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- Important Orthodox holiday of the Circumcision of the Lord: strict prohibitions, strong prayers
Important Orthodox holiday of the Circumcision of the Lord: strict prohibitions, strong prayers
"At the end of eight days, when the child was to be circumcised, they gave him the name Jesus, the name given by the angel before his conception in the womb (Lk 2:21)." So on January 14, the Church remembers the Gospel event when, according to Jewish law, the eight-day-old baby Jesus underwent the ritual. The holiday does not belong to the number of bipedal feasts, but is still very significant. Read more about how Orthodoxy celebrates this day and what meanings it carries - in the material "Izvestia".
Circumcision of the Lord - 2025: what is the Church holiday
The Orthodox Church celebrates the Feast of the Circumcision of the Lord on the eighth day after Christmas, that is, January 14. At this time, the faithful also celebrate Holy Week - 12 festive days from Christmas to Epiphany. Therefore, the feast itself passes relatively unnoticed, although, according to Scripture, it is dedicated to one of the key events in the earthly life of Jesus.
Archpriest Arseny Totayev, rector of the Church of the Holy Life-Giving Trinity in Nikitniki, explained that the Feast of the Circumcision of the Lord literally refers to the Jewish ritual that the Son of God accepted. For the Jews, this ritual has always symbolized the fulfillment of the law of the prophet Moses and emphasized man's belonging to the people of God, the lineage of Abraham. In addition, it was on the eighth day that the child received a name.
Thus, according to the book of Genesis, once God mysteriously appeared to the righteous Abraham and promised the then childless old man that a great nation would come from him: "I will produce from you a great nation, and I will bless you" (Genesis 12:2).
The Lord appeared to Abraham again when he was 99 years old. G-d indicated that the entire male gender would now be required to perform this ritual on the eighth day from birth as a covenant between God and man. On that same day, Abraham and all his household were circumcised as the Lord had commanded them. A year later, his wife Sarah gave birth to the righteous man's long-awaited son Isaac.
Perseids meteor stream, Church of the Nativity of Christ in the village of Gololobovo, Moscow Region, Russia
Since then, the Jews as descendants of Abraham as a sign of their fidelity to the covenant with God, performed this sacrament on the eighth day, it became the first sacred act after the birth of man.
Back in the early twentieth century, Metropolitan Veniamin (Fedchenkov) expounded that the acceptance of circumcision was a necessary part of the fulfillment of God's law.
"Whoever intends to live according to the new laws must first fulfill the old ones. This will show that he is truly a 'law-abiding' person and not a willful one. The Lord came to establish the New Law, and it was necessary for Him to fulfill the Old Law. And so, from the very moment of His birth, He immediately begins to fulfill the law," writes Metropolitan Veniamin.
In a spiritual sense, such a ritual means "cutting off" sinful passions, any carnal aspirations.
Solemnity of the Circumcision of the Lord: how the ritual is connected with Baptism
According to the writings of the Church Fathers, many of the Old Testament rituals had a transformative character. They acquired their final and completed meaning in the revelation of the New Testament - in the words and actions of Jesus Christ.
In Orthodox Christians since the II century this ritual replaced the rite of Baptism, which is considered a new turn in the development of Christianity. In his Epistle to the Colossians Apostle Paul pointed to this, saying that the carnal tradition is replaced by a spiritual one.
In his Epistle to the Romans the Apostle emphasizes the new Christian meaning of Baptism as "circumcision of the heart".
Baptism in the Nikolo-Solbinsky Monastery
"For he is not that Jew who is like this outwardly, and not that circumcision which is outward, in the flesh; but he is not that Jew who is like this inwardly, and that circumcision which is in the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter: to him also the praise is not of men, but of God" (Rom. 2:28-29), - writes the apostle Paul.
In the early period of Christianity, adults were baptized until the Council of Carthage in 397, when this sacrament was reserved for infants. It is believed that during the rite a person is cleansed of sins, symbolically dying, and then reborn to a new life in Christ.
In Orthodoxy the sacrament is administered by triple immersion in the font, in Catholicism by dousing. In Protestantism, the choice of the form of the ritual varies according to the current. Interestingly, in Orthodoxy the rite can be performed by a clergyman, in extreme cases - by a layman or a mother of a seriously ill child. While Catholics today can fulfill this role and a woman, and even an unbaptized person.
Divine service and powerful prayers on the Feast of the Circumcision of the Lord
The Feast of the Circumcision of the Lord has been celebrated by Christians since the 4th century. In Russia, it was closely intertwined with other Christian celebrations.
Nowadays, the holiday falls on the old New Year, which means that in pre-revolutionary Russia it coincided with New Year's Eve. In addition, on this day the Church honors the memory of Archbishop Basil the Great - one of the most revered saints among Christians.
The holiday is celebrated modestly. Clergyman Arseny Totayev emphasizes that the main tradition for any church holiday is to attend the service in the temple and say a sincere prayer. In the evening on the eve of January 14, an all-night vigil is celebrated, in the morning there is a liturgy and a prayer service. It is customary to recite the troparion on the feast.
Christmas celebration at the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Uspenskoye
Troparion of the feast, voice 1
On the Throne of fire-transparent / seated in the Highest, with the Father, the Primordial, and Your Divine Spirit, / it pleased You to be born on earth / of the Immaculate Virgin, Your Mother, Jesus, / for this reason You were circumcised, as the Man of the Old Testament./ Glory to Thy all-good counsel,/ Glory to Thy watching,/ Glory to Thy condescension, O only lovingkindness of man.
Translation: You, Jesus, who are seated in the heavens on a throne of fire, with your eternal Father and your divine Spirit, were pleased to be born on earth of a virgin who did not know her husband, your mother; therefore you were circumcised as a man on the eighth day. Glory to Thy all-glorious will, glory to Thy providence, glory to Thy condescension, O only loving One.
After the service is over, families gather together at the common table, ask forgiveness from each other, and release all offenses. Some invite guests to share food with their relatives and neighbors and say warm words.
On this day it is also customary for people to sing "shchidrovka" - songs with wishes of happiness and health - under the windows and receive treats and sometimes even souvenir gifts. This tradition was especially widespread in the region, which in the times of the Russian Empire was called Malorossiya (today it is parts of Ukraine, Belarus and Russia). A similar ritual is called caroling, but it was held during the Holy Days to celebrate the miracle of Christ's birth.
In Bulgaria, there is another folk tradition that is particularly popular with young people. They learn songs and take specially prepared "surovachki" from a hard shrub, usually dogwood, and then go to the temple.
Orthodox holiday Circumcision of the Lord: what you can and can not do
On the holiday of the Circumcision of the Lord it is necessary to cleanse the soul from bad thoughts and fill it with kindness and love for others. You should not quarrel with relatives and friends, swear profanely and refuse to help those in need. Our ancestors believed that all bad words and deeds that were committed on this day, will definitely return twice.
An integral part of the holiday for believers is a visit to the temple and participation in the liturgy. Joint prayer service on January 14 helps to strengthen in the chosen spiritual path.
Service in the Kazan Cathedral in St. Petersburg
Among the omens and superstitions on this day say about the prohibition to throw out garbage and do cleaning, so as not to lose luck. It was also not recommended to do sewing and needlework, so as not to bring diseases.
On this day you should not organize noisy celebrations, get married, lend money and solve financial issues to avoid debts and losses. In no case one should ignore the care of livestock and household for the sake of holidays. However, hunting and slaughtering on this day can lead to trouble.
Clergymen note that superstitions contradict Christian doctrine and urge not to follow them.
Circumcision of the Lord: folk omens
Since ancient times, people have attached great importance to various omens. Household signs concerned the sphere of household and organization of life, they warned of possible dangers and protected from diseases. And since the religious holiday falls on the date of celebration of the old New Year, many omens mixed among themselves.
So, according to the omens, if the first person who crosses the threshold of the house on the morning of January 14, will be a woman - it is not a good sign, and if a young man - then good luck will soon knock on the door. The one who will prepare a lot of dishes for the festive table, expects a good year.
The dream from January 13 to 14 is considered to be prophetic, it is important to try to remember it, because it will give a clue to what awaits in the future.
In addition, weather omens allowed to predict the weather for the current year. Thus, a thaw on the feast portends a cold summer, and snowfall - warm. If it snowed in the morning, the rest of the winter will be snowy, and spring will come late.
A sunny day is a harbinger of a successful and prosperous year. In the case of cold weather, mushroom growers may not hope for a good harvest. A starry sky means in this region a full bow of berries.
Interesting facts about the holiday of the Circumcision of the Lord
The Feast of the Circumcision of the Lord has played an important role in the history of the Church. In honor of the special celebration, Izvestia prepared several interesting facts about this religious event.
- At the end of the first century, one of the first heresies called Docetism arose among Christians. Its followers believed that Jesus was not a real person, but a spirit who only seemed to be incarnate. The gospel testimony of circumcision was an important witness that He was first and foremost a man.
- The Liturgy of St. Basil the Great is served on the Circumcision of the Lord, due to the fact that this feast coincides with the memory day of the holy archbishop. In the folk calendar, the evening before the feast is called "St. Basil's" or "Generous".
- The temple where the ritual was performed is symbolically depicted as a kivory tower in the background. In addition, at the time of circumcision, the infant was given a name. It was on this day that the Son of God received the name Jesus.
