Among the many holidays celebrated by the Orthodox Church, there are great ones. They are celebrated by believers especially solemnly and widely. Easter is considered to be the main Christian holiday; 12 twelve feast days are also the most significant.
Moving Twelve Holidays
Christian believers call Easter a holiday of holidays. This main church holiday is based on the legend of the miraculous resurrection of Jesus Christ, crucified on the cross by the verdict of the Jewish Sanhedrin court. The idea of resurrection is central to Christianity, therefore a special role is assigned to the holiday in honor of this event.
Christian Easter is celebrated on the first Sunday after the vernal equinox and the full moon, provided that it should never coincide with the Jewish one. Thus, Easter is a “nomadic” holiday, falling on a different date every year.
3 other important twelve holidays are tied to Easter - the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem, the Ascension of the Lord and the Day of the Holy Trinity.
The Lord's Entry into Jerusalem is also called Palm Sunday, it is celebrated on the last Sunday before Easter. This holiday is based on the Gospel legend about how, before his martyrdom and resurrection, Jesus Christ arrived in Jerusalem, where the people, greeting him, threw palm branches on the road in front of Jesus.
On the 40th day after Easter, the Ascension of the Lord is celebrated. It is based on the gospel legend about the ascension of Jesus Christ to heaven in the presence of his disciples.
In Russia, Trinity merged with the Slavic holiday of seven, dedicated to the spirits of vegetation. From here came the custom of decorating houses on Trinity with greenery and round dances around the birch.
The holiday of the Holy Trinity is based on the story of the descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles on the 50th day after Easter. The Orthodox Church attaches special importance to this event and interprets it as the testament of Jesus to carry the message of Christianity to all nations.
Non-passing twelve holidays
According to the object of glorification, Orthodox holidays are divided into the Lord's (associated with Jesus Christ) and the Theotokos (dedicated to the Most Holy Theotokos), and the Christian church also celebrates holidays in honor of the saints.
In total, not passing, but assigned to specific dates, twelve holidays 9. These include the Nativity of Christ, celebrated by the Orthodox Church on January 7; Baptism of the Lord, the celebration of which falls on January 19; The Meeting is celebrated on February 15; April 7 - Annunciation; The Transfiguration of the Lord is celebrated on August 19; August 28 - Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos, and September 21 - Nativity of the Mother of God; on September 27, the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord falls, and on December 4 - the Entrance to the Temple of the Most Holy Theotokos.
