March 22 (March 9 according to the Julian calendar) The Orthodox Church celebrates a special holiday dedicated to the memory of the Martyrs of Sebaste. 40 Saints Day is a holiday for all Orthodox Christians. He is one of the most revered and beloved by all believers. On this day, the solemn Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts is performed. 40 saints is a holiday that usually falls during a strict fast, when dry eating (bread, fruits and vegetables) is allowed.
History of the holiday
In 313, Constantine the Great, the first Christian Roman emperor, having come to power, immediately issues a decree that all Christians are given the opportunity of free religion. This meant that their rights were equalized on a par with pagans. Thus Emperor Constantine legalized Christianity. And in general, he began to contribute in every possible way to its growth and prosperity. However, his co-ruler, whose name was Licinius, was an inveterate pagan, in his part of the Roman Empire, on the contrary, he tried in every possible way to eradicate Christianity, because it began to spread on a special scale in his lands. Therefore, due to fear of treason, Licinius began to prepare for war and began to clear his troops of Christians.
40 saints - a holiday of Orthodox Christians
A courageous detachment of 40 soldiers was from Cappadocia (modern Turkey), was part of the Roman army, which was in the city of Sebastia. Once the pagan commander Agricolaus ordered these valiant Roman soldiers to renounce Christ and offer sacrifices to the pagan gods. But they refused to do this, and then they were put in prison, in which they began to pray fervently. And then the soldiers heard the voice of God: "He who endures to the end, he will be saved." In the morning they were again forced to renounce the Christian faith, but this time they did not obey, and again they were thrown into prison.
Torture for Christ's faith
A week later, an important dignitary Lysias arrived in Sevastia, who decided to arrange a trial for strong-willed warriors. He ordered them to be stoned, but for some reason the stones flew past the soldiers. Then Lysias himself threw a stone at them, and hit Agricolaus right in the face. It was then that the tormentors realized that some invisible force was protecting the fearless warriors.
Continuously praying in prison, the martyrs again heard the voice of the Lord, who consoled them and said: “He who believes in Me, if he dies, will come to life. Be of good cheer and be not afraid, and you will receive incorruptible crowns.” The interrogations were repeated over and over again every day, and always the servants of the Christian faith were adamant.
It was bitter cold outside, and then the martyrs were prepared for new tortures. They were first stripped, and then driven into an icy lake forthe whole night, and a bathhouse was kindled nearby on the shore, in order to break the will of the martyrs in this way. After midnight, one of the warriors nevertheless gave up and ran to warm himself in the bathhouse, but, having crossed its threshold, he immediately fell dead.
Fortieth Warrior
By three o'clock in the morning the Lord sent heat to the martyrs, it brightened all around, the ice melted, and the water became warm. At this time, all the guards were fast asleep, except for one - Aglaia. Seeing that a bright crown appeared above the head of each martyr and counting 39 of them, he decided that the runaway warrior was left without a crown, and then he decided to join the holy martyrs.
After waking up the guards, he announced to them that he was a Christian. But the torture didn't end there. After that, the staunch warriors broke their knees. When they all died, their bodies were loaded onto carts and taken to be burned. But one of the soldiers named Meliton was still alive, and the guards left him, but the mother took the body of her son, dragged it to the cart, and then laid him next to the other martyrs. The bodies of the holy martyrs were then burned, and the remains of the bones were thrown into the water so that no one could collect them. Three days later, at night, the holy martyrs appeared to the Bishop of Sebaste, Blessed Peter, and ordered them to collect their remains and give them to burial. The bishop, together with his assistants, collected the remains at night and buried them with all honors and prayers.
40 saints: holiday, omens. Do's and Don'ts
On this day, you should not be lazy, but it is better to prepare well for the meeting of spring andappease her with your culinary pastries. On the feast of 40 saints, the signs are quite interesting and original. It is believed that on this holiday winter ends and spring comes. Very often this day coincides with the day of the equinox. It is also called Sorochintsy, Magpies, Larks, because after the winter wandering from the south, migratory birds fly to us and bring spring with them. If we talk about signs, then on this day gardeners can get an answer to when they can start planting seedlings.
On the feast of the 40 saints, signs are mainly related to the weather. So, on this day you can judge the weather for the next 40 days. If it is frosty, then this weather will last another 40 days. If birds arrive, then this is an early warmth. But if not a single rain fell from the Presentation to Soroki, then the summer will be dry.
40 saints - a holiday that used to be celebrated like this: it was customary to bake 40 buns and cookies in the form of larks with open wings on this day. According to tradition, they were distributed to children so that they would invite spring with fun and jokes. This is also done to ensure that the bird in the household is he althy. On this day, girls who dream of marriage boil forty dumplings and treat them to guys.
In general, Orthodox people love festivities and fun on this day. 40 Saints is a holiday that once again reminds us of how important faith is for every person and what torments true Christians are ready to endure for it.
