The Sunday of Christ is over, but for some reason the believers continue to greet: “Christ is Risen!”

Great Orthodox holidays have days of pre-feast and after-feast - the period before and after the holiday itself, when its echoes sound in the service.

Afterfeast of Easter, the main Christian holiday, is the longest - 38 days.

Taking into account the day of the holiday itself and the day of giving, the Orthodox celebrate Easter for 40 days.
So much the Savior stayed on earth before His ascension.

Of this period, the first week after Easter, Bright Week, stands out.

On all days of this holiday, we greet each other with the words “Rise!” - “Truly Risen!”, with which we confess faith in the resurrection of the Lord, we exchange red eggs, which symbolize new life.

The word "Passover" in Hebrew means "deliverance".

The Christian New Testament Easter is the day on which our transition from death to incorruptible life, from earth to Heaven, took place.

By His resurrection, the Lord opened the gates of paradise to people, gave them great joy and hope.

The Savior resurrected on the night of the third day after death on the Cross, Himself, by the power of His Divinity. At night the earth shook, an angel descended from heaven and rolled away the stone from the door of the coffin-cave.

At dawn, the women, taking with them fragrant myrrh, went to the tomb to anoint the body of the deceased Savior. They saw the stone rolled away from the door of the tomb, and the angels who announced to them about the resurrection of Christ.

The myrrh-bearing women hurriedly told the apostles about this, but they did not believe.
However, John and Peter nevertheless ran to the tomb and saw folded burial clothes in the empty tomb.
When weeping Mary Magdalene came to the tomb, the resurrected Christ appeared to her.
On the same day, other myrrh-bearing women, Peter, the Evangelist Luke, other apostles, except for Thomas, saw Him.
But first of all, according to Holy Tradition, the resurrected Jesus appeared to His Most Pure Mother.

And so the celebration continues:

*at the end of the Paschal week, the Church continues to celebrate Easter, but with less solemnity, until the Ascension of the Lord, i.e. another 32 days;

*the total number of days of the celebration of Easter is 40 - exactly as much as Christ appeared to His disciples after the Resurrection.

DO'S AND DO'S FOR EASTER:

When can I break the fast at Easter?

Breaking the fast (the first fast meal after the end of the fast) on Easter is usually performed after the Liturgy and Communion. If you were at the Liturgy at night, then after the night service you can start the festive meal. If you came to the Liturgy in the morning, then in the same way - after Communion - you can break the fast. The main thing is to approach everything with a sense of proportion. Don't overeat.

If for some reason you cannot celebrate Easter in the temple, you can start breaking the fast at about the time when the festive Liturgy ends in the temples. How good is the Church in this respect? We fast together and break the fast together. That is, we do everything together. This is what the modern world lacks so much - commonality.

How to spend Easter day?

Are there things that cannot be done?

On this day, you can not be sad, walk gloomy and swear with your neighbors. But just remember that Easter is not 24 hours, but at least a whole week - Bright Week. In the liturgical plan, the Resurrection of Christ is celebrated for seven days.

Let this week be an example of how we should always behave in society, among people.

How should you spend Easter? Rejoice, treat others, invite them to visit you, visit the suffering. In a word, everything that brings joy to your neighbor, and therefore to you.

What can you eat on Easter and can you drink alcohol on Easter?

On Easter you can eat and drink everything, the main thing is to do it in moderation. If you know how to stop in time, you can treat yourself to all the dishes, drink wine or some strong drinks - not to the point of being very intoxicated, of course. But if you find it difficult to limit yourself, it is better not to touch alcohol. Rejoice in spiritual joy.

Can I work on Easter?

Most often, the question of whether to work or not does not depend on us. If you have a day off on Easter Sunday, this is, of course, very good. You can visit the temple, and meet with loved ones, and congratulate everyone.

But it often happens that we turn out to be forced people and, according to the work schedule, are forced to work on Easter. There is nothing wrong if you work hard. Maybe you can be sad about this, but no more than five minutes! Obedience is obedience. Do your work on this day in good faith. If you fulfill your duties in simplicity and truth, the Lord will surely touch your heart.

Is it possible to do homework on Easter? Cleaning, knitting, sewing?

When we read somewhere that on a holiday there is a ban on homework, we should understand that it is not just a ban, but a blessing that we spend this time in attention to the Lord, the holiday and our neighbors. So that we do not get hung up on worldly fuss. The ban on working on Easter is not canonical, but rather a pious tradition.

Household chores are an integral part of our lives. You can do them on a holiday, but only by approaching this wisely. In order not to spend Easter doing general cleaning until the very night. Sometimes it is better, for example, to leave unwashed dishes in the sink than to be annoyed at household members who have not washed their dishes.

What does it mean if a person dies on Easter?

Is this a sign of God's special mercy or a punishment?

If a believer dies on Pascha or Bright Week, for us this is indeed a sign of God's mercy towards this person. folk tradition He even says that the one who died on Pascha enters the Kingdom of Heaven without ordeals, that is, bypassing the Last Judgment. But this is “folk theology”, dogmatically, after all, every person will be judged and will answer for his sins before the face of God.

If an unbeliever dies these days, then, I think, it means absolutely nothing. After all, even during his lifetime, the Resurrection of Christ was not for him a sign of deliverance from death...

Can I go to the cemetery on Easter?

There has never been such a tradition in the Church. She was born among people in times Soviet Union when a person was deprived of spiritual fellowship and removed from the Church. Where else could one meet with the afterlife, about which the Church speaks and with the belief in the existence of which the authorities fought so cruelly? Only in the cemetery. No one could forbid visiting relatives at the graves.

Since then, it has been customary to go to the cemetery on Easter. But now, when the churches are open and we can go to the Easter service, it is better to go to the cemetery to visit relatives on other days. For example, on Radonitsa - on the day when, according to tradition, the Church commemorates the dead. Arrive there early, put the graves in order, sit quietly nearby and pray.

How should we greet each other at Easter?

Easter greeting - angelic. When the Myrrh-Bearing Women came to the Holy Sepulcher to anoint the body of the crucified Christ with spices, they saw an Angel there. He announced to them: “Why are you looking for the living among the dead?” That is, he told that the Savior had risen.

We greet our brothers and sisters in faith at Easter with the words "Christ is Risen!" and we answer the greeting: “Truly He is risen!”. Thus, we tell the whole world that for us the Resurrection of Christ is the basis of life.

What is customary to give for Easter?

On Easter, you can give your neighbor any pleasant and necessary gifts. And it will be good if any gift has an Easter egg, decorated or red. The testicle as a symbol of evidence of new life - the Resurrection of Christ.

The red color of the Easter egg is a memory of the tradition according to which Mary Magdalene gave the emperor Tiberius an egg for Easter. The emperor told her that he did not believe that a person could be resurrected, that it was as incredible as if this white egg suddenly turned red. And, according to legend, a miracle happened - in front of everyone, the egg turned red, like the blood of Christ. Now the painted egg is a symbol of Easter, the Resurrection of the Savior.

What to do with the shells of consecrated eggs and stale Easter cake?

A pious tradition tells us not to throw away with the garbage what is consecrated in the temple. All this can be burned, for example, on a personal plot, and bury the ashes where people and animals will not trample on it with their feet. Or put it in the river. Or, having agreed in advance with the attendant in the temple, bring the shells there: in every temple there is a so-called "impregnable place."


COMmemoration of the dead on the days of EASTER

Easter is a time of special and exceptional joy, a celebration of victory over death and over all sorrow and sorrow.

The Church, taking into account the psychology of people, separates the days of celebration and the days of sorrow. That joyful exultation that the Church communicates to the faithful at Easter is separated from the mood of sadness that accompanies the commemoration of the departed.

And the current custom to visit cemeteries on the first day of Pascha contradicts the most ancient institutions of the Church: until the ninth day after Pascha, the remembrance of the dead is never performed.

On Easter and throughout Bright Week, for the sake of the great joy of the Resurrection of Christ, all funeral services and memorial services are canceled in the Temples.

The first commemoration of the dead and the first memorial service is performed on the second week, after Fomin Sunday, on Tuesday - Radonitsa (from the word joy - after all, the celebration of Easter continues). On this day, a memorial service is served and believers visit the cemetery to pray for the departed, so that Easter joy is passed on to them.

Is it possible to go to the cemetery after Easter and clean up the graves until memorial days?

After the Wednesday of Bright Week, you can already go to the cemetery to clean the graves of your loved ones after the winter before the Radonitsa holiday.

In the event of the death of a person, and death on Easter is traditionally considered a sign of God's mercy, then the funeral service is performed according to the Easter rite, which includes many Easter hymns.

You can commemorate at home, you can also submit notes, but a public commemoration on Easter days in the form of a memorial service is not held.

If the anniversary of death falls during Easter and Bright Week, the commemoration is postponed for the period starting from Radonitsa.

12 twelfth feasts of the Orthodox Church:

One week before Easter - Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem - Palm Sunday

40th day after Easter - Ascension of the Lord

50th day after Easter - Trinity

Solid weeks:

Publican and Pharisee – week before cheese week

Cheese (Shrovetide) - week before Easter

Easter (Light) - Easter week from Monday to Sunday

Troitskaya - week after Trinity

Parent Saturdays:

To commemorate the dead, everyone in general, the Orthodox Church has established special times - Saturdays, known by the name parental. There are three Saturdays: Myasopustnaya- on a meat-fat, otherwise motley week before Lent. Since the Last Judgment is remembered on Sunday after this Saturday, on this Saturday, as if before the most terrible judgment, the church prays before the Judge - God for mercy on her dead children. Troitskaya - before the Trinity day; after the triumph of the Savior's victory over sin and death, it is proper to pray for those who have fallen asleep in faith in Christ, but in sins, so that the dead may be honored with the resurrection for blessedness with Christ in heaven. Dmitrovskaya - before St. Great Martyr Demetrius of Thessalonica, i.e. before October 26, Art. Art. . The Moscow prince Dimitry Donskoy, having defeated the Tatars, this Saturday made a commemoration of the soldiers who fell in battle; since that time, a commemoration has been instituted on this Sabbath.

Celebrating Fridays throughout the year : - Holy Friday; - temporary Fridays (name Fridays), i.e. those that were celebrated at a certain time before the main annual holidays: 1st Friday - on the first week of Great Lent; 2nd - before the Annunciation; 3rd - on Holy Week; 4th - before the Ascension; 5th - before the Trinity; 6th - before the Nativity of John the Baptist; 7th - before Elijah's day; 8th - before the Assumption of the Virgin; 9th - before the day of Kuzma and Demyan; 10th - before the day of the Archangel Michael; 11th - before Christmas; 12th - before Epiphany. Also noted promise fridays, when, in the event of misfortunes, a vow was given not only to observe a strict fast on some Fridays, but also to mark them as holidays. There are nine such Fridays: gluttonous(on the third week of Great Lent); Passionate; Spasovaya; Temporary ( when Paraskeva's day coincides with Friday); reckless(this Friday, the young son-in-law is treated to mother-in-law and father-in-law for the purity of the bride with jelly and butter); Prayer; penitent; Festive ( on the day of St. Paraskeva); ninth(in the first week of Peter's Lent).

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 Cross of the Lord and the Beheading of John the Baptist, food is allowed with vegetable oil. On the holidays of the Presentation, the Transfiguration of the Lord, the Assumption, the Nativity and the Intercession Holy Mother of God, Her introduction into the temple, the Nativity of John the Baptist, the apostles Peter and Paul, John the Theologian, which happened on Wednesday and Friday, and also in the period from Easter to Trinity, fish is allowed on Wednesday and Friday.

TRANSITIONAL CHURCH HOLIDAYS

These are holidays, which for each year are determined by lunar calendar: Easter - after the day of spring balance (March 22) the first Sunday that falls on the full moon, then 40 days after Easter - Ascension, 50 days after Easter - Trinity. In the opposite direction from Easter - a week before Easter - Palm Sunday (the Lord's entry into Jerusalem), 7 weeks before Easter - Great Lent, a week before Lent, from Monday - Maslenitsa. See below for more details:

Shrovetide week is coming soon. In some regions of Russia it was called Pestroy. To marry Motley - to intermarry with misfortune. Variegation is a symbol of the creation of the world. The motley week precedes Maslyany. So it turns out that before the sun illuminates the world with its rays and blooms it with colors, there was variegation, white and black, and only then the colors appeared. The Motley Week was preceded by the Solid Week, when only fast food was eaten throughout the week. And to marry in the Motley Week or to marry a husband means to have a motley life.

Sunday (a week before the Meeting or after). Week about the publican and the Pharisee. Voice 5. (A solid week). - the first preparatory week for Lent. In the person of the Pharisee, the Church points us to pride, which is the first obstacle to repentance... In the person of the publican, to humility, which is the first condition for repentance... First of all, it is necessary that we deeply realize our sins and sincerely regret them... Pride prevents us from seeing our sinfulness pushes us to self-justification, impenitence, to concealing sins out of false shame before the spiritual father... Let us ask the Lord to grant us humility, and with it true repentance. From the same week until the fifth week of Great Lent, during the All-Night Vigil, after reading the Gospel, the penitential prayer “Open the doors of repentance…” is sung to me.

The week is full. Fasting on Wednesday and Friday is cancelled. Gluttonous Friday - the son-in-law invited the father-in-law with the mother-in-law for a treat - to sip pea jelly with hemp oil. A meal is a form of ritual exchange. The owner, on behalf of God, endows all participants with their shares, and in return accepts signs of respect. The host, hostess and children are the visible participants in the meal. But besides them, God, angels, demons and the souls of the dead always participate in the meal. All participants, both visible and invisible, have permanent places. The owner should not sit in the very corner under the icons, but a little further away, thus leaving room for God. The souls of the dead also have their permanent places in the shrine. Icons were always arranged in such a way that there was a small space between them, because this is where the souls lived. It is supposed to be silent at the table. Silence is a sign not only of a feast, but also of the close presence of death, since on the table is not just food, but a sacrifice. Tasting food is passing the external world through oneself, swallowing it and assimilation.

Sunday. Week of the Prodigal Son. Voice 6. - second preparatory week for Great Lent. In the parable of the prodigal son, the Lord shows us that even the most fallen person can rise up (rise) and that God receives the repentant sinner with fatherly love. At birth, we receive from the Lord a certain share of the estate - various talents, abilities and grace-filled gifts. But we are leaving our Heavenly Father for a far country, i.e. into the realm of sin, and there we squander our possessions - we lose grace. Having lost grace, we begin to zealously serve the demons for the miserable consolations they reward us with. But the soul cannot be satisfied with such food. Turning to God with repentance, He forgives us everything, He precedes us with His grace, accepts us into His house and endows us with grace gifts more than before.

Saturday Ecumenical parental (meat-empty). Commemoration of the dead (one week before Lent). Voice 6.

Sunday. Meat-fat week, about the Last Judgment. Tone 7. - the third preparatory week is called meat and cheese, and among the people - Shrovetide, because in this week it is allowed to eat cheese, milk and eggs. Conspiracy for meat (not allowed to eat). Now the Holy Church reminds us of the Last Judgment. She has already sent us to learn from the publican the humble cry: “God, be merciful to me a sinner!”. She already inspired us not to indulge in a fall, but after the prodigal son, having risen, go to the merciful Father and beg Him ... to accept at least as a hireling .... Now painting a picture of the Last Judgment, she says even louder: repent.

Everything will happen in the twinkling of an eye: and the court will be without consequences, and the condemnation without references to the laws, and there will be no objections. At the beckoning of God, the righteous will be separated from the sinners...

If you do not have righteousness, for which you could stand with those who are at the right hand of the Judge, then be jealous in advance to justify yourself before God, having washed yourself in tears of repentance. All the Angels rejoice over the one sinner who repents, says the Lord. It is they who rejoice for that inexpressible joy with which a sinner who repents on the day of judgment will rejoice ...

Monday. Cheese week (Shrovetide) - continuous. On Wednesday and Friday, milk and eggs are allowed. Celebration of Maslenitsa (Week of cheese) - solid a week in February or March.

Maslenitsaalso called Zyatnitsa. Not to amuse yourself at the wide Maslenitsa means to live in bitter misfortune and end life badly. Therefore, Maslenitsa was widely celebrated. First day Maslenitsa - Monday - meeting. They make a scarecrow out of straw and put it on a snowy mountain. Ritual visit by the newlyweds on Maslenitsa week to the parents of the bride and groom, relatives and everyone who took part in the wedding. The young went to their mother-in-law and stayed with her for a day or until the end of the holiday week. For the son-in-law, the mother-in-law specially baked pancakes, cottage cheese, pies. Eggs, flour, butter, swept, cottage cheese are the main components of buttermilk dishes. All of them symbolize the creation of the world, originating from the milky river. Young people could stay at their wife's house until Clean Monday. This rite was called get rid of from parents, after which the young finally got rid of from their parental home, as a token of which they were given a cup (or cups) and two spoons. Second day - Tuesday - flirting. Entertainment begins: sleigh rides, festivities, performances. For the newlyweds, they arranged a bath in the snow - they put them in pairs in a hole and threw snow, oiled their faces with snow. The newlyweds did not have the right to avoid public festivities, attend a roller coaster or ride around the village in a sleigh. The third day - Wednesday - gourmet. Prepare pancakes and other dishes. Mother-in-laws invited their sons-in-law to pancakes, called all their relatives. Maslenitsa boasts of pancakes, and every pancake is a messenger of the sun. Pancake in folk culture personified the combination of four elements: flour - earth, water, on which the dough is kneaded - the water element, fire - on which it was fried - the fire element, air in the holes of the pancake - the element of air. The pancake was the prototype of the prosphora - the Body of the Lord, which Christians partake of. In order for a pancake or prosphora to become the Body of God, it was necessary to perform a ceremony - to read a prayer. Fourth day -Broad Thursday - Maslenitsa revelry. Peak games and fun. The symbol of Maslenitsa is a doll made of straw. They dressed in everything old, unusable, which was a symbol of the outgoing and old time. By burning Maslenitsa, they destroyed and drove away winter and death. On this day, they arranged swings, booths, set up tables with dishes. The fifth day - Friday - Maslenitsa - mother-in-law evenings. Reception with relatives of the wife. Sixth day - hall gatherings. A young daughter-in-law invited her relatives from her husband's side to visit her, and especially her husband's sisters - sister-in-law. The young woman served a delicious pancake on a plate, flavored with sour cream, cow's butter, honey, so that there was plenty of strawberry jam, and cherry liqueurs. No wonder relatives were invited to visit Shrovetide. It was possible to forget all the strife at the table, to support the family harmony, and to restore it to someone.

Sunday - Forgiveness day. Forgiveness Sunday is a kisser. Voice 8. Conspiracy for Great Lent.Cheesy week. Memories of Adam's Exile. At the end of the evening meal, all family members prayed earnestly and then performed the rite of forgiveness. It was started by the youngest, turning with the required words in turn to the elders. The younger ones were not supposed to ask for forgiveness (forgiveness - to say goodbye). The last to say goodbye was mother and father. The head of the family did not ask for forgiveness from any of his relatives. “If you do not forgive people their sins,” proclaims the Gospel teaching, then your Father will not forgive you your sins.

The last Sunday before the start of Lent. On this day, after the evening service in the churches, a special rite of forgiveness is performed, when the clergy and parishioners mutually ask forgiveness from each other in order to enter Great Lent with a pure soul, reconciled with all their neighbors.

Great post. Good Friday - Good Friday (Great Friday). Strict post. Complete abstinence from food. Commemoration of the Holy Saving Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ. Immediately in the morning, the chief priests ... held a meeting and, having tied Jesus, they took him away and handed him over to Pilate. Pilate said to them: What do you want me to do with the one you call the King of the Jews? They cried out again: Crucify Him! The soldiers took Him inside the court… and dressed Him in purple, and weaving a crown of thorns, laid on Him… And they beat Him on the head with a cane, and spat on Him… When they mocked Him… they led Him to crucify. And they forced a certain Simon of Cyrene passing by ... to carry His cross. And they brought Him to the place of Golgotha… and crucified Him… At the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice: “My God, My God! Why did you leave me?”... And one ran, filled a sponge with vinegar and, putting it on a reed, gave Him to drink... Jesus, having exclaimed loudly, expired...

On this day, eggs are dyed and cakes are baked. They burned the rubbish accumulated over the winter. The egg is a symbol of birth, the transition from non-existence to existence. The testicle is signed with wax, because. wax is heavenly milk, which our heavenly mother feeds us. The testicle embodies a symbol of unity. Water was collected from three streams. Natural paints were bred in it. The testicle was laid on grains, which are a symbol of the clan-tribe. Eggs can be pysanky, or they can be krashenka. A pine on a Easter egg is a symbol of health. Black is the color of the beginning from which everything comes. A bright pattern was necessarily applied to black testicles, thereby showing the diversity of life. The child was made an egg-pysanka on a cherry background, not on a black one. The dove is a symbol of the soul. The mesh is a symbol of fate. White color is the beginning of all beginnings, the destiny that is being built in the sky. The yellow grid is a symbol of the sun and the fate that is being built here. Oak is a symbol of strength. The dots are a symbol of fertility. Cream is a symbol of love. Hops are also a symbol of fertility. Any berry is a symbol of mother's fertility. Flowers are girly.

Where did the custom of painting eggs for Easter come from: - One of the disciples of the Savior, Mary Magdalene, preached in Rome. Once with the words "Christ is Risen!" she presented an egg as a gift to Emperor Tiberius. The emperor was surprised and said: “How can anyone rise from the dead? It's hard to believe it. It's just as hard to believe that this white testicle can turn red!" And while he was still talking, the testicle began to change color: it turned pink, darkened and, finally, became bright red! Hence the Easter tradition of giving each other colored eggs.

Easter Sunday of Christ. Easter. Orthodox holiday Holy Resurrection of Christ, Easter (Sunday April - early May) . Easter greeting: Christ is Risen!" to which they answer: Truly Risen!". With such joyful words, Christians greet each other for 40 days from Easter to Ascension. Resurrection is the most important event of the earthly life of Christ the Savior, the completion of His earthly ministry. An act of final victory over death, transforming the coming resurrection of the dead and the opening of eternal life to mankind. The word "Easter" comes from the Greek language and means "transition", "deliverance". On this day, we celebrate the deliverance through Christ the Savior of all mankind from the slavery of diaval and the granting of life and eternal bliss to us. Just as our redemption was accomplished by Christ's death on the cross, so eternal life is granted to us by His Resurrection. The Resurrection of Christ is the foundation, the crown, the essence of our faith, it is the first and greatest truth that the apostles began to proclaim. The significance of the resurrection of Christ for mankind makes Easter the most significant celebration among all other holidays - the Feast of Feasts and the Triumph of Celebrations. Before the start of the solemn Paschal service, the shroud is brought into the altar and placed on the Throne. In the house they prepare for Easter, they wash and clean everything, fumigate all the rooms with juniper. At Easter, the sky is clear - to a good harvest. If Easter is sunny, wait for the sun on Trinity too. ... After the Sabbath, Mary Magdalene and Mary Jacobleva and Salome bought fragrances to go and anoint Him. And very early, on the first day of the week, they come to the tomb... and they say among themselves: Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb? And, looking, they see that the stone has been rolled away ... And, entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in white clothes; and were horrified. He says to them: do not be afraid. Seek Jesus the Nazarene crucified; He is risen, He is not here. Go, tell His disciples and Peter that He is ahead of you in Galilee... Jesus appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he cast out seven demons. She went and announced to those who were with him, weeping and weeping; but they ... - did not believe. The apostles proclaimed the joy of the Resurrection to the world. They called this joy the "Gospel" - the good news of the resurrection of Christ.

The celebration of Easter begins with participation in the Easter service. It is very special, different from ordinary church services. The Easter service starts exactly at midnight, but it is better to come to the temple in advance so as not to be beyond its threshold: most churches are overcrowded on Easter night. At the Paschal liturgy, all believers make sure to partake of the Body and Blood of Christ. And after the service ends, the believers "Christen" - greeting each other with a kiss and the words "Christ is Risen!". Arriving home, and sometimes right in the temple, they arrange an Easter feast.

First day of Easter week – Monday of Holy Week They continued to visit each other and congratulate each other on the resurrection of Christ. No post on Wednesday and Friday.

Second day of Easter week – Bathhouse - Tuesday of Bright Week. On this day, water was poured over those who slept through matins. The girls went out to catch gingerbread that day. They stood in a circle in the church square, and the guys threw gingerbread and sweets at them. The youth games started the same way. The egg games continue. To be successful in games, you had to Pure Thursday early in the morning to steal an ordinary wand from someone in the yard.

Third day of Easter week Round dance - Wednesday of Holy Week. Round dances began, which continued until the Trinity.

Fourth day - Thursday of Holy Week.

Fifth day of Easter week – Requested day - Friday of Bright Week. Petition - the father-in-law with the mother-in-law was called, they asked the son-in-law for a young, praying beer.

Sixth day of Easter week – Satisfaction of the Proud - Saturday of Bright Week. On this day, the young relatives visited the newlyweds' house. And the relatives of the young woman appeased the young woman if they liked her, hence the name of the day - appeasing the proud.

Artos is a bread that is consecrated with a special prayer on the day of Easter. Throughout Bright Week, it is kept in the temple, and on Easter Saturday it is broken up and distributed as a shrine as a blessing to believers. The use of artos begins from the very beginning of Christianity. After the Ascension of the Savior, the disciples of Christ, when they gathered for a common prayer, remembering the Last Supper, partake of the Body and Blood of Christ. Preparing an ordinary meal, they left the first place at the table to the invisibly present Lord and put bread on this place. Imitating the apostles, the first pastors of the Church established on the feast of the Resurrection of Christ to put bread in the temple as a visible expression of the fact that the Savior who suffered for us has become for us the true bread of life.

Seventh day of Easter week – Red hill. Krasnaya Gorka is a holiday when girls are first introduced into a girl's round dance in place of those who got married. The girls-brides arranged a bride.

Week 2 after Easter, the Apostle Thomas. Antipascha - Fomino's resurrection. The eighth day after Easter, as the end of the celebration of Bright Week, from ancient times constituted a special celebration, as if replacing the Easter day itself, which is why it is called Antipascha, which means "instead of Easter."

On the same first day of the week in the evening ... Jesus came, and stood in the midst, and said to them: Peace be with you! Having said this, He showed them His hands and feet and His ribs ... As the Father sent Me, so I send you. Having said this, he blew, and said to them: Receive the Holy Spirit. To whom you forgive sins, they will be forgiven; on whom you leave, on that they will remain. Thomas, one of the twelve disciples, called Gemini, was not there with them when Jesus came. The other disciples said to him: We have seen the Lord. But he said to them: Unless I see the marks of the nails on His hands, and put my finger into the marks of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe. ... Jesus came when the doors were locked, stood in the middle of them and said: peace be with you! Then he says to Thomas: Give your pestle here and look at My hands; give me your hand and put it in my ribs; and do not be an unbeliever, but a believer. Thomas answered Him, My Lord and my God!

Beginning of the second week after Easter: 2nd week after Easter. Fomina, wired . Navi day- (or Tuesday or Thursday) on St. Thomas' week. Whoever climbs over the fence on this day will have a navya (dead) bone in the foot or metacarpus, which never rots and can be the cause of death.

Radonitsa - Tuesday (9th day after Easter) - is celebrated more cheerfully than Maslenitsa, which gives a sense of the continuity of life. Rodunitsy or women in labor are goddesses who are with the god Rod. Considering that Orthodox Easter is celebrated on the first Sunday after the first full moon following the day of the spring equinox, it turns out that Radunitsa is celebrated on the second the week (Tuesday) after this full moon is the most good time for conceiving a child. Commemoration of the dead. On Pascha and throughout the entire Bright Week, for the sake of the great spiritual joy of the Resurrection of Christ, all funeral services, requiems and litia are celebrated in churches (it is only allowed to submit notes of repose to the service); even the funeral of the dead at this time is performed according to a special Easter rite. In order for us to properly commemorate our departed relatives and friends, to share with them the spiritual triumph of the Resurrection of the Lord, after Bright Week, on Tuesday, the Church established a special day of commemoration of the dead - Radonitsa (the name itself comes from the word "joy" and means a common the spiritual joy of the living and the dead in the Risen Christ). On this day, memorial services and memorial services are performed in churches; believers, coming to cemeteries, visit the graves of their relatives and loved ones.

Wednesday-fast day, food with butter.

Friday -fast day, food with butter.

Sunday. Beginning of the third week after Easter. Week of Holy Myrrh-bearing Women. On the second Sunday after Pascha, women are honored who followed Christ and served Him after His death (Mary Magdalene, Mary of Jacob, Salome, John, etc.). Served Christ at the burial and His secret disciples: Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus. It took a lot of words and assurances to the Lord to convince the apostles of His Resurrection. But one apostolic verb was enough for the myrrh-bearing women to believe in the joyful news. Love and fidelity - that's what distinguishes myrrh-bearing women. “Rising early on the first day of the week, Jesus appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he cast out seven demons. She went and told those who were with Him, weeping and weeping; but when they heard that he was alive and she saw him, they did not believe. After this, he appeared in a different form to two of them (Luke and Cleopas) on the road when they were going to the village. And they returned and announced to the rest; but they were not believed. Finally, he appeared to the eleven (apostles) themselves, who were reclining at the supper, and reproached them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, that they did not believe those who saw Him risen. And he said to them, Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature (to everyone). Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” Gospel of Mark 16:9-16. The week of the myrrh-bearing women is traditionally considered a church "women's day", when the virtues of the female soul are gratified in the person of the disciples of the Lord.

On Sunday, the week of the myrrh-bearing women, the Babian feast of Morgosya was celebrated. Morgosier - from the word to blink, which means to flirt, wink, build eyes. The holiday was held in order to appease Margosta, who sends morgotina (nausea, dizziness) to pregnant women. On this day, all women were revered as birthday girls.

Monday. The third week after Easter.

Wednesday. Oil food.

Friday. Oil food.

Sunday. The beginning of the fourth week after Easter is about the relaxed. (about drunkenness).

Monday. 4th week after Easter.

Wednesday. Mid-Pentecost, that is, half the time from Pascha to Pentecost is celebrated on this day. On this day, we recall that event in the life of the Savior, when, at the end of the Feast of Tabernacles, He taught in the temple about His Divine mission and mysterious water, which refers to the grace-filled teaching of Christ and the grace-filled gifts of the Holy Spirit. Being between the day of Pascha and the day of the Descent of the Holy Spirit, the feast of the Ascension serves as a link between these two great Christian celebrations: along with the ongoing celebration of the first of them, the approach of the feast of the Descent of the Holy Spirit, as well as the feast of the Ascension of the Lord, is also recalled. Lenten day. Oil food.

Friday.

Sunday. The beginning of the fifth week after Pascha is about the Samaritan woman. (Adultery). The marriage union of a man and a woman was established by the Creator Himself in paradise after the creation of the first people, whom the Lord blessed with the words: "be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it ...".

Monday. Week 5 after Easter.

Wednesday. Commemoration of the Feast of Mid-Pentecost. Lenten day. A fish.

Friday.Lenten day. Oil food.

Sunday. The beginning of the sixth week after Easter is about the blind man. Voice 5. Jesus was walking by and saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked Him: Rabbi! Who sinned, he or his parents, that he was born blind? Jesus answered: neither he nor his parents sinned, but this was so that the works of God might appear on him... As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world. Having said this, He spat on the ground, made clay out of the spitting, and anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay, and said to him: Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, which means sent. He went and washed, and came sighted... Jesus said to him: Do you believe in the Son of God? He answered: and who is he, Lord, that I should believe in him? Jesus said to him: And you saw Him, and He speaks to you. He said: I believe, Lord! And bowed to Him. And Jesus said, I have come into this world for judgment, so that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind.

Monday. Week 6 after Easter.

Wednesday. Passover celebration. Lenten day. A fish.

Ascension of the Lord. The feast of the Jewish Pentecost was approaching, and the disciples of Christ returned from Galilee to Jerusalem. Jesus Christ appeared to them and talked to them. “They came together and asked Him, saying: Is it not at this time, O Lord, that You are restoring the kingdom to Israel? He said to them, It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has set in His own power, but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. Having said this, He arose before their eyes, and a cloud took Him out of their sight. And when they looked at the sky, at the time of His ascent, suddenly two men in white clothes appeared to them and said: Men of Galilee! Why are you standing and looking at the sky? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”

Ascension of the Lord (fortieth day after Easter - May - early June) - spring rises to heaven, and red summer falls to the ground. On this day, the Easter celebrations finally ended. The Ascension Day will come, the spring will throw off the red laziness, it will turn around in the summer, it will pretend, it will start working in the field. In memory of the Ascension of the Lord, large oblong pies were baked into heaven, the upper crust of which was laid out across the crossbars. Often pies were baked with onions. Often ladders were made with seven rungs, which indicated seven heavens. According to the popular explanation, the ladders were baked so that it would be easier for Christ to rise, ascend to heaven. In some places they baked pancakes - for Christ on onuchi (tucks, footcloths).

After the Ascension, the church celebrates the Afterfeast of the Ascension of the Lord for seven days. On the eighth day - the celebration of the feast of the Ascension of the Lord.

Friday.Lenten day. Oil food. Soon after the Ascension, the Lord sent to His disciples and apostles and to all who then made up the small flock of Christ - the Divine Spirit, Who filled them all with extraordinary gifts: holiness, wisdom, the gift of tongues, pure and fiery love, zeal for the glory of God and the salvation of human souls, peace , joy, etc.

Sunday. The beginning of the seventh week after Easter - the Holy Fathers I th Ecumenical Council (325). Commemoration of the Holy Fathers of the Seven Ecumenical Councils.

Monday. Week 7 of Easter.

Wednesday.Lenten day. Oil food.

Friday.Lenten day. Oil food.

Saturday. Trinity parental Saturday. Commemoration of the dead. Trinity Ecumenical Parental Saturday is celebrated on the eve of the feast in honor of the Most Holy Trinity. The Feast of the Trinity is a day of remembrance of the Divine Providence of the world, according to which all people who have chosen a righteous life are worthy of eternal joy in communion with God, their Creator and Savior. It is also the birthday of the Church, which unites the living and the dead.

Therefore, on the eve of the day of the Holy Trinity, the Church prays for the departed, asking them from God for mercy, forgiveness of sins and eternal bliss. This day is a celebration of the unity of the earthly Church and the Heavenly Church.

Sunday. The eighth week after Easter is the Day of the Holy Trinity or Pentecost. The holiday is dedicated to the memory of the descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles, which was on the fiftieth day after the Resurrection of Christ. The Sunday of Pentecost does not belong to any week.

Celebrated one (seven weeks) 50 days after Easter. Three is a number associated in traditional culture with the image of the great Trinity Goddess. She (long before Christianity) is one in three persons - a virgin, a mother and an old woman. The beginning of the Trinity, All Saints week. From Monday, a week after the Holy Trinity, the beginning Petrova Post(until July 12).

V Old Testament Easter was a memory of the exodus of the Jews from Egyptian slavery, and Pentecost was a memory of God giving Moses the Law - the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai; and just as in the New Testament Easter became the celebration of the death and Resurrection of Christ, the "exodus" of people from the sinful world into the Kingdom of God, so the feast of Pentecost became the giving of the "new Law", the descent of the Holy Spirit on the disciples of Christ. The moment of the descent of the Holy Spirit is usually called the birth of the Church. On this day, the Holy Spirit descended on the first disciples of Christ and made the Church out of them. “When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together with one accord. And suddenly there was a noise from heaven, as if from a rushing strong wind, and filled the whole house ... And divided tongues appeared to them, as if of fire, and rested one on each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” The Holy Spirit, who descended on the disciples, always abides in the Church by various actions and gifts. On this day, for the first time after Easter, a prayer is sung to the Holy Spirit "King of Heaven". And at Vespers on the day of the feast, for the first time in this period, kneeling prayers are performed in the Church. In the divine service of the holiday, the descent of the Spirit is celebrated along with the appearance of the Holy Trinity to people, because the fullness of the Godhead is manifested in the coming of the Spirit to people. To the center Orthodox church on this day, the icon of the Holy Trinity is brought out. This day is called the Trinity, because it was the descent of the Holy Spirit that showed us the care of all the Persons of the Triune God for the world: God the Father creates the world, God the Son redeems people from enslavement to the Devil, God the Holy Spirit sanctifies the world through the foundation of the Church and the worldwide preaching of faith. According to tradition, on this day, temples are decorated from the inside with flowers and greenery (usually small birch trees).

Monday is the 1st week after Pentecost. Solid. Day of the Holy Spirit - "Spirits Day". This holiday was established by the Church for the sake of the greatness of the Holy Spirit - the third Person of the Holy Trinity. Communicating to a Christian in the Sacraments of the Church, the Holy Spirit enriches him with many different gifts. The Holy Spirit is also called the Comforter, because He can encourage and comfort us; "instead of Christ" we received Him and through Christ we have Him. On this day, the earth is the birthday girl, because on this day she was created and therefore it is necessary to give her rest. By folk omens only after Spiritual Day do frosts stop, they do not happen until autumn. Do not believe the heat until Spirit Day! The day of the Holy Spirit will come - it will be in the yard like on a stove. The Holy Spirit will warm all the white light. On this day, it was not supposed to go out without a belt (belt), otherwise, more than aspiration, some kind of power would rise up, bring on evil spells and illnesses. And the belt will help, protect.

Wednesday. There is no post.

Friday. There is no post.

Saturday.Commemoration of the feast of Pentecost.

Sunday is the 1st week after Pentecost, All Saints. Tone 8. Conspiracy for Peter's post. The Holy Church commemorates the saints every day. But in order not to leave without honoring the saints of God, who struggled unknown, who were not revealed to the Church, the Holy Church established a day on which she glorifies all those who please God, so that no one remains who is not glorified by her. (This takes place in the first week after Pentecost.) To do this immediately after the descent of the Holy Spirit, she legitimized because all the saints have become and become saints by the grace of the Holy Spirit. The grace of the Holy Spirit brings repentance and the remission of sins, it also introduces one into the struggle with passions and lusts and crowns this feat with purity and dispassion. And thus a new creature appears, worthy of the New Heaven and the New Earth. Let us also be jealous of following the saints of God. How to do it - the Gospel teaches ... . (St. Theophan the Recluse).


On Tuesday of the second week after Easter (which is called the Week of St. Thomas, or Antipascha), the Orthodox Church celebrates Radonitsa - the day of special commemoration of the departed. Prior to this, the commemoration of the dead on the Passion and bright weeks does not exist in churches.

Radonitsa is a Russian tradition. The Orthodox of the Middle East and Greece do not have it. Saint Athanasius (Sakharov) writes: “The commemoration of the dead, known to us under the name of Radonitsa, takes place on St. Thomas’ week, Radonitsa owes its origin to the statutory prescription, according to which, in Great Lent, the commemoration of the dead on the occasion of deliberate memorial days (3rd, 9- 40th and 40th), which cannot be performed in due time on the occasion of the Lenten service, is transferred to one of the next weekdays, on which not only a memorial service, but also a full liturgy can be performed.

The word "radonitsa" goes back to the words "kind" and "joy", moreover, the special place of the Radonitsa in the annual cycle of church holidays - immediately after the Bright Easter week - obliges Christians not to delve into feelings about the death of loved ones, but to rejoice in a Christian way their birth into another life - eternal life. The victory over death, won by the death and resurrection of Christ, displaces the sadness of temporary separation from relatives.

The basis for this commemoration is, on the one hand, the memory of the descent of Jesus Christ into hell, connected with St. Thomas Sunday, and on the other hand, the permission of the Church Charter to make the usual commemoration of the dead, starting from St. Thomas Monday. By this permission, believers come to the graves of their loved ones with the joyful news of the Resurrection of Christ, and the day of commemoration itself is therefore called Radonitsa.

Holy Pascha is the focus of the entire annual liturgical cycle. The Resurrection of Christ marks the victory over death and foreshadows the general resurrection. Therefore, when we go to the cemetery on Easter, we discover not only spiritual insensitivity, but also a complete lack of understanding of the meaning of saving Christian teaching, and the custom that has now spread to visit cemeteries on the very day of Easter contradicts the most ancient institutions of the Church. Moreover, one should not do work on the graves on Easter Day: clean, clean, plant flowers and shrubs, etc., which happens quite often these days.

Arriving at the cemetery, it is good to light a candle and at least briefly pray for the deceased. If possible, ask the priest to perform a lithium (a short funeral service) at the grave, and if this is not possible, a layman can also perform a lithium with a lay rite. Then clean up the grave and be silent in silence, remembering the person dear to us.

Cross on the grave Orthodox Christian- a silent preacher of blessed immortality and resurrection. Planted in the ground and rising to heaven, it marks the belief of Christians that the body of the deceased is here in the earth, and the soul is in heaven, that under the cross is hidden a seed that grows for eternal life in the Kingdom of God. It is advisable to take special care that the cross on the grave does not squint, it is always painted and clean.

It is not appropriate for a Christian to eat and drink (especially vodka) in a cemetery. It is especially unacceptable to pour vodka on a grave mound - this offends the memory of the dead.

The custom of leaving a glass of vodka and a piece of bread “for the deceased” on the grave is a relic of paganism and should not be observed in Orthodox families.

It is not necessary to leave food on the grave so that the grave is not trampled, for example, by dogs, food should be given to the poor.


Prepared by Priest Vadim Kalyamin

The word "Passover" originates from the name of the Old Testament holiday of Passover, which was named so from the Hebrew word "Passah" ("passes by") - in remembrance of the ancient event of the exodus of the Jews from Egypt and from Egyptian slavery, when the angel who struck down the Egyptian firstborn, at the sight of the blood of the Passover lamb on the doors of Jewish dwellings, he passed by, leaving them untouched. Another ancient interpretation of the holiday connects it with the consonant Greek word "I suffer."

In the Christian church, the name "Easter" received a special meaning and began to denote the transition from death to eternal life with Christ - from earth to heaven.

This ancient holiday of the Christian Church was established and celebrated in apostolic times. ancient church under the name of Easter, she combined two memories - about the sufferings and about the Resurrection of Jesus Christ - and devoted her to the celebration of the days preceding the Resurrection and following it. To designate both parts of the holiday, special names were used - Easter of suffering, or Easter of the Cross, and Easter of the Resurrection.

The resurrection of Jesus Christ testifies that he "is risen as God." It revealed the glory of His Divinity, hidden until then under the cover of humiliation, shameful for that time death on the cross, like the criminals and robbers who were executed with him.

Having risen from the dead, Jesus Christ sanctified, blessed and confirmed the general resurrection of all people, who also, according to Christian doctrine, will rise from the dead on the universal day of resurrection, as an ear grows from a seed.

In the first centuries of Christianity, Easter was celebrated in different churches at different times. In the East, in the churches of Asia Minor, it was celebrated on the 14th day of Nisan (March-April), no matter what day of the week this number fell on. The Western Church celebrated Easter on the first Sunday after the spring full moon. An attempt to establish agreement between the churches on this issue was made under Saint Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna, in the middle of the 2nd century. First Ecumenical Council 325 decided to celebrate Easter everywhere at the same time. This continued until the 16th century, when the unity of Western and Eastern Christians in the celebration of Holy Pascha and other holidays was broken by the calendar reform of Pope Gregory XIII.

Orthodox local churches determine the date of the celebration of Easter according to the so-called Alexandrian Paschalia: on the first Sunday after the Paschal full moon, between March 22 and April 25 (old style).

Since apostolic times, the church has celebrated the Easter service at night. Like the ancient chosen people, who were awake on the night of their deliverance from Egyptian slavery, Christians are awake on the sacred and pre-holiday night of the Bright Resurrection of Christ. Shortly before midnight on Holy Saturday, the Midnight Office is served, at which the priest and deacon approach the Shroud (a canvas depicting the position of the body of Jesus Christ in the tomb) and take it to the altar. The shroud is placed on the throne, where it must remain for 40 days until the day of the Ascension of the Lord.

The priests put on festive vestments. Before midnight, the solemn ringing of bells - the blagovest - announces the approach of the Resurrection of Christ. Exactly at midnight, with the Royal Doors of the iconostasis of the temple closed, the clergy quietly sing the stichera: "Thy Resurrection, Christ the Savior, the angels sing in heaven, and vouchsafe us on earth to glorify Thee with a pure heart." After that, the curtain is removed (the curtain behind the Royal Doors and covering them from the side of the altar) and the clergy again sing the same stichera, but in a loud voice. The Royal Doors open, and the stichera, in an even higher voice, is sung by the clergy for the third time to the middle, and the choir of the temple sings the end. The priests leave the altar and, together with the people, like the myrrh-bearing women who came to the tomb of Jesus Christ, go around the temple in a procession with the singing of the same stichera. The procession means the procession of the church towards the resurrected Savior. Walking around the temple procession stops in front of the closed doors of the temple, as if at the entrance to the Holy Sepulcher. The rector of the temple and the clergy sing the joyful Paschal troparion three times: "Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death and bestowing life (life) on those in the tombs!" Then the abbot recites the verses of the ancient prophecy of the holy King David: "May God arise and His enemies (enemies) be scattered…", and the choir and the people sing in response to each verse: "Christ is risen from the dead…". Then the priest, holding a cross and a three-candlestick in his hands, makes the sign of the cross with them at the closed doors of the temple, they open, and everyone, rejoicing, enters the church, where all the lamps and lamps are burning, and sing: "Christ is risen from the dead!".