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MOST IMPORTANT FEASTS - HOLY DAYS

The Easter (Pascha)–festival of festivals, the feast of feasts, celebrated on the first Sunday after the spring full moon, and is observed as a Feast for a whole week, whilst the Paschal hymns are sung in the Church up to the Ascension day.

After the Easter (Pascha) Festival are particularly honoured the following twelve Feasts, namely in honour of:

  1. The Lord's Ascension — Celebrated on the 40th day after Easter Sunday.
  2. The Pentecost — The coming down of the Holy Ghost upon the Apostles, on the 50th day after Easter.
  3. The Transfiguration of the Lord — Observed on the 6th of August.
  4. The Assumption of the Mother of God — Commemorated on the 15th of August [also called the Dormition of the Theotokos].
  5. The Nativity of the Mother of God — Celebrated on the 8th of September.
  6. The Elevation of the Venerated and Vivifying Cross of the Lord — Observed on the 14th of September [also called the Exaltation of the Cross].
  7. Her Introduction into the Temple — Commemorated on the 21st of November [also called the Presentation (or Entry) of the Theotokos into the Temple].
  8. The Nativity of Christ — Celebrated on the 25th of December. This, after Easter, is the most joyful Festival. After the solemn Divine Services, the ringing of church bells continues for the whole day.
  9. The Lord's Baptism or Epiphany (Theophany) — The Manifestation of the Most Holy Trinity, on the 6th of January.
  10. The Reception of the Lord in the Temple by Simeon and Anna (Purification) — Observed on the 2nd of February [also called the Presentation (Meeting) of the Lord in the Temple].
  11. The Annunciation to the Mother of God — Celebrated on the 25th of March.
  12. The Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem — Also known as Palm Sunday, observed on the last Sunday before Easter.

 

The above text was excerpted from The Most Useful Knowledge for the Orthodox Russian-American Young People, compiled by V. Rev. Peter G. Kohanik (Passaic, NJ: n.p., 1932–1934), using only minimal adjustments to the original text (such as correcting typographical errors and adding clarification in brackets of alternate transliterated spellings).