Today is an Orthodox church holiday:

Tomorrow is a holiday:

Holidays expected:
02.02.2020 -
03.02.2020 -
04.02.2020 -

Orthodox Saints of God

The 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 themselves have departed, and very close to those who keep the commandments of Christ and have the grace of the Holy Spirit.

The saints in their earthly life turned to God for help in healing their ailments, sorrows and deliverance from temptations, asked God to honor them with the gift of helping people in various situations of life even after death.

The saints have reached 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 honored them to be intercessors before Him in deliverance from our sorrows and bodily ailments, in which they themselves were tempted.

The saints rejoice at our repentance and grieve when people leave God and become like foolish cattle. They are 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 this. It must be remembered: in order for the prayer to be heard, the saints of God should pray with faith in the power of their intercession before God, with 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 will soon hear us sinners, our prayers. Saints have different names: prophets, apostles, martyrs, saints, reverends, unmercenaries, blessed, righteous, confessors.

The Lord says: “Having lighted a candle, they do not put it under a vessel, but on a candlestick, and it gives light to everyone in the house. So let your light shine before men, 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 cherish the closeness to God of the saints of God and turn to them for help, remembering that they love us and care about our salvation. It is good to pray to the saints of God even on those days when the Church celebrates their memory.

« Holy Saints of God, pray to God for us!»

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 communicated to the icon, and the icon is already revered by us as a saint.
According to the Orthodox dogma of icon veneration, approved by the VII Ecumenical Council, "the honor given to an icon refers to its prototype, and the one who worships the icon worships the hypostasis depicted on it." The Council especially emphasizes that we pay veneration to the icons, and not the worship that is due to God alone. "The icon mysteriously contains the presence of the one whom it depicts, and this presence is the closer, more graceful and stronger, the more the icon corresponds to the church canon."

Prayer in the Christian life. What is prayer. About prayer

Prayer- the most important part of the spiritual life of every believer. Through prayer, a person turns to God, questions to him and asks for forgiveness from him. In other words, prayer is nothing but a way of a person's conversation with God.

The basis of the life of an Orthodox Christian is fasting and prayer. Prayer, said St. Philaret of Moscow, "is the conversation of the soul with God." And just as in a conversation it is impossible to listen to one side all the time, so in prayer it is useful sometimes to stop and listen to the Lord's answer to our prayer.

Prayer does not require a specific time, place, circumstance, or specific form. It can be verbose - long, and laconic - short. Prayer can be said at any time of the day or night, and in any place. A person can pray under all circumstances of his life: when he is sick or healthy, when he is cheerful 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 his beloved family. But God's temple serves as a special place of prayer. On Sundays, as well as on weekdays, if time permits, we must go to the temple for prayer, where our brothers and sisters in Christ - Christians gather, to pray together, all together. Such a prayer is called church prayer.

Every Orthodox Christian should pray daily, morning and evening, before eating and after eating food, before and after any work (for example: before teaching and after teaching, etc.).

In the morning we pray to thank God for keeping 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 well-spent day and ask us 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 at the end, 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 a 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 was said. Therefore, it is extremely important, when addressing the Creator in prayer, to truly feel each of your words.

God is the best of interlocutors, he will always hear a person and help him. You should not be shy to talk with God even about the most intimate thing that is in your soul. The main thing is to do it with true faith in God.

“True prayer does not consist in words and their pronunciation, but true prayer consists “in spirit and truth” (John 4:23). When we pray to God, we must stand before Him not only in body, but also in spirit; and to say a prayer not only with the lips, but also with the 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 whatever happens during the day - everything happens according to the will of God; all without exception are the 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 meet with this or that situation, you are the one whom God put there to carry out the ministry of a Christian, to be a particle of the Body of Christ and an act 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, "God, thank you!"

In the Christian catechism, that is, in the instruction on the Christian faith, it is said about prayer as follows: "Prayer is the offering of the mind and heart to God and is the reverent word of a person to God." Prayer has extraordinary power. “Prayer not only conquers the laws of nature, not only is it an invincible shield against visible and invisible enemies, but even holds back the hand of the Almighty God Himself, raised to defeat sinners,” writes St. Demetrius of Rostov.

In the New Testament, prayer is live connection children of God with their infinitely good Father, with His Son Jesus Christ and with the Holy Spirit. The grace of the Kingdom is "the unity of the whole Holy Trinity with the whole spirit." Thus the prayer life is a constant and natural stay in the presence of the Trisagion God and in communion with Him. Such a vital fellowship 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 the love of Christ.

"Prayer is not informing God of our needs. Prayer is the condition under which Divine power can contact our spirit and work in us. God is omniscient and knows us better than we ourselves." Archimandrite Raphael (Karelin) (XX century).

Holy Fathers on Prayer

"Prayer is a great weapon, an inexhaustible treasure, a wealth that never runs out, a serene haven, a foundation of tranquility; 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." Rev. Isaac Sirin.

"Prayer is the emergence in our heart of one after another reverent feelings for God." St. Feofan, the Recluse Vyshensky.

"During prayer, let our speech and prayer be combined with deanery, calmness and modesty. Let us think about the fact that we are standing before God and that it is necessary to please the eyes of God and the position of the body, and the sound of the voice." Shmch. Cyprian of Carthage.

“We must abolish ourselves from marital affairs in order to engage in prayer; we must abolish ourselves from cares for wealth, from the desire for earthly glory, from enjoying pleasures, from envy and every evil deed against our neighbor, so that when our soul is in silence and is not disturbed by any passion, in she, as in a mirror, was pure and unclouded God's illumination. St. Basil the Great.

Orthodox church calendar fasts and meals for 2020 with an indication and a brief description of multi-day and one-day fasts and continuous weeks.

Church Orthodox calendar of fasts and meals for 2020

Fasting is not in the belly, but in the spirit
folk proverb

Nothing in life comes without effort. And to celebrate a holiday, you need to prepare for it.
In the Russian Orthodox Church there are four multi-day fasts, fasting on Wednesday and Friday throughout the year (with the exception of a few weeks), three one-day fasts.

On the first four days of the first week of Great Lent (from Monday to Thursday), during the evening service, the Great (Penitent) Canon is read, the work of the brilliant Byzantine hymnographer St. Andrew of Crete (VIII century).

ATTENTION! Below you will find information about dry eating, oil-free food and days of complete abstinence from food. All this is an old monastic tradition, which even in monasteries can not always be observed in our time. Such strictness of fasting is not for the laity, but the usual practice is to abstain from eggs, dairy and meat food during fasting, and during a strict fast - also abstaining from fish. For all possible questions and about your individual measure of fasting, you need to consult with the confessor.

Dates are in the new style.

Calendar of fasts and meals for 2020

Periods		Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
from March 2 to April 18		xerophagy	hot without oil	xerophagy	hot without oil	xerophagy	hot with butter	hot with butter
spring carnivore				fish		fish
from June 15 to July 11		hot without oil	fish	xerophagy	fish	xerophagy	fish	fish
summer carnivore				xerophagy		xerophagy
from 14 to 27 August		xerophagy	hot without oil	xerophagy	hot without oil	xerophagy	hot with butter	hot with butter
autumn meat eater				xerophagy		xerophagy
November 28, 2020 to January 6, 2021	until December 19	hot without oil	fish	xerophagy	fish	xerophagy	fish	fish
	December 20 - January 1	hot without oil	hot with butter	xerophagy	hot with butter	xerophagy	fish	fish
	January 2-6	xerophagy	hot without oil	xerophagy	hot without oil	xerophagy	hot with butter	hot with butter
winter carnivore				fish		fish

in 2020

The Savior himself was led by the spirit into the wilderness, was tempted by the devil for forty days, and did not eat anything during those days. The Savior began the work of our salvation by fasting. great post- a fast in honor of the Savior Himself, and the last, Holy Week of this forty-eight-day fast was established in honor of the memory of the last days of earthly life, the suffering and death of Jesus Christ.
With special strictness, fasting is observed in the first and Holy Weeks.
On Clean Monday, it is customary to completely abstain from food. The rest of the time: Monday, Wednesday, Friday - dry eating (water, bread, fruits, vegetables, compotes); Tuesday, Thursday - hot food without oil; Saturday, Sunday - food vegetable oil.
Fish is allowed on the Annunciation Holy Mother of God and on Palm Sunday. Fish caviar is allowed on Lazarus Saturday. On Good Friday, food must not be eaten until the Shroud is taken out.

in 2020

On Monday of the week of All Saints, the fast of the Holy Apostles begins, established before the feast of the Apostles Peter and Paul. This post is called summer. The continuation of the fast is different, depending on how early or late Easter is.
It always starts on All Saints Monday and ends on July 12th. The longest Petrov fast includes six weeks, and the shortest week with a day. This fast was established in honor of the Holy Apostles, who through fasting and prayer prepared themselves for the worldwide preaching of the Gospel and prepared their successors in the work of salvific service.
Strict fasting (dry eating) on ​​Wednesday and Friday. On Monday you can have hot food without oil. On other days - fish, mushrooms, cereals with vegetable oil.

in 2020

From 14 to 27 August 2020.
A month after the Apostolic Lent, the many-day Assumption Lent begins. It lasts two weeks - from 14 to 27 August. With this fast, the Church calls us to imitate the Mother of God, who, before her resettlement to heaven, was unceasingly in fasting and prayer.
Monday, Wednesday, Friday - dry eating. Tuesday, Thursday - hot food without oil. On Saturday and Sunday food with vegetable oil is allowed.
On the day of the Transfiguration of the Lord (August 19), fish is allowed. Fish day in Assumption, if it falls on Wednesday or Friday.

in 2020

Christmas (Filippov) post. At the end of autumn, 40 days before the great feast of the Nativity of Christ, the Church calls us to the winter fast. It is also called Filippov, because it begins after the day dedicated to the memory of the Apostle Philip, and Christmas, because it happens before the feast of the Nativity of Christ.
This fast is established in order for us to bring to the Lord thanksgiving sacrifice for the collected earthly fruits and prepare for the grace-filled union with the born Savior.
The charter on food coincides with the charter of Peter's fast, until the day of St. Nicholas (December 19).
If the feast of the Entrance into the Church of the Most Holy Theotokos falls on Wednesday or Friday, then fish is allowed. After the day of memory of St. Nicholas and before the feast of Christmas, fish is allowed on Saturday and Sunday. On the eve of the feast, you can not eat fish on all days, on Saturday and Sunday - food with butter.
On Christmas Eve, you can’t eat food until the first star appears, after which it is customary to eat sochivo - wheat grains boiled in honey or boiled rice with raisins.

Solid weeks in 2020

week- A week from Monday to Sunday. These days there is no fasting on Wednesday and Friday.
Five continuous weeks:
Christmas time– from 7 to 17 January,
Publican and Pharisee- 2 weeks before
Cheese (Shrovetide)– week before (without meat)
Easter (Light)- a week after Easter
a week after Trinity.

Post Wednesday and Friday

The weekly fast days are Wednesday and Friday. On Wednesday, fasting was established in memory of the betrayal of Christ by Judas, on Friday - in memory of the suffering on the Cross and the death of the Savior. On these days of the week, the Holy Church forbids the use of meat and dairy foods, and during the week of All Saints before the Nativity of Christ, abstinence should also be from fish and vegetable oil. Only when the days of the celebrated saints fall on Wednesday and Friday is vegetable oil allowed, and on the biggest holidays, such as Intercession, fish.
Some relief is allowed for those who are sick and busy with hard work, so that Christians have the strength to pray and the necessary work, but the use of fish on the wrong days, and even more so, the complete resolution of fasting is rejected by the charter.

One day posts

Epiphany Christmas Eve- January 18, on the eve of the Epiphany of the Lord. On this day, Christians prepare for purification and consecration with holy water on the feast of Epiphany.
The Beheading of John the Baptist- 11 September. This is the day of memory and death of the great prophet John.
Exaltation of the Holy Cross- September 27. The memory of the suffering of the Savior on the cross for the salvation of the human race. This day is spent in prayers, fasting, contrition for sins.
One day posts- days of strict fasting (except Wednesday and Friday). Fish is forbidden, but food with vegetable oil is allowed.

Orthodox holidays. About eating on holidays

According to the Church Charter, there is no fasting on the feasts of the Nativity of Christ and Theophany, which happened on Wednesday and Friday. On Christmas Eve and Epiphany Eve and on the feasts of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross and the Beheading of John the Baptist, food with vegetable oil is allowed. On the feasts of the Presentation, the Transfiguration of the Lord, the Assumption, the Nativity and Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos, Her Entry into the Temple, the Nativity of John the Baptist, the Apostles Peter and Paul, John the Theologian, which occurred on Wednesday and Friday, and also in the period from Easter to Trinity on Wednesday and Friday fish are allowed.

When the marriage does not take place

On the eve of Wednesday and Friday of the whole year (Tuesday and Thursday), Sundays(Saturday), the Twelve, Temple and Great Feasts; in continuation of the posts: Veliky, Petrov, Uspensky, Rozhdestvensky; during Christmas time, on Meat Week, during Cheese Week (Maslenitsa) and on Cheese Fare Week; during the Paschal (Bright) week and on the days of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross - September 27.

• You just read the article Church Orthodox calendar for 2019. If you would like to know more about Orthodox fasts then take a look at the article.

In order to worthily, with a pure soul celebrate an Orthodox church holiday, you need to properly prepare for it, because nothing is given so simply, without difficulty. At its core, fasting represents some bodily and spiritual restrictions that a believer must subject himself to. That is, this is a form of asceticism, during which the fasting person exercises the spirit, soul and body.

Russian Orthodox Christians, according to church canons, annually hold four multi-day fasts, three one-day fasts, and fasts on Wednesday and Friday. While fasting, it is very important to understand that the restriction in food without limiting one’s spirit (from worldly pleasures that “corrupt” a person from the inside) does not contribute to the great salvation of the soul.

Let's take a closer look at all Orthodox fasts in 2017.

Multi-day Orthodox fasts

• – February 27 – April 15, 2017;
• – June 12 – July 11, 2017;
• August 14 - August 27, 2017;
• (Philippov post) - November 28, 2017 - January 6, 2018.

great post

Lent is considered the strictest fast, it lasts forty-eight days. Great Lent consists of Lent and Holy Week. The fast was established in honor of our Savior Jesus Christ, who was tempted by the devil in the desert for forty days and did not take any food.

These forty days are the beginning of the salvation of human souls. The last week of Lent - Passion Week - reminds Christians of the final days on earth, the suffering and death of the Son of God.

During the fast you can not eat meat, milk, cheese, eggs. Great Lent is especially strict in the first week of Lent and in Passion Week. On Clean Monday, it is customary to completely abstain from food. The rest of the time:

• Wednesday, Friday - dry eating (bread, water, vegetables, fruits, compotes);
• Tuesday, Thursday - hot food without the addition of vegetable oil;
• Saturday, Sunday - hot food with vegetable oil.

Dry eating - scanty, non-liquid food, consisting of bread or other dry food; one of the strictest degrees of Orthodox fasting.

April 7, 2017, at, you are allowed to taste fish. Fish is also allowed on Palm Sunday, April 9, 2017. Fish caviar can be eaten on April 8, 2017, on Lazarus Saturday. On April 14, 2017, on Good Friday, one should not eat until the shroud is taken out.

In the days of Great Lent, you need to reconcile with everyone, as well as realize all your sins, sincerely repent.

Lent begins on Monday 27 February 2017 and ends on Saturday 15 April 2017. Already on April 16, Sunday, the Orthodox Church will celebrate Easter - the greatest bright holiday of the Resurrection of Christ.

Apostolic post

This summer fast was established in honor of the holy apostles Peter and Paul, who, through prayer and fasting, were preparing for the worldwide preaching of Holy Scripture. Peter's fast will begin on All Saints Monday, June 12, 2017, and end on July 11, 2017. Each year, the duration of fasting varies, depending on. The longest Apostolic Lent lasts six weeks, while the shortest lasts a week and one day.

Strict observance of fasting (dry eating) - on Wednesday and Friday. On Monday, hot food without oil is allowed. On other days - mushrooms, fish, cereals with vegetable oil.

Assumption post

A month after the Petrov Fast, the Assumption Fast, which lasts for two weeks, begins. The Orthodox Church calls us, the parishioners, to imitate the Mother of God, who was constantly in fasting and prayer before her ascension to heaven.

Dry eating is on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. On Tuesday and Thursday, hot meals are allowed without the addition of vegetable oil. On Saturday and Sunday food with vegetable oil is allowed. On August 19, the day of the Transfiguration of the Lord, you can eat fish.

Christmas post

At the end of autumn, exactly forty days before the feast of the Nativity of Christ, the winter abstinence from food of animal origin and the "pleasures" of the soul, spirit and body begins - the Nativity Fast. Fasting begins immediately after the feast day of the Apostle Philip, so the Nativity Fast is also called Philip's Fast.

The Nativity fast was established in the name of gratitude to the Lord God for the collected fruits of the earth. During fasting, Christians prepare for the great holiday - the Nativity of Christ. The winter fast begins on November 28, 2017 and ends on January 6, 2018.

The food charter completely coincides with the charter on the food of Peter's fast until December 19, 2017, the day of St. Nicholas. If the church feast of the Entry into the Temple of the Most Holy Theotokos falls on Wednesday or Friday, you can eat fish. After the day of memory of St. Nicholas and until the very pre-feast of Christmas, fish is allowed on Saturday and Sunday. On the feast, fish is prohibited on all days, and on Saturday and Sunday - food with butter. On Christmas Eve, January 6, 2017, you can’t eat food until the very first star appears, and after that you can eat sochivo (wheat grains boiled in honey, as well as rice with raisins).

Church Orthodox one-day fasts in 2017

• Wednesday and Friday throughout the year, excluding continuous weeks and Christmas time;
• Epiphany Christmas Eve (Eve of Theophany) - January 18, 2017;
• The Beheading of John the Baptist - September 11, 2017;
• Exaltation of the Holy Cross - September 27, 2017.

Post Wednesday and Friday

On Wednesday, the weekly fast was established as a memory of the betrayal of Christ by Judas, on Friday - in honor of the memory of the suffering and death of Jesus Christ. These days, meat and dairy foods are prohibited, and from the week of All Saints until the Nativity of Christ, one must also refrain from fish and vegetable oil. When the days of celebrated saints fall on Wednesday or Friday, it is allowed to add vegetable oil to food. On the biggest holidays, for example, Pokrov, fish is allowed.

At the same time, it should be remembered that for those who are engaged in hard work or are sick, some indulgences are allowed in fasting on Wednesday and Friday. This is necessary so that Christians have enough strength for prayer and the necessary work.

Epiphany Christmas Eve

On this one-day fast, true believers prepare to purify their souls and bodies and sanctify them with holy water on the great feast of Epiphany.

The Beheading of John the Baptist

The fast was established in honor of the memory of the death of the great prophet John.

Exaltation of the Holy Cross

On this day, Christians pray, repent of sins and fast, in memory of the suffering of Jesus Christ on the cross in the name of the salvation of the human race.

Solid weeks in 2017

• Christmas time - January 7 - 17, 2017;
• Week of the Publican and the Pharisee - February 6 - 12, 2017;
• Cheese week (Maslenitsa) - February 20 - 26, 2017;
• Easter (Bright Week) - April 16 - 22, 2017;
• Trinity week - June 5 - 11, 2017.

During continuous weeks, there is no fast on Wednesday and Friday.

Meal calendar during Orthodox fasts in 2017:

At its core, the Orthodox Church Paschal calendar consists of two parts - fixed and movable.
The fixed part of the church calendar is the Julian calendar, which is 13 days apart from the Gregorian. These holidays fall every year on the same date of the same month.

The movable part of the church calendar moves along with the date of Easter, which changes from year to year. The very date of the celebration of Easter is determined according to the lunar calendar and a number of additional dogmatic factors (do not celebrate Easter with the Jews, celebrate Easter only after the spring equinox, celebrate Easter only after the first spring full moon). All holidays with variable dates are counted from Easter and move in the time of the "secular" calendar along with it.

Thus, both parts of the Easter calendar (movable and fixed) together determine the calendar of Orthodox holidays.

The following are the most significant events for an Orthodox Christian - the so-called Twelfth Feasts and Great Feasts. Although the Orthodox Church celebrates holidays according to the "old style", which differs by 13 days, the dates in the Calendar for convenience are indicated according to the generally accepted secular calendar of the new style.

Orthodox calendar for 2017:

Permanent Holidays:

07.01 - Christmas (twelfth)
14.01 - Circumcision of the Lord (great)
19.01 - The baptism of the Lord (twelfth)
02.15 - Meeting of the Lord (twelfth)
07.04 - Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (twelfth)
May 21 - Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian
May 22 - St. Nicholas, Archbishop of Myra of Lycia, Wonderworker
07.07 - Nativity of John the Baptist (great)
12.07 - Holy First. Apostles Peter and Paul (great)
19.08 - Transfiguration of the Lord (twelfth)
28.08 - Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (twelfth)
11.09 - Beheading of John the Baptist (great)
21.09 - Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (twelfth)
September 27 - Exaltation of the Holy Cross (twelfth)
09.10 - Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian
14.10 - Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos (great)
04.12 - Entry into the Church of the Most Holy Theotokos (twelfth)
December 19 - St. Nicholas, Archbishop of Myra of Lycia, miracle worker

Days of Special Remembrance for the Dead

02/18/2017 - Ecumenical parental Saturday (Saturday before the week of the Last Judgment)
03/11/2017 - Ecumenical parental Saturday of the 2nd week of Great Lent
03/18/2017 - Ecumenical parental Saturday of the 3rd week of Great Lent
03/25/2017 - Ecumenical parental Saturday of the 4th week of Great Lent
04/25/2017 - Radonitsa (Tuesday of the 2nd week of Easter)
05/09/2017 - Commemoration of the deceased soldiers
06/03/2017 - Trinity Parental Saturday (Saturday before Trinity)
10/28/2017 - Dmitrievskaya parent Saturday (Saturday before November 8)

ABOUT ORTHODOX HOLIDAYS:

TWENTH HOLIDAYS

In worship Orthodox Church twelve great feasts of the annual liturgical cycle (except for the feast of Pascha). Subdivided into Lord's, dedicated to Jesus Christ, and Theotokos, dedicated to the Most Holy Theotokos.

According to the time of celebration, the Twelfth Feasts divided into motionless(non-passing) and mobile(passing). The former are constantly celebrated on the same dates of the month, the latter fall on different numbers every year, depending on the date of the celebration. Easter.

ABOUT MEAL ON HOLIDAYS:

According to the church charter on holidays Christmas And Epiphany that happened on Wednesday and Friday, there is no post.

IN Christmas And Epiphany Christmas Eve and on holidays Exaltation of the Holy Cross And The Beheading of John the Baptist food with vegetable oil is allowed.

On the feasts of the Presentation, the Transfiguration of the Lord, the Assumption, the Nativity and Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos, the Entry into the Temple of the Most Holy Theotokos, the Nativity of John the Baptist, the Apostles Peter and Paul, John the Theologian, which happened on Wednesday and Friday, as well as in the period from Easter before Trinity fish is allowed on Wednesday and Friday.

ABOUT LOSTS IN ORTHODOXY:

Fast- a form of religious asceticism, an exercise of the spirit, soul and body on the path to salvation within the framework of a religious outlook; voluntary self-restraint in food, entertainment, communication with the world. bodily fasting- restriction in food; spiritual post- restriction of external impressions and pleasures (solitude, silence, prayerful concentration); spiritual post- the struggle with their "corporal lusts", a period of especially intense prayer.

Most importantly, you need to be aware that bodily fasting without spiritual fasting brings nothing to save the soul. On the contrary, it can be spiritually harmful if a person, abstaining from food, becomes imbued with the consciousness of his own superiority and righteousness. “The one who thinks that fasting is only abstaining from food is mistaken. true post, - teaches St. John Chrysostom, - there is a removal from evil, curbing the tongue, putting off anger, taming lusts, ending slander, lies and perjury. Fast- not a goal, but a means to distract from the pleasure of your body, to concentrate and think about your soul; without all this, it becomes just a diet.

Great Lent, Holy Forty Day(Greek Tessarakoste; Lat. Quadragesima) - the period of the liturgical year preceding Holy Week And Easter, the most important of multi-day posts. Due to Easter may fall on different numbers of the calendar, great post also each year starts at different days. It includes 6 weeks, or 40 days, therefore it is also called St. Forty-cost.

Fast for an Orthodox person is a set of good deeds, sincere prayer, abstinence in everything, including food. A bodily fast is necessary to perform a spiritual and spiritual fast, all of them in their union form post true, contributing to the spiritual reunion of fasting with God. IN days of fasting(days of fasting) the Church Charter prohibits modest food - meat and dairy products; fish is allowed only on some fast days. IN days of strict fasting not only fish is not allowed, but any hot food and food cooked in vegetable oil, only cold food without oil and unheated drink (sometimes called dry eating). The Russian Orthodox Church has four multi-day fasts, three one-day fasts, and, in addition, a fast on Wednesday and Friday (excluding special weeks) throughout the year.

Wednesday and Friday established as a sign that on Wednesday Christ was betrayed by Judas, and on Friday he was crucified. Saint Athanasius the Great said: "Allowing me to eat fast food on Wednesday and Friday, this person crucifies the Lord." In the summer and autumn meat-eaters (periods between the Petrov and Assumption fasts and between the Assumption and Rozhdestvensky fasts), Wednesday and Friday are days of strict fasting. In winter and spring meat-eaters (from Christmas to Great Lent and from Easter to Trinity), the Charter allows fish on Wednesday and Friday. Fish on Wednesday and Friday is also allowed when the feasts of the Meeting of the Lord, the Transfiguration of the Lord, the Nativity of the Virgin, the Entrance of the Virgin into the Temple, the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Nativity of John the Baptist, the Apostles Peter and Paul, the Apostle John the Theologian. If the holidays of the Nativity of Christ and the Baptism of the Lord fall on Wednesday and Friday, then fasting on these days is canceled. On the eve (eve, Christmas Eve) of the Nativity of Christ (usually the day of strict fasting), which happened on Saturday or Sunday, food with vegetable oil is allowed.

Solid weeks(in Church Slavonic a week is called a week - the days from Monday to Sunday) mean the absence of fasting on Wednesday and Friday. They were established by the Church as an indulgence before a multi-day fast or as a rest after it. Solid weeks are as follows:
1. Christmas time - from January 7 to 18 (11 days), from Christmas to Epiphany.
2. Publican and Pharisee - two weeks before Lent.
3. Cheese - a week before Lent (allowed the whole week of eggs, fish and dairy, but without meat).
4. Easter (Bright) - a week after Easter.
5. Trinity - a week after the Trinity (week before Peter's fast).

One day posts, except Wednesday and Friday (days of strict fasting, without fish, but food with vegetable oil is allowed):
1. Epiphany Christmas Eve (Eve of Theophany) January 18, the day before the feast of the Epiphany. On this day, believers prepare themselves for the acceptance of the great shrine - Agiasma - baptismal Holy water, for purification and consecration by it at the upcoming holiday.
2. The beheading of John the Baptist - September 11. On this day, a fast is established in memory of the abstemious life of the great prophet John and his lawless murder by Herod.
3. Exaltation of the Holy Cross - September 27. This day reminds us of the sad event on Golgotha, when the Savior of the human race suffered on the Cross "for our salvation". And therefore this day must be spent in prayer, fasting, contrition for sins, in a feeling of repentance.

MULTI-DAY POSTS:

1. Great Lent or Holy Forty Day.
It begins seven weeks before the feast of Holy Pascha and consists of Forty days (forty days) and Holy Week (the week leading up to Pascha). Forty days was established in honor of the forty-day fast of the Savior Himself, and Holy Week - in remembrance of the last days of earthly life, suffering, death and burial of our Lord, Jesus Christ. The total continuation of Great Lent along with Holy Week is 48 days.
The days from the Nativity of Christ to Great Lent (until Shrovetide) are called the Christmas or winter meat-eater. This period contains three continuous weeks - Christmas time, Publican and Pharisee, Shrove Tuesday. After Christmas time on Wednesdays and Fridays, fish is allowed, up to a continuous week (when you can eat meat on all days of the week), coming after the "Week of the publican and the Pharisee" ("week" in Church Slavonic means "Sunday"). In the next, after a continuous week, fish is no longer allowed on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, but vegetable oil is still allowed. Monday - food with oil, Wednesday, Friday - cold without oil. This establishment has the goal of gradual preparation for Great Lent. The last time before fasting, meat is allowed on the "Meat Week" - the Sunday before Shrovetide.
In the next week - cheese (Shrovetide) eggs, fish, dairy products are allowed all week, but meat is no longer eaten. They head for Great Lent (the last time they eat fast, with the exception of meat, food) on the last day of Shrovetide - Forgiveness Sunday. This day is also called "Cheesefare Week".
It is accepted with special strictness to observe the first and Holy Weeks of Great Lent. On Monday of the first week of fasting (Clean Monday), the highest degree of fasting is established - complete abstinence from food (pious lay people who have ascetic experience abstain from food on Tuesday as well). On the remaining weeks of fasting: on Monday, Wednesday and Friday - cold food without oil, Tuesday, Thursday - hot food without oil (vegetable, cereal, mushroom), on Saturday and Sunday vegetable oil is allowed and, if necessary for health, a little pure grape wine (but in no case vodka). If a memory of a great saint happens (with an all-night vigil or a polyeleos service the day before), then on Tuesday and Thursday - food with vegetable oil, Monday, Wednesday, Friday - hot food without oil. You can inquire about the holidays in the Typicon or the Followed Psalter. Fish is allowed twice for the entire fast: on the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos (if the holiday did not fall on Holy Week) and on Palm Sunday, on Lazarus Saturday (the Saturday before Palm Sunday) fish caviar is allowed, on Friday of Holy Week it is customary not to eat any food before taking out shrouds (our ancestors did not eat at all on Good Friday).
Bright Week (the week after Easter) - solid - modest is allowed on all days of the week. Starting from the next week after the solid up to the Trinity (spring meat-eater), fish is allowed on Wednesdays and Fridays. The week between Trinity and Peter's Lent is continuous.

2. Petrov or Apostolic post.
Fasting begins a week after the feast of the Holy Trinity and ends on July 12, on the day of the celebration of the memory of the holy apostles Peter and Paul, established in honor of the holy apostles and in remembrance of the fact that the holy apostles, after the descent of the Holy Spirit upon them, dispersed to all countries with the good news, always abiding in the feat of fasting and prayer. The duration of this fast in different years is different and depends on the day of the celebration of Easter. The shortest post lasts 8 days, the longest - 6 weeks. Fish in this post is allowed, except Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Monday - hot food without oil, Wednesday and Friday - strict fast (cold food without oil). On other days - fish, cereals, mushroom dishes with vegetable oil. If the memory of a great saint happens on Monday, Wednesday or Friday - hot food with butter. On the feast of the Nativity of John the Baptist (July 7), according to the Charter, fish is allowed.
In the period from the end of the Petrov fast to the beginning of the Assumption fast (summer meat-eater), Wednesday and Friday are days of strict fasting. But if the holidays of a great saint fall on these days with an all-night vigil or a polyeleos service the day before, then food with vegetable oil is allowed. If temple holidays occur on Wednesday and Friday, then fish is also allowed.

3. Assumption fast (from August 14 to 27).
Established in honor of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Mother of God herself, preparing to depart into eternal life, constantly fasted and prayed. We, the spiritually weak and weak, all the more should resort to fasting as often as possible, turning to the Blessed Virgin for help in every need and sorrow. This fast lasts only two weeks, but in severity it is consistent with the Great. Fish is allowed only on the day of the Transfiguration of the Lord (August 19), and if the end of the fast (Assumption) falls on Wednesday or Friday, then this day is also fish. Monday, Wednesday, Friday - cold food without oil, Tuesday and Thursday - hot food without oil, Saturday and Sunday - food with vegetable oil. Wine is prohibited on all days. If the memory of a great saint happens, then on Tuesday and Thursday - hot food with butter, Monday, Wednesday, Friday - hot food without butter.
The charter about food on Wednesdays and Fridays in the period from the end of the Dormition Fast to the beginning of the Christmas (autumn meat-eater) is the same as in the summer meat-eater, that is, on Wednesdays and Fridays, fish is allowed only on the days of the Twelfth and Temple holidays. Food with vegetable oil on Wednesday and Friday is allowed only if these days fall in memory of the great saint with an all-night vigil or with a polyeleos service the day before.

4. Christmas (Filippov) fast (from November 28 to January 6).
This fast is set for the day of the Nativity of Christ, so that we purify ourselves at this time by repentance, prayer and fasting and with a pure heart meet the Savior who has appeared in the world. Sometimes this fast is called Filippov, as a sign that it begins after the day of celebration of the memory of the Apostle Philip (November 27). The charter on food during this fast coincides with the charter of Peter's fast until the day of St. Nicholas (December 19). If the feasts of the Entrance into the Church of the Most Holy Theotokos (December 4) and St. Nicholas fall on a Monday, Wednesday or Friday, then fish is allowed. From the day of memory of St. Nicholas to the pre-feast of Christmas, which begins on January 2, fish is allowed only on Saturday and Sunday. On the feast of the Nativity of Christ, fasting is observed in the same way as on the days of Great Lent: fish is forbidden on all days, food with butter is allowed only on Saturday and Sunday. On Christmas Eve (Christmas Eve), January 6, a pious custom requires not to eat food until the first evening star appears, after which it is customary to eat kolivo or sochivo - wheat grains boiled in honey or boiled rice with raisins, in some areas boiled dry fruits with sugar. From the word "sochivo" comes the name of this day - Christmas Eve. Christmas Eve is also before the feast of the Epiphany. On this day (January 18) it is also customary not to eat food until the adoption of Agiasma - baptismal holy water, which they begin to consecrate on the very day of Christmas Eve.

Most of the population in Russia and countries are related to Orthodoxy. Even if beliefs differ, having a 2017 church calendar is useful. This will allow you to plan congratulations to loved ones who profess this religion. Also, most of the folk signs according to the weather and the harvest are connected with when the holidays and fasts take place in the Orthodox Church.

It is useful to download this so as not to forget to prepare for the celebrations of major events and plan your life for the time of fasting. If Christmas and Epiphany do not have a shift in the calendar and fall on January 7 and 19, respectively, then the fasting period should always be double-checked. Orthodox calendar 2017 has the following features:

• Easter will be early - April 16 - which means that spring will come earlier;
• Willows will please with flowering a week before Easter, i.e. April 9;
• Easter for the dead or Radonitsa will take place on April 25;
• the feast of the Ascension of the Lord will fall on May 25, and Christians will celebrate the Trinity on June 4;
• the strictest Great Lent will need to be held from February 27 to April 15, and Christmas - from November 28;
• Assumption fast - the decoration of August - will fall on dates from 14 to 27.

In the traditions of the Slavs, it was not customary to marry during fasting, so as not to lead guests into temptation. If young people want to get married in 2017 and live strong family, it is worth considering this tradition.

In addition to believers, watching the church calendar will be useful for those who own the restaurant business and fast food outlets in order to introduce Lenten dishes for their customers on time.

There are also two documents for 2017 issued by Orthodox Church. - a calendar for each day with a detailed description of the holidays. And - the meal calendar for 2017. You can download them by clicking on the appropriate links.