Great Feasts of the Orthodox Church

Easter/Pascha

The feast of the Resurrection of Jesus, called Easter or Pascha, is the greatest of the feasts of the Eastern Orthodox Church. In addition, there are other days of great importance in the life of the Church - the Twelve Great Feasts. According to the New Testament, especially the Gospels, Jesus, also called Christ, had the power to lay his life down and to take it up again, being both human and God as well as the Promised Messiah. ... Easter is considered the most important religious holiday of the Christian liturgical year, observed in March, April, or May to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus from the dead after his death by crucifixion (see Good Friday), which Christians believe happened at about this time of year around AD 30-33. ... The Vladimir Icon, one of the most venerated of Orthodox Christian icons of Mary. ...

The Twelve Great Feasts

Eight greats feasts in honor of Jesus Christ, and four great feasts honoring the Virgin Mary - the Theotokos - comprise The Twelve Great Feasts. Jesus (Greek: Ἰησοῦς Iēsoûs), also known as Jesus of Nazareth or Jesus Christ, is Christianitys central figure, both as Messiah and, for most Christians, as God incarnate. ... Blessed Virgin Mary A traditional Catholic picture sometimes displayed in homes. ... Theotokos of Kazan Theotokos of St Theodore Mother of God (ΜΡ ΘΥ), mosaic icon, Hagia Sophia Theotokos is a Greek word that means Mother of God. It is a title assigned by the early Christian Church to Mary, the mother of Jesus, at the Third Ecumenical Council held at Ephesus in 431. ...

1. September 8, the Nativity of the Theotokos
2. September 14, the Elevation of the Holy Cross
3. November 21, the Presentation of the Theotokos
4. December 25, the Nativity of Christ -- Christmas
5. January 6, the Baptism of Christ -- Epiphany or Theophany
6. February 2, the Presentation of Christ
7. March 25, the Annunciation
8. The Sunday before Easter/Pascha -- Palm Sunday
9. Forty Days after Easter/Pascha -- the Ascension of Christ
10. Fifty Days after Easter/Pascha -- Pentecost
11. August 6, the Transfiguration
12. August 15, the Dormition (Falling Asleep) of the Theotokos

September 8 is the 251st day of the year (252nd in leap years). ... September 14 is the 257th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (258th in leap years). ... November 21 is the 325th day of the year (326th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... December 25 is the 359th day of the year (360th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 6 days remaining. ... The Nativity refers to the birth of Jesus. ... Christmas (literally, the Mass of Christ) is a holiday in the Christian calendar, usually observed on December 25, which celebrates the birth of Jesus. ... January 6 is the 6th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... This article is about the Christian feast. ... John the Baptist baptizes Jesus in The Baptism of Christ by Leonardo da Vinci. ... February 2 is the 33rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... March 25 is the 84th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (85th in leap years). ... The Annunciation, by El Greco (1575) March 25, which is nine months before the feast of the Nativity of Jesus, or Christmas, is the traditional date for the commemoration of the Annunciation of the Theotokos and Mary, the mother of Jesus. ... Palm Sunday is a moveable feast in the church calendar observed by Catholic, Orthodox, and some Protestant Christians. ... Icon of the Ascension The Ascension is one of the great feasts in the Christian liturgical calendar, and commemorates the bodily Ascension of Jesus into Heaven forty days after his resurrection from the dead. ... The name of the Jewish holiday Shavuot is commonly translated as Pentecost. Pentecost is the Christian festival that commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles, fifty days after the Resurrection of Jesus at Easter, and ten days after the Ascension. ... August 6 is the 218th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (219th in leap years), with 147 days remaining. ... The upper part of The Transfiguration (1520) by Raphael, depicting Christ miraculously discoursing with Moses and Elijah The word Transfiguration means a changing of appearance or form. ... August 15 is the 227th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (228th in leap years), with 138 days remaining. ... According to Catholic theology and the traditions of the Roman Catholic Church and Eastern and Oriental Orthodox churches, the body of Mary, the mother of Jesus, venerated by these denominations as the Blessed Virgin Mary or Theotokos, respectively, was taken into Heaven along with her soul after her death. ...

Short explanations of the feasts

Nativity of the Theotokos

Mary was born to elderly and previously barren parents by the names of Joachim and Anna (now saints), in answer to their prayers. Orthodox Christians do not hold to the Roman Catholic doctrine of the Immaculate Conception of Mary, in which it is supposed that Mary was preserved from the ancestral sin that befalls us all as descendants of Adam and Eve, in anticipation of her giving birth to the sinless Christ. The Orthodox believe that Mary indeed received the ancestral sin, having been conceived in the normal way of humanity, and thus needed salvation like all mankind. The Catholic Doctrine of the Immaculate Conception also recognizes that Mary was in need of salvation, viewing her as prevented from falling into the filth of sin, instead of being pulled up out of it. Orthodox thought does vary on whether Mary actually ever sinned, though there is general agreement that she was cleansed from sin at the Annunciation. The Immaculate Conception is a Roman Catholic doctrine which asserts that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was preserved by God from the stain of original sin at the time of her own conception. ... The Immaculate Conception is a Roman Catholic doctrine which asserts that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was preserved by God from the stain of original sin at the time of her own conception. ... The Annunciation, by El Greco (1575) March 25, which is nine months before the feast of the Nativity of Jesus, or Christmas, is the traditional date for the commemoration of the Annunciation of the Theotokos and Mary, the mother of Jesus. ...

Elevation of the Holy Cross

The Elevation of the Holy Cross commemorates the recovery of the cross on which Jesus Christ was crucified. The Persians had captured it as a prize of war in Jerusalem, and it was recovered by the forces of the Eastern Roman Empire ("Byzantine Empire"). The cross was joyously held up for veneration by the Christian faithful upon its recovery.

Presentation of the Theotokos

According to Tradition, Mary was taken -- presented -- to the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem as a young girl, where she lived and served until her betrothal to Joseph. The feast of the Presentation of Mary is not based on a Biblical event, but rather an incident mentioned in the Infancy Narrative of James. ... The Temple in Jerusalem or the Holy Temple (Beit HaMikdash בית המקדש in Hebrew) was built in ancient Jerusalem and was the center of Israelite and Jewish worship, primarily for the offering of sacrifices known as the korbanot. ... Saint Joseph, also referred to as Joseph the Betrothed and as Joseph of Nazareth, was the father (according to the law) of Jesus of Nazareth (Matthew 1:16; Luke 3:23) and the husband of Mary. ...

Baptism of Christ

This observance commemorates Christ's baptism by John the Baptist in the River Jordan, and the beginning of Christ's earthly ministry. It is known by the Orthodox as both Epiphany and Theophany. These are bundled, along with Christmas, differently in some eastern Christian traditions. The Baptism of Christ, by Piero della Francesca, 1449 John the Baptist (also called John the Baptizer) is regarded as a prophet by at least three religions: Christianity, Islam, and Mandaeanism. ... Eastern Christianity refers collectively to the Christian traditions which developed in Greece, the Near East, and Eastern Europe over several centuries of religious antiquity. ...

Presentation of Christ

In the Gospel of Luke 2:22-35, Mary and Joseph took the baby Jesus to the Temple in Jerusalem. He was received in the arms of the elder Simeon, who then prayed, "Now let Thy servant depart (die) in peace,...for I have seen Thy salvation." This was one of the things that Mary "pondered in her heart" -- the fact that others recognized that her Son was the Messiah. The Gospel of Luke is the third of the four canonical Gospels of the New Testament, which tell the story of Jesus life, death, and resurrection. ... The Presentation of Jesus at the Temple The Presentation of Jesus at the Temple was an early episode of the life of Jesus. ... In Judaism, the Messiah (מָשִׁיחַ anointed one, Standard Hebrew , Tiberian Hebrew ) initially meant any person who was anointed by God. ...

Annunciation

According to the Gospel of Luke 1:26-38, the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary to announce to her that she would conceive and bear a son, even though she "knew no man." This date is selected to be exactly nine months ahead of Christmas, indicating that Christ was conceived at that time "by the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary", as stated in the Nicene Creed. The Gospel of Luke is the third of the four canonical Gospels of the New Testament, which tell the story of Jesus life, death, and resurrection. ... Gabriel delivering the Annunciation. ... The Nicene Creed, or the Icon/Symbol of the Faith, is a Christian statement of faith accepted by the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, and most Protestant churches. ...

Nativity of Christ

December 25, the Nativity of Christ -- Christmas

Palm Sunday

A mere few days before His brutal crucifixion, Jesus was received by adoring throngs at his entry into Jerusalem on the back of young donkey. The crowds threw palm branches in his path in jubilation, and even the children shouted praises to Him. The Orthodox celebrate this day with joy, but with the realization that very sad events are soon to come. Among the Russian Orthodox, pussy willow branches are substituted in the celebration of this event, owing to the lack of availability of palm trees in Slavic climes. Crucifixion is an ancient method of execution, in which the victim was tied or nailed to a large wooden cross (Latin: crux) and left to hang there until dead. ...

Ascension

Forty days after the Resurrection, while blessing His disciples (Gospel of Luke 24:50-51), Christ ascended into heaven, taking His place at the right hand of the Father (Gospel of Mark 16:19 and Nicene Creed). The Gospel of Luke is the third of the four canonical Gospels of the New Testament, which tell the story of Jesus life, death, and resurrection. ... The Gospel of Mark is traditionally the second of the New Testament Gospels. ...

Pentecost

Fifty days after the Resurrection, on the exising Jewish feast of Pentecost, while the disciples and many other followers of Jesus were gathered together to pray, the Holy Spirit descended upon them in the form of "cloven tongues of fire", with the sound of a might rushing wind, and they began to speak in languages that they did not know. There were many visitors from the Jewish diaspora to Jerusalem at that time for the Jewish observance of the feast, and they were astonished to hear these untaught fisherman speaking praises to God in their alien tongues. The Acts of the Apostles, chapter 2. The Acts of the Apostles, (Greek Praxeis Apostolon) is a book of the Bible, which now stands fifth in the New Testament. ...

Transfiguration

Jesus had gone with his disciples Peter, James, and John to Mount Tabor. Christ's appearance was changed while they watched into a glorious radiant figure. There appeared Elijah and Moses, speaking with Jesus. The disciples were amazed and terribly afraid. This event shows forth the divinity of Christ, so that the disciples would understand after his Ascension that He was truly the radiant splendor of the Father, and that his Passion was voluntary. Gospel of Mark 9:2-9 Mount Tabor may refer to a number of places: Mount Tabor is a hill in the Holy Land near Nazareth. ... Elijah (אֱלִיָּהוּ Whose/my God is the Lord, Standard Hebrew Eliyyáhu, Tiberian Hebrew ʾĔliyyāhû), also Elias (NT Greek Ἠλίας), is a prophet of the Hebrew Bible or Old Testament. ... Moses or Móshe (מֹשֶׁה, Standard Hebrew Móše, Tiberian Hebrew Mōšeh, Arabic موسى Musa), son of Amram and his wife, Jochebed, a Levite. ...

Dormition

The Orthodox feast of the Dormition is analogous to what Roman Catholicism calls the Assumption of Mary. According to Orthodox Tradition, Mary died like all humanity, "falling asleep", so to speak, as the name of the feast indicates. (Catholic theologians are divided on the issue of whether Mary died. Today most would favor an actual death before the Assumption.) The Apostles were miraculously summoned to this event, and all were present except Thomas when Mary passed from this life. She was buried. Thomas arrived a few days later, and desiring to see her one more time, convinced the others to open her tomb, and behold! her body was not there. This event is seen as a firstfruits of the resurrection of the faithful that will occur at the Second Coming of Christ. The event is normally called the "Dormition", though there are many Orthodox Churches with the name "Assumption". In Greek, "Dormition" is "Kimisis" -- falling asleep in death -- from which the word "cemetery" derives. The Dormition of the Theotokos is the Eastern Orthodox commemoration of the death of Mary, the mother of Jesus. ... The Dormition of the Theotokos is the Eastern Orthodox commemoration of the death of Mary, the mother of Jesus. ... The Assumption has been a subject of Christian art for centuries According to Roman Catholic and Orthodox theology and the traditions of the Roman Catholic Church, the body and soul of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Mary, the mother of Jesus) was taken into Heaven after the end of her earthly... The prophecies of a Second Coming are various and span across many religions and cultures. ... Graves at Green-Wood Cemetery, Brooklyn, New York A cemetery or graveyard is a place (usually an enclosed area of land) in which dead bodies are buried. ...