The Meeting of the Lord in 2022 will be celebrated by the Orthodox Church as usual on February 15 (Tuesday). This is not a passing date, February 15th The Meeting is celebrated annually. This is one of the big holidays, which is accompanied by solemn divine services and the consecration of water. Also, when the Meeting is celebrated, it is customary in Orthodoxy to celebrate the day of Christian youth.
What is this holiday - the Presentation of the Lord
You can hear from deeply religious people that the Lord's Presentation is a twelve-feast holiday. But not everyone understands what this phrase means. The twelveth holiday is a celebration associated with one of the 12 most significant events for Christianity.
The meeting is a celebration with history. According to ancient legends, on this day Joseph and Mary brought the baby Jesus to the Jerusalem temple. The biblical story says that the baby Jesus, according to Jewish traditions, was circumcised on the 8th day, and on the 40th after birth he was brought to the priests. No other factors affect what date the Presentation is celebrated. It is always the same date - February 15th, the 40th day after Christmas.
Traditions and rituals
The meeting is celebrated not only by the Orthodox, some Protestant denominations also recognize this celebration. The time and peculiarities of the cultural development of mankind influenced the traditions and ceremonies of the celebration. The celebration contains elements of Christianity and Slavic paganism.
Liturgy and all-night vigil are traditionally held in churches, and after the end of the service, a prayer service and blessing of water are performed. The Orthodox believe that on this day the Lord is especially disposed to the requests and entreaties of believers.
Holy Sretensky water is drunk as a remedy. The Orthodox believe that she is able to get rid of diseases and give strength. Also in the temples wax candles are consecrated. Believers bring them into the house and burn them in front of the home iconostasis. This Christian ritual brings peace and prosperity to the family, cleans the home of negative energies and evil spirits.
Pagan rituals are also held on Meeting. Young girls guess at their betrothed, do cleansing magic rituals. In magical events, church candles and water consecrated in the temple are used.
What can not be done at the Meeting of the Lord
Orthodox Christians believe that the Meeting is one of the greatest holidays. Therefore, they adhere to traditional prohibitions and try to devote this day to God and spiritual development. For believers and those who know that the holiday is celebrated on February 15, God does not impute any deeds done of necessity as a sin. But according to the legends of the holy fathers, it is impossible to work and break the traditions of the holiday.
Therefore, deeply religious people, when celebrating the Meeting, adhere to prohibitions. Here are the basic requirements for Orthodox Christians in this celebration:
- it is forbidden to be late for the service or miss it;
- you cannot do heavy physical work, clean or wash, everything should be prepared the day before;
- it is worth refraining from melancholy and sadness, not to slander and not quarrel;
- it is forbidden to come to the temple without reconciling with offenders or enemies;
- on this day, you should not sort things out, peace and harmony will help spiritual development;
- you should not go on the road, but if you cannot postpone the trip, you need to go to the temple on the way and pray;
- you cannot leave the temple without consecrated water and candles.
On this day, it is useful to go to confession and communion with the whole family in order to cleanse your soul and start from scratch your further path of spiritual development.
Many of these traditions are relevant not only on the twelve high holidays. It is also customary to arrange feasts and feasts, to visit.To pay more attention to spiritual food, it is best to prepare treats in the evening. On this day in ancient times, devout people went on pilgrimage to holy places and monasteries.
Folk omens and sayings
The meeting in Russia was celebrated even in pre-Christian times. Only in the pagan tradition this day was celebrated as the meeting of winter and spring. Therefore, the people had signs associated with the weather. The Slavs on this day determined what the spring and summer would be like according to the following signs:
- large icicles on the roofs - for a good corn harvest;
- a clear sky on the night before the celebration was considered a harbinger of high yields of fruits and berries;
- if a thaw began on that day, it foreshadowed a warm autumn;
- sunny weather that day promised success to beekeepers;
- rain on this day foreshadowed a warm summer, and snowfall promised late spring frosts;
- if a blizzard blows, there will be an early thaw in March.
In ancient times, people believed that if you sprinkle all the cattle with Sretenskaya holy water in a stable, then there will be no losses and diseases in the herd. There is one more sign associated with the meeting. On this day, the owners let a bird out to the courtyard, and if the rooster drank water from a puddle, it was considered a harbinger of a long winter.
The Meeting of the Lord in 2022 is one of the greatest holidays celebrated by the Orthodox Church. Therefore, it is important for believers who respect Christian customs to spend this day with dignity, engaging in prayers, good deeds and attending services.
