasts of the moving circle are located in Lenten and Tsvetnaya.

In Russia, until 1925, the twelfth holidays were both church and civil.

Great non-twelfth holidays:

On the holidays of Christmas and the Beheading of John the Baptist, the Circumcision of the Lord, the Intercession Holy Mother of God, There are no forefeasts, afterfeasts, or dedications of the Holy Chief Apostles Peter and Paul.

• Bishop Alexander Mileant
• Yu. Ruban
• Holidays of the Christmas cycle Yu. Ruban
• Twelfth holidays prot. Alexander Men
• Troparions of the Twelve Feasts

Christian holidays

Christian holidays- certain days of the church calendar, marked by services of an individual liturgical nature. This is fixed in the names of holidays and “times of repentance”, the dates and order of their celebration, as well as in the content of the texts sung during the service. Their purpose and meaning is the recollection, glorification and theological interpretation of the key stages of the history of Salvation, which is embodied mainly in the events of the earthly life of Jesus Christ (the Savior) and the Virgin Mary - a real participant in this divine-human process. Hence - an exceptional place in the calendar of holidays dedicated to Him.

The holidays are distributed within two overlapping annual cycles - (Mineaion) and (triode, or Easter-Pentecostal). Celebrations and memorable events of the first cycle are strictly fixed only by the dates of the month (for dates of the Julian calendar in relation to the modern civil calendar, an amendment is necessary: ​​n - 13 days, - for the 20th-21st centuries). The holidays of the second are fixed only by day of the week, being strictly correlated with Easter, which is the starting point for the entire moving annual cycle. The date of the latter moves within 35 days (“Easter limits”): from April 4 (March 22, old style) - to May 8 (April 25, old style).

The most important holidays of the modern Orthodox calendar are called “twelve”, or “twelve” (from the Slavic twelve - “twelve”) (see). , as a “holiday holiday”, is outside this classification.

The second step in the holiday hierarchical ladder is occupied by holidays called “great” in liturgical usage. These include: the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos (October 1/14), the Circumcision of the Lord and the memory of St. Basil the Great (January 1/14), Nativity of John the Baptist (June 24/July 7), memory of the first supreme appanages. Peter and Paul (June 29/July 12), the Beheading of John the Baptist (August 29/September 11), and also, according to some old calendars, the repose (death) of St. John the Theologian (September 26/October 9), memory of the saint. Nicholas, Archbishop of Myra in Lycia (December 6/19) and the transfer of his relics from Myra to the Italian city of Bari (May 9/22).

All other numerous holidays are dedicated to ethereal forces (the general holiday is the Council of the Archangel Michael, November 8/21), Old Testament and Christian saints, the remembrance of significant events in Sacred Biblical and Christian history, the appearance of miraculous icons, and the discovery of relics.
The constant canonization of new saints means the continuous replenishment of the Christian calendar.

The Church Charter (Typikon) provides for the gradation of all holidays into five categories according to the degree of solemnity of their services, which is recorded by special signs (the sixth category has no sign). The patronal feast of any church (whose name it bears) is equated for it in the liturgical aspect to the twelve feasts. The same degree of solemnity may be inherent in “locally revered” holidays, even those having a modest liturgical status at the general church level.

Holidays common to all Christians are, first of all, Easter and Christmas (the latter, as a special calendar celebration, is not celebrated by the Armenian and other Monophysite churches). The most important annual holidays are basically the same among Orthodox and Catholics (because they are based on the same events of sacred history), but they differ in dates, often in names and semantic nuances, as well as in the nature of their celebration.
Many saints of the united Church are equally venerated: Eastern ones - in the West, Western ones - in the East (Basily the Great - Ambrose of Milan, etc.). But saints of one Church who lived after the division of the Churches (1054) can be venerated in another Church mainly at the local level, with the permission of church authorities. The official Catholic calendar, for example, includes the names of Sts. Cyril of Turov (May 11), Anthony of Pechersk (July 24), Equal-to-the-Apostles Olga and Vladimir (July 27 and 28), Boris and Gleb (August 5), Sergius of Radonezh (October 8); The Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God is also honored (September 7).
Protestants, rejecting the veneration of the Mother of God, saints, relics and icons, do not have corresponding holidays in their calendars.

The study of holidays in the context of the general process of formation of the church calendar (lit. “holiday studies”) is an auxiliary historical discipline, one of the sections of academic liturgics.

Liturgical texts are contained in the Service, in 12 volumes (for fixed holidays), Lenten and Tsvetnaya (for moving ones), Menea Festive, as well as in numerous editions of services for individual holidays, often containing historical information, comments, notation and other applications.

“How to celebrate the holiday? We celebrate an event (to delve into the greatness of the event, its purpose, its fruit for believers) or a person, such as, for example: the Lord, the Mother of God, Angels and Saints (to delve into the attitude of that person to God and humanity, into his beneficial influence on the Church of God , at all). It is necessary to delve into the history of an event or person, to approach the event or person, otherwise the holiday will be imperfect and unpleasing. Holidays should have an impact on our lives, they should enliven, warm our faith (hearts) in future blessings and nourish pious, good morals.”

All Orthodox holidays are special dates for all Christians. These days they devote themselves to the Lord, completely abandon the vanity inherent in everything worldly, reading prayers and performing the prescribed rituals. The most important church dates are the most important. These include the well-known Christmas and Easter.

History of church holidays

The main Orthodox church holidays and fasts date back to ancient times, from the period of the Old Testament. The traditions established in the New Testament are also explained by ancient rituals associated with certain saints. And today they try to strictly observe them, because they have come to us practically unchanged since ancient times.

The modern church has given each of these holidays a special status, which also has a special spiritual atmosphere, so revered by believers. These days, a special lifestyle is often prescribed for ordinary people- you need to completely free yourself from everyday worries, setting aside time to serve God.

Since the 4th century, when the church was completely under the leadership of the Byzantine authorities, there were strict prohibitions against violating church order. Not only fun, but also work was equally unacceptable. Later, during the reign of Constantine, an additional ban on trading on Sundays was established.

IN modern world Church Orthodox holidays have changed somewhat, but even despite this, the traditions have remained unchanged. Moreover, some of the main dates have moved into the category of weekends with state status. This is enshrined in law in almost every country whose residents profess the Christian religion.

Church calendars

While some Orthodox holidays have fixed dates, others have floating dates from year to year. Church calendars were developed to track them.

The history of the main immutable dates dates back to the Julian calendar, which differs from the current Gregorian calendar by almost 2 weeks. Each of the established permanent holidays has a clearly defined date, which does not depend on the day of the week or other factors.

The peculiarity of the group of moving Orthodox holidays is that these dates shift in the calendar from year to year. The countdown is based on Easter. Its date is calculated based on the lunar calendar.

Not everyone knows that it is categorically unacceptable to celebrate Easter:

• before the attack spring equinox;
• together with the church of the Jews;
• before the first full moon in spring.

In total, the halves of such a calendar of the main dates of the Orthodox Church form a complete cycle.

A year through the eyes of an Orthodox Christian

To take into account all Orthodox holidays of the summer or any time of year, as well as the fasts occurring during these periods, specialized calendars are compiled. In addition to the main dates, they always contain detailed description and features of holidays and Orthodox fasts. Along with the information listed, good calendars record the most important points modern church life and days set aside as memorial days.

The year through the eyes Orthodox Christian very saturated. It consists of many fasts that are established to prepare for certain holidays, one-day fasts. This a large number of action is explained simply - people should not have too much time left for activities that do not please God.

Orthodox holidays and their features

Actually, celebration dates refer to celebrations that are of a church-wide nature. Within each such day, a certain sacred event is honored or simply remembered.

Each of these holidays is included in the weekly liturgical circle or in the annual one, valid for each Orthodox Church.

All Orthodox holidays of the year are tied to the commemoration of saints or events that happened earlier.

One way or another, the duty of any Orthodox Christian is to strictly observe and honor the most important dates and fasts. As preparation for most of them, it is recommended to read prayers, perform the rite of communion, observe the required fasts and other godly actions, including providing assistance to those in need.

The church calendar reflects the alternation of weekdays with Orthodox holidays. Here are all the dates that are recorded in church books. Special attention is also given to each of the Sundays, which are called nothing less than Little Easter.

12 main Orthodox dates

Within Orthodox culture, there are a total of twelve most important holidays. Each of them corresponds to a certain significant event within the Old and New Testaments. Most main holiday among them is, of course, Easter.

Moving Twelfth Holidays

Those dates that are holidays in modern Christianity, but are not constant in the calendar from year to year, are called rolling twelve. Easter also falls into this category, as it is celebrated on different days every year.

Based on the date on which Easter falls, Orthodox holidays are determined in September and other months, including:

1. Palm Sunday, that is, the entrance to Jerusalem. It is celebrated exactly 7 days before Easter.
2. Ascension. This Orthodox holiday falls on the 40th day after Easter. It's always Thursday. This date corresponds to the appearance of Jesus to the Lord.
3. The holiday falls on the 50th day after Easter and symbolizes the coming of the Holy Spirit to the apostles.

Easter holiday

This is the main celebration in the Orthodox calendar. It symbolizes victory over death. The day is tied to those events of the past on which the very doctrine of Christianity as such is built.

The shed blood at the crucifixion of the Savior then washed away original sin. This is a complete celebration of life relative to death. It is not surprising that this is the most important holiday among other holidays.

Entrance to Jerusalem

This holiday is better known among us as Palm Sunday. This is an equally significant event within the framework of Christian teaching as such. It correlates with the arrival of the Savior in the city and denotes the voluntariness of the suffering Christ accepted.

This date is determined annually based on Easter, more precisely, exactly a week before it.

Pentecost

Not everyone knows what Orthodox holiday is called Pentecost. Popularly called Trinity Day.

It is associated with the coming of the Holy Spirit to the apostles. In addition, this particular date is associated with the discovery of the third hypostasis of the Trinity, after which the triune principle of God was immortalized within Christianity.

Permanent twelfth holidays

Most of the main dates within the Orthodox calendar are constant; each of them has a certain day of the year, and they in no way depend on Easter. This category includes:

1. The Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary is the date of her ascension, falling on August 28. It is preceded by a large and important Assumption Fast. This is explained by the fact that the Mother of God herself adhered to abstinence and prayed unceasingly until the end of her days.
2. Introduction of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This event falls on December 4th. The date corresponds to when her parents completely dedicated the child to God.
3. Baptism. Celebrated on January 19. The date corresponds to the moment when John the Baptist washed the Savior in the Jordan. Then he spoke about his great mission, but for this news he was later killed. The holiday of Epiphany is also observed.
4. Annunciation. Every year it falls on the date, which corresponds to the arrival of Gabriel to the Mother of God, who informed her about her special child and his purpose.
5. Birth of the Virgin Mary. The date falls on September 21, it was on this day that the Savior’s mother was born. The modern church considers this no less significant event in teaching than all others. After all, her parents did not have their own children for many years. The Virgin Mary became a gift from above for them. It is generally accepted that the conception had a blessing from above.
6. Exaltation of the Cross. On September 27, the discovery of the life-giving cross took place. Back in the 4th century, Queen Helena, who ruled Palestine at that time, began searching for him. Of the three crosses, the only one identified was the Lord’s; it was he who brought healing to a terminally ill person.
7. Christmas is celebrated on January 7th. This date is known to every person, even if he does not belong to the category of Christian believers. On this day, the earthly birth of Jesus took place, who appeared in the flesh from the Virgin Mary.
8. Candlemas falls on February 15th. This is the date when the newborn baby was first brought into the temple. The word translated from Old Church Slavonic sounds like “meeting”.
9. The Transfiguration is celebrated every year on August 19th. On this day, Jesus prayed with his disciples when the prophets spoke about his impending death, accompanied by much torment, and his subsequent resurrection after several days. Then Jesus himself learned about his great mission, so the date became one of the main twelve holidays.

Each of these dates is of great importance in modern Christian teaching. For every believer, these are special days when it is important to attend church and pray, and in some cases also perform certain rituals.

Orthodox calendars

To know exactly what Orthodox holiday is today, you will need to look at the church calendar. It indicates absolutely all holidays, combination days, all long and short fasts, and other information.

A special place in such calendars is occupied by days for the veneration of saints. It will contain a prayer for each of them.

Features of the main Orthodox holidays

Church celebrations are characterized by:

1. Dressing the Ministers in Robes light color, which symbolizes God's Kingdom and its greatness.
2. Conducting liturgy and chants for the holiday.
3. Church attendance is compulsory for parishioners. Today, there are no strict rules regarding this requirement, but all believers strive to give up any activities and set aside time to attend church.

Another feature of church holidays is that their number is quite large. Therefore, sometimes it happens that several significant dates occur on one day.

Here are some facts regarding the observance of holidays by believers:

1. Today, Orthodox holidays from the twelfth category involve not only direct celebration, but also pre-celebration along with giving.
2. All-night vigils are held on every great date.
3. Before a number of dates, it is necessary for all Christian believers to observe fasting, so many, knowing which Orthodox holiday is coming soon, think about their diet.
4. Usually three days are spent on the pre-celebration, with the exception of Epiphany (four days) along with Christmas (five days).

Today, everyone sacredly honors all established holidays and observes fasts, as prescribed by teaching. The Orthodox calendar serves as an assistant and hint for them.

The clergy in Russia has always had a special place in the history of the country, has always had significant political power, although this influence cannot always be attributed to direct activities churches.
Religious holidays in Christian Russia have centuries-old traditions; you can learn more about the most popular religious holidays from this section of our website. For each of the holidays, detailed information will be provided about when it is celebrated in the year, how, and here you can also find congratulations and cards with specific religious holiday.
Before moving on to specific holidays, we present a summary table that presents the most important dates, the so-called great religious holidays.

Nativity

Christmas is the day when Jesus Christ entered the world with love. This is a day of forgiveness, bright feelings, a day when love triumphs. May the guns fall silent on this holiday and not a single rocket rise into the air except fireworks! May God give peace and rest to the soldiers! And let love for near and far enter our hearts! Merry Christmas!
In this category you will find not only about how Jesus came into our world, but also Christmas greetings in prose and verse for all the people near and dear to you.

Eve of the Epiphany

Epiphany Christmas Eve is preparation for the celebration of the Epiphany of the Lord. According to the evangelists, Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River, and he was baptized by John the Baptist, who after the baptism of Christ received the name John the Baptist.
On Christmas Eve, Christians adhere to strict fasting. On this day you can only eat porridge, or sochivo, as Orthodox Christians call it. The name of the holiday comes from the name of this porridge. Usually sochivo was prepared from honey, raisins and rice or barley. But in different regions of Russia they prepare sochi in different ways.
In addition, this evening the blessing of water takes place. The blessing of water also occurs the next day - on the day of Epiphany. Since the procedure for consecrating water is the same, the water itself is considered holy, regardless of what day the consecration took place - on Christmas Eve or Epiphany

Epiphany

Epiphany is one of the most ancient and revered holidays among Christians. Jesus came to John the Baptist and asked to baptize him. But John disagreed, saying that “you must baptize me.” To which Jesus replied that this is the Will of God. After the baptism ceremony, the heavens opened, and God said that Jesus was his son, and a dove flew from heaven as confirmation.
After this, it is believed that Jesus himself and his disciples went to preach the word of God in different cities and countries. And the rite of Baptism itself became not so much a rite of purification, but a rite of communion with the sacrament of the Holy Trinity, and everyone who received communion had to preach the Word of God throughout the countries and villages

The Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary is a special holiday. The Word of God came true and the Son of God became a man in the womb of the Virgin Mary. Archangel Gabriel, who brought the good news to the Virgin Mary, first asked her consent to give birth to the Child of God. Having given her consent, the Virgin Mary became the savior of the world. That is why the veneration of the Most Holy Theotokos is so great.
The Feast of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary is celebrated on April 7

Maslenitsa

Maslenitsa is fun party, lasting a whole week. After Maslenitsa begins Lent, which will end only on Easter. Maslenitsa began depending on the date of Easter, from February 3 to March 14. Although we inherited Maslenitsa from paganism, it fits well into the Orthodox religious calendar. There is nothing wrong with having fun and overeating before the strict period of Lent.
The most common food on Maslenitsa is pancakes. Round, ruddy, they symbolized the Sun, which appeared more and more often in the sky and shone ever warmer. Therefore, the second meaning of Maslenitsa is saying goodbye to winter and welcoming spring. The symbol of farewell to winter was the burning of an effigy of Winter.

Forgiveness Sunday

Forgiveness Sunday is the last day of Maslenitsa. Co next day Lent begins. Orthodox Christians in Forgiveness Sunday repent of sins, ask for forgiveness for insults to each other. This ritual is necessary in order to hold Lent with a pure soul, and then meet Holy holiday Resurrection of Christ - Easter.
Don’t forget to forgive and ask for forgiveness on this day, because this is such a great opportunity to make peace!

Palm Sunday

On the last Sunday before Easter, Christians celebrate the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem. The inhabitants of Jerusalem greeted Jesus as the King of heaven in human form. They greeted him with songs and palm branches. But since there are no palm trees in Russia, they were replaced with willow branches, which begin to bloom at this time.
According to the evangelists - John, Luke, Matthew, Mark - the entry of the Lord into Jerusalem symbolizes the entry of Jesus onto the path of suffering, but in return bringing the Kingdom of Heaven and liberating man from slavery to sin

Maundy Thursday

On Maundy or Maundy Thursday during Holy Week, Christians remember the Last Supper, at which all the apostles gathered, led by Jesus Christ. At the Last Supper, Christ, having washed the feet of his apostles, established the sacrament of the Eucharist or Holy Communion, thereby showing an example of humility and piety.
It is on this day that all believers clean their houses and wash themselves, since before Easter this will no longer be possible. And in order to understand how, what and why, we suggest that you familiarize yourself with short articles from this category, as well as poems for this day - Maundy Thursday.

Good Friday

Friday of Holy Week is the saddest day for believers. On this day Jesus Christ was crucified on the cross and died. Thus, he atoned for human sins. On this day, believers remember the suffering of Christ and hold long services. All services are held in front of the Shroud in which the Savior was wrapped when he was taken down from the cross.
Believers, praying and believing in the miraculous resurrection of Christ, observe strict fasting on this day.

Easter

Christ is Risen! Truly He is Risen! Thus, with joy in their hearts and with a bright soul, Orthodox Christians greet each other on the greatest Christian holiday - Easter. Easter – Light Christ's resurrection! Easter is the hope of all Orthodox Christians for the resurrection and the eternal Kingdom of Heaven.
Before Easter, Christians observe the longest - almost 50 days - and strict Lent. The meaning of Lent is the physical and spiritual cleansing of a Christian before Easter.
For Easter, the date of celebration varies from year to year. General rule The date calculation for Easter states: "Easter is celebrated on the first Sunday after the first full moon of spring"
Christ is Risen! Truly He is Risen!

Radonitsa

Radonitsa falls on the 9th day from Easter. It is also called parent's day. Radonitsa refers to special days of remembrance of the dead. It is on this day that you need to visit cemeteries where your parents or relatives are buried. And under no circumstances should you visit cemeteries on Easter, as many people do after listening to the stories of “educated” grandmothers. Easter is the joy of the resurrection of Christ, and Radonitsa is sadness for the departed, and at the same time the joy that they have acquired eternal life. The main thing in the ritual of visiting a cemetery is prayer for the souls of the departed. And there is no need to leave food or, especially, alcohol on the graves. Prayer is what you need to do in the cemetery

Trinity

Trinity Day is celebrated on the 50th day from Easter. In most cases, the holiday is called briefly, simply Trinity. Due to the 50th day from Easter, the Trinity also has a second name - Pentecost (Greek).
On this day, Orthodox Christians remember the descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles, who gathered at that time in the Zion Upper Room in Jerusalem. The Holy Spirit blessed the apostles for the priesthood and the building of the Church on earth. In addition, the Holy Spirit gave them strength and intelligence to preach the Word of God

Ivana Kupala

The holiday of Ivan Kupala is associated with the birthday of John the Baptist. Although etymologically the name Kupala is associated with bathing, nevertheless, the deeper, original meaning is the meaning of baptism, because in Greek baptism means “washing”, “immersion”. Therefore, Ivan Kupala is Orthodox name John the Baptist.
On this holiday, even non-believers often organize peculiar orgies of bathing and dousing. However, anyone who has found themselves in such situations does not need to explain anything, as it happens...

Elijah's day

Elijah's Day is celebrated on last month summer, in August. This holiday carries several emotional notes at once. Firstly, they are sad, because after this holiday you will no longer swim in warm water, at least that is what is commonly believed. Although it depends more on what region you live in. Secondly, positive, since the harvest festivals begin in August. Apple saved, Bread Saved, Honey Saved, that is, we will have the opportunity to taste the fruits of summer’s labor, which you will agree is not so bad! And now about all this and about congratulations on Ilyin’s Day in our category...

Honey saved

August 14 - First Savior, Honey Savior, Savior on the Water. This is the first of three August holidays dedicated to the Savior, Jesus Christ, and the beginning of the Dormition Fast. The full church name of the first Savior is “The Origin of the Honest Trees of the Honest and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord.” The origin of this holiday is explained by the church as follows: due to the summer heat in August, Constantinople suffered from the spread of various diseases; Therefore, from ancient times, the custom was established to remove from the Church of St. Sophia a piece of the cross on which Jesus was crucified to consecrate the city and prevent epidemics. Apparently, initially the holiday was called not “origin”, but “pre-origin”, that is, removal.
The first Spas was also called Medov. It was believed that from this day on, bees stopped carrying honey from flowers and began to close the honeycombs. This is where the name of this holiday comes from - Spas.
In addition, on August 14, religious processions to the water were held everywhere.
We can say that this holiday has a long history, which means it is celebrated by many and sometimes on a grand scale. In order not to be left out of luck, and also not to disappoint our visitors, we have prepared for you a category with congratulations for this holiday. It is here that you will find congratulations in verse for friends, colleagues, comic and funny with Honey Savior.

Apple saved

August 19 is the date when Orthodox Christians celebrate one of the most important holidays, the Transfiguration of the Lord. According to legend, on this day Jesus revealed his divine nature to his disciples. He revealed to the three apostles the mystery of his origin and predicted that he would have to suffer for people, die on the cross and be resurrected. This holiday symbolizes the spiritual transformation of each of us. The Transfiguration is popularly known as the Apple Savior.

Bread Saved

The third saved, and it is also called Bread or Nut saved, akin to Apple and I'll save honey. The actual Third Spas (Bread or Nut Spas) is marked by the collection of the next “fruits of autumn”, which allowed the average person in Rus' not to live in poverty during the long cold winters. The well-being of the majority depended on the extent to which each of the Spases were successful and, accordingly, “full-fledged.” That is why each of these holidays was marked not so much by a collection, but by the joyful event that something had been collected. So the third save, by its name, was dedicated to the harvesting of grain, that is, cereals and to the collection of nuts, if there were any in the region.
The celebration was marked by services in churches and festivities among ordinary people.

Protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary

In the 10th century, on October 1, a miraculous phenomenon occurred in the Blachernae church, where hundreds of worshipers gathered. The robe of the Mother of God, Her head covering and part of the belt were kept in this church. During the night vigil, the Mother of God herself appeared above the prayers and began to pray with everyone present. Then the Mother of God removed the veil from her head and covered everyone in the church with it, protecting them from present and future misfortunes. The Mother of God asked Jesus to accept all the prayers of the people in the temple and fulfill them. After the Mother of God melted into the air, her blessing and grace from her presence remained with people

St. Nicolas day

In the Orthodox calendar, St. Nicholas Day is celebrated twice – on May 22 and December 19. Saint Nicholas is highly revered in Rus'. Probably because he could forgive the deepest sinner if he sincerely repented of his act. This is very close to the Russian soul. Saint Nicholas is considered a miracle worker. Through his prayers the storms stopped and the winds subsided. Perhaps this is why St. Nicholas is revered as the patron saint of travelers.
For his determination against injustice, for his mercy and selflessness, for helping people, Saint Nicholas was revered as a saint during his lifetime. Saint Nicholas died, having lived to old age, in 345, and was buried in the city of Bari, in the very south of Italy.

Major Christian holidays and fasts

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Fasts Fasts are a Christian institution. church, with the goal of promoting the dominance of spiritual and moral aspirations over the sensual in a Christian. P. existed in the Old Testament. In Christianity, its establishment is contemporary with the church itself: it is based on example 1.