Week: what is it? What is a week according to the Orthodox calendar.
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 fast days 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 eat so-called fast food: 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.
Cheese week, also known as 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.
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 from the New Testament about how the Holy Spirit descended on the apostles in the form of tongues of fire, 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.
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For people who believe in Christ by inner calling, but who have not yet joined the church, but who are just beginning to join Orthodoxy, the first thing to do is to get acquainted with how the church calendar is structured in principle. Why do the dates of Christian holidays shift, and when should the holidays actually be celebrated?
Features of the church calendar
The church calendar differs significantly from the secular one; there are differences even in the name - among believers, 365 days are called the annual circle. The church recognizes September 14 as the beginning of the year, and chronology is calculated from the creation of the world. In Orthodox Christianity, in parallel with the countdown of the universe, the years from the Nativity of Christ are counted.
Why do Orthodox holidays change their dates?
People of a secular mindset often do not understand why Christmas in Russia is always celebrated on January 7, and the holiday of the Holy Resurrection of Christ changes every year.
The thing is that the church counts biblical events according to the solar and lunar calendars. The central holiday of Orthodoxy is Easter. It is on this day that it depends on which day the subsequent moving holidays will fall (the Ascension of the Lord, the Day of the Holy Trinity, the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem).
What is a week?
Confusion also arises with the definition of church weeks. It's actually quite simple. The church week consists of seven days, hence the name - week (from the Old Slavonic "seven" - seven). Due to linguistic interweavings, seven days is the Church Week.
According to legend, the Lord created the world in six days, and on the seventh day he rested from his labors. Having created the Earth and everything around, on the seventh day God did nothing, as he bequeathed to his creatures. So the seventh day turned into a day of “doing nothing” and in Slavic dialects it sounds like “week”. In the secular calendar, Sunday is considered a day off; in the church calendar, the same day is called Week.
It is with the Week that every Christian week begins. Those who are familiar with the English language remember that the English week also begins on Sunday (Sunday), then comes Monday, Tuesday, etc. In Catholic countries, the secular and ecclesiastical calendars are interconnected.
In Russia, the working week begins on Monday, the second day of the week. In the church calendar, Sunday is the seventh holiday day, since the countdown starts from significant events. The week also begins on the eve of Monday. As soon as the stars appear in the sky, a new Orthodox day begins.
Orthodox holidays allow us to remember and understand the relationship. So Easter Day will always fall on a Sunday called the Resurrection of Christ. 7 days before the holiday falls the “Week of the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem”, 6 days after – the Week of the Ascension of the Lord. That is, all secular Sundays should be called weeks, and only the holiday of Easter - the Resurrection of the Savior.
What kinds of weeks are there?
Believers, starting a seven-day week on Monday, fast on Wednesday and Friday of each week. These days it is forbidden to eat animal products. But on holy days the church makes exceptions. In the first week after Easter, which ends a long strict fast, the continuous Bright Week begins. The word “solid” means that people who strictly observed fasting can eat fast food all days of the week in order to restore strength both physically and spiritually. There are five continuous weeks in the church calendar; popularly, such weeks are called Omnivores; all of them are designed to support believers before or after long, strict fasts.
– 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.
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 quite a pleasant surprise. It turns out that the year of an Orthodox person consists of more than just fasting. But first things first.
Posts
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 a 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.
For our readers: what is a week according to the Orthodox calendar? with detailed descriptions from various sources.
For people who believe in Christ by inner calling, but who have not yet joined the church, but who are just beginning to join Orthodoxy, the first thing to do is to get acquainted with how the church calendar is structured in principle. Why do the dates of Christian holidays shift, and when should the holidays actually be celebrated?
Features of the church calendar
The church calendar differs significantly from the secular one; there are differences even in the name - among believers, 365 days are called the annual circle. The church recognizes September 14 as the beginning of the year, and chronology is calculated from the creation of the world. In Orthodox Christianity, in parallel with the countdown of the universe, the years from the Nativity of Christ are counted.
Why do Orthodox holidays change their dates?
People of a secular mindset often do not understand why Christmas in Russia is always celebrated on January 7, and the holiday of the Holy Resurrection of Christ changes every year.
The thing is that the church counts biblical events according to the solar and lunar calendars. The central holiday of Orthodoxy is Easter. It is on this day that it depends on which day the subsequent moving holidays will fall (the Ascension of the Lord, the Day of the Holy Trinity, the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem).
What is a week?
Confusion also arises with the definition of church weeks. It's actually quite simple. The church week consists of seven days, hence the name - week (from the Old Slavonic "seven" - seven). Due to linguistic interweavings, seven days is the Church Week.
According to legend, the Lord created the world in six days, and on the seventh day he rested from his labors. Having created the Earth and everything around, on the seventh day God did nothing, as he bequeathed to his creatures. So the seventh day turned into a day of “doing nothing” and in Slavic dialects it sounds like “week”. In the secular calendar, Sunday is considered a day off; in the church calendar, the same day is called Week.
It is with the Week that every Christian week begins. Those who are familiar with the English language remember that the English week also begins on Sunday (Sunday), then comes Monday, Tuesday, etc. In Catholic countries, the secular and ecclesiastical calendars are interconnected.
In Russia, the working week begins on Monday, the second day of the week. In the church calendar, Sunday is the seventh holiday day, since the countdown starts from significant events. The week also begins on the eve of Monday. As soon as the stars appear in the sky, a new Orthodox day begins.
Orthodox holidays allow us to remember and understand the relationship. So Easter Day will always fall on a Sunday called the Resurrection of Christ. 7 days before the holiday falls the “Week of the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem”, 6 days after – the Week of the Ascension of the Lord. That is, all secular Sundays should be called weeks, and only the holiday of Easter - the Resurrection of the Savior.
What kinds of weeks are there?
Believers, starting a seven-day week on Monday, fast on Wednesday and Friday of each week. These days it is forbidden to eat animal products. But on holy days the church makes exceptions. In the first week after Easter, which ends a long strict fast, the continuous Bright Week begins. The word “solid” means that people who strictly observed fasting can eat fast food all days of the week in order to restore strength both physically and spiritually. There are five continuous weeks in the church calendar; popularly, such weeks are called Omnivores; all of them are designed to support believers before or after long, strict fasts.
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 quite a pleasant surprise. It turns out that the year of an Orthodox person consists of more than just fasting. But first things first.
Posts
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 a 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 – “Gourmet”, Thursday – “Walk”, 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.
In the Orthodox world, the calendar year begins with the Nativity Fast, which continues until the Nativity of Christ. On January 7, a continuous week begins, called the Christmastide Church, and among the people simply called Christmastide.
Traditionally, multi-day fasts are intended for introspection, prayer and spiritual deeds. During fasting, there are special rules that cannot be broken. As a rule, the week is divided into Monday, Wednesday and Friday, when you can only eat food, Tuesday and Thursday, when you can eat hot food without oil, and Saturday and Sunday, when you can add vegetable oil to your dishes.
Continuous weeks serve as a consolation after many days of fasting, help to stock up on strength before the upcoming spiritual test (after all, there are several fasts), and do not allow one to imagine oneself as “eternally limiting oneself as a faster.”
What is a continuous week?
A continuous week is the week from Monday to Sunday, when even weekly fasts on Wednesday and Friday are canceled, and one is allowed to eat any food.
Such weeks are often preparatory to the 4 main Lents (Great, Petrov, Dormition and Nativity) and are tied to church holidays.
Types of weeks
During the year in the Orthodox calendar, the Church established five continuous weeks before one or another fast.
Holy Week
The end of the Nativity Fast will mark the beginning of Holy Week. Strictly speaking, it lasts not seven days, but 11. The week covers the period from the Birthday of Christ, who came into our world in the name of the salvation of mankind, until the Baptism of the Lord - from 7 to 18 January.
“Holy days” or “Holy evenings” have been revered in the Church since ancient times. These days, by Charter Pr. Savva the Sanctified was forbidden to fast, genuflect and marry.
The sanctity of the continuous week was violated by remnants of pagan holidays: for example, fortune telling.
Week of the Publican and Pharisee
The Week of the Publican and the Pharisee received its name thanks to the parable of the same name from the Gospel of Luke, which talks about the need for humility, rather than pride and exaltation of one’s virtues.
The Publican and the Pharisee are the heroes of the parable who came to repentance. The second convinced himself of his own exaltation and closeness to God so much that he stopped noticing his own pride, and the first sincerely admitted his sins and asked for forgiveness.
This Week is one of a series of preparatory weeks on the eve of Great Lent.
The Church Charter does not establish the exact date of the continuous week, because it is tied to the date of Easter. Such a week must necessarily take place 14 days before the start of fasting.
Week of the Prodigal Son
Before Great Lent there is another preparatory week - the Week of the Prodigal Son. The Gospel of Luke contains a parable that tells the story of a father and son. A son wandering around the world, having squandered everything that was in his soul and given by his father, returns home to sincerely beg for forgiveness, and receives it.
Drawing an analogy, before Great Lent it is necessary to repent of sins and return to the bosom of the church, hoping for His mercy.
Week of the Last Judgment
The last 7 days before Great Lent in Orthodoxy, the Parable of the Last Judgment is read at liturgies, and the entire week is dedicated to the memory of the departed, inveterate and not inveterate by the church. These days we should remember that God is a fair judge, and not only merciful.
Maslenitsa
Pagan Maslenitsa actually merged with the last preparatory week before Lent, the continuous Cheese Week, which is revered by the Orthodox Churches. In the Christian sense, during Cheese Week it is necessary to devote oneself to communication with neighbors and reconciliation with them.
The emergence of such a church tradition is associated with the vow of the Byzantine emperor Heraclius I, who waged a grueling war with the Persians. He made a vow not to eat meat a week before the start of Lent, and when the victory was won, the Church included such a rule in the Charter.
A distinctive feature of Cheese Week is food restrictions associated with the proximity of fasting. This week you can eat fish, dairy products, cheese and eggs, but meat dishes are no longer allowed.
Bright Week
During Easter week, Jesus met with his disciples several times until they finally believed what had happened. The Savior’s last meeting was with the Apostle Thomas, who for the longest time refused to believe in the resurrection of the Lord and wanted to see the wounds and be convinced of the miracle.
Christ gave him such a chance by personally visiting Thomas, returning the student to the true path. The example of the apostle shows that the Church does not close the door to a person who wants to believe, but does not have the inner strength to do so.
The first week after Easter is called Bright Week - a time of joy, happiness, and a great miracle.
At this time, all services will be similar to Easter.
It is strictly forbidden to observe fasting, asceticism and even genuflection. Throughout the whole week, people celebrate the Resurrection of the Lord: they rejoice and have fun. You can eat any food on all days.
Trinity Week
The last continuous week in the calendar year is Trinity, following the feast of the Holy Trinity - the Birthday of the Church. According to legend, it was on this day that the Holy Spirit descended on the apostles and gave them the knowledge of languages.
In total, according to the Bible, there were 9 such gifts, including the gift of tongues. The Holy Spirit descended on believers, giving them the opportunity to attract those who do not have faith to the Church and edify themselves and others.
During the week you will be able to eat whatever you want - the restrictions of Lent are ahead.
The end of Trinity Week is also the beginning of the summer Petrov (Apostolic) fast, which has different durations, but always ends on July 12 - the Day of Peter and Paul.
Orthodox fasts and weeks are inseparable from each other: the former provide an opportunity to accomplish a spiritual feat, purify oneself and engage in introspection, while the latter provide time to take a break from asceticism and experience the other side of life. It is important to remember that continuous weeks are not given for continuous fun, but for thoughtful fun - each of them is filled with inner meaning, open to believers.
If you don’t understand something, your faith is not strong, or you are looking for a mentor, go to church. Pray to God or talk to a minister.
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 fast days 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 eat so-called fast food: 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.
Cheese week, also known as 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 from the New Testament about how the Holy Spirit descended on the apostles in the form of tongues of fire, 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.
