A continuous week before the Orthodox fast and its rules. Solid week what is great week
In the Russian language there are many words and expressions from the Church Slavonic language. The week is just that. Literally translated from Old Slavonic, “sedm” means “seven”. What seven are you talking about?
Week what is it?
A week is a seven-day calendar cycle or a week. And the countdown goes from Monday to Sunday.
What day does the week start on?
The Abrahamic religions consider Sunday to be the first day of the week, the day of rest on which the Creator rested after the creation of the world. In most Slavic languages, Sunday is called "week", which means "not to do", "not to work" - a day that needs to be dedicated to God, and not to one's own affairs.
The week countdown from Sunday is accepted in the USA, Canada, Japan, the United United Arab Emirates. But in most European and Asian countries and in the UK, the first day of the week has been moved to Monday. It is Monday that is the beginning of the week in business, and from this day the weeks of most calendars begin.
What is Church Week?
Church week starts on Monday. However, each church day starts from the evening of the previous day, therefore, we can assume that the church week also begins on Sunday evening. Hence the apparent confusion in the sources - when the beginning of the week is attributed to both Monday and Sunday.
This is very well explained by the example of continuous weeks. So, the first week of Great Lent begins on the Monday after Forgiveness Sunday. But fasting begins at the beginning of the church day, that is, already on Sunday evening.
In modern Russian, this word is rarely used, and is more related to church use. In church life, the week is called the days from Monday to Saturday inclusive. Despite the fact that the number is "six".
In the Church Slavonic language, the word "week" fully corresponds to the usual version of "week". But there is one caveat: our ancestors did not call all seven days, but only one of them, the word “week”? the one we now call Sunday. The seven-day countdown began with it, and on this day it was appropriate to rest. The word “week” comes from “not to do”, that is, to rest. The whole cycle of seven days was called a week. In addition to the usual weeks in the Orthodox calendar, there are special ones. Let's talk about them.
First of all, we learn about what a continuous week is. What is a week, we found out, but what is the meaning of the word "solid"? To understand this, let's make a small digression, referring to the church charter. The fact is that during the week (week) he prescribes the observance of two one-day fasts.
The first one? on Wednesday. This is the day when Judas Iscariot appeared to the high priests and offered them to betray Jesus Christ for a reward. In memory of this sad day, Orthodox people fast every Wednesday.
The second one-day fast is prescribed on Friday. It was installed in memory of greatest event? On this day, Jesus Christ was crucified. This is how all Orthodox people fast two days a week throughout the year. The week in this case is normal.
Five solid weeks
There are weeks in which it is allowed to eat meat for all seven days in a row. This is what is called "solid week". What is Christmas time, probably everyone knows. This is the time from the Nativity of Christ to the Baptism of the Lord. It is during this period that the first continuous week of the year is included. There are five in total. Two weeks before the beginning of Great Lent, a continuous week was established, which is called the week of the publican and the Pharisee. Just before the start of Lent? cheese seven days. They are popularly called Shrovetide. This is also a continuous week, but on these days meat is excluded from the diet.
After the joyful spring holiday of Easter comes another one? Easter or Bright Week. Having completed the long weeks of fasting, the church gives us the opportunity to replenish our strength. And finally, the last continuous week of the year? Troitskaya. It follows immediately after the feast of the Trinity. And this is no coincidence. It is precisely in order to highlight the day on which God first revealed his trinity at the baptism of Jesus Christ in the Jordan, and a continuous week was established.
What is Holy Week?
The forty days of Great Lent, established in memory of the time our Lord spent in the wilderness, are coming to an end. There is a week left until the bright Sunday of Christ. These are the last 7 days of the earthly life of the Savior. Are the events that filled it so important and dramatic that the whole week is called that? Great Week. It is also called Passionate, that is, filled with suffering. This refers to the expiatory torments endured by the Savior during these days.
Days of Great Week
The names of the six days of this week begin with the word "great". On Maundy Monday, the church commemorates the miracle of the withering of the barren fig tree. By this, she gives an example of faith and the power of prayer, as well as the doom of everything and everyone who does not bear the fruits of Christ's teachings. On Maundy Tuesday, Christ, having come to the temple, teaches a lot, instructs the audience. The chief priests and elders want to seize Him, but they do not dare. On Great Wednesday, a libation by a certain woman on the head of Christ of the precious world is recalled, as well as the conspiracy of Judas with the high priests.
Maundy Thursday is full of events worth remembering. This is the Last Supper, and Christ washing the feet of his disciples, and the dramatic events in the Garden of Gethsemane, and everything that followed them. Good Friday? the day of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, His great atoning sacrifice. Next after him Great Saturday? the day when the Savior brought all the Old Testament righteous from the depths of hell, destroying it and opening the way to eternal life for all people.
In this article, we examined what a solid week is, what Holy Week is, what meaning the church puts into them. These are very important concepts, without which it is impossible to carry out a full-fledged fulfillment of the annual circle of services.
Fast- days of abstinence, including fast food. The lenten menu completely excludes the following products: meat, milk and any dairy products, eggs and dishes that include them in their composition. Let us not forget that while fasting bodily, at the same time we need to fast spiritually. In bodily fasting, in the foreground is abstinence from plentiful, tasty and sweet food; in spiritual fasting - refraining from the pleasure of our vices, forsaking sins and transgressions, and exercising 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, condemn everyone, have fun, think about satisfying lustful thoughts, etc. - does not count as a post. “Incorporeal 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 your flesh and cleanse yourself from sins. Without prayer and repentance, fasting becomes just a diet. The main thing in fasting is not only fasting food, but the fight against passions. It is necessary not to eat the animal, and to lead more right life, of course, attending church more often. True fasting is associated with prayer, repentance, abstinence from passions and vices, eradication of evil deeds, forgiveness of insults, abstinence from married life, with the exclusion of entertainment and entertainment events, watching TV. Also, weddings (including getting married) cannot be played in posts.
Solid week - a week without a post. Solid weeks (week - days from Monday to Sunday) mean the absence of fasting on Wednesday and Friday.
Fast days and solid weeks in Orthodoxy for 2017:
Every Wednesday and Friday(excluding continuous weeks). The fast kept 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 very suffering and death. 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 18th. Post 1 day! Epiphany Christmas Eve (Evening of the Baptism of the Lord) - the evening before when John the Baptist (Forerunner) baptized Jesus Christ. On this day, as on Christmas Eve, they do not eat food until the candle is taken out after the Liturgy in the morning (approximately 11 am) and the first communion of Epiphany water. On Christmas Eve, after the liturgy, a great consecration of water is performed in churches. The consecration of water is called great because of the special solemnity of the ceremony. This water is called Agiasma, or simply Epiphany water. The consecration of water takes place twice - both on Epiphany Christmas Eve and directly on the feast of the Epiphany. Consecration on both days takes place in the same order, so the water consecrated on these days is no different. There is a pious tradition to sprinkle one's dwelling with Epiphany water on this day while singing the troparion of the Epiphany.
February 6 - February 12. Solid week! Publican and Pharisee. ( the destruction of pride and pharisaical conceit in oneself - the worst of passions, as well as an increase in the prayer of the publican "God, be merciful to me, a sinner!"
This is the first preparation week to Great Lent. This week is also called "foreshadowing" - preparations begin for great battle with their own passions and sins, which every fasting person faces.
February 20 - February 26 Solid week!(Cheese) Shrovetide (Cheese) week. The week is the week that completes the preparatory period for Lent. This is a crucial time for every Orthodox, because these seven days are preparing for the most significant post of the year. Cheesy Week is no longer allowed to eat meat, but it is allowed to eat dairy (cheese, butter) food and eggs. You can’t be led by your own temptations: overeat, arrange festivities and gluttony. One should refrain from participating in all kinds of pagan traditions and customs. Orthodox Christians on Cheesefare Week ask each other for forgiveness. On Wednesday, the Lenten Prayer of Ephraim the Syrian is read in the temple. If you have not had to read this prayer, study it, because this prayer will be the main one for you during Great Lent. The meaning of Cheese Week is reconciliation with neighbors, forgiveness of offenses, preparation for the Great post-time, which must be devoted to good communication with neighbors, relatives, friends, and doing good.
February 27 – April 15, 2017 POST! great post(changes every year in the start and end date) - the most important of the multi-day fasts. Holy Forty Day (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 Great Lent are the days of repentance.
April 8 - Lazarus Saturday(Jesus resurrected Lazarus)
April 9 - Palm Sunday (Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem)
April 10 - April 16- Holy Week. Week before Easter
With dawn (after the Liturgy) April 16 - Easter. Whoever neglects the Fortecost... he does not celebrate the feast of Pascha ”(Easter message of St. Athanasius the Great
April 17 - April 23 A 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 the Orthodox paint eggs and give them to each other. There is no fasting during Bright Week. It is also forbidden to arbitrarily impose a post on oneself.
Throughout Bright Week, a special bread called artos stands near the open Royal Doors. On Saturday, after the liturgy, the artos is solemnly blessed. After the pieces are distributed to believers. Prayers, having received part of the artos, keep it throughout the year.
This entire period (40 days after Easter) is considered the Easter period, and the Orthodox greet each other with the greeting “Christ is Risen! ”and the answer “Truly Risen!”
June 5 - June 11 A continuous week! Trinity week - this, the week after the celebration of the Holy Trinity. The first day of the continuous week follows immediately after the 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 Monday is officially a labor day, and here the believer must decide for himself whether he can violate the church ban.
June 12, 2017 – July 11, 2017. POST! Petrov fast (fast of Pentecost). —
the descent of the holy spirit upon 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 in fasting and prayer for the worldwide preaching of the Gospel. The Day of Pentecost, when on the fiftieth day after His departure from the tomb and on the tenth day after His Ascension, the Lord, seated at the right hand (on the 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! Assumption post- installed before the great holidays Transfiguration of the Lord(Jesus Christ showed himself as 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 into eternal life with an unlimited ability to help people) August 28.
On Monday, Wednesday and Friday of the Dormition Fast, the charter of the Church prescribes to eat dry food, that is, to observe the most strict 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 Savior (honey is consecrated, 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 consecrated - Apple Spas. From that day on, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, the fruits of the new crop were included in the diet.
11 September. Post 1 day! The beheading of John the Baptist (the Baptist). On this day John the Baptist was executed. He suffered for the faith - after death he became a powerful intercessor and saint.
September 27. Post 1 day. Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord. On this day in the year 300, the Byzantine emperor Constantine with his mother Helen Equal to the Apostles.
November 28 -January 06 Fasting 40 days!– Christmas post. Since the conspiracy for fasting falls on the day of remembrance of St. Apostle Philip, then this post is also called Philippov.
The fast of the Nativity of Forty Days depicts the fast of Moses, who, having fasted for forty days and forty nights, received the inscription of the words of God on stone tablets. And we, fasting for forty days, contemplate and accept the living Word from the Virgin, inscribed not on stones, but incarnated and born, and partake of His Divine flesh. The Advent fast was established so that by the day of the Nativity of Christ we cleansed ourselves by repentance, prayer and fasting, so that with a pure heart, soul and body we could reverently meet the Son of God who appeared in the world and, in addition to the usual gifts and sacrifices, offer Him our pure heart and a desire to follow His teachings.
Novices who have recently begun attending church and observing fasts do not always know what a continuous week is in the Orthodox calendar. For such people, this information can be quite a pleasant surprise. It turns out that the year of an Orthodox person does not consist of only posts. But first things first.
Posts
To better understand what a continuous week is, it is important to understand how the Orthodox calendar works. In total, there are 4 fasts of many days in Orthodoxy: Christmas, Petrovsky, Assumption and Great Orthodox Lent. Advent fast always lasts from November 28 to January 6. Great Lent always has a duration of 48 days, but its boundaries shift depending on the day of the celebration of Easter.
Orthodox also fast on Wednesday and Friday every week. Before communion, it is also recommended to observe 3 days of fasting. But there are exceptions to the rules. For example, relief in fasting for sick, pregnant and nursing mothers, traveling.
Solid weeks
One of these exceptions is just continuous weeks. What is a solid 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 in a continuous week, he is allowed not to fast before taking communion. In calendars, solid weeks are either indicated by a special color, or are distinguished by the fact that there are no characters for fasting on all days, and date cells usually remain white. Such weeks mark great holidays or prepare for long fasts.
There are five such weeks in a year. When are the Orthodox Solid Weeks expected in 2018?
Christmas time
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 the Baptism of the Lord. Calling it a continuous week is not quite right - after all, Christmas time lasts for 11 days! Svyatki 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 went sledding and played snowballs. No work was carried out, except for the most daily and necessary, and the youth could celebrate. So you can even consider traditional Christmas time as an analogue of modern winter holidays. Caroling was widespread - when children, and sometimes young people, went from house to house and sang church hymns. It was customary to guess at Christmas time. This period was associated with mysticism and, oddly enough, dark forces. Apparently, the belief that from Christmas to Baptism was the time “without a cross”, when the Infant had not yet been baptized, despite the fact that the Savior was baptized already an adult, at the age of 30, influenced. But the Church did not approve of divination and passion for mysticism. What is a solid week? After all, this is not a pagan custom at all, but a decree of the Church, and therefore it is worth conducting it within the framework of Orthodox traditions.
Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee
It is called so because in the temples the triodion “about the publican and the Pharisee” is read. This is a preparatory week before Great Lent, and it sets believers to look into themselves and evaluate whether we exalt our achievements before God too much, whether we compare ourselves with others, whether our heart is open, whether we are full of repentance. The parable of the publican and the Pharisee tells of two people who came to the Temple. One of them was a righteous Pharisee who observed all the rites, the other was a publican, that is, a tax collector, who were often mercenary and dishonest people. And the Pharisee listed all his virtues and, finally, thanked God for not being like this publican. 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 us not to exalt ourselves above 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 12 to 18 February. Despite the permission to consume dairy products and eggs daily, meat is prohibited this week. Otherwise, it is called Myasopustnaya. Maslenitsa precedes the beginning of Lent. Maslenitsa, like Christmas time, is rich in traditions.
Traditional winter fun was combined with specific Maslenitsa. For example, fisticuffs were organized, everyone 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 - "Meeting of Shrovetide", Tuesday - "Fun", Wednesday - "Gourmet", Thursday - "Razgulyay", Friday - "Teschiny Vecherni", Saturday - "Zolovkin's Gatherings". This determined how the days were spent and which of the relatives it was customary to visit. On Sunday, called “Forgiven,” it was customary to ask each other for forgiveness before the start of the fast. Also on this day, a straw effigy was burned, which symbolized winter. This is a colorful event with round dances, songs, dances.
Easter week
In 2018, Easter will come on April 8, and the Bright Week following it, 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 each year. Its celebration also determines the dates of the preceding Great Lent and the two continuous weeks described above. What is Easter for the Orthodox? Holiday of Holidays! It is hard to imagine what joy and what depth the message of the Resurrection contains. Christ the conqueror, as it were, shows us that death no longer exists. All those who have lost their loved ones believe in their resurrection in the distant future, all those who themselves will soon have to leave this world look forward more boldly. The atonement for human sins has been made. Behind is everything heavy and painful - both the sufferings of Christ, and the strict restrictions that the Orthodox carried through the entire fast, remembering His sacrifice. Therefore, Easter week is always bright and joyful. In temples every day is performed Procession bells are ringing merrily. For several days, for breakfast, people eat food consecrated on Holy Saturday - 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 Christmas time - it has preserved many pagan rituals associated with fortune telling, mermaids, 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. This continuous week is even called the “green week”, because not only temples, but also houses are decorated with birch branches and grass, and girls put on wreaths. The day following Trinity is called Spirit Day and is dedicated to the Holy Spirit. After this week, Petrov fast begins.
We figured out what a continuous week means. This is a week completely devoid of fasting days. So, now it became quite 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 to life not only a varied diet, but also a cheerful atmosphere of the festival.
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, to a third of the year. In addition to this, many clergymen, who are not satisfied with the softness of the church-wide canonical rules governing the ascetic practice of believers, introduce additional days of fasting, especially before (and sometimes after!) Communion, thereby imposing “unbearable burdens” on people, against which he himself opposed Jesus is a disgraced Jewish preacher and founder of the Christian church. Still alive, however, is another, brighter tradition, coming from the depths of centuries, when Christians were able 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 mindset of the first followers of Jesus in the ascetic tradition is a continuous week. What it is, a deeper definition of fasting will help to understand. So, fasting in Orthodoxy is a time meant 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. With 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: Christmas, Petrovsky, Assumption and Great Orthodox fast. In addition to them, there are a lot of 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 - in the old Church Slavonic terminology) of the year. There are, however, also exceptions. In some weeks, the fast from Wednesday and Friday is removed due to certain circumstances. We know them as the days of continuous weeks. What does this mean in a practical sense? Firstly, at this time it is allowed to consume the so-called fast food: meat, milk, and everything else that is usually considered non-lean. Secondly, and most importantly, in these weeks you can take communion without prior fasting, at least that's how it is supposed to be according to the fixed written norm of the liturgical charter.
There are only five continuous weeks in a year:
Holy Week or Christmas.
Week of the Publican and the Pharisee.
Cheese Week, or Shrovetide.
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.
Svyatki, 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 one. Thus, the holy days immediately follow the Nativity fast until Epiphany Eve.
Week of the Publican and the Pharisee
Before Great Lent, several so-called preparatory weeks follow. Of these, the Week of the Publican and the Pharisee is continuous. Since the dates of Easter and the period of fasting 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 given two weeks before Lent.
Maslenitsa
The famous Maslenitsa is a relic of the pagan holiday of the meeting of spring. Today it has actually merged with cheese week. So (or otherwise - meat-empty) is another preparatory continuous week. What is this time? In general, these are the last seven days before the forty-eight-day fasting period leading up to 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 products.
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, the last continuous week in the church calendar follows. 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 a purely Christian meaning is based on a story from the New Testament about how the Holy Spirit, in the form of flames, descended on the apostles, giving them knowledge of other languages and other supernatural gifts. This event is considered the birthday of the Church, therefore, in honor of the day of the Holy Trinity, the week following it is devoid of fasting days. But after its end, the long Petrovsky fast begins, and therefore this week is also preparatory to the period of abstinence, which ends every year on the same day - July 12, on the day of memory of the apostles Peter and Paul.
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