Great feasts in the Eastern Orthodox Church

In theEastern Orthodox Church,the feast of the death andResurrection of Jesus,calledPascha(Easter), is the greatest of all holy days and as such it is called the "feast of feasts". Immediately below it in importance, there is a group ofTwelve Great Feasts(Greek: Δωδεκάορτον). Together with Pascha, these are the most significant dates on the Orthodox liturgical calendar. Eight of the great feasts are in honor ofJesus Christ,while the other four are dedicated to theVirgin Mary—theTheotokos.^[1]

History and overview

The Twelve Great Feasts are as follows (note that the liturgical year begins with the month of September):

TheNativity of the Theotokos,8 September [O.S.21 September]
TheExaltation of the Cross,14 September [O.S.27 September]
ThePresentation of the Theotokos,21 November [O.S.4 December]
TheNativity of Christ(Christmas), 25 December [O.S.7 January]
TheBaptism of Christ(Theophany,also calledEpiphany), 6 January [O.S.19 January]
ThePresentation of Jesus at the Temple(Candlemas), 2 February [O.S.15 February]
TheAnnunciation,25 March [O.S.7 April]
TheEntry into Jerusalem(Flowery/Willow/Palm Sunday), the Sunday before Easter
TheAscension of Christ,forty Days after Easter
Pentecost,fifty Days after Easter
TheTransfiguration of Jesus,6 August [O.S.19 August]
TheDormition of the Theotokos,15 August [O.S.28 August]

With the exception of the Presentation/Entrance of the Theotokos, appointed hymns for all of the Twelve Great Feasts are found in the Georgian Iadgari (Chantbook) of Jerusalem^[2]which was compiled in approximately the middle of the 6th century.^[3]Thus eleven of the twelve feasts were celebrated in the Greek East for some time prior, as most of the hymnographic content is datable to the 5th century.^[3]

Besides the Twelve Great Feasts, the Orthodox Church knows five other feasts that rank as great feasts, yet without being numbered among the twelve. They are: theCircumcision of Christ(1 January [O.S.14 January]), theNativity of St. John the Baptist(24 June [O.S.7 July]), theFeast of Saints Peter and Paul(29 June [O.S.12 July]), theBeheading of St John the Baptist(29 August [O.S.11 September]), and theIntercession of the Theotokos(1 October [O.S.14 October]).^[4]

InByzantine arta slightly different group were often depicted as a set, omitting the first three in the list above, and adding theRaising of Lazarus,Crucifixion of Jesus,andHarrowing of Hell.^[5]

Explanations

Nativity of the Theotokos

Mary was born to elderly and previously barren parents by the names ofJoachimandAnna(now saints), in answer to their prayers. Orthodox Christians do not hold to theRoman Catholicdoctrine of theImmaculate Conceptionof Mary, in which it is taught that Mary was preserved from the ancestral sin that befalls us all as descendants ofAdamandEve,in anticipation of her giving birth to the sinless Christ. The Orthodox believe that Mary, and indeed all mankind, was born only to suffer the consequences of the ancestral sin (being born into a corrupt world surrounded by temptations to sin), the chief of which was the enslavement to Death, and thus needed salvation from this enslavement, like all mankind. The Roman Catholic doctrine of theImmaculate Conceptionalso recognizes that Mary was in need of salvation, viewing her as prevented from falling into the scar of sin, instead of being pulled up out of it. Orthodox thought does vary on whether Mary actually ever sinned, though there is general agreement that she was cleansed from sin at theAnnunciation.^[6]

Exaltation of the Holy Cross

The Exaltation of the Holy Cross (also called the Elevation of the Cross) commemorates the recovery of the cross on which Jesus Christ was crucified. ThePersianshad captured it as a prize of war inJerusalemin the year 614, and it was recovered by the forces of theEastern Roman Empire( "Byzantine Empire" ) in 629. The cross was joyously held up for veneration by the Christian faithful upon its recovery.^[7]

Presentation of the Theotokos

According to Tradition, Mary was taken—presented—to the JewishTemple in Jerusalemas a young girl, where she lived and served until her betrothal toJoseph.^[8]^[9]

Nativity of the Lord

December 25—Christmas.The nativity account (Gospel of Luke 2:1–20) begins with Mary and Joseph (Mary's betrothed) traveling toBethlehemto be enrolled in theRomancensus ordered byAugustus Caesar.On the way, they look for a place for Mary to give birth to her child, but all the inns are full and the only suitable place is a cave (show as a stable in most Western descriptions) where animals are kept. The Theotokos (God-bearer, the Virgin Mary) gives birth ineffably (without pain or travail) and remains virgin after childbirth.^[10]

Theophany (Baptism of the Lord)

This observance commemorates Christ'sbaptismbyJohn the Baptistin theRiver Jordan,and the beginning of Christ's earthly ministry (Gospel of Matthew 3:13–17,Gospel of Mark 1:9–11). It is known by the Orthodox as both Epiphany (i.e.,manifestation) and Theophany (manifestation of God). These are bundled, along with Christmas, differently in someeastern Christiantraditions.^[11]

Presentation of the Lord

In theGospel of Luke 2:22–35,Mary and Josephtook the baby Jesus to the Templein Jerusalem. He was received in the arms of the elderSimeon,who then prayed, "Now let Thy servant depart (die) in peace,...for I have seen Thy salvation." This was one of the things that Mary "pondered in her heart" —the fact that others recognized that her Son was theMessiah.This feast is also known as theMeeting of the Lord,orHypapante.^[12]

Annunciation

According to theGospel of Luke 1:26–38,the angelGabrielappeared to Mary to announce to her that she would conceive and bear a son, even though she "knew no man." This date is selected to be exactly nine months ahead of Christmas, indicating that Christ was conceived at that time "by the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary", as stated in theNicene Creed.^[13]

Entry into Jerusalem (Palm Sunday)

A mere few days before His brutalcrucifixion,Jesus was received by adoring throngs at his entry into Jerusalem on the back of young donkey (Gospel of Matthew 21:1–11). The crowds threw palm branches in his path in jubilation, and even the children shouted praises to Him. The Orthodox celebrate this day with joy, but with the realization that very sad events are soon to come. Among the Russian Orthodox, willow branches are substituted in the celebration of this event, owing to the lack of availability of palm trees in Slavic climes.

Ascension

Forty days after the Resurrection, while blessing His disciples (Gospel of Luke 24:50–51), Christ ascended into heaven (Gospel of Mark 16:19), taking His place at the right hand of the Father (Nicene Creed). While the disciples were still looking into the air for Jesus, an angel appeared and told them that the Lord would return again in the same manner as they had seen him go into heaven (Acts of the Apostles 1:9–11).

Pentecost

Fifty days after the Resurrection, on the existing Jewish feast ofShavuot,while the disciples and many other followers of Jesus were gathered together to pray, theHoly Spiritdescended upon them in the form of "cloven tongues of fire", with the sound of a rushing mighty wind, and they began to speak in languages that they did not know. There were many visitors from the Jewish diaspora toJerusalemat that time for the Jewish observance of the feast, and they were astonished to hear these untaught fishermen speaking praises to God in their alien tongues (Acts of the Apostles 2:1–11).

Transfiguration

Jesus had gone with hisdisciples(later calledapostles)Peter,James,andJohn(also calledJohn the Evangelist) toMount Tabor.Christ's appearance was changed while they watched into a glorious radiant figure. There appearedElijahandMoses,speaking with Jesus. The disciples were amazed and terribly afraid. This event shows forth the divinity of Christ, so that the disciples would understand after his Ascension that He was truly the radiant splendor of the Father, and that hisPassionwas voluntary.Gospel of Mark 9:2–9^[14]

Dormition of the Theotokos

The Orthodox feast of theDormitionis analogous to what Roman Catholicism calls theAssumption of Mary.According to Orthodox Tradition, Mary died like all humanity, "falling asleep", so to speak, as the name of the feast indicates. (Catholic theologians are divided on the issue of whether Mary died. Today most would favor an actual death before the Assumption.) TheApostleswere miraculously summoned to this event, and all were present exceptThomaswhen Mary passed from this life. She was buried. Thomas arrived three days later, and desiring to see her one more time, convinced the other apostles to open her tomb. To their surprise, her body was not there.

This event is seen as a first symbol of the resurrection of the faithful that will occur at theSecond Comingof Christ. The event is normally called the "Dormition", though there are many Orthodox Churches with the name "Assumption". In Greek, "Dormition" is "Kimisis" (Coemesis) -- falling asleep in death—from which the word "cemetery"derives.^[15]

References

^Mother Mary andWare, Kallistos,The Festal Menaion,p. 41. St. Tikhon's Seminary Press, 1998.
^Frøyshov, Stig Simeon."[Hymnography of the] Rite of Jerusalem".Canterbury Dictionary of Hymnology.
^^a ^bStephen J. Shoemaker, ed. (2018).The First Christian Hymnal: The Songs of the Ancient Jerusalem Church.Translated by Stephen J. Shoemaker. Provo, Utah: Brigham Young University Press. pp. xiv–xv.ISBN 978-1-944394-68-4.OCLC 1047578356.
^Moscow Typikon, 1904, reprinted Graz, Austria, 1964
^Hall, James,A History of Ideas and Images in Italian Art,p. 127, 1983, John Murray, London,ISBN 0719539714
^Ware, p. 47
^Ware, p. 50
^Ware, p. 51
^M.R. James, "The Apocryphal New Testament, Oxford, 1924. Cited by Ware, p. 47
^Ware, p. 52
^Ware, p. 55
^Ware, p. 60
^Ware, p. 60
^Ware, p. 61
^Ware, p. 63

Icons of the Church Year,Orthodox Church in America.Accessed October 15, 2007.
The Major Feasts of the Church,Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America.Accessed August 23, 2017.
Feasts of the Church,Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. Accessed August 23, 2017.