On January 14, many Russians celebrate the so-called old New Year. This is due to the transition to the Gregorian (current) calendar from the Julian, the difference between which is 13 days. So, according to the old style, the same Julian calendar, New Year, January 1, will fall on January 14, according to the new style. Naturally, there are never too many holidays for a Russian person, and this is another reason to prolong the New Year and Christmas mood. But how should an Orthodox Christian relate to this holiday, and what does the Orthodox Church celebrate on this January day?
The Russian Orthodox Church lives according to the Julian calendar. Accordingly, she celebrates all the holidays in the Orthodox calendar according to the old style. Therefore, for example, Christmas in Russia is not December 25, like other Christians who switched to the Gregorian calendar, but January 7. This means that January 1 for the ROC coincides with the state 14th day of this month.
It would seem that this is our "Orthodox New Year", but it is not. The fact is that the change of summer (year), following the Orthodox calendar, does not occur on January 1, not January 14, and not in January at all. September 14 (September 1, old style) begins the new year according to the Orthodox Church calendar. This day, according to the tradition that came to us from Byzantium, is called the New Year.
With the celebration of the new year, the annual circle of church holidays begins. All those who wish to follow the path of spiritual perfection are instructed by the Orthodox Church with a system of holidays and fasts that has been verified for centuries. Three circles of worship - daily, weekly and annual - constitute the essence of the church calendar. Inside each circle, the entire history of the universe is recalled, from the creation of the world to the Second Coming of the Savior.
Accordingly, the revered state dates of the New Year (old and new) have nothing to do with the Church. But on January 14, according to the new style (January 1 according to the old style), Orthodox Christians celebrate one of the great non-twelve (not of the 12 especially revered) holidays, this is the circumcision of our Lord Jesus Christ in the flesh and the memory of St. Basil the Great, one of the three greatest hierarchs and teachers Church, who lived in the IV century.
All Orthodox Christians should not shy away from their God and life in his Church, because neither the Lord nor the Church shuns us, no matter what we are. And in church life there are no less holidays and joy.
