In the Orthodox tradition, much is not fully understood and, in principle, is not known to modern man. This illiteracy was caused not by the lack of spirituality as such, but by long decades, during which Orthodoxy was not a part of people's everyday life, did not participate in their upbringing and did not influence the formation of personal qualities.
When it comes to holidays like Easter or Christmas, everyone has an idea without exception. As for many others, no. For example, practically no one will answer the question of what the Twelfth Feasts, troparia and kontakia are, except for people who attend any special classes or are close to the church. Of course, there are not very many such people.
What are the Twelfth Holidays?
Meanwhile, the twelfth holidays, troparia andkontakia which occupy a special place among the texts of church services, this is nothing more than the twelve most important celebrations for Christians after Easter.
These holidays are dedicated to certain events and milestones in the earthly lives of Jesus and the Virgin Mary, or, as they say in Orthodoxy, the Mother of God. These days are among the most revered, great holidays. Each date has its own pre- and after-feasts, as well as bestowals. In other words, each celebration is multi-day, has a beginning, a beginning, a culmination and an end.
What dates do they include?
Troparia, kontakions of glorification of the twelfth feasts are dedicated to the most important events of the earthly life of Jesus and, of course, the Mother of God.
Open the list of such celebrations:
- Nativity of the Blessed Virgin.
- Ex altation of the Holy Cross.
The list of revered dates continues:
- Entering the Holy Mother of God into the Temple.
- Christmas.
- Baptism of the Lord.
Following the Baptism, the Meeting of the Lord is celebrated. Followed by:
- Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin.
- Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem.
This holiday is popularly called Palm Sunday in Russia. It is followed by the Ascension of the Lord. Holidays End:
- Holy Trinity Day.
- Transfiguration of the Lord.
- Assumption of the Blessed Virgin.
It is these events that are - the twelfth holidays, troparia andkontakia which are easy to find in any church shop.
About the types of festivities
All twelfth celebrations are divided into two types:
- Master's - glorifying Jesus himself.
- Theotokos - dedicated to the Mother of God.
The Lord's holidays are more important. In other words, when the troparia of the Twelfth Feasts are used, the text of which glorifies and describes the events of life in the world of Jesus, are the main, dominant ones. The Mother of God services are secondary in comparison with the Lord's.
In practice, this is expressed as follows. If the Lord's celebration falls on a Sunday, then a collection of notes, troparia and kontakia of glorification of the twelfth feasts are used in the service. The regular texts and choirs of the Sunday Service are not used at all. In the same case, if the feast of the Mother of God falls on Sunday, then the services are united together. In other words, both the Theotokos and Sunday services are given at the same time.
The most revered, the main feast in Orthodoxy is the Resurrection of Christ. This day is honored above all others.
What is the structure of the festivities?
Troparia and kontakia of the twelfth feasts with translation from Church Slavonic into ordinary modern colloquial language, sold at church stalls, will clearly and easily explain to each parishioner the order of worship. After reading them, it is quite possible to figure out what exactly is happening in the service, and not look back at the rest,waiting for the moment to cross and bow.
The structure of each of the great festivals includes several days. Opens their prefeast - the period of preparation for the solemn date. In addition to it, there are:
- afterfeast - the time of development and the beginning of the commemoration of the event;
- giving away climaxes with solemn worship.
Giving can be combined with Saturdays or weeks, Sundays. The prefeast, that is, the preparatory period, can last from one day to eight. Afterfeast is the development of celebration. That is, if the celebration as a whole lasts a week, then until the last, most majestic service, this period goes on. Giving is the last day of the celebration and the final, majestic solemn service dedicated to him.
Do their dates change?
Troparia of the Twelfth Feasts in Church Slavonic are dedicated to two types of celebrations:
- The first is non-transferable celebrations, that is, having a constant date.
- Second - transitional holidays, respectively, not having a permanent calendar date for celebrations.
The non-transitory Lord's festivities, that is, having a fixed link to the calendar, include:
- Ex altation of the Holy Cross.
- Christmas.
- Baptism.
- Transformation.
The Lord's moving holidays are:
- Entrance of the Lord intoJerusalem.
- Ascension.
- Pentecost.
All five Mother of God celebrations are classified as immovable (non-transitory), in other words, they are tied to calendar dates.
About serving on the Lord's holidays
On the Lord's Twelfth Feasts, troparia and kontakia are read and sung thematically. That is, regardless of what day of the week or other Christian holiday the celebration falls on, it takes precedence.
Special moments can be considered as follows:
- when serving on Sunday or Monday, the hymn "Blessed is the husband" is sung at Vespers, but not at other times;
- antiphons must be included in the liturgy;
- when performing the Small Entrance, the deacons read a prayer verse in front of the Royal Doors, after which the time comes for the troparion and kontakion of a specific celebration;
- Vespers is celebrated with a detailed solemn entrance and prokimen;
- only one Apostle is served during the Liturgy and one daily Gospel is read.
Of course, the appearance of serving clergymen and the decoration of temples corresponding to the theme of the celebration can be attributed to the features.
About the service on the Mother of God holidays
Thematic troparia of the Twelfth Feasts are read in Church Slavonic these days. A service that falls on a Sunday is combined with a day off. However, if the celebration falls on a Saturday, only a solemn service is performed.
A feature of these celebrationsis the performance of the All-Night Vigils. The distinctive moments directly in the course of the services themselves include:
- performing thematic stichera;
- at the end of the prokeem, Vespers are read with festive proverbs;
- The troparion is sung three times during the Blessing of the Bread, and the Sunday troparion is sung twice, when services are combined.
Also, the distinguishing moments can be considered when joining the Sunday service that the antiphon of the day off of the current tone is read in a single performance, but the Gospel, like the prokeimenon, are festive.
Where are the holiday icons?
Troparia and glorification of the twelfth feasts in the Orthodox tradition are inseparable from icon-painting images. Icons related to the theme of the Twelfth Feasts, as a rule, are placed in churches in the second row, if counted from the bottom.
That is, images must be sought between the deesis and local series. Of course, this placement is relevant only for those churches that have a full iconostasis.
How did the Twelfth Holidays get established?
To single out especially important solemn days, on which the decisive ones for the formation of Christianity as a whole, are remembered, they tried even at the beginning of the formation of religion. Accordingly, each of the twelfth festivals has its own special history of establishment.
The history of these celebrations is inextricably linked with the formation of the church calendar as a whole. All the twelve holidays identified in Christianity have their roots in the time of the Resurrection of Jesus. ExactlyThe Resurrection was the very first and most significant event for believers. It was a kind of founder of the calendar of church festivities.
It is from the bright Resurrection of the Lord that all other events begin, to which the troparia of the twelfth holidays are dedicated. Of course, chronologically, the events begin with the appearance of the Angel to the Virgin Mary, who brought the good news. However, during the formation of Christianity, the most significant was the miracle of the Resurrection. Thus, it was this event that became the most important in religious rites.
The rest of the holidays joined as the believers studied the life of Jesus. Of course, the texts of the Gospels played an important role in this. It is quite natural that the greatest curiosity aroused the details of the appearance of Christ in this world, the events of his life. Women, who were also not few among the first Christians, were worried about the problems of motherhood and, of course, everything that happened to the Virgin Mary was more important to them.
The apostles and other early followers did not arouse such a keen interest among believers. Presumably, it was precisely because of this that the Twelfth Feasts stood out as separate, especially revered dates in the church service.
The very first documentary consolidation of the holidays occurred during the reign of Constantine the Great Porphyrogenitus, the Roman emperor and Christian, who did a lot for the formation of the faith and the formalization of its canons.
Why are these holidays important?
The importance of the twelve major holidays in the Orthodox tradition lies not inthat they serve as a kind of fundamental core of the church calendar, its forming circle.
These days are important for the formation of the spirituality of parishioners, their enlightenment. After all, the more believers know about the worldly life of those who are revered in churches, the more reverently and sincerely they perceive service. This is a feature of human perception. Accordingly, the holidays are important for strengthening the faith of the parishioners, and this is their main significance.
What are they doing this holiday season?
For the first time, the rules of conduct in everyday life, so to speak, everyday prescriptions, were documented during the reign of Constantine the Great. The very first of the appeared rules of behavior on holidays is a ban on trade. This prescription has not reached our time, it was abolished.
Many rules and regulations related to Sunday. In different historical eras, church rules prohibited performances by artists, legal proceedings, and public works. But over time, the restrictions subsided, the essence of the understanding of the festivities changed.
On a holiday it is not recommended to work, including housework. Of course, urgent matters are not forbidden to do. For example, the church does not prohibit preparing breakfast or picking up rubbish that has fallen on the floor; there is no need to exaggerate the prescriptions. However, general cleaning, laundry, or other chores that can be put off are not recommended.
Of course, on the days of celebrations, it is necessary to visit temples, and not just laze around. These days are given not to idleness, but to the spiritual work of a person on himself, reflection andprayers.
