What not to do on St. Basil's Day on January 14: important church prohibitions
St. Basil's Day, which is celebrated on January 1 in the old style, or January 14 in the new, occupies a special place in the Orthodox calendar. This date is associated with two significant church events at once — the feast of the Circumcision of the Lord and the memorial day of St. Basil the Great. In the folk tradition, the day coincided with the old New Year, which is why many signs, customs and prohibitions have formed around it, which do not always coincide with the Christian meaning of the holiday. What really cannot be done on January 14 from the point of view of the church and how to properly spend this day is in the material of Izvestia.
Who is Basil the Great and why is he revered in the church
St. Basil the Great is one of the key figures in the history of Christianity. He was born around 330 in Caesarea of Cappadocia (the territory of modern Turkey) into a noble and deeply religious family. His parents and several relatives were later also glorified as saints.
Basil received a brilliant education at that time: he studied in Caesarea, Constantinople and Athens, where he studied philosophy, rhetoric, mathematics and medicine. Among his friends was the future Saint Gregory the Theologian. Despite the opportunity to make a successful secular career, Basil deliberately abandoned it and chose the path of service to the church.
St. Basil the Great was known as an outstanding theologian and defender of Orthodox teaching in an era of fierce disputes with Arianism, a trend that denied the divine nature of Jesus Christ. His writings played a key role in shaping the dogma of the Holy Trinity. Many of the formulations used in the Orthodox faith today go back to his works.
In addition, Basil the Great is considered the founder of cenobitic monasticism. He developed a strict but humanistic monastic rule, which formed the basis of monastic life in the East and greatly influenced Christian asceticism in general. For him, monasticism was not an escape from the world, but a school of responsibility, work and service to others.
Social service occupies a special place in his legacy. Under his rule, a whole complex of charitable institutions was created in Caesarea — shelters, hospitals, homes for beggars and wanderers. Contemporaries called this complex the Basiliade — in fact, one of the first prototypes of the social system of assistance to those in need.
St. Basil's Day in the church tradition is primarily a day of prayer, reflection and spiritual summing up. The coincidence of the date with the national old New Year is a historical consequence of the calendar reform. However, for the church it is an independent spiritual day with its own theological content.
The main prohibition: fortune-telling and conspiracies
The strictest and most fundamental prohibition of St. Basil's Day concerns any form of divination and magical practices. In popular culture, it was the period from Christmas to Epiphany that was considered the "time of slightly open borders," which gave rise to traditions of fortune-telling, money, marriage and harvest. From the point of view of Orthodoxy, such actions are unacceptable.
Fortune—telling, conspiracies, "money rituals," and attempts to "attract good luck" through symbolic actions are not harmless folklore, but a form of superstition that contradicts Christian trust in God. In such practices, a person tries to gain control over the future, bypassing prayer, work and personal responsibility. That is why the church consistently calls divination spiritually dangerous and incompatible with faith.
It is especially important to remember that covering up magic with the words "this is what our ancestors did" does not change its essence. Tradition in itself is not an excuse if it contradicts the foundations of the Christian worldview.
Prohibition of quarrels, aggression and the destruction of peace in the family
In the church's logic, behavioral prohibitions are more important than everyday ones. On St. Basil's Day, conscious quarrels, showdowns, rudeness, insults and attempts to vent accumulated irritation under the guise of a holiday are unacceptable. The day associated with the name of Basil the Great presupposes inner concentration and respect for one's neighbor.
It is particularly emphasized that it is unacceptable to reconcile formally and then return to previous conflicts. The meaning of the holiday is not in emotional relaxation, but in an attempt to really change the attitude towards the people with whom a person lives and works. From the point of view of the church, any form of malice and deliberate humiliation of one's neighbor on such a day is considered a spiritual mistake, regardless of the reason.
The inadmissibility of excesses on the day of the celebration
St. Basil's Day falls on the Yuletide period, when there are no strict lenten restrictions. However, the absence of fasting does not mean that immoderation is permissible. Overeating, excessive alcohol consumption, noisy feasts to the point of loss of control — all this contradicts the spirit of the church holiday.
The Orthodox tradition has always emphasized the difference between joy and intemperance. Joy presupposes gratitude and moderation, whereas excess destroys both the person and the very meaning of the holiday. That is why the church talks not so much about specific dishes or drinks, but rather about the inner state — the ability to stop and not turn a holiday into self-destruction.
Popular prohibitions and the Church's view of them
There is a whole set of household prohibitions around January 14: you can't clean the house, take out the trash, lend money, count money. The Church does not form a mandatory list of such restrictions and does not consider them dogmatically significant.
Such prohibitions belong to the sphere of popular beliefs and have no direct theological basis. From a Christian point of view, it is much more important not whether the floor is washed, but whether a person has found time for prayer, worship, or at least inner reflection on the holiday. Household chores are acceptable, as long as they do not displace the spiritual side of the day and do not turn it into an ordinary fuss.
How to spend St. Basil's Day correctly from the point of view of the church
The church tradition offers a simple guideline: the day should be spent calmly and consciously. If possible, it is recommended to attend a divine service dedicated to the Circumcision of the Lord and the memory of St. Basil the Great, or at least take time to pray at home.
It is important to give up fortune-telling, magical expectations and superstitions, not to look for the "key to luck" in the date and not to turn the holiday into a test of signs. St. Basil's Day is not an attempt to look into the future, but an occasion to reflect on the past and adjust internal guidelines.
A family celebration of the old New Year is acceptable if it is not accompanied by excesses, conflicts and superstitions. Charity is especially appreciated — helping those in need, attention to loved ones, reconciliation and willingness to start the year with internal discipline and responsibility.
This approach, according to the teaching of the church, corresponds to the spirit of St. Basil's Day and the memory of the saint, who all his life called for combining faith with reason, sobriety and works of love.
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