Undoubtedly, each of us loves the holidays. This is a wonderful time when pressing problems are forgotten, relatives and friends gather at the table, talk about simple things, laugh and enjoy life. Church holidays are especially important, which are honored by the entire Orthodox people from year to year. These celebrations are somewhat different from the state ones in that they were established by the Holy Church. To understand when the next Divine holiday will come, you can turn to the Orthodox calendar.
Church holidays are permanent and variable. Constant celebrations occur on the same day, and variables in different years have different dates.
Holidays in 2016
| Constant holidays | Variable holidays |
| 07.01 - Nativity of Christ | 07.02 - Council of New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia |
| 14.01 - Circumcision of the Lord | 02.14 - Week of Zacchaeus the Publican |
| 01.19 - Baptism of the Lord | 02.21 - Week of the Publican and the Pharisee |
| 15.02 - Presentation of the Lord | 02.28 - Week of the Prodigal Son |
| 07.04 - Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary | 06.03 - Week of the Last Judgment |
| 21.05 - Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian | 07.03 - Cheese week |
| 22.05 - Saint Nicholas | 13.03 - Remembrance of Adam's exile. Forgiveness resurrection |
| 07.07 - Nativity of John the Baptist | 20.03 - Triumph of Orthodoxy |
| 12.07 - Saints first. apostles Peter and Paul | 27.03 - 2nd week of Great Lent, St. Gregory Palamas, arch. Solunsky |
| 19.08 - Transfiguration of the Lord | 03.04 - Week of the 3rd Great Lent, Holy Cross |
| 28.08 - Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary | 10.04 - 4th week of Great Lent |
| 11.09 - Beheading of John the Baptist | 17.04 - Week 5 of Great Lent |
| 09.21 - Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary | 23.04 - Lazarev Saturday |
| September 27 - Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord | 04.24 - Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem |
| 09.10 - Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian | 04.25 - Great Monday |
| 14.10 - Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos | 26.04 - Great Tuesday |
| 04.12 - Introduction to the Church of the Most Holy Theotokos | 04/27 - Great Wednesday |
| 19.12 - Saint Nicholas | 28.04 - Great Thursday. The last supper |
| 04.29 - Good Friday. Crucifixion of Christ | |
| 04.30 - Great Saturday. Christ's Entry into Hell | |
| 01.05 - Resurrection of Christ | |
| 08.05 - Antipaskha | |
| 15.05 - Week 3 after Easter | |
| 22.05 - Week 4 after Easter | |
| 05.29 - Week 5 after Easter | |
| 05.06 - Week 6 after Easter | |
| 09.06 - Ascension of the Lord | |
| 12.07 - Week 7 after Easter | |
| 06.19 - Holy Trinity. Pentecost | |
| 06.20 - Day of the Holy Spirit | |
| 26.06 - Week 1 after Pentecost | |
| 03.07 - Week 2 after Pentecost |
More detailed information about the holidays, their descriptions and even some features of these holidays can be seen in the Orthodox calendars that are compiled every year.
Calendar of Orthodox holidays for 2016 by months
January
06.01 - Christmas Eve. This holiday implies refusal of food until the moment the first star appears in the sky. You need to talk about kutei, which can be made from wheat, honey and fruits.
07.01 - Nativity of Christ. Starting from this moment, and until January 17, the people celebrate Christmastide, during which there is no need to fast.
14.01 - Circumcision of the Lord. This holiday is popularly known under a different name - Old New Year.
18.01 - Eve of the Epiphany. This holiday obliges people to prepare baptismal holy water. The next day, it is used in the rituals of purification and consecration.
01.19 - Baptism of the Lord. On this day, it is necessary to sanctify the water and commemorate the baptism of Jesus Christ.
26.01 - Tatiana's day.
From January 20 to March 13, the winter meat-eater begins, during which it is allowed to eat meat (at least every day), except Wednesday and Friday.
February
15.02 - Presentation of the Lord.
March
8.03 - 1st and 2nd Uncovering of the head of John the Baptist.
22.03 - Memorial Day of the Forty Martyrs of Sebastia. The vernal equinox also occurs on this day. Housewives begin to prepare special ceremonial cookies - waders, larks and black grouses.
April
23.04 - Lazarev Saturday. This holiday permits the consumption of fish caviar.
04.24 - Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem. Another name for this holiday is Palm Sunday (the last day before Easter).
04.30 - End of Lent.
May
01.05 -. This celebration is also called the Bright Resurrection of the Lord. Traditional Easter cakes are baked, Easter eggs are painted and painted. From May 1 to May 7, there will be a Solid Easter Week, during which you do not need to fast.
From 08.05 to 14.05 - Krasnaya Gorka.
10.05 - Radonitsa, during which they prefer to remember their deceased relatives.
23.05 - the day of the Apostle Simon Zealot.
June
07.06 - 3rd Finding of the head of John the Baptist.
09.06 - Ascension of the Lord.
06.16 - The seventh day after Easter, when people remember their relatives who died not by their own death.
06/18 - Trinity Universe Parental Saturday.
06.19 - Pentecost. Day of the Holy Trinity.
20.06 - 26.06 - Trinity Week. During this period, you can celebrate the Day of the Holy Spirit, which is set for June 20 and the day of Navatskaya Trinity - June 23.
06/27 - Petrov post. Its duration is only 15 days, moreover, this post is not particularly strict.
July
On the night from 06.07 to 07.07 - the holiday of Ivan Kupala.
07.07 - Nativity of John the Baptist.
12.07 - Day of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul.
August
02.08 - Orthodox Christians celebrate Ilyin's Day. This day is timed to the prophet Elijah. The peculiarity of this holiday is that after it it is undesirable to swim in water bodies.
14.08 - Honey Savior. From that day on, as people say, bees stop wearing honey. You can eat honey and poppy seeds, the main thing is that they are sanctified.
19.08 - Transfiguration of the Lord. Also, this holiday has a second name - Apple Spas. Allowed food items: fish, apples, grapes.
28.08 - Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos. This celebration is considered protracted, because it lasts directly until November 27.
08.29 - Nut Spas.
September
09/11 - the day of the Beheading of John the Baptist. Since ancient times, Orthodox people have remembered the dead soldiers who gave their lives for their people, faith and homeland.
09.21 - Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos.
27.9 - Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord.
October
08.10 - Day of Remembrance of Blessed Sergius.
14.10 - Protection of the Holy Mother of God. The appearance of the Mother of God in the Blachernae Church is associated with this day.
November
05.11 - Dimitrovskaya Parental Saturday. On this day, it is customary to remember the fallen soldiers, as well as to pray for the souls of deceased relatives.
21.11 - the day of Michael the archangel.
Starting from November 28, believers observe the Nativity Fast, which will end directly on January 6, 2017. It is noteworthy that from 28.11 to 01.01 fasting is not strict.
December
04.12 - Feast of the Entry into the Temple of the Most Holy Theotokos. As the legend says, it was on this day that the parents of the Most Holy Theotokos decided to bring her to the temple in order to conduct a rite of dedication of the child to the Lord. On this day, winter begins to come into its own. Often the first snow falls on December 4.
09.12 - St. George's Day. It is customary to remember the deeds of George the Victorious, who in every possible way supported the soldiers, landowners and cattle keepers.
19.12 - the day of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. It has long been known that Saint Nicholas did not skimp on good deeds, he had fabulous riches, but he was not greedy, but helped those in need. There is a custom that on St. Nicholas Day, parents put gifts under their children's pillows.
12/25 - Memorial Day of Saint Spyridon. This day is the longest night and the shortest day.
On this page you can find out what the most significant church holiday or event should happen in the near future (today, tomorrow).
We invite all believers to pray before the consecrated images to our church in Ochakovo-Matveyevsky not only on a holiday, but on any other day.
The beginning of Great Lent.
During the passage of the post, it is necessary to exclude any evil and anger, all sinful thoughts that are in a person, you need to cleanse your memory of evil memories, and your tongue - from foul language and lies. It's hard work, but if a person loves God, he can handle it.
Triumph of Orthodoxy
On the first Sunday of Great Lent, the Church celebrates a special day - the Triumph of Orthodoxy, the glorification of the defenders of Orthodoxy, all living and departed to the Lord in the faith and piety of the fathers. The rite of anathematization plays a special role in divine services.
It is believed that the power of prayer to some saint increases on the day of his feast. Perhaps this is true, but it is known for sure that on other days this help does not decrease, because the main condition under which a person receives help from the saints is sincere faith in God, love for Him, repentance for their sins, and forgiveness for what has been inflicted on you. evil.
Numerous holidays, days of remembrance, which exist in the church calendar, are necessary not for feasts and occasions for taking alcoholic beverages, but in order to remind us once again of how to believe and love God. It is very useful to once again read (remember) the life of the saint or the history of the event from which the holiday took place, maybe in this way it will be better to tune in to prayer communication with this saint. And already through him, tune your soul and heart to a conversation with God.
Consecrated Church Time:
:
Church New Years and Peacemaking Circle. In the calendar, this day is marked as the beginning of the indictment. Christians did not want to share the beginning of the new year on the same day with the followers of Confucius, Allah, Buddha, so they decided to consider the beginning of the Orthodox New Year on September 14 (September 1, Old Style). The feast of the Church New Year was established by the holy fathers of the First Ecumenical Council, who determined to begin the reckoning of the church year from September 1/14. The first day of the annual liturgical circle opens the "summer entrance", and the service of this day is of a festive nature, the top of which is the Gospel read during the Liturgy, which tells about the beginning of the sermon of Jesus Christ after His Baptism and the temptations of the devil in the wilderness. According to legend, this happened on the first day of the Jewish festival of the harvest, which was celebrated on September 1-8. In the Gospel, we hear the Savior preaching to us the coming of the auspicious "summer of the Lord." On this day, Jesus Christ began to preach the Kingdom of God and for the first time testified to the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies about the coming of the Messiah (the Son of God) and thereby about the end of the Old and the beginning of the New Testament.
Righteous Joshua
(XVI century BC).
Martyrs Callista and her brethren of martyrs Evod and Hermogenes
.
Martyr Aifala deacon.
Martyrs 40 virgins fasting and martyr Ammuna deacon, their teacher.
Reverend Simeon the Stylite
and his mother Martha
.
Simeon the Stylite (5th century) became famous as a man of a selfless lifestyle. He discovered a new kind of asceticism. Wanting to test his spiritual strength, faith in God, he erected a 4-meter pillar on the mountain with a platform on top, surrounded it with a wall and from this “mountain” place he read sermons to numerous pilgrims. Then Simeon settled on a post in a small cell, indulging in intense prayer and fasting. Gradually he increased the height of the pillar on which he stood. His last pillar was 40 cubits (16 meters) high. In intensified monastic exploits he spent 80 years, of which 47 stood on the pillar. His life was well known in Russia, they learned from him to endure in the name of a holy cause the many difficulties of human existence. According to an ancient tradition, it was believed that on this day it was necessary to perform charitable deeds, to be merciful. In Muscovite Russia, not a single beggar was left without abundant alms that day, and even prisoners in dungeons were presented with gifts.
Semyon's Day
(Semyon, Simeon the Stylite, Semyon the flyer, the flyer, seeing off the summer, Semyon's day, Semyon's day, the first autumn, Indian summer, meeting autumn, apiaries day, onions day, late summer, early autumn, last sowing). The first meeting of autumn, the end of a young Indian summer and the beginning of an old one. Many beliefs and rituals were associated in the old days with this day. And it is not surprising, because in pre-Petrine Russia, September 1 was considered the beginning of the new year. In 1700, Peter I postponed the celebration of the New Year from September 1 to January 1. Gradually, the holiday lost its former significance, but many customs remained in the life of the peasants. For example, in the villages on September 14, cockroaches and flies were buried. They put it in a coffin carved from turnip or turnip and carried it with crying and lamentations to bury it as far from home as possible. The rest of the houses drove the flies out of the house "fly by fly, fly to bury the flies." This custom has its roots in pagan times and is associated with the worship of Belbog, the ruler of all insects.
Another important custom was extinguishing the old fire and getting a new one. The old men went out into the yard and rubbed two pieces of wood against each other until they began to smoke. The smoldering tree was fanned by a girl or daughter-in-law, and then, from the outbreak of fire, she set fire to a candle. This fire was used to melt the stove. The next morning the coals were fanned again. So the fire was kept in the stove all year round. On this day, four-year-old boys were put on horses. This custom came from ancient times and was associated with the transition from infancy to adulthood. They called September 14 in the villages the Indian summer because at this time various agricultural work began (fluttering hemp, soaking flax, etc.), which were usually performed by women in the open air. The so-called ambush began with Semyon, when they worked in the huts in the evenings. The first day of stay was celebrated as a family holiday. All relatives met at the house of the eldest of the family. From the pilot (September 14) to Guria (November 28), in the old days, time was allocated for wedding weeks.
From that day on, moles and mice move from fields to homes and gardens.
Signs of the weather on September 14:
If Martha is dirty, autumn will be rainy. Indian summer (begins on September 14) is inclement - dry autumn, and dry Indian summer - wet autumn. The drier and warmer September is, the later winter will come. If the cones on the spruce have grown low, there will be early frosts, and if at the top, the real cold will come only at the end of winter.
The church charter presupposes the presence of certain rituals and sacraments, the occurrence of which is not fixed by dates, but calculated according to certain canons. However, in our time, not every believer knows the rules by which to determine the exact dates of holidays or fasting days - and here the calendar comes to the rescue, which describes the entire liturgical circle for 2016.
First of all, a detailed calendar (Easter) helps people who have only recently embarked on the path of communion with the faith, and are still poorly guided in all the intricacies of calculus. In addition, with the modern rhythm of life, a working person (even a deeply religious person) sometimes simply does not have enough time to meticulously calculate the movable part of Easter. And in this, a noticeable help is also provided by the calendar, set out in the format of a month for 2016: by looking at it, you can immediately determine when important days for Orthodox Christians come - the Great and Twelve Mysteries, as well as special rituals of abstinence, different in severity and duration. 
For a believer trying to live in accordance with the word of God, the importance of receiving such information in a timely manner is undoubted: many religious rituals require certain actions, sometimes radically different from ordinary life. For example, all significant church events are preceded by special procedures, also indicated in the 2016 calendar. On these days, it is necessary to adhere not only to a certain diet (bodily abstinence, when restrictions sometimes relate to any food except water), but also a style of behavior (at this time, worldly entertainment and carnal pleasures should be avoided, devoting more time to prayers and your inner world). The simultaneous observance of bodily and spiritual cleansing is the main condition for a worthy meeting of holidays in Christianity and Orthodoxy. Therefore, in 2016 (as, by the way, always), the calendar will provide invaluable help to believers and will allow them to timely learn about the upcoming fasting days, including the timely start of observing Great Lent, which is the most important stage of a person's earthly trials. 
The first and most important holy day for Christians
The Feast of the Bright Resurrection of Christ is an event especially revered by the church. Great Easter week marks the beginning of a new liturgical year, and it is from the date of this greatest of all events in the Christian world that the mobile church holidays are counted. In 2016, Easter coincides with the state celebration of Workers' Day - May 1.
The sacred meaning of the twelve
The calendar contains twelve sacraments that testify to the earthly journey of Jesus and important events associated with this period. They are allocated in a special group (the name "twelve" is a derivative of the number 12):
- January 7 - the celebration of the Nativity of Christ, one of the most important events for the Orthodox;
- 19.01 - Epiphany, a church holiday related to the immovable, and leading the twelve;
- 02.15 - Meeting, proclaiming the truth about the faithfulness of the Lord to his words and promises;
- 7.04 - Annunciation. The Virgin Mary learned that day that she was soon to give birth to the Savior of the entire human race;
- 04.24 - Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem;
- 09.06 - Ascension of the Lord. Jesus was called by the Father and ascended to Heaven, completing his earthly journey;
- June 19 - the day of the Holy Trinity, the unity of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit - exactly fifty days from the Resurrection of Christ. One of the most revered Biblical events among the people - marks the beginning of the formation of the Kingdom of God on Earth. On this day, it is customary to decorate houses with flowers and cover the floors with green tree branches;
- 19.08 - Transfiguration of the Lord. Celebrates the event when Jesus appeared before the three closest disciples in his true divine majesty and glory;
- 28.08 - Dormition (from the word "sleep"), and 21.09 - the Nativity of the Virgin - two dates marking the beginning and end of the earthly journey of the Virgin Mary;
- September 27 - Exaltation of the Life-giving Cross of our Lord;
- 4.12 - Feast of the Entry into the Temple - the Virgin Mary was first introduced into the Temple of the Lord.
Great ordinances of the Church
The Orthodox calendar, in addition to the twelve festivities, mentions five more important dates revered by the church:
- In January 2016, the feast of the Circumcision of the Lord is celebrated (on the 14th);
- 7.07 - the prophet John the Baptist was born;
- 12.07 is celebrated the Day of Peter and Paul - the Holy Apostles;
- 11.09 - Day of the Beheading (cutting off) of the head of John the Baptist - the execution of the prophet who baptized the Savior;
- 14.10 - Celebration. The appearance of the Virgin Mary to the inhabitants of Constantinople, praying in one of the temples. Became a harbinger of salvation from the enemies who surrounded the city.
A little more about preparing the spirit and body for the celebration of the Holy days
It should be noted that Wednesday and Friday in Orthodoxy are traditionally considered fast - believers on these days need to avoid eating foods that are considered fast. In addition, the calendar prescribed additional days when it is necessary to fast on the eve of Epiphany (January 18), Beheading (11.09) and Exaltation (27.09). 
In Orthodoxy, there are also 4 multi-day periods when believers are instructed to fast, "in order to achieve enlightenment of spirit and thoughts":
- On January 6, 2016, the days of the Nativity Fast, which began in November (28th) of the last year, are ending;
- 14.03-30.04 - the Great test of faith and striving for gaining spirituality continues for forty whole days;
- 06/27/11/07 - Peter Lent, and from August 14, believers begin to prepare for the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos.
Days of Continuous Weeks: indulgence in food - not thoughts
In the Easter calendar, throughout 2016, there are 5 weeks, on all days of which it is allowed to eat any food, even on traditionally fast days:
- Christmastide is the only continuous “week” (10 days) related to the fixed part of the month: 7.01-17.01;
- This is followed by the Week of the Publican and the Pharisee (22.02-28.02), the "Tasty" week of Maslenitsa (7.03-13.03);
- Easter week - a continuation of the majestic feast of the Resurrection of the Lord (until 8.03);
- The final feast of the Trinity is June 20-26.
The liturgical year contains many more events - and almost each of them found a place in the calendar compiled for 2016 by the clergy of the Orthodox Church.
Orthodox calendars are one of the most important attributes of the life of any believer. It is with such a calendar that the church advises to check the events planned in life.
It is important to look at the calendar so as not to schedule a feast with friends for the day of fasting and do not miss important dates on which it is better to devote yourself to spiritual cleansing and thoughts of God. In addition, great Christian holidays are a great joy for a religious person, and they simply need to be celebrated in accordance with the spirit of the Faith and Christian canons.
The main Orthodox holidays in 2016
There are 12 of them, and 9 of them are called intransitive. This means that their celebration date does not depend on Easter and remains the same from year to year.
- On January 7, Orthodox Christians celebrate the Great Nativity of Christ.
- On January 19, the entire Christian world celebrates the Baptism of our Savior.
- February 15, in the middle of the month, celebrates the Meeting, the meeting of Christ and the righteous old man from Jerusalem, Simeon.
- On March 4, the Annunciation is celebrated - the day of the good news to the Virgin Mary about her future destiny.
- On August 19, the Transfiguration of the Lord is celebrated in all churches.
- August 28 - Assumption of the Virgin, on this day they celebrate her reunification with Heaven.
- The Virgin Mary was born on September 21; on this date, her Nativity of the Virgin is celebrated.
- September 27 - Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord, in honor of the founding of the Church of the Resurrection on Calvary.
- December 4 - Introduction to the Temple, the feast of the first ascension of the Virgin at a young age, up the steps to the Jerusalem Temple.
- April 24 - Palm Sunday, the feast of the Lord's ascent to Jerusalem.
- June 9 - Ascension of the Lord, celebrated 40 days after Easter.
- June 19 - Trinity, the descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles.
In addition to these dates, there are three more, rolling, in which church holidays are also celebrated:
Easter in 2016
2016 will be marked by a rather late celebration of Easter - May 1. On this day, services will be held in all churches in memory of the bright Resurrection of Christ. This day serves as a reminder of the Heavenly Kingdom and the immortality of souls.
Then, from May 2 to May 8, Easter week will last. With Easter, a new Christian year begins and the countdown of all rolling holidays and all liturgies associated with them.
Posts in 2016
The Orthodox calendar has 4 main fasting days. Since November 28 of the previous year, 2015, the main Christmas post has been going on. It will end on January 6th. Then, on March 14 and will last until April 30, Lent. Petrov post counts from June 27 to July 11. And the last, Assumption Fast - from 14 to 27 August.
Also, all Wednesdays and Fridays are considered fast, except for those that fall on Christmastide and solid weeks. In 2016, Christmastide will last from 7 to 17 January, and weekdays from 15 to 21 February (the week of the Publican and the Pharisee), from 7 to 13 March (Cheese week, Shrovetide), from 2 to 8 May (Easter week) and from 20 until May 26 (Trinity Week).
Fasts accompany the day of Epiphany Christmas Eve on January 18, the day of the Beheading of John the Baptist on September 11 and the Exaltation on September 27. And since fasts are different, being strict and lax, it is better to prepare for each of them separately, so as not only not to eat too much food - this is not the main thing - but to read spiritual literature by this time and become purer in soul and more humble - in disposition.
Remember church holidays and the importance of prayer. Treat faith with respect, and in difficult times it will help you out without leaving you in trouble. And don't forget to press the buttons and
09.12.2015 00:30
On December 4, the Orthodox world celebrates the Entry of the Virgin into the Temple. The great day foreshadowed that the Most Holy ...
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