Major Orthodox Church holidays
If you delve into the history of the December holidays, you can learn a lot of interesting things about the earthly path of the Christian martyrs, which led them to the Kingdom of Heaven.
Introduction to the Temple of the Blessed Virgin Mary
According to the new style, this twelfth church date is celebrated on December 4. Even in Rus', the holiday was considered an omen of winter and was celebrated with lush fair festivities. He gained wide popularity almost immediately after Russia adopted Christianity - in the 9th century.
The main holiday of December owes its appearance to the righteous parents of the Mother of God - Joachim and Anna. They could not conceive a child for a long time. The parents turned to God in prayer and promised, when the child appeared, to devote his life to worship, sending him to be raised in a church. At the age of 3, little Maria was brought to the temple for the first time, and, as promised, she was given to serve the Lord. At this time there was a service going on there. The majestic gospel music of the church choir and the many burning and sparkling candles delighted the little girl.
Icons of the Mother of God “The Sign”
This December holiday is marked by the honoring of the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos “The Sign”. It owes its appearance to a miraculous sign from the Novgorod icon. When internecine wars were going on in Rus', it was she who saved the city of Novgorod from the princely military troops. This happened in 1170, when Archbishop John prayed to the icon of Jesus Christ. Then he heard a voice: “Go to the Church of the Holy Savior on Ilyin Street, take the icon of the Holy Mother of God, and put it on the prison opposite the military.” After the prayer service, he raised the face of the Mother of God to the city wall. When attacking the city, one of the enemy's arrows hit him. At that same moment, holy tears flowed from her eyes. Then an unknown, sacred fear took possession of the enemy army and put it to flight. Orthodox Christians celebrate this date on December 10th.
Memorial Day of the Twelve Apostle Andrew the First-Called
Apostle Andrew the First-Called was one of the followers of Jesus Christ. He was born in the city of Galilee and became the first to believe in the Son of the Lord. After the Ascension of Jesus, the apostle went to countries on the Black Sea coast to preach the Gospel. The saint healed on his way many people overcome by illnesses.
In the Greek city of Patros, the apostle incurred the wrath of the ruler Egeates, who sentenced him to death on the cross. The X-shaped cross was made specifically so that the apostle would die a painful death. During the crucifixion he prayed continuously. Before his departure to the Kingdom of God, the cross emitted a divine radiance, seeing which, even Egeat, who sentenced him, believed in the Holy Gospel. Orthodox Christians honor the memory of St. Andrew the First-Called on December 13 according to the new style.
St. Nicholas Day
Nicholas the Wonderworker was born around 270. From infancy he lived a righteous life and offered prayers to the Lord every day. He was a shepherd - he served the world and people, helped them in all sorts of troubles. He brought the word of the Gospel to people in the rank of Bishop, which he received by the Will of God. He saved cities from hunger, helped sailors and people in captivity, and helped innocent prisoners. Saint Nicholas finished his earthly journey at a very old age. Orthodox Christians honor St. Nicholas the Wonderworker on December 19 according to the new style.
Memorial Day of Saint Spyridon of Trimythous
Saint Spyridon, who was born at the end of the 3rd century, also had many followers of the Gospel. The Lord endowed him with many sacred abilities: he cast out demons, cured incurable illnesses and had unsurpassed insight. After the death of his loved ones, his wife and son, he was called to ministry by the Bishop in the city of Trimifunt. The saint was widely known to the people because of his miraculous deeds. Spyridon comprehended the Kingdom of Heaven during the liturgy around 350. The date of remembrance and remembrance of the saint among the Orthodox became December 25, according to the new style.
Great Martyr Barbara
The Holy Great Martyr Barbara was extraordinarily beautiful and intelligent. Having accepted the Christian faith, which in those days was perceived with hostility by pagans, Varvara suffered a lot of suffering. She was forced into idolatry, but the saint believed so strongly in the Lord God and His Son that she was not afraid of any earthly suffering. The great martyr died at the hands of her own father, sentenced to be beheaded by the sword by ruler Martian. The day of remembrance and remembrance of the Holy Great Martyr Barbara for the Orthodox was December 17th.
Saint Alexander Nevsky Day
The life of the Christian warrior Alexander Nevsky is still known to Russia for his exploits and struggle for his people. This is the sacred defender of the Russian land, anointed by God, with the blood of warriors and sons of the native land. He freed Rus' from the shackles of the Golden Horde and the German invasion, thereby fulfilling his duty to God and the Fatherland. Soon after this, Alexander Nevsky became seriously ill and in November 1263 gave his soul to the Kingdom of Heaven.
In the church calendar, the date of memory and commemoration of St. Alexander Nevsky is December 6.
Holy Great Martyr Catherine
Saint Catherine entered the Christian faith after a vision of the Blessed Virgin Mary. She appeared to her with the baby Jesus in her arms after night prayer and ordered the Saint to undergo the rite of baptism. After the sacrament performed by the Christian elder, the Mother of God and Jesus appeared to her again. Then the Lord betrothed her to himself, handing her a ring. Waking up from sleep, Catherine saw a shining ring on her hand.
The ruler of Alexandria, the pagan Maximin, wanted Catherine to apostatize from the faith - he seduced and persuaded her in every possible way. After the cruel torment and torture inflicted by him, the Saint was locked in prison and sentenced to execution. But the wheel for her was crushed by angelic forces - after that, all 200 of the ruler’s servants and he himself believed in Christianity. The day of the Holy Great Martyr is celebrated on December 7th.
Saint Nil Stolobensky
The Monk Neil was from the Novgorod land. After the blessing of the abbot of the monastery, Savva of Kripetsky, he went into solitude and lived in the forest. He spent 13 years there, eating acorns and herbs. He spent all this time in prayer. The fame of the Reverend spread after he was attacked by robbers. Then he came out to meet them with the icon of the Mother of God and the appearance of a thousand soldiers behind him.
Another miraculous incident occurred in the cell of the Rev. - then the robbers who came to him were blinded by the sacred radiance from the icon of the Mother of God. After the death of St. Neil of Stolbensky, the Church of the Epiphany was erected at the burial site of the tomb with his relics. The Saint's Day celebration falls on December 20th.
Orthodox Fasts in December 2021
Multi-day Lent in December 2021 – the Nativity Lent continues throughout the month. Let us remind you: Filippov's multi-day Fast, called Christmas Lent, will end on January 6, 2021 on Christmas Eve.
One-day Posts in December 2021. There are no one-day Posts in December - there are none. During the Nativity Fast, Orthodox Christians fast and spend time in prayer at home and in church. During the days of the Multi-Day Fast, lean foods made from plant products, without meat, eggs and without butter, are allowed.
On fasting days, you can eat pancakes in water without eggs, seasoning them with vegetable oil, porridge in water without milk, lean pastries, salads and bread.
Read:
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- Fortune telling for Christmas, Yuletide fortune telling and Epiphany.
How to determine dates
The Entry into the Temple of the Most Holy Theotokos is the fixed twelfth feast and is celebrated annually on December 4 according to the new style.
The dates of veneration of saints in December can be easily determined by the days of the Nativity Fast, which begins annually on November 28:
- Apostle Andrew the First-Called - on the 16th day of Lent;
- Great Martyr Catherine - on the 10th day;
- Great Martyr Barbara - on the 20th day of fasting;
- Venerable Nile of Stolbensky - on the 23rd day;
- St. Spyridon the Wonderworker - on the 28th day of fasting;
- Alexander Nevsky - on the 9th day.
The date of the icon of the Mother of God “The Sign” is fixed - December 10 according to the new style, on the 13th day of Lent.
Church calendar for December 2021
The church calendar, in addition to Divine holidays, contains names according to the Saints. The name calendar for December 2021 has been compiled to help parents. The Orthodox calendar of names according to the Saints will be useful for mothers and fathers when choosing a name for a boy or newborn girl. By the dates indicated in the calendar, you can find out who is celebrating their name day in December.
The Orthodox church calendar for December 2021 for every day with Lents and church holidays is compiled monthly and for every year, for Christian believers and non-believers, for everyone who is interested in religion.
Razgadamus considers it educational. December is the last month of the outgoing calendar year. December heralds the arrival of winter and is one of seven months of 31 days. In the Northern Hemisphere of the Earth, December is a winter month, in the Southern Hemisphere it is a summer month. Until December 20, according to the Gregorian calendar, the Sun is in the constellation Ophiuchus, from the 20th it moves into the constellation Sagittarius.
Read, it will be interesting: Will next year be a leap year? How do you know when it is the year of the widow and widower?
The Orthodox Church calendar will indicate memorable dates - which church holidays are in December 2021, when the multi-day Lent 2021 will be, what dates the one-day Lents of December 2020 will fall on.
The historical basis of the church holiday in the name of St. Gennady of Novgorod on December 17
The saint was born into a family of pious Christians. Very early on, Gennady made the decision to connect his life with the Lord. He showed himself to be a capable student. That is why he began to rapidly climb the career ladder. As a result, Gennady received the position of archimandrite for his work.
The saint really wanted Orthodoxy to be pure. To do this, he conducted educational work among his subordinates. As a result, on his own, Gennady was able to build a school where priests were trained for service. During his life, the saint did a lot to ensure that Orthodoxy developed. He worked on this until his death.
The history of the church holiday in memory of the Great Martyr Barbara on December 17
The saint was born into a family of true pagans. The parents were far from poor people and were respected among other residents of the city. The father tried very hard so that Varvara knew nothing about the Christian faith. However, the girl wanted the Lord with all her heart and did not perceive the pagan gods in any way.
The father tried to find the most profitable candidate for his daughter. However, Varvara did not want to get married at all. No amount of persuasion helped. Then the father thought that the reason for such reluctance was his daughter’s loneliness. Therefore, he allowed the saint to go wherever she wanted. The girl gladly took advantage of this opportunity.
Varvara was able to find Christians. They told her all the secrets about the Lord and Jesus Christ. The saint received real pleasure. She immediately decided to become a Christian. This act did not remain a secret. Soon his father found out about him. He was so angry that he gave his daughter to be tortured. For him, this was a real betrayal.
The ruler, when he saw Varvara, was simply surprised by her beauty. He tried to persuade the saint to renounce the Lord and worship idols. However, she flatly refused. The saint said that she would accept death with great joy in the name of the Almighty. After that, she was taken away and severely beaten and tortured for a long time.
After all the torment, the saint was thrown into prison. The Lord appeared to Varvara in a dream. He healed all her wounds. However, on the second day they continued to beat the saint. She behaved so well during this that a girl from the crowd also decided to become a Christian. They immediately started beating her next to Varvara. In the end, both girls' heads were cut off.
The most amazing thing happened on the second day after Varvara’s death. Her father and the ruler who ordered the death was struck by lightning. The blow was so strong that there was no trace left of the men.
Church holiday on December 17 in honor of St. John of Polivotsky
Even in his youth, the saint was not like others. He was a very kind, sincere person. John always tried to help everyone and never refused a request. The saint was a true Christian.
Thanks to these qualities, John became a bishop. Having received some power, John did not deteriorate in any way. On the contrary, he began to do good even more actively. When the new government came, the heresy of iconoclasm began. This upset John very much. He did a lot to stop it.
During the siege of the city of Ammorium, John helped all Christians with his prayers. After all, with the help of God's will they received liberation from the invaders. Even after death, the saint continues to help people in the modern world. His body remained incorrupt and is in the city where he was a bishop.
Signs and beliefs December 17
- Frosts are just around the corner if the weather is sunny outside.
- You should not expect warming if there is severe frost on this day.
- People will be able to harvest a large flax harvest if the weather is warm outside on that day.
- You should expect warm weather if there was a red sunset in the evening.
- Expect heavy snow if the weather is cloudy outside.
- It will be frosty if the smoke from the chimney rises.
- If smoke from the chimney spreads along the ground, then warming should be expected.
- If there are a large number of bright stars in the sky, then you should prepare for severe frost.
- Warming should be expected if the stars shine dimly on this day.
- All the people who were born on this day are very talented. Luck helps them in everything. Therefore, everything they undertake always works out.
