Weeks in the church calendar. Orthodox fasts and continuous weeks

– Father, please enlighten me, do the days of the week have special dedications?

– The liturgical life of the Orthodox Church is cyclical. There are three liturgical circles: annual, weekly and daily. The annual contains movable and fixed holidays, repeating from year to year; the septenary consists of the days of the week, which are dedicated to the most important events of the earthly life of the Savior and the most revered saints; The daily cycle consists of nine services. They are repeated every day.

Thus, each of the seven days of the week in the Orthodox Church has its own dedication. Some of them, such as Sunday, Wednesday and Friday, were especially revered back in the days of the Ancient Church, and their meaning has not changed over the centuries. So, Monday is dedicated to the Heavenly Powers, Tuesday to John the Baptist, Wednesday is the day of Judas’ betrayal of the Savior, therefore the Cross of Christ is especially revered, Thursday is dedicated to the holy apostles and St. Nicholas, Friday is the day of the Savior’s Sacrifice on the Cross, on Saturday all saints are especially revered, the first among them Mother of God, and also all the departed are remembered. Sunday - Little Easter - the day of the Bright Resurrection of Christ, thanks to which eternal life was granted to all humanity.

– What does it mean: Monday is dedicated to Angels?

– On Monday, the Church especially honors the holy Angels. This veneration is expressed in the prayerful invocation of the ethereal Heavenly Forces. During the Monday service, prayers are heard in which believers ask for help from their Guardian Angels, as well as from other Angels, so that they accompany human life and help save the Christian soul. In the Orthodox Church there is a teaching according to which every Christian has a Guardian Angel, which is given to a person during the Sacrament of Baptism. And all human life is closely connected with the invisible angelic world. Some pious Christians, intensifying their feat, take on the burden of fasting on this day. The same practice exists in some monasteries. Monks imitate the Angels, devoting their lives to serving God and praising His Heavenly Glory, which is why they especially celebrate the day of honoring the ethereal Heavenly Powers.

– How do you understand: Tuesday is dedicated to John the Baptist? How to dedicate this day to him?

– On Tuesday, the Church glorifies all the Old Testament righteous men and prophets who, through their faithfulness to God, made possible the coming of the Savior of the world. Saint John the Baptist is the personification of loyalty to God, righteousness and asceticism. According to the Savior, the Forerunner is “Greater among those born of women.” To dedicate a day to a saint means, first of all, if you are not familiar with his life, then take an interest in the main milestones of the life and deeds of the saint. The basis of the feat of John the Baptist is asceticism and service to God. Studying the life of the Forerunner, every Christian will see a shining example to follow. Therefore, dedicating a day to the saint, analyze your life and identify those virtues that unite us. If there are none, you have a large field for spiritual work before you.

– Wednesday is dedicated to the Cross. How is this day different from others?

– On Wednesday, the Church’s remembrance of the Old Testament ends and the glorification of New Testament events begins. Wednesday and Friday are days of remembrance of the suffering and death of the Savior on the cross. On Wednesday, Judas betrayed the Savior. From this day the suffering of the Savior actually began. In this regard, the Cross is especially revered as an instrument of our salvation. On this day you need to fast throughout the year.

– Thursday is dedicated to the apostles and St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. How to behave on this day?

– On Thursday, the Church remembers the holy apostles, through whose labors Christianity was established on earth. On this same day we honor the successor of the apostles, one of the most revered saints of the Orthodox Church - St. Nicholas, Archbishop of Myra, miracle worker. Today, in virtually every Orthodox home there is an icon of this great Pleasant of God. And therefore, reverence for the Saint should be expressed not simply in remembrance, but in living and real prayer.

– On Friday, should we especially remember the Crucifixion of Christ? Are there special prayers held in churches on this day?

– Friday is the day of remembering the passion and death of the Savior on the Cross. Fast day. The Church prayerfully sympathizes and glorifies the redemptive feat of Christ.

– Saturday is dedicated to all saints. How to mark it?

– On Saturday we honor all the saints. The first among them is the Mother of God. In the tradition of the Russian Church, every Christian is given a name in honor of some saint. Thus, on Saturday, honoring all the saints, we resort to the prayerful representation of our saint, as well as other saints close to our hearts, but for whom there is no special day during the week.

On this day, Christians especially pray for the repose of the departed, remembering their relatives, loved ones and everyone who has died from time immemorial. Remembrance can be expressed both in cell prayer and through participation in a memorial service, traditionally performed in churches on this day.

– Sunday is dedicated to the Lord. How to spend this day correctly?

– Sunday is Little Easter. It is dedicated to the Lord and has been revered by Christians since apostolic times. On this day, every believer must visit the temple to participate in the Divine Liturgy. Since the resurrection of Christ is hope for all people, the veneration of this day is special. It is best to spend the day after the service doing good deeds: visiting the sick, helping the needy, visiting the elderly. Also on Sunday you should devote several hours to reading the Holy Scriptures and praying. It would be correct to analyze the events of the past week (what good and bad happened during this period) and try to build a specific plan of action in spiritual life for the next seven days. Thus, the core of spiritual life, which is formed through a person’s participation in worship and moral improvement, will help a person, even in difficult life circumstances, not to stray from the path leading to the Truth.

According to the Russian Orthodox calendar, each day of the week marks a sacred event, and an icon depicting these events, in accordance with each day, should help to carry them out consciously and with due reverence.
The icon depicting the days of the week is called “Week”. On it, the week begins with the resurrection, and this day is marked by the Resurrection of Christ, i.e. Descent into Hell. (The week of Lent ends with Sunday). On Monday the Heavenly Powers are remembered, therefore the next image is “The Cathedral of the Archangel Michael”. Tuesday is a day dedicated to St. John the Baptist and designated by the Baptism of Christ. Wednesday, the day of the Mother of God, is the Annunciation. In the second row from the left - Thursday, the day that prepares for the day of sorrow - the Washing of the Feet is depicted. Day of grief and fasting - Friday - Crucifixion of Christ the Savior. Between Thursday and Friday is a bright and joyful Saturday, the eve of Bright Resurrection, the Feast of Holidays and the Celebration of Celebrations. The New Testament "day of preparation" is Saturday, replacing the Old Testament Friday. On the joyful Sabbath day, Christ is in a halo of glory, with the Mother of God and St. John the Baptist and angels. Everyone around Him is in white robes, even St. John the Baptist exchanged his usual robe of camel's hair for white vestments. The Russian peasantry, which preserved the purity of the customs of the Orthodox Church, put on clean shirts on Saturday and lit lamps near the icons.
The Sabbath day is sometimes highlighted with a separate icon and is then called “Saturday of All Saints.” Christ in glory holds the open Gospel and is surrounded by the Heavenly Powers, the Mother of God and St. John the Baptist. In the lower belt are the faces of saints: holy fools, forefathers, holy women, hermits, prophets, apostles, martyrs, to whom Christ appears before the Second Coming and who will not be judged.
Since the 4th century, according to the decree of the Church, fasting on Wednesday and Friday became obligatory, and presence in church on Resurrection and the celebration of this day was equally obligatory. In Rus', in the first centuries of the adoption of Christianity, the Church tried to instill and explain the need for fasting, resorting to sermons and messages, promising rewards in heaven for observing fasts and punishment for apostasy. In the popular imagination, Wednesday and Friday began to be embodied in the images of angels or saints, merciful and punishing.
“Paraskeva” means “day of preparation” in Greek, i.e. according to the calendar "Friday". St. Paraskeva thus began to personify the fifth day of the week. In the life of St. Paraskeva it is said that she was born to pious parents who observed fasts. Another St. Paraskeva, according to her life, was the daughter of a king and, having converted to Christianity, received the crown of martyrdom.
St. Paraskeva became in Rus' a mysterious helper, patroness and at the same time an accuser before the Lord God. According to popular belief, St. Paraskeva, majestic as a queen, visited the most modest homes, checking that everything was clean and in order. If she found untidiness, she punished the lazy housewife. She gave the Sunday spinners convulsions and hangnails and threatened to accuse them at the Last Judgment. She promised that parents who did not keep fasts would have children who were thieves and drunkards. If a chicken is placed on eggs on Friday, the chickens will not hatch, etc. Following this, people stopped doing anything on this day. Friday has turned into a day that brings failure in business. On the other hand, St. Paraskeva Pyatnitsa protected from murders, floods, toothaches and headaches. She sent good harvests and arranged happy marriages. To appease her, merchants built special chapels called “Fridays” at fairs.
St. Paraskeva Friday was like a punishing and merciful mother and took part in all the little things in life. Her icon was decorated with flowers, which were then dried and taken as medicine. On Russian icons of St. Paraskeva Pyatnitsa is a young woman with a crown on her head and in a scarlet embroidered gold robe. Her Greek name "Paraskeva" is often omitted from icons and the abbreviated inscription reads "St. Friday".
In ancient times, in Little Russia they used to “Monday”, i.e. We also kept fast on Monday. This happened because he led. book Shortly after the Baptism of Rus', Vladimir the Saint ordered everyone to be present in church on Sunday. Those who did not comply were punished on Monday. They began to fast to appease Monday in order to avoid punishment.

The Orthodox tradition was largely formed thanks to the monastic movement of the first centuries of Christianity. Therefore, in particular, the number of fasts in the Orthodox calendar, according to the most conservative estimates, is close to one hundred and twenty days, that is, a third of the year. In addition to this, many clergy, not satisfied with the softness of the general church canonical rules regulating the ascetic practice of believers, introduce additional days of fasting, especially before (and sometimes after!) Communion, thereby imposing on people “unbearable burdens”, which he himself opposed Jesus is a disgraced Jewish preacher and founder of the Christian church. However, another, brighter tradition is still alive, coming from the depths of centuries, when Christians knew how not so much to grieve and repent as to love and enjoy life, each other and God’s presence among them. A particular expression of this mentality of the first followers of Jesus in the ascetic tradition is the continuous week. A deeper definition of fasting will help you understand what it is. So, fasting in Orthodoxy is a time intended for introspection, deep prayer and religious deeds, such as reading scriptures, giving alms and the like. The gastronomic background of this practice is bodily abstinence from certain types of food. During the most strict fasting, all products of animal origin (meat, fish, poultry, eggs, milk), as well as vegetable oil, are subject to refusal.

In total, there are four multi-day fasts in Orthodoxy: Nativity, Petrovsky, Dormition and Great Orthodox Lent. In addition to these, there are many one-day periods of abstinence. Most of the latter are occupied by Wednesdays and Fridays, which by default are almost every week (week - according to the old Church Slavonic terminology) of the year. There are, however, exceptions. In some weeks, the fast from Wednesday and Friday is removed due to certain circumstances. We know them as days of continuous weeks. What does this mean in practical terms? Firstly, at this time it is allowed to consume so-called meat, milk and everything else that is usually considered non-fasting. Secondly, and what is especially important, during these weeks you can receive communion without prior fasting, at least this is what is required according to the fixed written norm of the liturgical regulations.

There are only five continuous weeks in a year:

Holy Week or Christmastide.

Week of the Publican and the Pharisee.

It's Maslenitsa.

Easter, better known as Bright Week.

Trinity week.

Each of them either precedes a multi-day fast, or, conversely, marks a period of rest and relaxation after it.

Holy Week

Christmastide, strictly speaking, is not a week, it is eleven days between Christmas and Epiphany. They always fall on the same dates - from January 7 to 18 according to the new style or from December 25 to January 5 - according to the old style. Thus, the holy days immediately follow the Nativity Fast until Epiphany Eve.

Week of the Publican and the Pharisee

Before Lent there are several so-called preparatory weeks. Of these, the Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee is continuous. Since the dates of Easter and the fasting period preceding it fall on different dates every year, the preparatory weeks are not tied to specific days. Specifically, the Week of the Publican and the Pharisee is allocated two weeks before Lent.

Maslenitsa

The famous Maslenitsa is a relic of the pagan holiday of welcoming spring. Today it has actually merged with cheese week. This is another preparatory continuous week called meat-eating week. What time is this? In general, these are the last seven days before the forty-eight-day period of fasting that precedes Easter.

A distinctive feature of Maslenitsa from other continuous weeks is that it is already forbidden to eat meat products, but it is allowed to eat fish and dairy.

Bright Week

The first week after Easter is also continuous, due to the special significance of the holiday. In fact, the Resurrection of Christ is officially celebrated for forty days, so it is not surprising how special a scale of solemnity and fun this continuous week is. What does it mean? The fact that during Bright Week any fasting, asceticism, and even kneeling prayers are strictly prohibited.

Trinity Week

After the Day of the Holy Trinity comes the last continuous week in the church calendar. What holiday is it? Otherwise it is called Pentecost and is celebrated on the fiftieth day after Easter. Its roots go back to Jewish Eortology, and its purely Christian meaning is based on the story of how the Holy Spirit, in the form of tongues of fire, descended on the apostles, giving them the knowledge of other languages ​​and other supernatural gifts. This event is considered the birthday of the Church, therefore, in honor of the Holy Trinity, the week following it is devoid of fasting days. But after its end, the long Peter's fast begins, and therefore this week is also preparatory to the period of abstinence, which ends every year on the same day - July 12, the day of remembrance of the apostles Peter and Paul.

Beginners who have recently begun to attend church and observe fasts do not always know what a continuous week is in the Orthodox calendar. For such people, this information may be a rather pleasant surprise. It turns out that the year of an Orthodox person consists of more than just fasting. But first things first.

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To better understand what a continuous week is, it is important to understand how the Orthodox calendar works. There are 4 multi-day fasts in Orthodoxy: Nativity, Petrovsky, Dormition and Great Orthodox Lent. The Nativity fast always lasts from November 28 to January 6. Lent always lasts 48 days, but its boundaries shift depending on the day of Easter.

Orthodox Christians also fast on Wednesday and Friday every week. It is also recommended to fast for 3 days before communion. But there are exceptions to the rules. For example, relaxations in fasting for sick people, pregnant and nursing mothers, and travelers.

Solid weeks

One of these exceptions is just continuous weeks. What is a continuous week? This is a week in which the usual Christian fast on Wednesday and Friday is not observed. If a person is going to take communion during the whole week, he is allowed not to fast before communion. In calendars, continuous weeks are either designated with a special color, or are distinguished by the fact that on all days there are no symbols indicating fasting, and the cells with dates usually remain white. Such weeks mark great holidays or prepare for long fasts.

There are five such weeks in a year. When can Orthodox Christians expect Continuous Weeks in 2018?

Christmastide

This period lasts every year from January 7 to January 18, that is, from the Nativity of Christ until the eve of the day of Epiphany. Calling it a continuous week is not entirely correct - after all, Christmastide lasts for 11 whole days! Christmastide is a word that tells us about Russian traditions. It was customary to spend these days having fun, visiting each other. During this winter period, people sledded and played snowballs. No work was carried out except the most mundane and necessary, and the youth could celebrate. So you can even consider traditional Christmastide an analogue of modern winter holidays. Caroling was widespread - when children and sometimes young people went from house to house and sang church chants. At Christmas time it was customary to tell fortunes. This period was associated with mysticism and, oddly enough, dark forces. Apparently, it was influenced by the belief that from Christmas to Epiphany is a time “without a cross,” when the Infant has not yet been baptized, despite the fact that the Savior was baptized as an adult, at the age of 30. But the Church did not approve of fortune telling and passion for mysticism. What is a continuous week? This is not a pagan custom at all, but a decree of the Church, and therefore it should be carried out within the framework of Orthodox traditions.

Week of the Publican and the Pharisee

It is called that because the triodion “about the publican and the Pharisee” is read in churches. This is the preparatory week before Lent, and it encourages believers to look within themselves and evaluate whether we extol our achievements too much before God, whether we compare ourselves with others, whether our hearts are open, whether we are full of repentance. The parable of the publican and the Pharisee tells about two people who came to the Temple. One of them was a righteous Pharisee who observed all rituals, the other was a publican, that is, a tax collector, who were often selfish and dishonest people. And the Pharisee listed all his virtues and finally thanked God for not being like this tax collector. Meanwhile, the publican did not dare to raise his eyes and only repeated, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” This parable emphasizes the importance of sincere repentance and humility and teaches not to be arrogant over other people. In the coming year, the Week of the Publican and the Pharisee will continue from January 29 to February 4.

Maslenitsa

Maslenitsa, in other words, Cheese Week, this year falls from February 12 to 18. Although dairy products and eggs are allowed daily, meat is prohibited this week. Otherwise it is called Meat Eating. Maslenitsa precedes the beginning of Lent. Maslenitsa, like Christmastide, is rich in traditions.

Traditional winter fun was combined with specific Maslenitsa celebrations. For example, fist fights were held, and anyone could try to climb a pole with a prize. People had fun, visited each other, baked and ate pancakes. Each day of this week has its own name. Monday - “Maslenitsa Meeting”, Tuesday - “Flirting”, Wednesday - “Gourmand”, Thursday - “Walk Around”, Friday - “Mother-in-Law’s Evening”, Saturday - “Sister-in-Law’s Gatherings”. This determined how the days were spent and which relatives it was customary to visit. On Sunday, called “Forgiveness,” it was customary to ask each other for forgiveness before the start of fasting. Also on this day, a straw effigy was burned, which symbolized winter. This is a colorful event with round dances, songs and dances.

Easter week

In 2018, Easter will begin on April 8, and the following Bright Week, or Easter Week, will last from April 9 to 15. Easter is celebrated on the first Sunday after the spring full moon, so it falls on a different date every year. Its celebration also determines the dates of the preceding Great Lent and the two continuous weeks described above. What is Easter for Orthodox Christians? Holiday of Holidays! It is difficult to imagine what joy and what depth the news of the Resurrection contains. Christ the conqueror seems to show us that death no longer exists. Everyone who has lost their loved ones believes in their resurrection in the distant future, everyone who will soon leave this world looks forward more boldly. Atonement for human sins has been accomplished. All that is difficult and painful is behind us - both the suffering of Christ and the strict restrictions that the Orthodox endured throughout Lent, remembering His sacrifice. Therefore, Easter week is always bright and joyful. Every day a procession of the cross takes place in the churches, and the bells ring merrily. For several days, people eat food consecrated on Holy Saturday for breakfast - Easter cakes, eggs. It is customary to spend these days in a joyful, high spirits and do good deeds.

Trinity Week

from May 28 to June 3. In some ways, this week has long been reminiscent of Christmastide - it preserved many pagan rituals associated with fortune telling, mermaids, and the other world. The fact is that it has absorbed many pagan traditions that are associated with such a holiday as Semik. With the advent of Orthodoxy, this holiday began to depend on the Trinity, which occurs on the 50th day after Easter (its other name is Pentecost), but its content remained pagan. The symbol of this week is the birch tree. This continuous week is even called “green week”, because not only churches, but also houses are decorated with birch branches and grass, and girls put on wreaths. The day following Trinity is called Spiritual Day and is dedicated to the Holy Spirit. After this week, Peter's fast begins.

We figured out what a continuous week means. This is a week completely devoid of fasting days. So, now it has become very clear what it is. The days of continuous weeks allow you to gain strength before a difficult and long fast or restore them after it; they bring into life not only a varied diet, but also a cheerful atmosphere of celebration.

Fast– days of abstinence, including from fast food. The Lenten menu completely excludes the following products: meat, milk and any dairy products, eggs and dishes containing them. Let us not forget that while we fast physically, at the same time we need to fast spiritually. In physical fasting, the foreground is abstinence from rich, tasty and sweet food; in spiritual fasting - abstinence from indulging in our vices, abandonment of sins and transgressions and exercise in virtues. Spiritual fasting consists of prayer, spiritual reading and removal from everything sinful and distracting from God. That is, do not eat animal food, but swear, judge everyone, have fun, think about satisfying lustful thoughts, etc. - does not count as fasting. “Ethereal enemies will not overcome us if we do not indulge in carnal lusts.” Fasting is not a goal, but a means—a means to humble one’s flesh and cleanse oneself of sins. Without prayer and repentance, fasting becomes just a diet. The main thing in fasting is not only lean food, but the fight against passions. We must not eat animals, and lead a more correct life, of course, attending church more often. True fasting is associated with prayer, repentance, abstinence from passions and vices, the eradication of evil deeds, forgiveness of insults, abstinence from married life, the exclusion of entertainment and entertainment events, and watching television. Also, weddings (including getting married) cannot be played during Lent.

Solid week - a week without fasting. Continuous weeks (week - days from Monday to Sunday) mean no fasting on Wednesday and Friday.

Fast days and continuous weeks in Orthodoxy for 2017:

Every Wednesday and Friday(except for continuous weeks). The fast observed by the Orthodox Church on Wednesday is established in remembrance of the betrayal of our Lord Jesus Christ by Judas to suffering and death, and on Friday - in remembrance of His suffering and death itself. Fasting is considered strict, that is, no animal food is allowed. On these days, sometimes (in summer and autumn) fish is allowed - i.e. follow the Orthodox calendar.

January 18. Post 1 day! Epiphany Eve (Epiphany Eve) - the evening before John the Baptist (Forerunner) baptized Jesus Christ. On this day, as on Christmas Eve, no food is eaten until the candle is taken out after the Liturgy in the morning (approximately 11 am) and the first communion of Epiphany water is taken. On Christmas Eve, after the liturgy, the great consecration of water takes place in churches. The blessing of water is called great due to the special solemnity of the rite. This water is called Agiasma, or simply Epiphany water. The blessing of water occurs twice - both on Epiphany Eve and directly on the feast of Epiphany. Consecration on both days takes place in the same manner, so the water blessed on these days is no different. There is a pious tradition of sprinkling your home with Epiphany water on this day while singing the troparion of Epiphany.

February 6 – February 12. It's been a solid week! The Publican and the Pharisee. ( the destruction of pride and pharisaical conceit in oneself - the worst of passions, as well as the increase in the prayer of the publican “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!”
This is the first preparatory week for Lent. This week is also called “foreshadowing” - preparation begins for the great battle with one’s own passions and sins, which awaits everyone who fasts.

February 20 – February 26 It's been a solid week!(Cheese) Maslenitsa (Cheese) week. Week is the week that ends the preparatory period for Great Lent. This is an important time for every Orthodox Christian, because during these seven days preparations are underway for the most significant fast of the year. During Cheese Week, you can no longer eat meat, but you are allowed to eat dairy (cheese, butter) foods and eggs. You cannot follow your temptations: overeating, partying and gluttony. One should refrain from participating in all kinds of pagan traditions and customs. Orthodox Christians ask each other for forgiveness on Cheese Week. On Wednesday, the Lenten prayer of Ephraim the Syrian is read in the church. If you have never read this prayer, study it, because this prayer will be the main one for you during Lent. The meaning of Cheese Week is reconciliation with neighbors, forgiveness of offenses, preparation for Great Lent - time that should be devoted to good communication with neighbors, family, friends, and charity.

February 27 – April 15, 2017 POST! Lent(changes every year in the start and end dates) - the most important of the multi-day fasts. Holy Pentecost (40 days) -
February 27 – April 09- imitation of the 40-day fast of the Savior in the desert after Baptism in the Jordan. Also, the days of Lent are days of repentance
April 8 – Lazarus Saturday(Jesus raised Lazarus)
April 9 – Palm Sunday (Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem)
April 10 – April 16— Holy Week. Week before Easter
At dawn (after the Liturgy) April 16 - Easter. Whoever neglects Pentecost... does not celebrate the holiday of Easter” (Easter message of St. Athanasius the Great

April 17 – April 23 Solid week! Bright Easter Week - every day of the week is also called bright - Bright Monday, Bright Tuesday, etc., and the last day is Bright Saturday. These days, Orthodox Christians paint eggs and give them to each other. There is no fasting during Bright Week. It is also forbidden to impose a fast on oneself without permission.
Throughout Bright Week, a special bread called artos stands near the open Royal Doors. On Saturday after the liturgy, the artos is solemnly blessed. Afterwards the pieces are distributed to the believers. Those praying, having received part of the artos, keep it throughout the year.
This entire period (40 days after Easter) is considered the Easter period, and Orthodox Christians greet each other with the greeting “Christ is Risen! ” and the answer “Truly He is Risen!”

June 5 – June 11 Solid week! Trinity Week - This is the week after the celebration of the Holy Trinity. The first day of the continuous week follows immediately after Trinity and is called the “Day of the Holy Spirit.” It was established and blessed by the Church in honor of the descent of the Holy Spirit. The Church does not recommend working on this day, but this day, Monday, is officially a work day and here the believer must decide for himself whether he can violate the church prohibition.

June 12, 2017 – July 11, 2017. POST! Peter's fast (Pentecost fast). —

the descent of the holy spirit on the apostles

The Church calls us to this fast, following the example of the holy apostles, who, having received the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, prepared through fasting and prayer for the worldwide preaching of the Gospel. The Day of Pentecost, when on the fiftieth day after His descent from the tomb and on the tenth day after His Ascension, the Lord, who sat at the right hand (right hand) of the Father (God), sent down the Holy Spirit on all His disciples and apostles, is one of the greatest holidays.

14 to 27 August. POST 14 days! Dormition post- installed before the great holidays Transfiguration of the Lord(Jesus Christ showed himself to be the true son of God when he shone with a bright light) August 19 And Dormition of the Mother of God(earthly death for the Mother of God is her transition from an earthly body to eternal life with an unlimited opportunity to help people) August 28.
On Monday, Wednesday and Friday of the Dormition Lent, the Church charter prescribes eating dry food, that is, observing the strictest fast, without boiling food; on Tuesday and Thursday - “with cooking, but without oil,” that is, without oil; On Saturdays and Sundays wine and oil are allowed.
August 14— honey Spas (honey is blessed, but apples and grapes of the new harvest cannot be eaten)
August 19 On the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord, according to the Church Charter, fish is allowed at the meal. Apples are blessed - the apple Savior. From this day on, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, the diet necessarily included the fruits of the new harvest.

11 September. Post 1 day! The beheading of John the Baptist (the Baptist). On this day John the Baptist was executed. He suffered for his faith - after his death he became a powerful man of prayer and a saint.

September 27. Fast 1 day. Exaltation of the Holy Cross. On this day in 300, the Byzantine Emperor Constantine with his mother Equal-to-the-Apostles Helen.

November 28 -January 6 Fasting 40 days!– Christmas post. Since the beginning of the fast falls on the day of remembrance of St. Apostle Philip, this post is also called Philip.
The Fast of the Nativity Pentecost depicts the fast of Moses, who, having fasted for forty days and forty nights, received the words of God inscribed on stone tablets. And we, fasting for forty days, contemplate and accept the living Word from the Virgin, not inscribed on stones, but incarnate and born, and we partake of His Divine flesh.” The Nativity Fast was established so that on the day of the Nativity of Christ we purify ourselves with repentance, prayer and fasting, so that with a pure heart, soul and body we can reverently meet the Son of God who appeared in the world and so that, in addition to the usual gifts and sacrifices, we offer Him our pure heart and a desire to follow His teaching.