March 22, 2021 Soroki, Forty Forty, Forty Saints: what kind of holiday is this, how the Orthodox celebrate it, folk rituals, signs and beliefs of this day

A Russian proverb says: “God extend the century by forty forty.” In everyday life, this expression is rarely used and is considered an outdated phraseological unit. But thanks to the creation of a public organization of the same name, which has existed for five years, this expression has received a second life.

What does the phraseological unit Forty forty mean?

Modern researchers put different meanings into this phrase. Some of them believe that this number has an indefinitely large meaning, like the phrase “darkness.” Others are inclined to understand literally “40 times 40,” that is, the number 1600. Still others suggest that this is a non-standard system of counting in forties that appeared from nowhere.

Some researchers are inclined to believe that the word “forty” means a church administrative-territorial unit - “elderhood”, “church deanery”. This division was established by decree of the Stoglavy Council of the Russian Orthodox Church in 1551.

According to him, seven Moscow deaneries were formed, which were figuratively called forty:

• Kremlevskoe;
• Sretenskoe;
• Nikitskoe;
• Kitaygorodskoe;
• Zamoskvoretskoe;
• Ivanovskoe;
• Prechistenskoye.

Every forty had a main church (parish), led by a priestly elder. One deanery included no less than forty parishes. In other words, this expression was used to denote the number of churches in Moscow, despite the fact that there have not been such a number of churches in Moscow in its entire history, even if we count not only churches, but also the altars of churches.

It was not by chance that the public Orthodox organization chose this name. According to one of the founders of the Movement, “the original meaning of this phrase is the multitude, multitude of the army of Christ.” Although most associate this name with the number of Moscow churches.

Usage examples

An example of use in the story by Mikhail Bulgakov (in the meaning of the entire set of Moscow churches) is given above.

In the meaning of a very large amount of something, phraseological units are used by Vysotsky:

Forty Forty Movement

To increase the number of churches, the Moscow Church Construction Support Fund was created in 2010. The “200 Temples” program was conceived to provide densely populated areas of the capital with temples within walking distance. The start date of the program is April 29, 2011.

Two years later, the public Orthodox movement “Forty Forties” was born as a response to the information campaign to discredit the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) in 2012, as well as to the Pussy Riot scandal. At this point, the movement saw itself primarily as advocates for new temple construction as part of the 200 Temples program.

Goals and objectives

The “Forty Forties” (DSS) movement unites people of the Orthodox faith with an active civic position.

The goals set by the creators of the movement are extremely simple:

1. Defense of the Russian Orthodox Church.
2. Protection of the rights and freedoms of Orthodox Christians.
3. Protection of traditional Orthodox values ​​for the greater Russian world.

The movement also directs its activities to attract passionate Orthodox youth.

The main tasks that the DSS sets for itself:

1. Assistance to the Russian Orthodox Church in the implementation of the patriarchal program “200 churches” in the city of Moscow, as well as assistance to Orthodox communities that, for some reason, were not included in this program, but wish to build a Temple for their parish.
2. Promoting a healthy lifestyle within the framework of the “Orthodoxy and Sports” direction.
3. Destruction of myths about Orthodoxy as a “religion of the weak”, which has supposedly exhausted itself ideologically.

Today the Movement has grown and is implementing a large number of areas and projects.

Ideology of the organization

The leaders of the movement are convinced that against the backdrop of ideological, economic and demographic collapse, the country’s territory is disintegrating and its position in the international arena is humiliating. The times of atheism have passed, but the crisis of consciousness remains: Orthodoxy is still considered something peripheral to the life of the country.

Orthodox Christians in Russia are a very large social group, ready to defend their vision of the model of the future (the civilization of God), which is based on spiritual and moral values. The founders of the DSS are confident that Russia can only exist as an Orthodox country, because only Orthodoxy should be the foundation that unites many nationalities and confessions.

The ideologists of the organization “Forty Forties” believe that the deep cause of national disasters is the breaking of the union with God, which was concluded by our people a thousand years ago. The restoration of this union, the return of His commandments to public life will not only stop self-destruction within the country, but also offer the whole world a project for the future, which is based on the ideal of the God-man that Christ showed us.

The world community perceives Russia as the last stronghold of traditional conservative values, which are based on the commandments of the Gospel. Therefore, all Christians in our country must stand in defense of Orthodox values ​​and strive to preserve Russia as our ancestors left it, with its thousand-year history and culture.

According to the leaders of the DSS, in the next decade our state will face a deep demographic hole. In the coming years, the number of women of reproductive age will decrease, as a result of which the number of newborns will also fall (by at least 40% from the current level). At the same time, the economically active population will decrease by 10 million people by 2025. If in 20 years the number of large families in Russia does not increase from 7 to 50%, then by the end of the century civilization will disappear along with its bearers. Stopping the extinction of the people and preserving Russia as a country, state, and civilization is a fundamental task that must be realized and solved. Without returning to Orthodoxy, Russia will die out. In fact, the question is already stark: Orthodoxy or death.

Notes

1. [gramota.ru/slovari/dic/?word=%D1%EE%F0%EE%EA+%F1%EE%F0%EE%EA%EE%E2&all=x forty forty] // Gramota.ru.
2. ↑ 1 2 3 4 5 Hieromonk Job (Gumerov).
   [www.pravoslavie.ru/answers/33084.htm Question: What does the expression “forty forties” mean?] // Pravoslavie.Ru, December 8, 2009
3. ↑ 1 2 3 4 Olga Mayevskaya.
   [www.nkj.ru/archive/articles/23021/ Forty, ninety, hundred...] // Science and Life, No. 8, 2013.
4. Alexander Kondratenko.
   [foma.ru/strazhnik-hrama.html Temple guard] // “Foma”, No. 5 (145), May 2015
5. [www.chkg.ru/arhiv/2006/2006_6(34)_17.htm The fate of Moscow churches]
6. M. Averyanov.
   [testan.narod.ru/article/kitay_sorok.htm Chinese forty]

Community history

“40 Sorokov” is a social movement consisting of Orthodox Christians, but open to everyone who seeks to defend the Fatherland and traditional spiritual and moral values. It unites people of different professions and social status, who have united around the New Testament and strive to be Orthodox not only in words, but also in deeds, following the example of the outstanding heroes of our history. The movement became widely known through the events in Moscow's Torfyanka Park and the protests against the film Matilda.

Organization and creation

The initiators of the movement were composer Andrei Kormukhin and boxer Vladimir Nosov.

The movement was first called “Hammer,” but received a new name when its creators found their “niche”—protecting the construction of churches under the “200 Temples” program.

According to one of the initiators of the creation of the DSS, Andrei Kormukhin, “the time has come for Orthodox Christians to finally go outside the church fence and stand up for their faith. People followed us, began to join the movement and take an active part in our events and actions.”

Kormukhin claims that the activities of the DSS became their own initiative. Individual church rectors asked them to guard construction sites, but in the end, force support was approved by the Russian Orthodox Church.

According to Kormukhin, joining the movement is quite difficult:

“You need to prove yourself for a long time.”

New members are accepted into the movement collectively. Participants in the movement are required to wear T-shirts of certain colors and with special stripes.

To date, there are no accurate statistics of those who have joined the ranks of the DSS. Andrei Kormukhin claims that the organization has several thousand supporters, and VKontakte subscribers are more than 22 thousand people.

Further fate

A year after its creation, in the summer of 2014, the “demand” of the young organization became clear, and it experienced a massive influx of new members, consisting mainly of religious athletes.

Until a certain point, the basis of the movement was the brothers. But time passed, and tasks that primarily required male participation began to alternate with tasks that were more suitable for women. Soon the decision was made to open a sister wing of the organization.

The sisterhood is engaged in the following areas:

• volunteering;
• charity;
• trade fairs;
• master classes;
• work with orphanages, orphans and other socially vulnerable groups of people.

Over the five years of the existence of the DSS, with their direct participation, 15 churches in Moscow have been built or are under construction.

In February 2014, activists organized a “patriarchal anti-Maidan” - an action near the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in honor of the fifth anniversary of the enthronement of Patriarch Kirill (about four thousand people walked around the temple holding hands).

In November 2014, Patriarch Kirill, at a meeting with Orthodox youth, called the volunteers who surround him “his guard.”

In February 2015, Patriarch Kirill personally congratulated Andrei Kormukhin on his birthday and asked him to “strengthen and multiply the ranks of the movement.”

In May 2015, supporters of the movement attacked the Moscow gay pride parade.

In June 2015, a picket was disrupted on Vorobyovy Gory against the installation of a monument to Prince Vladimir there.

At the end of June 2015, “40 Magpies” fighters were invited to guard construction materials for the temple being built in the capital’s Torfyanka Park. However, by that time protests had already begun in the park. The construction of the church was opposed by local residents, who were supported by opposition parties. It was during the events in Torfyanka Park that it became clear that there were many football fans in the movement. The leadership explained that there are different people in the organization - “both football fans and Nazis, but we pull out these problem guys and through Orthodoxy we make them different people.”

On August 21, 2015, State Duma deputy from the Communist Party of the Russian Federation Valery Rashkin turned to the FSB with a request to investigate the activities of the Movement and liquidate it.

“This organization actively interacts with radical extremist groups, including radical groups of football fans. In fact, this organization itself is a radical formation engaged in combat training of its members, many of whom adhere to neo-Nazi ideology,” the statement said.

The appeal remained unanswered.

In September 2021, the Orthodox social movement organized the all-Russian action “Stop Matilda!” in the form of pickets, religious processions and prayers for the royal martyrs, in which about a thousand people took part throughout Russia. According to the protesters, the film “Matilda” should be banned, as it threatens national security, destroys families and falsifies history.

In November 2021, an anti-abortion action “Stop the meat grinder!” was held at the entrance to the State Duma of the Russian Federation, which ended with the detention of the movement’s leader, Andrei Kormukhin.

Current situation

The activities of the DSS are accompanied by conflicting reviews, including sharply negative ones. Critics say there have been repeated incidents of violence by members of the movement.

According to critics, the DSS is a typical neo-fascist organization that covers up swastikas with icons and banners. Former and current football fans, far-right skinheads and other similar audiences flock here. “A sort of army of Mr. Gundyaev’s guardsmen, ready to crush someone’s skull for the ‘cause of Christ’.” It is no coincidence that its members shorten the organization’s pompous name to SS and wear T-shirts in the colors of the flag of Nazi Germany. Their main occupation is guarding events with the participation of the Patriarch, paving his way through the crowd. By special order - “protection” of construction sites, intimidation of protest activists.

To date, the DSS has opened branches in the regions, covering, in addition to Moscow and the Moscow region, such large Russian cities as:

• Saint Petersburg;
• Omsk;
• Novorossiysk;
• Ekaterinburg;
• Krasnoyarsk;
• Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.

In addition, there are branches of the movement in Serbia, Montenegro, Transnistria, and Austria.

The activities of the Movement were marked by letters from the Moscow Government, the Russian Orthodox Church and the personal attention of Patriarch Kirill. DSS has made a great contribution to the youth ministry of the Church and to creating an example of a healthy, athletic lifestyle for young people.

An excerpt characterizing the Forty Forties

Kutuzov sat, with his gray head drooping and his heavy body slumped, on a carpeted bench, in the very place where Pierre had seen him in the morning. He did not make any orders, but only agreed or disagreed with what was offered to him. “Yes, yes, do it,” he responded to various proposals. “Yes, yes, go, my dear, and have a look,” he addressed first one or the other of those close to him; or: “No, no, we’d better wait,” he said. He listened to the reports brought to him, gave orders when his subordinates required it; but, listening to the reports, he seemed not to be interested in the meaning of the words of what was said to him, but something else in the expressions of the faces, in the tone of speech of those reporting, interested him. From long-term military experience, he knew and with his senile mind understood that it is impossible for one person to lead hundreds of thousands of people fighting death, and he knew that the fate of the battle is not decided by the orders of the commander-in-chief, not by the place where the troops are stationed, not by the number of guns and killed people, and that elusive force called the spirit of the army, and he watched over this force and led it, as far as it was in his power. The general expression on Kutuzov’s face was one of concentrated, calm attention and tension, which barely overcame the fatigue of his weak and old body. At eleven o'clock in the morning they brought him the news that the flushes occupied by the French were again repulsed, but that Prince Bagration was wounded. Kutuzov gasped and shook his head. “Go to Prince Pyotr Ivanovich and find out in detail what and how,” he said to one of the adjutants and then turned to the Prince of Wirtemberg, who was standing behind him: “Would your Highness be willing to take command of the first army.” Soon after the prince's departure, so soon that he could not yet get to Semenovsky, the prince's adjutant returned from him and reported to his Serene Highness that the prince was asking for troops. Kutuzov winced and sent Dokhturov an order to take command of the first army, and asked the prince, whom he said he could not do without at these important moments, to return to his place. When the news of Murat’s capture was brought and the staff congratulated Kutuzov, he smiled. “Wait, gentlemen,” he said. “The battle has been won, and there is nothing unusual in the capture of Murat.” But it's better to wait and rejoice. “However, he sent an adjutant to travel through the troops with this news. When Shcherbinin rode up from the left flank with a report about the French occupation of flushes and Semenovsky, Kutuzov, guessing from the sounds of the battlefield and from Shcherbinin’s face that the news was bad, stood up, as if stretching his legs, and, taking Shcherbinin by the arm, took him aside . “Go, my dear,” he said to Ermolov, “see if anything can be done.” Kutuzov was in Gorki, in the center of the position of the Russian army. The attack directed by Napoleon on our left flank was repulsed several times. In the center the French did not move further than Borodin. From the left flank, Uvarov's cavalry forced the French to flee. In the third hour the French attacks stopped. On all the faces who came from the battlefield, and on those who stood around him, Kutuzov read an expression of tension that had reached the highest degree. Kutuzov was pleased with the success of the day beyond expectations. But the old man’s physical strength left him. Several times his head dropped low, as if falling, and he dozed off. He was served dinner. The outhouse adjutant Wolzogen, the same one who, driving past Prince Andrei, said that the war must be im Raum verlegon [transferred into space (German)], and whom Bagration hated so much, drove up to Kutuzov during lunch. Wolzogen arrived from Barclay with a report on the progress of affairs on the left flank. The prudent Barclay de Tolly, seeing the crowds of wounded running away and the upset backsides of the army, having weighed all the circumstances of the case, decided that the battle was lost, and with this news he sent his favorite to the commander-in-chief. Kutuzov chewed the fried chicken with difficulty and looked at Wolzogen with narrowed, cheerful eyes. Wolzogen, casually stretching his legs, with a half-contemptuous smile on his lips, approached Kutuzov, lightly touching the visor with his hand. Wolzogen treated His Serene Highness with a certain affected carelessness, intended to show that he, as a highly educated military man, was allowing the Russians to make an idol out of this old, useless man, and he himself knew with whom he was dealing. “Der alte Herr (as the Germans called Kutuzov in their circle) macht sich ganz bequem, [The old gentleman settled down calmly (German)] - thought Wolzogen and, looking sternly at the plates standing in front of Kutuzov, began to report to the old gentleman the state of affairs on the left flank as Barclay ordered him and as he himself saw and understood it. - All points of our position are in the hands of the enemy and there is nothing to recapture, because there are no troops; “They are running, and there is no way to stop them,” he reported. Kutuzov, stopping to chew, stared at Wolzogen in surprise, as if not understanding what was being said to him. Wolzogen, noticing the excitement of des alten Herrn, [the old gentleman (German)] said with a smile: “I did not consider myself to have the right to hide from your lordship what I saw... The troops are in complete disorder...” “Did you see?” Did you see?.. – Kutuzov shouted, frowning, quickly getting up and advancing on Wolzogen. “How do you... how dare you!..”, he shouted, making threatening gestures with shaking hands and choking. - How dare you, dear sir, say this to me? You don't know anything. Tell General Barclay from me that his information is incorrect and that the real course of the battle is known to me, the commander-in-chief, better than to him. Wolzogen wanted to object, but Kutuzov interrupted him. - The enemy is repulsed on the left and defeated on the right flank. If you have not seen well, dear sir, then do not allow yourself to say what you do not know. Please go to General Barclay and convey to him the next day my absolute intention to attack the enemy,” Kutuzov said sternly. Everyone was silent, and all that could be heard was the heavy breathing of the out of breath old general. “They were repulsed everywhere, for which I thank God and our brave army.” The enemy has been defeated, and tomorrow we will drive him out of the sacred Russian land,” said Kutuzov, crossing himself; and suddenly sobbed from the tears that came. Wolzogen, shrugging his shoulders and pursing his lips, silently walked away to the side, wondering uber diese Eingenommenheit des alten Herrn. [at this tyranny of the old gentleman. (German)] “Yes, here he is, my hero,” said Kutuzov to the plump, handsome, black-haired general, who was entering the mound at that time. It was Raevsky, who spent the whole day at the main point of the Borodino field. Raevsky reported that the troops were firmly in their places and that the French did not dare to attack anymore. After listening to him, Kutuzov said in French: “Vous ne pensez donc pas comme lesautres que nous sommes obliges de nous retirer?” [You don't think, then, like others, that we should retreat?]

Social and political activities

Cultural and sports spheres

The movement regularly organizes and conducts events to improve the cultural and educational level, as well as to promote a healthy lifestyle.

Traditional events held by the DSS:

• Sorochensky meetings are held weekly at the Novospassky Monastery with the participation of prominent representatives of the clergy, public figures and athletes.
• The annual festival “Orthodoxy and Sports” attracts an increasing number of participants and guests, and is rightfully considered a national festival. Its goal is the spiritual, moral and physical development of youth.
• Monthly sports tournaments “Orthodoxy and Sports” held in the cities of the Moscow region.
• Marathon "40x40".
• “Sober New Year” campaign.
• Project to support a healthy lifestyle “Murom Path”.

Humanitarian assistance

It is carried out in the following areas:

1. Help the homeless. Daily feedings take place at Kievsky and Yaroslavsky railway stations.
2. The charity project “From Prison to Light” provides assistance and visits to those in prison. Providing children born in custody with the necessary material support. Spiritual support for people who have stumbled.
3. As part of the campaign “From temple to temple! From soul to soul!” The organization provides humanitarian assistance to the residents of Donbass and children of Syria.

Help for pilgrims

The youth department of the Moscow city diocese has repeatedly expressed gratitude to the Movement for accompanying believers arriving to worship Orthodox shrines.

DSS provided assistance to pilgrims during their stay:

• in the St. George Church-monument to the right hand (right hand) of the Holy Great Martyr George the Victorious, delivered from Athos to Moscow for the 70th anniversary of the Victory over fascism;
• in Moscow, parts of the relics of St. Nicholas.

Participants in the movement accompanied the Gifts of the Magi in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Volgograd and Kyiv (the trip to Kyiv was at the height of Euromaidan).

Organization of events

Every Monday, Sorochen tea parties are held in the refectory of the Vysoko-Petrovsky Monastery, where brothers and sisters, participants and supporters of the movement meet. At these meetings, anyone can get acquainted with the participants of the DSS. Here, new projects of the movement are discussed, relaxed communication takes place between brothers and sisters in Christ, birthdays are celebrated or loved ones are remembered.

The movement regularly arranges meetings with Archpriest Dmitry Smirnov, head of the commission on family issues, protection of motherhood and childhood under the patriarchy. Smirnov is known for his radical statements: he suggested that atheists commit suicide, called for smashing sex shops with bricks and fighting juvenile justice with firearms.

Other activities

The movement also conducts other actions and flash mobs:

1. Motherhood protection projects: “Fight” and “Stop the Meat Grinder!”
2. Projects to support traditional values: “Russia with God”, “Russia with many children”, congress of parents of Russia.
3. Charity projects: assistance to orphanages, assistance to the Tarusa Nursing Home, assistance to needy families and mothers.
4. Service projects: ensuring order at Patriarchal Services, feeding pilgrims in the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, annual participation in the Alexander Nevsky procession.
5. Musical projects: choir concerts, flash mob “Let’s Sing Together” at the Kievsky railway station in Moscow, Tiraspol and Damascus.
6. Educational projects: “Press Zone” (open lecture at the “Orthodoxy and Sports” festival), conferences and sections of Christmas readings, Orthodox educational activities in social networks.

Leaders of the movement

Andrey Kormukhin

Andrey Borisovich Kormukhin was born in 1970. Brother of singer Olga Kormukhina. The composer was involved in water polo and boxing in his youth. Father of nine children, holder of the “Parental Glory” medal, former leader of the “Russia with Many Children” movement. Does business. There are two commercial and Anogri registered to it. The first deals with virtually everything - from the sale of motorcycles and animal feed to engineering work, and the main activity of the second is landscaping and beautification of territories.

He is the coordinator of the DSS. According to Kormukhin, “Russia cannot exist outside of Orthodoxy, otherwise it will either simply perish or fall apart.” Views neo-paganism as a destructive technology launched to undermine the “Russian world” from within. Believes it is impossible to put the Motherland above God.

Vladimir Nosov

Vladimir Aleksandrovich Nosov was born in 1981. Master of Sports of international class, three-time Russian boxing champion, winner of the European Championship. Since 2004, he has been actively involved in coaching, and since 2011 he has been working as a coach at the Torpedo club.

He is the coordinator of the Orthodox DSS, the goal of which is to create an example of a healthy, sports lifestyle for young people. Co-organizer of the annual festival “Orthodoxy and Sports” and other public health events of the DSS. He believes that “Orthodoxy is a very masculine religion, the faith of strong people. First of all, of course, spiritually strong. It’s important not just to be strong, but to use this strength in the right direction.”

The organization's Orthodox activities have stirred up the relatively calm life of Russians. Many young people actively join the ranks of the DSS, where they receive or develop skills in various types of wrestling. The activities of the movement, main projects, interviews and opinions of DSS leaders are covered by the Spas and Tsargrad TV channels, as well as the Radonezh radio station.

Five forty sable

Published: 05/01/2010 0:00

The topic of numerals in the Russian language continues to interest our readers. The other day a schoolgirl called and asked an interesting question: why do we write “o” in the word “centenary”, and “a” in the word “fortieth anniversary”? Is the word “magpie” spelled with the letter “o”?

The numeral “forty” is a word “with a face of a non-general expression”, it stands as if apart from its fellows. Indeed, let's take a closer look at it.

If we consider those Russian words that denote numbers that are multiples of ten, from the first ten to a hundred (twenty, thirty, forty, fifty, sixty, seventy, eighty), then we can easily determine their construction. The first, second, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh include the modified word “ten”.

Forty is clearly four dozen, but there are no words with such roots in it. The formation “fours” does not exist in the Russian language (perhaps it once existed, but did not take hold), although it exists in other Slavic languages.

Where did this mysterious word come from, what is the history of its origin?

Judging by the ancient Russian chronicles, where it is often found, the word “forty” was a masculine noun and meant a special measure for counting expensive furs: “Yes, five forty sable... And also twenty-seven forty beaver...”

This noun was used only when counting. It is impossible to say exactly how many precious skins were included in the “forty”, but exactly enough for one long fur caftan.

And such a caftan was called “forty” (by the way, “shirt” comes from there).

Next to forty, there was a second measure used when calculating cheaper varieties of fur - “forty”.

It is possible, as Lev Uspensky writes, that approximately 40 sable or marten skins were used to sew an ancient fur magpie. And so the word gradually broke away from its first meaning and acquired a second: “forty” no longer meant a caftan of 40 skins, but simply a number - 40 skins. And then - 40 any items in general. (It is curious that the ancient measure of weight pood - 16 kilograms - contained exactly forty pounds.)

“Forty” for our ancestors was both a very definite number and simply “a lot.” And the insect - the centipede - was called that not because it has forty legs, but because there are simply a lot of them. Some peoples call it a centipede, others call it a millipede - for the same reason. So “magpie,” which is part of the compound word “centipede,” has dissociated itself from its parent and lives its own life. It is the first part of a compound word and is joined to the second part with the connecting vowel “o”.

And in the word “forty years” our special numeral “forty” is placed in the genitive case, and its “a” is the ending in this case.

By the way, the glorious bird of our latitudes, forty, has no relationship with the numeral “forty,” at least not directly.

See you!

[uptolike]

Author of the article: YANKINA Olga Issue: No. 91 (26728)

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