Every year on April 8, the Orthodox Church celebrates the day of memory of the Great Martyr Larisa of Gotf. This young virgin, with her courage and boundless faith in Christ, received the crown of holiness and, together with other saints of God, was rewarded with eternal life. On this day, all women bearing the name Larisa accept congratulations - Orthodox name days are usually celebrated on the day of memory of their heavenly patroness.
Christian girl from the land of the Gentiles
In the 4th century, the Germanic tribes of the Goths lived on the territory of modern Romania, and their whole country was called Gothia. They were under the rule of the Roman Empire, in which Christianity had already won. Despite the fact that the majority of the Goths were pagans, the Christians who lived among them enjoyed sufficient freedom to build churches and worship in them.
However, the hidden hatred of the pagan fanatics at times broke out. Hard times for Christians began with the coming to power of the Gotthian king Atanarih. He hated all who believed in Christ and subjected them to all kinds of persecution. At that time, a young beautiful Christian girl lived in Gothia, who bore the name Larisa. Name day on October 8 is celebrated on the day of her memory.
Threatening the lives of Christians
Larisa's parents were Christians, and from childhood they instilled in her a love for the true God and the idea that everything in the world can be sacrificed for Him, even life itself. When, in 375, the persecution of Christians took on a particularly harsh form, it became dangerous to attend services. However, Larisa, casting aside fear, continued to go to church regularly.
And then one day, when she came to the temple and, standing at the very entrance, indulged in prayer, the doors suddenly opened wide. Turning around, Larisa saw a warrior standing on the threshold. Behind him was a wagon, in which stood the figure of the pagan idol Wotan. The warrior shouted to the whole temple that everyone who came out to bow to the idol would remain alive, and all those who refused would immediately die.
Death for God
When he saw Larisa and marveled at her beauty, he offered her to freely leave the church without any conditions. However, the courageous Christian woman, seeing that none of those present in the temple moved, preferred to die together with everyone in the glory of the name of Jesus Christ. The enraged warrior slammed the door, after which the church was set on fire. Three hundred Christians inside died in the fire, and Larisa herself.
The Holy Orthodox Church honors the memory of all those who gave their lives for the glory of Christianity. Larisa's name day is April 8th. This is one of the days on which their bright names are commemorated during worship. The Holy Great Martyr, having found eternal life at the Throne of God, became an angela guardian for those who received her name in holy baptism. Therefore, Larisa's name day (angel's day) is celebrated on the day of her memory. This is a tradition for centuries.
Celebrating Larisa's name day, it is impossible not to pray to the heavenly patroness herself, and not to ask for her blessing and help in everyday affairs. It is generally accepted that St. Larissa protects from committing rash acts, and thus saves from many disappointments in life. In addition, as a servant of God, standing at the Holy Throne, she can pray to the Lord to send down everything that will be good for people.
History of the name Larisa
About the origin of this name itself, it is known that it is formed from the name of the city of Larissa, which was once in Greece. It is known from mythology that this was the name of one of the nymphs - the granddaughter of the god of the seas, Poseidon. There is a legend that once she was playing ball and, having stumbled, fell into the river Peney. On the spot where this happened, the city named after her was built.
This name means "swallow" in Greek. It is known that in Russia, Larisa's name day, as well as the owners of all other names, began to be celebrated only in the 17th century. Statistics over the past two centuries show that in Moscow, at birth, approximately three girls out of every thousand newborns were called that, in other cities there were slightly more - about seven, and in rural areas their number increased to ten.
Qualities inherent in Larissa
Speaking of which qualities are mostcharacteristic of Laris, it should be noted that the owners of this name, as a rule, are distinguished by a submissive character. It often helps to avoid conflicts in family life and in the production team, but at the same time it often becomes the cause of actions that later have to be regretted, which could have been avoided by showing firmness. First of all, this applies to matters of personal life.
Women named Larisa are often successful in areas such as philology, linguistics and programming. This is explained by their outstanding creative talent. Another characteristic feature is their love for children, to whom they are able to devote their whole lives. In this case, it is important to note that we are talking not only about our own children, but also about strangers.
Thanks to this quality, women with this name often become good teachers and educators. And although Larisa's name day is celebrated only once a year, their heavenly patroness abundantly sends them love and patience, which are so necessary both for working with children and for personal happiness.
