Every year Orthodox Forgiveness Sunday falls on different numbers. Its date is floating, because the holiday is part of the preparatory period for Lent, which begins at different times. In 2024, this important day for believers is celebrated on March 17 - it completes the Cheese week. During it, you can have fun, eat pancakes to your fill and visit guests, and from March 18, Christians begin a 7-week feat of preparation for the meeting of the Lord's Easter.
Forgiveness Sunday
The last day of Shrovetide week is the crown of the preparatory period, which was started on February 26 by the first preparatory week.When it comes, in any Orthodox Church they perform a special service - Vespers with the rite of forgiveness. Believers try to reconcile with each other, forget insults, give up anger and irritation in order to cleanse their hearts. In this case, it will be much easier for them to fast “with a fast pleasing, pleasing to the Lord.”
Meaning of the holiday
It is very important not to perceive the church establishments of Forgiveness Sunday as something formal, a simple tribute to centuries-old folk traditions. Its true meaning is much deeper than it might seem at first glance. With the rite of forgiveness, which has an ancient origin, the memory of death is inextricably linked. The ancestor of the custom was Egyptian and Palestinian monks who lived in the 5th-6th centuries.
They perceived Great Lent as an opportunity to strengthen the deed of prayer, and not just strict abstinence in food. People strove for silence in order to focus solely on God, purifying the soul from sinful thoughts.The monks left the monasteries and went to the caves, to the desert, to spend the fast in solitude.
Such a departure in itself was dangerous - any meeting with predatory animals, poisonous snakes or dashing people could end tragically. The monks might never again meet those who prayed with them in the same monastery. With this in mind, on the eve of the exodus they began to gather for worship, and after it, saying goodbye to the brethren, they asked for forgiveness.
After some centuries, the custom spread to all believers, having lost its original meaning. Now it is organically included in the church calendar of the Russian Orthodox Church. In 2024, thousands of Orthodox believers, just like the monastics of the first centuries of the establishment of the Christian faith, will seek reconciliation on Forgiveness Sunday, wishing to follow the words of the Savior: “Judge not, lest you be judged.”
Holiday traditions
The main tradition of the last Sunday before Lent is to ask for forgiveness. It is advisable to attend a service in the church, pray, put candles, donate food to the canon to commemorate the departed.
On this day, the clergy read the Sermon on the Mount - the words of Christ give the right attitude for the coming seven weeks.
When the final day of Maslenitsa arrives, Christians for the last time on the eve of Holy Forty Days "speak" with a hearty meal. In 2024, on Forgiveness Sunday, you can also eat animal products unlimitedly, including on Wednesdays and Fridays:
- milk;
- sour cream;
- cottage cheese;
- cheese;
- cream;
- yogurt;
- kefir.
Eggs are also allowed, but meat products no longer appear on the menu of believers for the whole Shrovetide week.
There is a folk custom at the end of mass festivities to carry out the ceremony of burning a straw effigy, seeing off the outgoing winter.In ancient Rus', there was a belief that forgotten sins and sins “earned” during the Cheese Week were burned in the flame. The ashes from the fire were scattered across the field in the hope of harvesting a rich harvest.
We also tried to note what the weather was like - they predicted from it what the autumn time would bring. A bright and sunny day promised the onset of a fine and warm autumn, favorable for harvesting.
How to ask for forgiveness
A person who asks for forgiveness should not report to anyone about his sins. And even more so to talk about their unseemly deeds to someone who actually has nothing to do with them. Such details must be spoken out when proceeding to the Sacrament of Confession.
On Forgiveness Sunday, when communicating with other people, a deep awareness of guilt and sincere repentance is enough. Turning to the interlocutor, you need to bow and say: "Forgive me." You can not replace this expression with the word "sorry." Behind him lies a veiled request to “take him out of guilt”, to pretend that everything is in order, no one offended anyone, you need to forget about everything and live as if nothing had happened.
You need to find the strength yourself to forgive your offenders, even if the wound is too deep. Maybe the pain caused will not disappear immediately, but life will become much easier, because strength and energy will not be wasted on constantly experiencing a negative situation. The family begins to ask for forgiveness from the elders.
It is better to respond to a request for forgiveness traditionally: "God will forgive, and you forgive me." After that, you should kiss three times: thanks to this custom, the holiday has a second name, popular among the people - “The Kisser”. It is believed that requests for forgiveness cannot be ignored on this day. Violators of the ban can bring trouble and misfortune.
The day after Forgiveness Sunday, Orthodox Christians begin Lent.In 2024, it will run from March 18 to May 4. The culmination of the entire preparatory period will be the Bright Resurrection of Christ. Having cleansed the soul with repentance and freed the heart from resentment, it is much easier to experience deep joy from the onset of Great Easter.
