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Great Orthodox holidays: a list with dates, explanations and traditions. Easter and Twelfth Feasts

Christianity, like any religion, honors saints or celebrates events in the life of the church on certain days of the calendar. Christian holidays are rooted in ancient ritual traditions associated with specific stages, types of economic activity, the annual astronomical or calendar cycle. Conventionally, they are divided into all-Christian (recognized by the Orthodox, Catholic, most Protestant churches) and confessional (recognized only by individual denominations). The most important of them relate to the Twelve Feasts - the twelve most important holidays after Easter, which the Church celebrates with solemn services.

Nativity. This is one of the main Christian holidays associated with the birth of Jesus Christ. In Catholicism, it is celebrated on December 25, in Orthodoxy (refers to the twelfth holidays) on January 7. Being approved in different countries, this holiday absorbed the rites and customs of other religions, folk holidays, acquiring new features that corresponded to Christian dogmas.

The very tradition of Christmas, with its sources, reaches into primitive cult actions. The main role in its dogmatic sense, the church assigns to the doctrine of the birth of Jesus Christ, who appeared to atone for the sins of people, to show mankind the way to salvation. Indeed, in ancient Egypt, for example, on January 6, they celebrated the birthday of the god of water, vegetation, the owner of the underworld, Osiris. In ancient Greece, the same day they celebrated the birth of Dionysus. In Iran, December 25 marked the birth of the god of the sun, purity and truth - Mitra.

In Kievan Rus, the feast of the Nativity of Christ came along with Christianity in the 10th century. and merged with the ancient Slavic winter holiday - Christmas time (lasted for 12 days - from December 25 (January 7) to January 6 (19). The Orthodox Church tried in every possible way to replace them with the feast of the Nativity of Christ, but the holidays and customs existing among the Eastern Slavs took root so deeply that she was forced to combine church holidays with folk ones. So, the church combined carols with the gospel story about the star of Bethlehem, which announced the birth of Christ. The "pagan" carols turned into the walking of Christoslavs with a star home. Children were widely involved in the glorification of Christ. The believers thanked them with gifts.

Since 1990. Christmas Day is an official holiday on the territory of Ukraine.

The Baptism of the Lord (Vodokhrischa, Water Consecration, Epiphany). It is one of the main holidays in Christianity. In Orthodoxy, it belongs to the Twelve Feasts. Catholics celebrate January 6th, Orthodox - January 19th. It was introduced in memory of the baptism of Jesus Christ in the Jordan River by John the Baptist. It is also called Theophany, because, according to the Gospel, during the baptism on Jesus, God the Holy Spirit descended from heaven in the form of a dove.

In Christianity, it was introduced in the 2nd half of the 2nd century, and was first celebrated along with the Nativity of Christ. In IV Art. This day is celebrated separately. The Church regards it as a "feast of enlightenment" for the peoples, because, according to the teaching, it was from baptism that Jesus began to enlighten them with the light of the gospel truth.

This holiday has always been celebrated very solemnly. Its main rite is the blessing of water in the church and in the hole. A religious procession went to the hole, solemn prayers sounded. The consecration of water in temples is performed in our days.

The sprinkling of water existed in many pre-Christian religions. Inspiring natural phenomena, people also spiritualized water as an important source of life. Christianity in the early stages of its development did not know the rite of baptism, it borrowed it somewhat later from ancient cults, which assigned an important role to the rite of "cleansing" a person from any "filth", "evil" with the help of water. According to ancient beliefs, water cleansed people from "evil spirits", "demons". Therefore, among the ancient peoples there was a custom to sprinkle newborns with water.

Candlemas. It is celebrated as one of the twelfth holidays on February 15 on the occasion of the meeting (meeting) of the righteous Simeon with the baby Jesus, whom his parents brought to the Jerusalem temple on the fortieth day after birth to present to God. It was then that Simeon predicted to Jesus his messenger mission as the Savior of people. This is stated in the Gospel of. Luke. Introducing the holiday, the church cared not only about the spread of the ideas of Christianity, but also about the "truth to the facts" of the biography of Christ, emphasizing the obligation of believers to bring babies to the temple within 40 days after birth. In addition, the church tried to protect Christians from ancient cults, since the Romans served "cleansing", repentance, and fasting in February, believing that before the start of spring field work it was necessary to "cleanse themselves of sins" and "evil spirits" by sacrifices to spirits and gods. The main cleansing ceremony took place on February 15, when people with torches in their hands cast out evil spirits of winter cold and disease.

Supporters of Orthodoxy did not recognize the Candlemas for a long time. Later they gave it the meaning of a holiday of purification. This is how it appeared in Russia, having established itself mainly as a church holiday. In the popular mind, the Meeting marked the end of winter and the beginning of spring household chores, as evidenced by the popular belief: "winter meets summer at the Meeting".

Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem. This holiday is celebrated on the last Sunday before Easter. Household its name is Palm Sunday, before the day of Passion Week, timed to "remembrance of the sufferings of Christ."

According to the calendar, it is directly adjacent to Easter and does not have a fixed date. It was introduced in IV Art. as an important stage of preparation for Easter. At the heart of the biblical legend is the entry of Jesus Christ with the apostles into Jerusalem, accompanied by miracles. The people joyfully greeted the Son of God with palm branches.

In Russia, the ritual meaning of palm branches was transferred to willow branches, which bloom at this time, and, according to popular belief, protect from evil spirits. The celebration of the Lord's entry into Jerusalem is intended to encourage believers to open their hearts to Christ's teaching of resurrection and eternal salvation, just as the inhabitants of ancient Jerusalem did.

Ascension of the Lord. It is celebrated on the fortieth day after Easter. And the very moment of the ascension to heaven of the resurrected Christ after the execution completes his earthly biography. It is very common in everyday life and remains purely ecclesiastical. Its content generates in believers the idea of the frailty of earthly life and aims them at Christian asceticism in order to achieve "eternal".

Christian theology claims that the ascension of Christ opens the way for the righteous to heaven, to the resurrection after death. This idea existed long before the rise of Christianity. Beliefs in the ascension to heaven of people, heroes and gods were common among the Phoenicians, Jews and other peoples.

Trinity (Pentecost). A holiday established in honor of the descent of the Holy Spirit on the disciples of Christ on the fiftieth day after his resurrection, as a result of which they spoke in different languages that they did not know before. Called to focus the attention of believers on the voice of the church, which carries the "word of God", to attract them to the preaching of Christianity to other "languages", that is, to other peoples. It is celebrated on the fiftieth day after Easter. In Orthodoxy, it belongs to the Twelve Feasts.

The concept of the divine trinity existed long before Christianity. In the process of the formation of the Christian religion, it became necessary to connect it with the legends of the Old Testament. Therefore, in the New Testament books, Christ is presented as the son of the Hebrew god Yahweh, as the hypostasis of the one God, which was evidenced by the step of Christianity from polytheism to monotheism. Accordingly, Christianity borrowed many Jewish holidays, including the feast of Pentecost. Among the ancient Jews, it arose with their transition to agriculture and was associated with the completion of the harvest, which lasted "seven weeks", that is, seven weeks, was accompanied by the offering of bread from the new harvest to local field spirits and deities. Christianity gave him a new rationale.

In most Eastern Slavs, the holiday of the Trinity merged with the local holiday semik (another name is "Trinity"), borrowing its everyday meaning. The ancient Slavs associated semik with the completion of spring work, trying to appease the spirits of vegetation during the period of flowering and harvest. An important element of the Orthodox holiday of the Trinity is the commemoration of the spirits of deceased relatives (commemoration Saturday). In Ukraine since 1990. Trinity is an official holiday.

Saved. This is one of three holidays dedicated to the Savior Jesus Christ. It is based on the gospel story of the transfiguration of Christ, who at the end of his earthly life led his disciples (Peter, James, John) to the mountain and completely changed during prayer: his face shone, his clothes became white, shiny, and the voice from heaven confirmed its divine origin. Christian teaching claims that Jesus wanted to strengthen the faith in his disciples and prove to them that he was indeed the Son of God.

It is with this event that the Feast of the Transfiguration ("apple" Savior), which is celebrated on August 19, is connected. On this day, they not only glorify Jesus Christ, but also consecrate apples and other fruits (according to folk custom, since then they can be consumed).

An important feature of the Savior, like many other holidays, is the combination of Christian pathos with calendar rituals and customs of purification from evil spirits. For example, during the celebration of the “honey” Savior (“makovei”), which takes place on August 14, fresh honey is consecrated in the church. Established in 1164 in honor of the victory of the Byzantines over the Muslims. This day is especially revered in Russian Orthodoxy, since it is believed that it was on August 14 that the great Kyiv prince Vladimir was baptized. The third - "bread" Savior is celebrated on August 29, coinciding with the end of the harvest and the beginning of winter sowing. Christianity associates it with honoring the miraculous image of Christ, imprinted on a towel and handed over to Abgar, the king of Edessa.

In many parishes of the Savior of the Feast there are also patronal (temple) parishes.

Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord. One of the twelve holidays dedicated to the cult of the Cross as a symbol of the Christian faith. The church associates several events with the cross. According to legend, the Roman emperor Constantine had a vision before one of his biggest battles: in the sky there was a shining cross with the inscription "Conquer it!". That same night, Jesus Christ himself appeared to the emperor in a dream and advised him to take a banner with the image of a cross into battle. Constantine did so, in addition, he ordered his legionnaires to draw the sign of the cross on the shields. Constantine won the battle and since then believed in the miraculous power of the cross, although historical facts show that in commemoration of the victory, Constantine ordered the minting of coins depicting pagan gods, which, he believed, helped him in the battle with enemies.

The church established this holiday in memory of the receipt by the mother of the Roman emperor Elena in the 4th century. the cross on which Jesus Christ was crucified. In order for the people to see it, the cross was raised (erected) on Mount Golgotha, where Christ was executed, and on the spot where the cross was found, a temple was built, the consecration of which took place on September 13, 335.

The Exaltation of the Holy Cross is solemnly celebrated on September 27. It is accompanied by magnificent rituals. During the service, a cross decorated with flowers is carried out and placed in the middle of the church. The ceremony is accompanied by ringing, church hymns.

Believers revere the cross as a symbol of Christianity, as a symbol of redemption, suffering and salvation, believing that every person, like Christ, must overcome his "way of the cross."

Holy holidays. They cover the feast in honor of the Virgin Mary - the mother of Jesus Christ (Virgin Mary). These are the Nativity of the Theotokos, the Entry into the Temple of the Theotokos, the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos, the feast of the Assumption, the Intercession (the first four are attributed to the Twelve) and many holidays in honor of the "miracle-working" icons of the Theotokos.

In honoring Mary the Mother of God, there are traces of veneration by the ancient peoples of the goddess of the earth, who gave birth to a savior, God's son - the god of vegetation. The creation of the image of the Christian Mother of God was influenced by the ideas of the ancient Egyptians about the goddess Izida. Christianity depicts the Mother of God as "the queen of heaven", a winged celestial, "shrouded in the sun." On her head is a wreath of twelve stars. The ancient Egyptian goddess Izida was also depicted as the queen of heaven, believing that she gave birth to a divine son, the savior of Horus. The Christian Mother of God has common features with the Syrian and Phoenician goddess Astarte.

The ancient peoples worshiped these goddesses, considering them to be deities of the fertility of the earth and livestock, intercessors of agriculture.

From pre-Christian religions, the church borrowed the idea of the Immaculate Conception. According to the myths of the peoples of the Ancient East, Mitra, Buddha, Zarathushtra were born from immaculate mothers. It was these myths that served to create the Christian legend of the "immaculate conception" of the Virgin Mary.

Nativity of the Mother of God (Little Most Pure). The church associates it with the ancient agricultural autumn holidays, timed to coincide with the completion of the harvest. On this day, it is emphasized that the Mother of God is a great righteous woman, helper and intercessor of people, patroness of agriculture, who by the "birth of Christ" took the first step towards their "eternal salvation". Celebrated on September 21st.

Introduction to the Temple of the Virgin. It is connected with the tradition of the three-year-old Mary for education in the Jerusalem temple. By establishing this holiday, the church pursued, first of all, the goal of convincing parents of the need to bring a child to church at an early age. Celebrated on December 4th.

Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos. It is celebrated on the occasion of Mary receiving news from the archangel Gabriel that she will give birth to a child from the Holy Spirit. In Russia, the church associated this holiday with the beginning of spring field work ("consecration" of seeds, etc.) and signs about the future harvest. Celebrate April 7th.

First Pure. The church celebrates it as the day of remembrance of the Mother of God. The church interpretation of this holiday is much reminiscent of the ancient Syrian legends about the death of Cybele, the goddess of fertility. In Russia, the holiday of the Assumption merged with the ancient Slavic pagan holiday of harvesting and sacrificing bread and fruits to the spirits. Celebrated on August 28th.

Protection of the Virgin. This holiday is associated with the vision of the Virgin, which allegedly appeared in 910 in the Blachernae Church of the Virgin in Constantinople. During the night service, the holy fool Andrei was accepted as a saint, and his disciple Epiphanius allegedly saw how the Mother of God, who was surrounded by angels and saints, appeared above them, prayed for the salvation of the world from troubles and suffering, spreading a white veil over everyone.

The holiday came to Russia along with Orthodoxy, the church used it to displace the autumn pagan holidays that were held at the end of field work. It is celebrated on October 14th.

In Ukraine, the feast of the Intercession is very respected, it has absorbed the traditional veneration of women, mothers, the feminine principle in general, personified in the image of the mother earth. The attitude of the Ukrainian Cossacks to this holiday was special.

Easter (Easter). This is one of the most significant Christian religious holidays. It was established by the first Christians in memory of the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Historically, the holiday comes from the custom of some ancient peoples of the Middle East (Babylonians, Egyptians, Jews), who were engaged in cattle breeding, to sacrifice lambs and calves from the first offspring to the spirits during the spring holiday. They believed that this appeases evil spirits, and they will no longer destroy livestock and send diseases to it. With the transition to agriculture, bread, cakes, fruits, and the like, baked from the grain of the new crop, were brought to the spirits as an expiatory sacrifice. These agricultural holidays merged with the Scottish Easter and adopted its name. they were united by the hope for the miraculous good power of deities who die and resurrect.

Christianity borrowed this tradition, embodying it in the doctrine of the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ. But the main idea - God's self-sacrifice for the sake of people - has been preserved. The religious essence of the ceremony remained the same as it was thousands of years ago: by making a sacrifice to cleanse people from evil, illness, misfortune and tragedy.

The idea of salvation, even after death, has gained considerable currency, especially among the common people. The image of Christ, who voluntarily accepted martyrdom, seems to call for enduring earthly suffering. Affirming and developing, Christian teaching developed the ceremony of celebrating Easter, and from II Art. this holiday has become one of the main ones.

The week before Easter is called the Great, or Passion, because its days are associated with the Passion of the Lord. Especially important days come from Thursday, which is called "clean". It is associated with the Last Supper of Jesus Christ with the apostles.

The material embodiment of the resurrection is Easter eggs (in Ukraine - krashenka, pysanky) a symbol of life, spring, the sun, in Christianity a symbol of the atonement of human sin.

In Kievan Rus, the celebration of Easter was introduced in the 10th century. Here it merged with the local Slavic spring holidays. The ancient Slavs in the spring, before the start of agricultural work, arranged a holiday for the sun, which "resurrects". In those days, they made sacrifices to the spirits and deities of vegetation, sought to satisfy the spirits of their dead ancestors. Christian Easter absorbed many of the ancient Slavic religious rites, including public family meals in which bread, cheese, eggs, smoked meat, and the like were prepared.

Since in early Christianity the celebration of the resurrection of Christ coincided with the Jewish Easter, it was decided at the Nicene (325) and Constantinople (381) councils to celebrate Easter on the first Sunday after the full moon, which occurred either on the day of the vernal equinox (March 21), or after him. But obligatory was the celebration of Passover on a different day than the Jews. According to the lunar calendar, the spring full moon falls on the same date, after the solar calendar on different dates and even on different days of the week. Therefore, Easter does not have a fixed calendar. It is celebrated within 35 days.

For a more accurate determination of the date of the celebration of Easter for each year, appropriate calculations were made, which are called Easter. In Orthodoxy, they have remained unchanged to this day. In Catholicism, the formula for these calculations has undergone some changes, so both churches do not always celebrate Easter on the same day.

There are many calendar dates in the year dedicated to sacred events, which are important holidays for the church. On these days, special divine services are performed with the reading of prayers, special sermons and hymns, in accordance with the Church Charter. Naturally, not all religious Christian holidays are of equal importance. Pascha and the twelfth celebrations should be attributed to the Great Feasts. They are marked in the calendars with special red marks in the form of a cross placed in a circle. In addition to them, there are several more especially revered dates, which are also great for Christians.

Main Christian holidays:

Easter holiday.

The most important and favorite Christian holiday, of course, for all Orthodox is Easter. Be careful, the date of the celebration always changes every year, because the Easter cycle depends on the lunar as well as the solar calendar. In terms of timing, this celebration usually falls between 7.04 and 8.05 according to the new style. It is not difficult to calculate the exact date, you need to take a calendar and find out when the spring full moon and Jewish Passover come. Orthodox Easter will come next Sunday. By the way, many other Christian holidays also depend on this important date. To avoid mistakes, it is best to use paschalia - specially folded tables compiled by the church.

Twelfth great Christian holidays.

We will give the dates here to make it easier for a simple layman to navigate, according to the new style, but for clarity, we will insert the date of the old style in brackets.

September 21 (8.09) - Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
December 4 (November 21) - Entry into the Church of the Most Holy Theotokos, which is a very big Christian holiday in December.
April 7 (25.03) -. It was then that the angels announced to the Virgin Mary about a great miracle - a sinless conception.
January 7 (25.12) - Christmas. Winter Christian holidays are a big fun series, so right after Christmas we will have several important dates.
February 15 (2.02) - . It was on this winter day that the elder Simeon the God-bearer met little Jesus, whom his parents took to the temple on the 40th day in order to make a sacrifice to the glory of God for the birth of such a long-awaited firstborn. The Holy Spirit revealed the truth to the sage and he saw the future Messiah in the baby.
January 19 (06.01) - Baptism of the Lord, which also has a second beautiful name, Holy Theophany. Note that the eve of this significant Christian holiday (18.01) is the beginning of a strict fast.
August 19 (6.08) - Transfiguration of the Lord.
Palm Sunday, like some other major Christian holidays, can change the date on the calendar, but it's easy to calculate. The Lord's entry into Jerusalem is to be celebrated on the Sunday that precedes Easter.
The date when the Orthodox celebrate the Ascension of the Lord also changes in the calendar. This celebration always comes on the 40th day after the Bright Resurrection.
Pentecost - this Christian holiday has such a name for a reason. Holy Trinity Day falls every year strictly on the 50th day from the Bright Resurrection of Christ.
In September there is another great holiday - the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord, it should always be celebrated on the 27th (14.09)
The last Christian twelfth great holiday on our list is the Assumption of the Mother of God, which falls on August 28 (08/16)

In addition to the most important church dates listed above, there are other equally important great and small holidays, as well as other events that are important for the believing people. For example, a special Christian holiday in November is the celebration of the icon of the Kazan Mother of God, which is an ancient and most valuable relic. We simply cannot list all these events due to the small format of the article, so we advise you to look for more detailed information in detailed liturgical calendars, where everything is systematized. This is especially important for people who are lost in the transitional and non-transitional dates of holidays or fasts, which are directly dependent on the lunar and solar annual cycle.

In the worship of the Orthodox Church there are twelve great feasts of the annual liturgical circle (except for the feast of Pascha). They are divided into the Lord's, dedicated to Jesus Christ, and the Theotokos, dedicated to the Most Holy Theotokos. To the greats... Political science. Dictionary.

12 most important Orthodox church holidays: December 25 (January 7) Nativity of Christ, January 6 (19) Epiphany (Epiphany), February 2 (15) Meeting, March 25 (April 7) Annunciation, a week before Easter entry into Jerusalem (Palm Sunday ), 40 ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

TWELVE, and, counts. quantity (old). Same as twelve. Invasion of Twelve Tongues (about Napoleon's army during the Patriotic War of 1812). Explanatory dictionary of Ozhegov. S.I. Ozhegov, N.Yu. Shvedova. 1949 1992 ... Explanatory dictionary of Ozhegov

- (also the twelve holidays) the twelve most important holidays in Orthodoxy after Easter. They are dedicated to the events of the earthly life of Jesus Christ and the Virgin, are among the great holidays, in the Typicon they are marked with a red cross in a full circle ... Wikipedia

TWENTH HOLIDAYS- The most important Orthodox church holidays (see Church*, Orthodoxy*). The twelfth feasts are celebrated in honor of the most important events in the earthly life of Jesus Christ and his mother, the Mother of God. These special holidays are twelve, so they are called ... ... Linguistic Dictionary

TWENTH HOLIDAYS- Salary of the Gospel with the image of the holidays. Serbia. Beginning 16th century (MSPC) Gospel cover with the image of holidays. Serbia. Beginning 16th century (MSPC) [twelfth] [Greek. Ϫωδεκάορτον], 12 holidays, in Orthodoxy. traditions considered the most important after ... ... Orthodox Encyclopedia

12 most important Orthodox church holidays: December 25 (January 7) Nativity of Christ, January 6 (19) Epiphany (Theophany), February 2 (15) Meeting, March 25 (April 7) Annunciation, a week before Easter, the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem ... … encyclopedic Dictionary

twelfth holidays- a stable combination of the Twelve most important Orthodox holidays: Christmas / Christ / on January 7 (December 25), Epiphany / day of the Lord 19 (6) January, Wednesday / February 15 (2), Annunciation / April 7 (March 25) , Entrance of the Lord / day in Jerusalem / m (Palm ... ... Popular dictionary of the Russian language

Twelfth holidays- the twelve most important church holidays after Easter. Some of them have once and for all fixed dates: Christmas on December 25 / January 7, Epiphany (Baptism of the Lord) on January 6/19, Presentation of the Lord on February 2/15, Annunciation ... ... Orthodox Encyclopedic Dictionary

Great holidays of the Russian Orthodox Church. These include: The Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem (a week before Easter) Ascension of the Lord (on the 40th day after Easter) Trinity (Pentecost, the Descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles) (on the 50th day after Easter) Baptism ... Religious terms

Books

, Matveevsky P.. The Twelfth Feasts, dedicated to the most important events of the earthly life of the Lord and the Mother of God, are the center of the liturgical life of our Church. The texts of the services of these days are filled with reflections on ...
Twelfth Feasts and Holy Pascha, Archpriest Pavel Matveevsky. The Twelfth Feasts, dedicated to the most important events of the earthly life of the Lord and the Mother of God, are the center of the liturgical life of our Church. The texts of the services of these days are filled with reflections on ...

The most important of these is, of course, Happy Easter, Resurrection of Christ. On this day, the Church remembers how the crucified Savior rose from the dead, breaking the fetters of hell and thus giving hope for future immortality to every person.

Following are twelve holidays, called great or twelfth. The twelfth holidays are divided into non-transitory and transitory. The first of them are celebrated on the same day every year. The dates of the second are connected with the movement of the date of Easter.

Also read: Orthodox calendar for 2018

Non-passing twelfth holidays

Christmas Day January 7 according to the new style - this is the most famous Christian holiday dedicated to the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ, the beginning of a new era in the life of mankind.

Ascension of the Lord- on the 40th day after Easter, the Ascension of the risen Lord Jesus Christ into the Kingdom of His Father in Heaven is celebrated, which took place on Mount Olivet, in the presence of the apostles and the Mother of God.

Holy Trinity Day, Pentecost- on Sunday, on the 50th day after Pascha, the descent of the Holy Spirit on the holy apostles and the Mother of God in the form of fiery tongues is remembered. This holiday is considered the birthday of the Christian Church.