January is a special month in the life of an Orthodox Christian. It is at this time that some of the greatest Lord's feasts are celebrated in the Church. In addition to the Nativity of Christ and Epiphany, there are other memorable dates in the Orthodox calendar under January numbers.
One of the greatest holidays of the entire Christian Church, Nativity of Christ, is celebrated in Russia on January 7th. The service takes place on the night of January 6-7 in every Orthodox church. The service has a special solemnity, the congratulations of the ruling bishop and patriarch are read to the faithful. The afterfeast of the Nativity of Christ in the Church is carried out until the beginning of Epiphany Christmas Eve (January 18). The days of the afterfeast of the Nativity of Christ are popularly referred to as Christmastide. The Feast of the Nativity of Christ is twelve (it is one of the 12 major Christian celebrations).
On January 14, the Church celebrates another holiday - the Circumcision of the Lord and the memory of St. Basil the Great. On the eighth day after birth (according to Jewish law), the baby Jesus was brought to the Jerusalem temple and circumcised over him. In this, the Church sees that Christ not only introduced a new law of love to people, but during his lifetime did not reject the old law.
Saint Basil the Great is known as a great teacher and saint of the Christian Church, who lived in the 4th century. Basil the Great wrote many prayers, he is known as the author of theological and liturgical texts. He composed the rite of a special liturgy named in his honor.
The second great twelveth church holiday in January is the Baptism of the Lord. It is celebrated on January 19th. On this day, believing Christians especially strive to churches to collect real holy baptismal water. In the event of the baptism of Christ, the fulfillment of the old law by Jesus is seen. In addition, the Savior, having entered the waters of the Jordan, sanctifies the watery nature and sets an example of baptism to all those who recognize him as God. Otherwise, the feast of Epiphany is called the Epiphany or Enlightenment.
In addition, there are other church holidays in January. So, the next day after the Nativity of Christ, the Cathedral of the Virgin Mary is celebrated (January 8), and the Cathedral of John the Baptist is celebrated on January 20. These are the days of special commemoration of the Mother of God and the prophet John the Baptist.
In addition, in January, the Church commemorates the memory of St. Philip of Moscow (January 22), St. Theophan the Recluse (January 23), Martyr Tatiana and Sava of Serbia (January 25).
