Orthodox holidays in March are set in accordance with the Orthodox calendar-Easter. From year to year they can move in numbers or move on to other months.
Features of the establishment of Orthodox holidays
Orthodox holidays are usually set in honor of important events in the life or activities of Jesus Christ, as well as the Holy Virgin Mary and followers of the Orthodox faith: saints, martyrs, blessed old men. Many festive days have their origin from the Old Testament, but most came from the New.
Traditional for the celebration of Orthodox holidays is the fact that in these days prescribed church rites are being performed, moreover, on these holidays believers usually do not do worldly things, but try to spend time with thoughts about God. Virtuous deeds, such as giving alms and enlightening unbelievers, can also be performed during Orthodox holidays.
The peculiarity of establishing the dates of those or other Orthodox holidays is that they are conformed to a special calendar, which is called Paskhaliya. It, in turn, consists of two parts. One is fixed holidays, which are celebrated from year to year on the same day in accordance with the Julian calendar (13 days at variance with the generally accepted Gregorian world). An example of such a holiday can be the Nativity of Christ (January 7) or the Feast of the Epiphany (January 19). Another part of the Paschalia is moving holidays. The calculation of the dates of their conduct is from Easter, which itself is also a moving holiday. The date of the Easter is established according to the lunar calendar and special church texts, which are regarded as dogmatic. Thus, after setting the date of Easter for each year, you can also set the date for the celebration of other significant days per month of the year. Therefore, what Orthodox holidays are celebrated in March, should be considered each year individually. For example, we will make a description of important dates for Orthodox believers in 2017.
Orthodox calendar of holidays in March 2017
Easter , that is, the Bright Resurrection of Christ in 2017 will occur on April 16. That is, the Great Lent preceding this holiday will start from February 27, 2017 and will last until April 15, 2017.
March 5 is the feast of the Triumph of Orthodoxy, on this day the victory of the Orthodox faith over various heresies is celebrated.
Among the large Orthodox holidays in March, the following fixed (fixed for a certain number) holiday should be noted: on March 7, the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos is celebrated - one of the most important holidays in the year. According to the Orthodox teachings, it was on this day that the Angel Gabriel descended to the Virgin Mary and announced the good news that she will have a son, and this child will be great and will be called the Son of God.
March 11 - Universal parental Saturday in the second week of Lent. On this day it is customary to commemorate the deceased.
12 March - the memory of St. Gregory Palamas, Archbishop of Thessaloniki. It is believed that it was he who revealed the power of prayer and fasting in the Orthodox faith.
March 18, 2017 will cope with the Day of Special Remembrance of the Dead or the Great Parent Saturday. On this day, usually visit the cemeteries and remember the deceased.
March 19, 2017 - Sunday of the third week of Lent, which is called the Crusader. On this day, a special ceremony of carrying out the cross and worshiping the believers takes place in the churches. Such a ritual during the end of the third week of fasting is intended to remind the Orthodox about the sufferings of Jesus Christ and to strengthen their spirit for the remaining time of restrictions until the Holy Easter.
March 22 - Day of the Forty Martyrs of Sevastia , reminding believers of the suffering that can be brought for the faith.
March 25 is Saturday, the day of the great commemoration of the dead on the fourth week of Lent.