The customs and traditions of the Russian people are inextricably linked with the calendar and church holidays . The famous Russian proverb says: “With God, every day is a holiday.” In fact, in the Orthodox calendar of holidays there are many memorable, significant days.
Icon of the Resurrection of Christ with the Passion Cycle and the Annual Menaion
In the Old Believer Church, the memory of saints glorified by the Church is celebrated every day. All church holidays are a veneration of the Higher and ethereal powers. Many church holidays are dedicated to special events, memories of biblical history, the appearance of miraculous icons, Old Testament and New Testament saints.
Orthodox and church holidays and fasts
Today is an Orthodox church holiday: * Great Martyr Euphemia the All-Praised (memory of the miracle by which Orthodoxy was established, 451). * Equal to the Apostles Grand Duchess Olga of Russia, in holy baptism Helena (969) and other saints whose names we remember on this day... Tomorrow:
* Martyrs Proclus and Hilary (c. 98-117).
* St. Michael Malein (962) and other saints whose names we remember on this day... Holidays are expected: 07/26/2021
- * Cathedral of the Archangel Gabriel.
* St. Stephen Savvait (794) and other saints whose names we remember on this day... 07.27.2021
- * Apostle Aquila of the 70 (I) and other saints whose names we remember on this day...
07.28.2021
- * Martyrs of Kirik and Julitta, his mother (c. 305). *** Equal to the Apostles Grand Duke Vladimir, in holy baptism Vasily, Baptist of Rus' (1015) and other saints whose names we remember on this day...
All Orthodox and church holidays and fasts...
Orthodox Saints of God
The holy saints of God show special love and mercy to those who honor their holy memory.
It seems to many that the saints are far from us. But they are far from those who have withdrawn themselves, and very close to those who keep the commandments of Christ and have the grace of the Holy Spirit.
The holy saints in their earthly life turned to God for help in healing their ailments, sorrows and deliverance from temptations, asking God that even after death He would honor them with the gift of helping people in various cases of life.
The saints have reached the Heavenly Kingdom and there they see the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ; but by the Holy Spirit they also see the suffering of people on earth. Many holy saints of God received special grace from God, and He deigned them to be intercessors before Him for deliverance from our sorrows and bodily ailments, in which they themselves were tempted.
The saints rejoice at our repentance and mourn when people leave God and become like foolish cattle. They feel sorry that people live on earth, not knowing that if they loved each other, then there would be freedom from sin on earth: and where there is no sin, there is joy and gladness from the Holy Spirit, so that, wherever you look, everything sweet, and the soul wonders why it feels so good, and praises God. The saints hear our prayers and have the power from God to help us. The entire Christian race knows about this. We must remember: in order for a prayer to be heard, one should pray to the holy saints of God with faith in the power of their intercession before God, in words coming from the heart.
In our prayers we turn to the Lord God, to His Most Pure Mother - our Intercessor and Helper, to the holy Angels and holy people - the saints of God, because for their sake the Lord God is more likely to hear us sinners, our prayers. The Saints have different names: prophets, apostles, martyrs, saints, saints, unmercenaries, blessed, righteous, confessors. more>>
The Lord says: “When you light a candle, you do not put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick, and it gives light to everyone in the house. So let your light shine before people, so that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:15-16). Saints are bright stars that show us the way to the Kingdom of Heaven.
Let us treasure the closeness of the holy saints of God to God and turn to them for help, remembering that they love us and care about our salvation. It is good to pray to the holy saints of God on those days when the Church celebrates their memory.
«Holy Saints of God, pray to God for us!»
Saints: life, memory, suffering...
Angel Day, June 18 - male and female names
According to the church calendar, June 18 marks 14 men's name days. If a young family had a boy on this day, they can use our hint to name the baby in accordance with Christian customs.
June 18th marks the name day of the owners of the following male names:
- Apollo. The name comes from the name of the god Apollo, who was revered in Ancient Greece. It comes from the word "apelao", which translated "disgusting" or from "apella", meaning "assembly".
- Gabriel. Derived from the Hebrew name Gabriel. It is translated as “soldier of the Lord” or “mighty man of God.”
- Georgy. It has an analogue of Georgios, which was used in Ancient Greece. The male name came from the word “georgos”, which translated as “farmer”.
- Gordey. In Ancient Greece, boys were called Gordius, translated as “king” or “lord.” Also in Greece there was a name Gorgias, which translated “formidable” or “fast”. Among the Slavic peoples, the root of the name was the words “proud” or “proud”.
- Egor. Russian form of the ancient Greek name George. It is translated as “farmer”.
- Igor. It came to us from the Scandinavian peoples, where the name Ingvar existed. It was translated as “warlike” or “warrior of the thunder god Inga.” In the Old Slavonic language there was a word “igr”, which would now mean “fun” or “game”.
- Konstantin. Derived from the Latin word “constance”, which translates as “persistent” or “permanent”.
- Leonid. Derived from the ancient Greek name Leonidas, translated as “son of a lion” or “like a lion.”
- Mark. It came to us from the ancient Greeks, who called boys Markos. The name is based on the Latin word "marcus", which translates to "hammer". In French there is an equivalent “marquis”.
- Michael. The ancient Jews called boys Michael, which translated as “asked of God” or “equal to the Lord.”
- Nikolai. A traditional Russian name, which also came to us from ancient Greece, where the name Nikolaos existed. Translated as “winner of the people.”
- Peter. A Russian name that came to us from the ancient Greeks, where the name Petros existed. It was translated as “reliable” or “stone.”
- Theodore. In Latin it is translated as “messenger of God” or “gift of the Lord.”
- Fedor. Modern Russian version of the name Theodoros, popular in Greece. It means “gift of God” or “given by the Lord.”
Orthodox prayers and icons of the Mother of God and saints
The word “icon” comes from the Greek language and means “image”, “image”. The image of the icon is consecrated with holy water and special prayers, through this consecration the grace of the Holy Spirit is imparted to the icon, and the icon is already revered by us as holy. According to the Orthodox dogma of icon veneration, approved by the VII Ecumenical Council, “the honor given to an icon relates to its prototype, and the one who worships the icon worships the hypostasis of the person depicted on it.” The Council especially emphasizes that we give veneration to icons, and not the worship that is due to God alone. “The icon mysteriously contains within itself the presence of the one whom it depicts, and this presence is the closer, more grace-filled and stronger, the more the icon corresponds to the church canon.”
All Icons of the Mother of God and Saints
Prayer in the Christian life. What is prayer? About prayer
Prayer is the most important part of the spiritual life of every believer. Through prayer, a person turns to God, asks him and asks for forgiveness from him. In other words, prayer is nothing more than a person’s way of talking with God. About prayer...
The basis of the life of an Orthodox Christian is fasting and prayer. Prayer, said Saint Philaret of Moscow, “is a conversation between the soul and God.” And just as in a conversation it is impossible to listen to one side all the time, so in prayer it is useful to sometimes stop and listen to the Lord’s answer to our prayer.
Prayer does not require a specific time, place, circumstance or form. It can be verbose - long, and laconic - short. The prayer can be said at any time of the day or night, and anywhere. A person can pray under all circumstances of his life: when he is sick or healthy, when he is happy or sad, when he succeeds or fails, when he is in the company of his enemies or in the circle of his friends, when he is abandoned by everyone, or when he in the midst of your beloved family. But God’s temple serves as a special place of prayer. On Sundays, as well as on weekdays, if time permits, we should go to church to pray, where our brothers and sisters in Christ - Christians - gather to pray together, all together. This kind of prayer is called church prayer.
Every Orthodox Christian must pray daily, morning and evening, before and after eating food, before starting and at the end of any task (for example: before teaching and after teaching, etc.).
In the morning we pray to thank God for preserving us last night, to ask for His Fatherly blessing and help for the day that has begun.
In the evening, before going to bed, we also thank the Lord for a successful day and ask him to keep us during the night.
Before and after meals we pray to thank God for His gifts and ask Him to bless and sanctify the food.
In order for the work to be done successfully and safely, we must also, first of all, ask God for blessings and help for the upcoming work, and upon completion, thank God.
Unfortunately, many people forget about the necessity and importance of prayer, and resort to it only in cases of feeling hopeless. However, even in these cases, as practice shows, God does not forget about the person and gives him his love and support. But not a single prayer will bring anything good to a person if he simply reads it without thinking about what is said. Therefore, it is extremely important, when turning to the Creator in prayer, to truly feel every word.
God is the best of interlocutors; he will always hear a person and help him. You should not be embarrassed to talk to God even about the most secret things that are in your soul. The main thing is to do it with true faith in God.
“True prayer does not consist in words and saying them, but true prayer consists “in spirit and in truth” (John 4:23). When we pray to God, we must stand before Him not only in body, but also in spirit; and say prayer not only with your lips, but also with your mind and heart; and not only bow our heads and knees, but also our hearts before Him; and raise our intelligent eyes to Him with humility. For all prayer must come from the heart; and what the tongue says, the mind and heart must say.” Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk.
And no matter what happens during the day, everything happens according to the will of God; all, without exception, are circumstances in which the Lord wished to place you, so that you could be His presence, His love, His compassion. His creative mind, His courage... And, besides, whenever you encounter this or that situation, you are the one whom God put there to carry out the ministry of a Christian, to be a part of the Body of Christ and the action of God. If you do this, you will easily see that sometimes you will have to turn to God and say: “Lord, enlighten my mind, strengthen and direct my will, give me a fiery heart, help me!” At other times you will be able to say, “Oh my God, thank you!”
In the Christian catechism, that is, in the instruction on the Christian faith, it is said about prayer this way: “Prayer is the offering of the mind and heart to God and is a person’s reverent word to God.” Prayer has extraordinary power. “Prayer not only defeats the laws of nature, not only is it an insurmountable shield against visible and invisible enemies, but it even holds back the hand of the Almighty God Himself, raised to defeat sinners,” writes Saint Demetrius of Rostov.
In the New Testament, prayer is a living connection between the children of God and their infinitely good Father, with His Son Jesus Christ and with the Holy Spirit. The grace of the Kingdom is “the unity of the entire Holy Trinity with the entire spirit.” Thus, prayer life is a constant and natural presence in the presence of the Trisagion of God and in communion with Him. Such vital communion is always possible because through baptism our being has become one with Christ. Prayer is Christian because it is communion with Christ and grows in the Church, which is His Body. Its dimensions are the dimensions of Christ's love.
“Prayer is not telling God our needs. Prayer is the condition under which Divine power can contact our spirit and act in us. God is omniscient and knows us better than we know ourselves.” Archimandrite Rafail (Karelin) (XX century).
How did “green week” appear, and why did the church try to eradicate it?
Semik, or “green Christmastide,” originated with our ancient Slavic ancestors. They began to celebrate this holiday on the seventh Thursday after the Holy Resurrection of Christ, on the Thursday before Trinity. Starting from this day and throughout the week, they said goodbye to spring and welcomed summer, inviting a generous harvest and prosperity.
Rituals were aimed at this, the main symbol of which was the endless cycle - from the beginning of life to the last days. The transition period from spring to summer began with the celebration of the generous Maslenitsa, and ended with Semik. These two holidays with ancient roots have something in common with each other, and were born on the basis of pagan beliefs and traditions.
That is why the Orthodox Church did not recognize this national holiday, and, moreover, even tried in every possible way to eradicate it, to erase it from people’s memory, “pulling” the spotlight onto the Trinity. However, the only thing that the clergy did was to slightly change the meaning of the event and all the rituals associated with it.
Holy Fathers on Prayer
“Prayer is a great weapon, an unfailing treasure, wealth that never runs out, a serene haven, a foundation of peace; prayer is the root, source and mother of countless blessings and is more powerful than royal power.” St. John Chrysostom.
“Prayer in its rank is higher than alms.” St. Isaac the Syrian.
“Prayer is the emergence in our hearts of one after another reverent feelings towards God.” St. Feofan, the Recluse of Vyshensky.
“During prayer, let our speech and supplication be combined with decorum, calmness and modesty. Let us think about the fact that we stand before the face of God and that we must please the eyes of God both by the position of the body and the sound of the voice.” Sschmch. Cyprian of Carthage.
“You must abstain from marital affairs in order to engage in prayer; to abstain from worries about wealth, from the desire for earthly glory, from the enjoyment of pleasures, from envy and every evil deed against our neighbor, so that when our soul is in silence and not disturbed by any passion, in it, as in a mirror, God’s purity and uncloudedness will be insight." St. Basil the Great.
“When starting a prayer, leave yourself, your wife, your children, part with the earth, pass through heaven, leave every creature visible and invisible, and begin by praising Him who created everything, and when you praise Him, do not wander your mind here and there, do not talk about fabulous things. pagan, but choose words from the Holy Scriptures.” St. Basil the Great.
“Every place and every time is convenient for us to pray.” St. John Chrysostom.
Orthodox prayers to the holy saints. Holy saints of God.
Orthodox prayers for those in need for various needs and infirmities.
Great holidays (not related to the twelve)
In addition to the twelve holidays, the Great holidays include holidays that occupy the second step in the holiday hierarchical ladder (there are 5 of them).
5 great holidays (except Twelfth)
– Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary – October 1 (14),
– Circumcision of the Lord and the memory of St. Basil the Great – 1 (January 14),
– Nativity of John the Baptist – June 24 (July 7),
- memory of the supreme app. Peter and Paul - June 29 (July 12),
– Beheading of John the Baptist – August 29 (September 11),
and also, according to some old calendars, -
– repose (death) of the Apostle John the Theologian – September 26 (October 9),
- memory of St. Nicholas, Archbishop of Myra in Lycia, wonderworker - 6 (December 19) and
- memory of St. Nicholas, Archbishop of Myra of Lycia, wonderworker (transfer of his relics from Myra to the Italian city of Bari) - 9 (May 22).
What a Christian Should Remember
There are words of Holy Scripture and prayers that it is advisable to know by heart.
1. The Lord's Prayer “Our Father” (Matthew 6:9-13; Luke 11:2-4). 2. The main commandments of the Old Testament (Deut. 6:5; Lev. 19:18). 3. The main gospel commandments (Matt. 5, 3-12; Matt. 5, 21-48; Matt. 6, 1; Matt. 6, 3; Matt. 6, 6; Matt. 6, 14-21; Matt. 6, 24-25; Matthew 7, 1-5; Matthew 23, 8-12; John 13, 34). 4.Symbol of Faith. 5. Morning prayers and evening prayers according to a short prayer book. 6. The number and meaning of the sacraments.
The sacraments must not be mixed with rituals. A ritual is any outward sign of reverence that expresses our faith. A sacrament is a sacred act during which the Church calls on the Holy Spirit, and His grace descends on the believers. There are seven such sacraments: Baptism, Confirmation, Communion (Eucharist), Repentance (Confession), Marriage (Wedding), Blessing of Anointing (Unction), Priesthood (Ordination) ...
Meat eaters
Winter meat eater
⚅ January 7 – March 1, 2020
The period between Christmas and Great Lent. In 2021, it begins on January 7 and ends on March 1 (Forgiveness Sunday). During the winter meat-eating period, there is no fasting on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. These days you can eat meat food. Fish is allowed on Wednesday and Friday.
Spring meat eater
⚅ April 19 – June 14, 2020
The period between Lent and Lent of Peter the Great. In 2021, it starts on April 19 and ends on June 14. During the spring meat-eating period, there is no fasting on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. On these days you are allowed to eat meat. On Wednesday and Friday you can eat fish.
Summer meat eater
⚅ July 12 – August 13, 2020
The period between Petrov and Assumption fasts. In 2021, it starts on July 12 and ends on August 13. During the summer meat-eating period there is no fasting on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. You can eat meat these days. Dry eating is prescribed for Wednesday and Friday.
Autumn meat eater
⚅ August 28 – November 27, 2020
The period between the Assumption and Nativity fasts. In 2021, it starts on August 28 and ends on November 27. During the autumn meat-eating period, there is no fasting on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. On these days it is allowed to eat meat. On Wednesday and Friday it is prescribed to eat dry food.
