Bright Sunday of Christ is a holiday of spring, goodness and rebirth of all living things. For all Christians, it is also one of the greatest religious holidays. This is a day of joy and hope for the future. But from the Bible, everyone knows what happened before this holiday. Therefore, it is preceded by several weeks of strict abstinence and reflection. But not everyone knows what Great Lent is, when it appeared, and what its main customs and rules are.
The Essence of Lent
The content and essence of this phenomenon can be explained from several points of view. By definition, this is a strict religious prohibition and restrictions for a certain period of time on the consumption of all food or its individual components (milk, meat, etc.).
In the spiritual sense, the essence of Great Lent is renewal through the diligent cleansing of one's own soul. During this period, it is customary to abstain from all evil and anger. This is how believers prepare themselves forEaster.
Lent is the longest of all Orthodox fasts. It lasts almost seven weeks. The first six are called "Holy Fortecost", and the last - "Passion Week". During this period, all prayers and appeals to God are distinguished by special repentance and humility. This is the time of church liturgies. In this case, special importance is attached to Sunday. Each of the seven is dedicated to a significant holiday and event.
Believers on the days of Lent must cope with their emotions, desires, try to take everything for granted and in many ways deny themselves. During this period, a person’s life changes dramatically, as well as his values and principles. This is a kind of stairway to heaven.
History of Lent
The roots of this religious holiday date back to ancient times, when legal taboos arose due to limited food. So people prepared themselves for the perception of divine knowledge and truths. The question of what Lent is today can only be answered by looking into history.
Before finally taking shape in the form it is today, the holiday passed several long centuries. It developed along with the formation and development of the Church itself. Initially, Fasting existed as a spiritual and physical self-restraint before the sacrament of baptism on Easter days at the dawn of history. The origins of this phenomenon also date back to the ancient Easter fast of the 2nd-3rd centuries. BC e. Then it lasted one night and was performed in memory of the Passion of Christ. Subsequently, the Fast lasted up to 40 hours, and thenup to 40 days.
Later it began to be compared with the 40-day journey of Christ and Moses through the withering desert. However, in different places this period was calculated differently. The very principles of its implementation also differed. It was not until the 4th century that Fasting was formalized and formalized in the 69th Apostolic Canon.
View of various religions and teachings
Besides the Orthodox canons, there are also many other concepts and variations of it in individual beliefs. Therefore, the concept of what Great Lent is is completely different for each nation. For example, in some Protestant churches it is customary to completely abstain from food and even water. This happens by special agreement with the community. But this Lent, unlike the Orthodox, lasts for a rather short time.
Jews perceive this phenomenon somewhat differently. Usually they fast in honor of a given vow or honoring relatives. They also have a public holiday Yom Kippur. On this day, it is customary to limit oneself according to the laws of Moses. According to this, there are four more such periods.
The history of Lent in Islam is closely connected with the holy month of Ramadan. Its purpose is to strengthen the spirit and self-discipline of Muslims, as well as the ability to accurately fulfill all the orders of Allah. The fast lasts for about 30 days. Muslims also restrict themselves on some other days, for example, on Shaaban and the day of Ashura.
Buddhists practice two-day Nyungnai fasts. At the same time, on the second day, they completely refuse food and even water. For Buddhists thisthe process of purification of speech, mind and body. This is a great way to self-control and the beginning level of self-discipline.
How to celebrate Great Lent
It is quite difficult for an unprepared person to go all the way to Easter and not succumb to temptation and excesses. Therefore, many priests highlight several rather important points:
- It is necessary to clearly understand what Fasting is. It's not just food restrictions. The main thing is self-control and victory over sin, shortcomings and passions.
- Talk to your priest. Only he will be able to correctly explain what Lent is and give some useful advice.
- Review your own shortcomings and bad habits. This will help to understand, and over time, almost completely get rid of them.
Basic Principles of Great Lent
In addition to these generally accepted rules, there are several fundamental theses that every believer must adhere to. The whole history of the origin of Great Lent and its existence are based on the following principles:
- The Spirit rules over the flesh. This is the fundamental thesis of this period.
- To deny yourself your own weaknesses. It helps build willpower.
- Quit alcohol and smoking. Their use in everyday life is undesirable, not like in Lent.
- Follow your own emotions, words and thoughts, as well as actions. Nurture in yourselfbenevolence and tolerance is one of the main rules of Lent.
- Do not hold grudges and evil. This destroys a person from the inside, so at least for these 40 days you should forget about these spiritual worms.
Preparing for Lent
For any person, a few weeks of food restriction and strict self-control is a huge test for both the soul and one's own body. Therefore, you should prepare in advance for the weeks of Great Lent.
According to the laws of the Church, a certain time is allotted for preparations for such tests. These are the three main weeks during which every Christian must mentally and physically prepare for Lent. And the main thing that he must do is learn to repent.
The first week of preparation is the week of the Publican and the Pharisee. This is a reminder of Christian humility. It determines the very path to spiritual ascension. These days, the fast itself is not so important, so it is not observed on Wednesday and Friday.
The second week is marked by a reminder of the prodigal son. This gospel parable is intended to show how boundless is God's mercy. Every sinner can be granted heaven and forgiveness.
The last week before Lent is called Meat-Feast or the Week of the Last Judgment. In the people, it is also called Shrovetide. At this time, you can eat everything. And finally, the finale of this week is Forgiveness Sunday, when everyone asks each other for mutual forgiveness.
Lent Weeks
According to the canons, abstinence before Holy Sunday lasts about 7 weeks. Moreover, each of them is dedicated to some phenomena, people and events. The weeks of Great Lent are conventionally divided into two parts: Holy Forty Day (6 weeks) and Holy Week (7th week).
The first seven days are also called the triumph of Orthodoxy. This is a time of especially strict Lent. Believers venerate St. Andrew of Crete, St. Icon and Theodore Tyrone. The second, fourth and fifth weeks are dedicated to St. Gregory Palamas, John of the Ladder and Mary of Egypt. All of them called for peace and harmony, told believers how to fast and behave properly so that God's grace and signs would be revealed to them.
The third week of Lent is called by believers the veneration of the cross. The cross should remind the laity of the suffering and death of the son of God. The sixth week is dedicated to preparing for Easter and remembering the torments of the Lord. This Sunday commemorates the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, it is also called Palm Sunday. This concludes the first part of Lent - Holy Forty Day.
The seventh week, or Holy Week, is entirely devoted to the last days and hours of Christ's life, as well as his death. It's time to wait for Easter.
Lent Menu
The most difficult thing for every modern person is to give up their own daily habits, especially in food. Moreover, now the shelves of any store are simply bursting with various delicacies and exotics.
Lent is a time when the menu is strictly limited. This is a period of reflection and self-determination. According to centuries-old rules, there are days of complete rejection of any food, days of limited dry food and days of Great Lent, when you can eat boiled dishes and fish.
But what can you eat for sure? The list of allowed products consists of the following items:
- Cereals. These are wheat, buckwheat, rice, corn and many others. They are extremely rich in vitamins and many useful substances.
- Beans. These are beans, lentils, peanuts, peas, etc. They are a storehouse of fiber and a variety of vegetable fats.
- Vegetables and fruits.
- Nuts and seeds are complete vitamin complexes.
- Mushrooms. They are quite heavy for the stomach, so it is better not to get carried away with them. By the way, the Church also equates mussels, squids and shrimps with mushrooms.
- Vegetable oils.
The main mistakes of people observing the Fast
As many church canons say, this is the time when each person must prevail over their own habits, fears and emotions. He must open himself to God. But not everyone who decides to observe the Fast is aware of what it is and why it is necessary. Therefore, many mistakes are made:
- Hope to lose weight. If we consider Great Lent by day, we can see that all food is exclusively of a plant nature. But all of it is rich in carbohydrates and very high in calories. Therefore, you can, on the contrary, gain extra pounds.
- Assign severitypost on your own. You can not calculate your own physical and mental strength and even harm your he alth. Therefore, it is necessary to coordinate everything with the priest.
- Respect restrictions in food, but not in thoughts and expressions. The main principle of the Fast is humility and self-control. First of all, you should limit your own emotions and evil thoughts.
