Feast of Nicholas the Wonderworker

May 22: Feast of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker

Many have heard of such a Saint as Nicholas the Wonderworker. The Orthodox greatly honor the holidays dedicated to him, and there are three of them in a year! So, for example, on August 11, believers first celebrate the birth of this Saint. And the nineteenth of December is the Day of the death of Nicholas the Wonderworker. And what is celebrated on May 22? The feast of Nicholas the Wonderworker on this day is dedicated to the transfer of the relics of the Saint. Why is this event so important?

The origin of the holiday

Of course, this holiday would not exist if it were not for Nicholas the Wonderworker. This man is not a legend, he really lived at the turn of the third and fourth centuries of our era. He was born into a rich family, his parents asked for a child for a very long time, and God sent them a son when Nikolai's mother promised that if a child was born, they would send him to study religion. It so happened that the parents of the future Saint died early, and Nicholas studied science, religion for a long time and was a hermit.
Nicholas really devoted his whole life to Christianity, and was one of the bishops who founded the first Ecumenical Council. As it is written in historical books, Nicholas helped everyone he could - he gave his fortune, which he began to own after the death of his parents, to the poor. He also saved his city from starvation, could resurrect sailors who fell overboard, and once saved the lives of several military leaders who were victims of slander. There is another story connected with this Saint. It says that Nicholas the Wonderworker found out about a family that had three daughters. They had no dowry, and their father decided to take advantage of their beauty in order to earn at least something. Nikolai decided to help the girls, and threw a bag of gold out the window - so the father could marry his first daughter. Then the situation repeated itself with the second daughter, and when Nikolai threw the bag for the third time, the overjoyed father caught up with him and fell at his feet. Nikolai said that the best gratitude for him would be if the father of his daughters did not tell anything to anyone.

When Nicholas died, place his relics in the temple, which was located in the city of Mira, where he was a bishop. And the relics of the Saint streamed myrrh. Thus, Nicholas the Wonderworker healed people even after his death. But in the eleventh century, an event occurred that gave rise to the holiday, which is celebrated on May 22. The Turks began to attack the Greek Empire, began to destroy temples and destroy all the shrines. At first, the Turks wanted to completely destroy the tomb where the relics of Nicholas were, but they mixed up and destroyed the neighboring one. But they never managed to return to their homeland, because a terrible storm began, and their ships went under water.
When people learned about such actions, they had a desire to save the relics of the Saint. So it happened with the merchants from the city of Bari. According to legend, one priest had a dream in which Nicholas asked to transfer his relics to this particular city. And then people went to transport the relics. At first they tried to bribe the monks guarding the shrine, and then they even used force. As a result, the relics of the Saint were taken from the tomb and delivered to Bari after 20 days. According to the new style, this day falls on the twenty-second of May. The relics streamed myrrh, healing the inhabitants of this city, and a year later they even built a temple in the name of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker.

The meaning of the holiday

Christians greatly revere this Saint, and when the question arises of who to turn to with prayers for help, the answer is obvious - Nicholas the Wonderworker. May 22 is a joyful day for everyone. Parts of the relics of the Saint are sent to temples, where believers can touch them in order to be healed.
This day is also revered by the people. There are many signs associated with it. This day is also called May 22: Nicholas the Wonderworker Spring, that is, spring, and sometimes they say Summer Nicholas. People believe that after this day summer comes into its own, that it is already possible to swim, and it is already possible to drive the horses into the field.