Daily Church honors the memory of a saint or celebrate any event.Any church festival carries a deeper meaning - something that such celebrations are different from the secular: they are always instructive, to educate people, to encourage them to good works and set up the correct way.
To better understand what the Twelve Great Feasts, should look into the secular calendar similar to them.For example, can there be such an analog of the City Day?Of course not - this is a fun albeit with a reason, but a reason.Or New Year?It is a celebration loved by all but empty - to sit at the dinner table, make some noise at night and in the morning on the floor to collect fragments of crockery, broken guests - that's the whole point!The only event, perhaps, is a bit like great feast - is Victory Day.This celebration inspires, provides vital reference, teaches.The same is happening in the soul of the believer during church festivals.
Orientation folk traditions
Twelve Great Orthodox holidays - special days that are dedicated to the major events of the mundane life of Christ and his mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary.Total of celebrations - twelve, and therefore they dvunadesyatye.Even a thousand years ago the tradition of celebrating, and they are now celebrated around the world not only Orthodox Christians, and atheists.This interest is not accidental - it is religious holidays (Twelve) expressive and perfectly reflect the customs and culture of the national society.In Slavic lands they claim step by step, dismissing demonic rituals and superstitions dark and filled with elements of old Slavic traditions.Formation were long and complex.Only thanks to the Orthodox Church preserved the majority of these celebrations.It was she, branimaya, prohibit and pursued more than 8 decades of the 20th century, took the Christian faith under the protection of, and has kept people's Orthodox heritage.
What do twelve great feasts for people
these days for the faithful - the top of the jubilation of the year, the days closer to Jesus, the days of salvation.They rejoice in what the Lord drew my attention to the people that the Mother of God, as a man, the same as all of us, has become the kingdom of heaven, and everyone can refer to it with the words, "Save us."Believers celebrate what is already here on earth, people can connect with God.These celebrations give people hope, strengthen faith, awaken the love in their hearts.
General concepts
Twelve Great Feasts are differentiated depending on:
- content - the manor (the Lord), the Theotokos, the holy days;
- solemn church service: small, medium, large;
- celebration time: fixed, mobile
to glorify Jesus Christ established eight days for the veneration of the Virgin Mary - four, which is why some call the manor and others - Marian.Easter celebrations such does not apply - this is the most important and beautiful celebration.If Twelve days - like stars, their flickering pleasing people, the Holy Easter - like the sun, without which life on earth is not possible, and before any stars which shine fade.
following briefly tell you about one great feast.
21 September - Nativity of the Virgin
This date - the birthday of the mother of Jesus, the Virgin Mary.Little is known about the life of the world women worldwide gave salvation.According to legend, the pious Anna and Jehoiakim long had no children.One day in prayer, they vowed that if a child is born, the prednaznachat him to serve God.After that, both at the same time had a angel, he announced that soon there will be an unusual child, and his fame will sound across the great land.As the well-known to each subsequent event, this prophecy was fulfilled.
September 14 - Exaltation of the Cross
This great feast is dedicated to the worship of the cross on which the Saviour took flour and death.This Cross, as well as the burial place of Jesus were found in the holy land of the queen Jelena three hundred years later.
November 21 - Presentation of Mary
When turned to the Virgin Mary for three years, righteous parents decided it was time to fulfill a vow made to God.For devotion to God, they left her only daughter in the church where she and immaculate sinless, became hard to prepare for Motherhood.
January 7 - Christmas
This is one of the most important Christian holidays.Officially, he is declared the birthday of Jesus.The Gospel tells us that Mary and Joseph - the parents of Christ - were forced to spend a night in a cave, and there the baby was born.After his birth, the cave was illuminated with light, and the sky suddenly shone brightest star.
19 January - Epiphany, or Epiphany
In 30 AD in the city of Bethabara, on the banks of the Jordan, on this very day was the baptism of Jesus' sinless thirty.Repent it was not necessary, he came in order to sanctify a water and give it to us for holy baptism.The Savior then went for 40 days in the wilderness in search of the divine enlightenment.
February 15 - Presentation of the Lord
this feast of the Presentation of dedicated, ie meeting bogopriemtsa Simeon is looking forward to the Savior of the world, Jesus - 40-day baby, whose parents are first brought to the temple for dedication to God.
April 7 - The Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (the Blessed Virgin)
Apparently, in the history of the human race, there are two primary events: the birth and resurrection of Christ.From Archangel Gabriel March 25 (old style) got the Virgin Mary the good news that it prednamecheno birth of the Savior of the world.Hence the name - the Annunciation.
On the eve of Easter Sunday - Palm Sunday
Following the forty days in the wilderness, Jesus entered Jerusalem.On this date the faithful grieve, knowing what pain and suffering due in the next days of Christ.Starts strict fast Holy Week.
40 days after Easter, on Thursday - Ascension
great feast in honor of the day when Jesus ascended to heaven, but promised to return.Note that the number 40 - is no accident.The sacred history is the period when all end exploits.In the case of Jesus is the end of his earthly ministry: 40 days after the Resurrection he was to enter the Temple of the Father.
On the 50th day after Easter Sunday - Holy Trinity Trinity
sometimes called Pentecost.In the apostles on that day the Holy Spirit descended and made them the prophets.In this phenomenon revealed the mystery of the Holy Trinity.
August 19 - The Transfiguration of Christ (Saviour)
Christ in a short time to torment the Cross together with his disciples John, Peter and James went up to Mount Tabor to pray.While Jesus was praying, his disciples fell asleep and woke up and saw that he spoke with God the Father.At this point, completely transfigured Christ: His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became snow-white.
August 28 - Dormition of the Mother of God (the Holy Virgin)
This is a symbolic day (it is not specified in the canonical texts) the death of the Virgin Mary.Virgin lived a fairly long life - seventy-two years old by the standards of the first century AD.
Iconography
their symbolic images have all twelve great feasts.Icon of a celebration, after whom the temple was consecrated, can be placed on the iconostasis in the second row from the bottom, or a local number.In churches where there is a complete iconostasis, icons feasts usually placed between the local and Deesis rows.
