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...
What exactly is the 2021 church holiday today - Orthodox calendar for every day
Any Orthodox holiday today correlates with an important event in the life of Jesus Christ and the Mother of God, as well as memories of the saints. The Church often gave a solemn character to the celebration of such events. Therefore, the life of Christians was organized according to the holidays. On such days, they did not work or engage in any worldly activities, there was no noisy fun and feasting, but carried out charitable works for the benefit of the poor and the Church itself. Every day the church commemorates the saints glorified by the Church. 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. Which church orthodox holiday today and tomorrow (2019) is indicated below.
CHURCH ORTHODOX (DIVINE) HOLIDAYS 2021 - CALENDAR FOR EVERY DAY (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, and 31). ALL CHURCH HOLIDAYS ARE LISTED FROM TOP TO DOWN (see what exact church holiday is today, will be tomorrow or was yesterday according to the church calendar in Russia): NOVEMBER 2021 November 1 Transfer of the relics of St. John of Rila (1238). November 2 Dmitrievskaya parents' Saturday. November 4 of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God (in memory of the deliverance of Moscow and Russia from the Poles in 1612). November 5 Apostle James, brother of the Lord according to the flesh (c. 63) November 6 Icon of the Mother of God “Joy of All Who Sorrow.” November 8 of the Great Martyr Demetrius of Thessaloniki (c. 306) November 9 of the Venerable Nestor the Chronicler of Pechersk. November 10 Vmts. Paraskeva, named Pyatnitsa (III). St. Job of Pochaevsky, abbot (1651); St. Demetrius of Rostov, metropolitan (1709). November 11 Prmts. Anastasia of Rome (III), St. Abraham of Rostov (1073–1077). November 14 Unmercenary and miracle workers Cosmas and Damian of Asia and their mother, St. Theodotia (III).
November 16 Renewal of the Church of the Great Martyr. George the Victorious in Lydda (IV) November 18 St. Jonah, Archbishop of Novgorod (1470). St. Tikhon (Belavin), Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia (election to the Patriarchal throne 1917). Fathers of the Local Council of the Russian Church 1917–1918. November 19, Rev. Varlaam Khutynsky (1192). November 21 Council of the Archangel Michael and other ethereal Heavenly Powers. Archangels Gabriel, Raphael, Uriel, Selaphiel, Jehudiel, Barachiel and Jeremiel. November 22 of St. Nektarios of Aegina (1920). Icons of the Mother of God “Quick to Hear” (X). November 23 Wheeling of the military. St. George the Victorious (303) (Georgian). November 24th bl. Maxim, Christ for the Fool's Sake, Moscow Wonderworker (1434). November 25 St. John the Merciful, Patriarch of Alexandria (620); St. Nila Postnik (V). Icons of the Mother of God “Merciful”. November 26 St. John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople (407) November 27 Apostle Philip (I). November 28 Beginning of the Nativity Fast. Martyrs and confessors of Guria, Samon (299–306) and Aviv (322); St. Paisiy Velichkovsky (1794). November 29 Apostle and Evangelist Matthew (60) November 30 St. Nikon of Radonezh, abbot, student of St. Sergius (1426). DECEMBER 2021 The Nativity Fast continues until January 6, 2021. December 2 of St. Philaret, Metropolitan of Moscow (1867). Icons of the Mother of God “Consolation in Sorrows and Sorrows.” December 3 Forefeast of the Entry into the Temple of the Blessed Virgin Mary. December 4 Entry into the Temple of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Ever-Virgin Mary. December 6 of the Blessed Prince Alexander Nevsky, in the schema of Alexy (1263). December 7 VMC. Catherine (305–313), martyr. Mercury of Smolensk (1238). December 8 Commemoration of the Feast of the Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple December 9 Consecration of the Church of the Great Martyr. St. George the Victorious in Kyiv (1051). Venerable Alipius the Stylite (640). December 10 Icons of the Mother of God “The Sign”. December 11 Prmch. and Spanish Stefan the New (767), Schmch. Seraphim (Chichagov), Metropolitan (1937) December 12 Martyr. Paramon of Bithynia and with him 370 martyrs (250) December 13 Apostle Andrew the First-Called (c. 62). December 14 of the Prophet Nahum (VII century BC).. Righteous Philaret the Merciful (792). December 15 Prr. Habakkuk (VII century BC). December 16 Prophet Zephaniah (635–605 BC); St. Savva, abbot of Storozhevsky, Zvenigorod wonderworker (1407). December 17 Vmts. Barbarians (c. 306), St. John of Damascus (c. 780), St. Gennady of Novgorod (1505) December 18 St. Savva the Sanctified (532). St. Guria, Archbishop of Kazan (1563) December 19 St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, Archbishop of Myra in Lycia. December 20, St. Nil Stolobensky (1554); St. Anthony of Siysk, hieromonk (1556). December 21 St. Patapia of Thebes (VII). December 22 Conception of rights. Anna of the Most Holy Theotokos. Icons of the Mother of God “Unexpected Joy”. December 23rd St. Joasaph, Bishop of Belgorod (1754). December 24 St. Daniel the Stylite (493). December 25 St. Spyridon of Trimifuntsky, wonderworker. (c. 348). December 26 Mchch. Eustratia, Auxentia, Eugenia, Mardaria and Orestes (284–305) December 28 Council of the Kola Saints. Cathedral of Crimean Saints, St. Stephen the Confessor, Archbishop. Surozhsky. December 31 Glorification of rights. Simeon of Verkhotursky (Merkushinsky) (1694), informs the portal hram-kupina.ru
04.05.2019 09:13
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...
See yourself dying
Priest Sergiy Burikov, dean of the Novouzensky district:
— In light of the events that have recently been taking place in the world, we see that the once Christian Europe, having retreated from the faith, does not hesitate to call itself post-Christian. The general trend is this: Christianity is outdated and has exhausted itself. They are trying to instill in society liberal “universal”, “supra-confessional”, so-called values of humanism, where there is no place for God, and the measure of everything becomes a person who decides for himself what is possible and what is not. Legalized sin is often declared as the highest achievement of human freedom and democracy. We are told: “live here and now,” “take everything from life,” etc. One gets the impression that someone very influential and unknown to us has begun an attack on Christianity and Christians simultaneously on all fronts. In the modern world there is no single point of support that could be considered truth. It is invented and approved by people and cannot agree in any way. Everything is blurry and changeable.
Christianity, on the contrary, teaches us that there is one Truth - God. Remember, to Pilate’s question: “What is truth?” “Christ was silent because everything was clear without words. A little earlier Christ said: For this I was born and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth; everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice (John 18:37). Consequently, he who is not from the truth does not listen to the voice of Christ: I will build My Church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it (Matthew 16:18). The Christian Church is what Christ left to humanity. It is in it that we must seek all truth.
The Apostle Paul wrote: The Church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth (1 Tim. 3:15). Consequently, the Church cannot become obsolete, just as Truth cannot become obsolete or change. Look at the manifestation of all the qualities of the human soul. You can see that they have not changed throughout human history. Love, hatred, envy, greed, generosity, mercy have always been and will be as we know them. Christianity is, in fact, addressed to these qualities of the eternal soul. And it doesn’t matter what era a person lives in, what he drives, or what he wears. Vices or virtues - the choice is up to the person. For Christians there is a clear criterion and path for the transformation and salvation of the soul - Christ. He came to heal and save us. But we do not see ourselves as sick and perishing, who need a Savior. The task of modern man is to see himself as he really is, and not as he imagines himself.
For a person, the mirror and absolute unit of measurement is Christ, looking at Whose image and fulfilling His holy commandments, a person gradually begins to come to his senses and see himself as he is: poor, and wretched, and deprived of all virtue in the face of the Truth. He begins to feel the need for forgiveness and repentance before God. It is precisely such a person who needs the Church, the Truth and God, who is waiting for him.
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
Angel Day May 30, male and female names
According to the Orthodox church calendar, on May 30 it is customary to celebrate 6 name days at once. The owners of four male and two female names celebrate their Angel Day on this day. We inform parents whose baby was born on this day about the names that the Orthodox Church recommends giving to children born on May 30th.
May 30 marks the name day of the owners of the following male names:
- Adrian. The basis is the Roman family name Adrianus, which translates as “Adriatic” or “born on the shores of the Adriatic Sea.” The name is a form of the name Andrei, which in ancient Greek means “courageous” or “strong.”
- Afanasy. A Russian name with roots in Ancient Greece. There boys are called Athanasios. The root of the name is the word “athanatos”, which translates as “immortal”.
- Nikolai. The name is derived from the ancient Greek name Nikolaos, which should be translated as “conqueror of nations.”
- Stepan. A Russian name that came to us from Ancient Greece. There was a name there, Stefanos, which translates as “crown” or “crown.”
Angel Day is also celebrated by the owners of two female names:
- Evdokia. Derived from the ancient Greek name Eudokia, which translates as “benevolence.”
- Euphrosyne. The name has an analogue from Ancient Greece - Euphrosyne, which in the local language meant “joy” or “fun”.
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).
Life of Venerable Euphrosyne of Moscow
Venerable Euphrosyne of Moscow is a great ascetic of the late 14th and early 15th centuries. In the world, she was Grand Duchess Evdokia Dmitrievna, wife and widow of the holy noble prince Dimitry Donskoy.
Evdokia (sounds like “Benevolence”) was the daughter of the Suzdal prince Dimitri Konstantinovich and his wife Anna. Raised from infancy in the spirit of Christian piety, Evdokia was distinguished by a quiet and very meek disposition. Living in Suzdal and Pereyaslavl-Zalessky, in a turbulent environment of constant internecine strife, Princess Evdokia from an early age became accustomed to placing all her trust in God.
With the blessing of St. Alexy, Metropolitan of Moscow, on January 18, 1366, the marriage of Evdokia with the Grand Duke of Moscow Dimitri Ivanovich took place. After the death of her husband, the princess began to lead an ascetic life, wearing a hair shirt and chains under princely clothes. With such a life, she endured slander about fornication. On the day of taking tonsure, she performed a miracle of healing 30 people.
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.
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) ...
Church Orthodox fasts in 2021
Multi-day posts
- Lent in 2021 is from March 15 to May 1.
- Petrov fast in 2021 - from June 28 to July 11.
- Dormition Fast in 2021 - from August 14 to 27.
- Christmas fast - from November 28, 2021 to January 6, 2021.
One-day posts
- Wednesday and Friday throughout the year , with the exception of continuous weeks and Christmastide.
- Epiphany Christmas Eve - January 18, 2021.
- Beheading of John the Baptist - September 11, 2021.
- Exaltation of the Holy Cross - September 27, 2021.
Continuous weeks with no fasting
- Christmas time in 2021 is from January 8 to January 17.
- The Week of the Publican and the Pharisee in 2021 is from February 22 to 28.
- Maslenitsa in 2021 (Cheese Week) - from February 4 to March 10.
- Bright Easter Week in 2021 - from May 3 to May 9.
- Trinity Week in 2021 - from 21 to 27 June.
Parents' Saturdays in 2021 (All Souls' Day)
- Ecumenical Parents' Saturday (meat-free) in 2021 is March 6, a week before Lent.
- Commemoration of all the deceased who suffered for their faith - January 21, 2021.
- Saturday of the 2nd week of Great Lent - March 27, 2021.
- Saturday of the 3rd week of Lent - April 3, 2021.
- Saturday of the 4th week of Lent - April 10, 2021.
- Commemoration of deceased soldiers - May 9, 2021.
- Radonitsa in 2021 - May 11, 2021.
- Trinity Parents' Saturday in 2021 - June 19, 2021.
- Dimitrievskaya Parents' Saturday - November 6, 2021.
