How to read the gospel during Holy Week. Passion Week of Great Lent. Spiritual reading on Great Thursday of Passion Week
On March 22 (March 9 according to the Julian calendar) the Orthodox Church celebrates a special holiday dedicated to the memory of the Martyrs of Sebaste. saints - the feast of all Orthodox Christians. He is one of the most revered and beloved by all believers. On this day, the solemn Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts is performed. 40 saints is a holiday that usually falls during strict fasting, when dry eating (bread, fruits and vegetables) is allowed.
history of the holiday
In 313, Constantine the Great, the first Christian Roman emperor, having come to power, immediately issues a decree that all Christians are given the opportunity of free religion. This meant that their rights were equalized on a par with pagans. Thus legalized Christianity. And in general, he began to contribute in every possible way to its growth and prosperity. However, his co-ruler, whose name was Licinius, was an inveterate pagan, in his part of the Roman Empire, on the contrary, he tried in every possible way to eradicate Christianity, because it began to spread on a special scale in his lands. Therefore, Licinius, out of fear of treason, began to prepare for war and began to clear his troops of Christians.
40 saints - a holiday of Orthodox Christians
A courageous detachment of 40 soldiers was from Cappadocia (modern Turkey), was part of the Roman army, which was in the city of Sebastia. Once the pagan commander Agricolaus ordered these valiant Roman soldiers to renounce Christ and offer sacrifices. But they refused to do this, and then they were put in prison, in which they began to pray fervently. And then the soldiers heard the voice of God: "He who endures to the end, he will be saved." In the morning they were again forced to renounce the Christian faith, but this time they did not obey, and again they were thrown into prison.
Torture for the Faith of Christ
A week later, an important dignitary Lysias arrived in Sevastia, who decided to arrange a trial for strong-willed warriors. He ordered them to be stoned, but for some reason the stones flew past the soldiers. Then Lysias himself threw a stone at them, and hit Agricolaus right in the face. It was then that the tormentors realized that some invisible force was protecting the fearless warriors.
Praying incessantly in prison, the martyrs again heard the voice of the Lord, who consoled them and said: “He who believes in me, if he dies, will live. Be of good cheer and be not afraid, and you will receive incorruptible crowns.” The interrogations were repeated every day again and again, and always the servants of the Christian faith were adamant.
There was a severe frost outside, and then the martyrs were prepared for new tortures. They were first undressed, and then driven into an icy lake for the whole night, and a bathhouse was heated nearby on the shore in order to break the will of the martyrs in this way. After midnight, one of the soldiers nevertheless gave up and ran to warm himself in the bathhouse, but, having crossed its threshold, he immediately fell dead.
fortieth warrior
By three o'clock in the morning, the Lord sent warmth to the martyrs, it brightened all around, the ice melted, and the water became warm. At this time, all the guards were fast asleep, except for one - Aglaia. Seeing that a bright crown appeared over the head of each martyr, and counting 39 of them, he decided that the runaway warrior was left without a crown, and then he decided to join the holy martyrs.
Waking up the guards, he announced to them that he was a Christian. But the torture didn't end there. After that, the staunch warriors broke their knees. When they all died, their bodies were loaded onto carts and taken to be burned. But one of the soldiers named Meliton was still alive, and the guards left him, but the mother took the body of her son, dragged it to the cart, and then laid him next to the other martyrs. The bodies of the holy martyrs were then burned, and the remains of the bones were thrown into the water so that no one could collect them. Three days later, at night, the holy martyrs appeared to the Bishop of Sebaste, blessed Peter, and ordered them to collect their remains and give them to burial. The bishop, together with his assistants, collected the remains at night and buried them with all honors and prayers.
40 saints: holiday, omens. What Not to Do
On this day, you should not be lazy, but it is better to prepare well for the meeting of spring and appease it with your culinary pastries. On the feast of 40 saints, the signs are quite interesting and original. It is believed that on this holiday winter ends and spring comes. Very often this day coincides with It is also called Sorochintsy, Magpies, Larks, because after the winter wandering from the south they fly to us and bring spring with them. If we talk about signs, then on this day gardeners can get an answer to when you can start planting seedlings.
On the feast of 40 saints, signs are mainly related to the weather. So, on this day you can judge the weather for the next 40 days. If it is frosty, then this weather will last another 40 days. If birds arrive, then this is an early warmth. But if not a single rain fell from the Presentation to Soroki, then the summer will be dry.
40 saints - a holiday that used to be celebrated like this: it was customary to bake 40 buns and cookies in the form of larks with open wings on this day. According to tradition, they were distributed to children so that they would invite spring with fun and jokes. This is also done so that the bird in the household On this day, girls who dream of marriage cook forty dumplings and treat them to guys.
In general, Orthodox people love festivities and fun on this day. 40 Saints is a holiday that once again reminds us of how important faith is for every person and what torments true Christians are ready to endure for it.
Hello, dear visitors of the Orthodox website "Family and Faith"!
On the spring equinox, March 22, on the day of remembrance of the saints, there is an ancient Slavic holiday - Larks, which many no longer remember. The Feast of the Lark has its own interesting meaning, its own history and its own customs.
In Russia, it was believed that it was during the spring equinox that larks arrive from warm countries, and after them all migratory birds. It was on March 22 that spring finally replaced winter, and the day was measured against the night. And this event meant that field and other economic work could begin. The people themselves associated the arrival of larks with the beginning of arable work, saying: "The lark plows the sky." The reason is in the peculiarities of the flight of larks - first up, and then down.
Due to the fact that the larks, in fact, led all the other birds, the Lark's holiday was also called "Magpies". But the name "Magpie" was given not in honor of forty birds, but in honor of the forty martyrs of Sebaste, whose memory is celebrated on March 22.
These forty martyrs were executed for their faith, thanks to which they entered history. And, although the arrival of the larks had nothing to do with the death of the Martyrs of Sebastia, the number "forty" was firmly entrenched in the feast of the Lark. The people even said: "The lark brought forty birds behind him."
The main attribute of the Lark holiday was the baking of unleavened dough buns in the form of larks. Both children and adults were involved in baking, because this is a great opportunity to get together with the whole family for an interesting activity, to discuss the meaning of the festive event, to please their loved ones.
The Feast of the Lark was also accompanied by various weather signs. There was such a sign for the summer: if after the holiday it will be frosty for another 40 days in the morning, you can wait for a hot summer. Another sign for the summer urged to pay attention to the nesting of birds. If the nests curled on the sunny side, a cold summer could be expected.
The following sign helped determine the weather for Easter: if it snows on the Lark's holiday, then the Easter week is likely to be cold; if the weather is dry on the Feast of the Lark, there will be no rain on Easter either.
Despite the fact that the Lark holiday is not as popular among the people as, for example, Shrovetide, this does not make it less beloved by those who know about it. If only because it’s always nice to enjoy delicious freshly baked cookies and enjoy the arrival of spring, not only on the Lark’s holiday!
P tick from the test can be done in different ways. For example, roll out a small tourniquet and tie it into a knot. Form one end of the knot in the form of a head with a beak, attach eyes - raisins, or berries from jam, or nuts. The second end must be flattened and cut with a knife, the so-called "feathers".
Another option: fashion a head with a beak from a piece of dough, roll out the rest, cut into 3 parts - two wings and one tail. Fold the wings one on top of the other, and mark the feathers on the tail.
The easiest way is to use store-bought puff or regular yeast dough. If you want to make the dough yourself, then here are a few recipes:
Sweet honey dough recipe
1 st. flour 0.5 tbsp. hot water 2-3 tbsp. spoons of liquid honey 2-3 tbsp. l. vegetable oil a little salt
Dilute all the ingredients, except flour, in water, add flour and knead a stiff dough, mix well and add more flour if necessary.
Recipe for lean yeast dough
(which is also suitable for pies)
For 2 st. flour - 1 tbsp. warm water 1 tsp. instant yeast 2 tbsp. l. vegetable oil 1 tbsp. l. sugar a pinch of salt
Mix the ingredients and let the dough rise a little. To lubricate larks and other sweet products, before planting in the oven, use sweet strong tea.
How to bake "larks"? How to prepare dough for larks?
- 8 cups flour
- 200 grams of vegetable oil,
- 1 packet of dry yeast
- 400 grams of water
- 150 grams of sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt.
In Russia, the elderly noticed that the first messengers in the spring were larks, which flew in from distant countries in the second half of March. Later, this event was timed to coincide with the great Orthodox holiday 40 martyrs/Magpies and along with the holiday, a ritual came - by March 22, bake larks from lean dough. For the test you will need:
Mix all the ingredients and knead thoroughly, adding a few coins. From the ready-made steep dough, shape the birds. And bake in the oven until done. It is believed that whoever got a lark with a coin will live in abundance for a whole year, without any problems.
On the spring equinox, which is celebrated on March 22, one of the ancient Slavic holidays falls - the Larks. Previously, it was believed that it was on this day that larks began to arrive, and other migratory birds began to arrive after them. People used to always say: The lark brought forty birds with him.
Hence the ritual of baking larks from dough. Oven larks were handed out to children with wishes of good health and happiness this current year.
Signs: if on a holiday Larks snow falls, then the whole Easter week will be cold, and if this holiday is good, dry weather, then Easter will also be dry and there will be no rain.
In the photo, lark buns are made from yeast dough. Butter yeast dough differs from lean dough in that butter, an egg are placed in rich dough and it is made with milk, while lean dough, in turn, consists closely of water and lean, sunflower mals.
lean dough: Knead 50 g of yeast (without lumps), with 3 tablespoons of sugar, add 0.5 liters of warm water, 5 tablespoons of oil, a little salt and flour, knead the dough so that it is not too tight.
Butter dough: 50 gr of yeast, knead (without lumps), with 3 tablespoons of sugar, add 0.5 liters of warm milk, 2 eggs, a third of a pack of butter (melt, cool), salt, flour.
Usually this portion makes 2 baking sheets of buns, and how you form them depends on the holiday.
Wings attached separately
And the last video.
Happy holiday!
It has always been a tradition in Russia to bake buns in the form of lark birds on the Forty Disciples Memorial Day, which symbolized the arrival of spring. Moreover, March 22 is the day of the spring equinox. I remember very well that my grandmother baked such cute larks from lean yeast dough. There are many recipes for baking larks, here is one of them from yeast dough.
Recipe for yeast dough for larks:
Recipe for larks:
for believers who fast, fasting larks: dilute yeast in warm water, add flour, sugar, vegetable oil, vanillin. Knead a dense dough, let it rise, roll it out and cut into strips 10 cm long and 2 cm wide approximately. tie the strip in a knot to make a head, stick 2 raisins instead of eyes, make wings and stick to larks, mark pimples on the tail with a knife. sprinkle with sugar and bake in the oven.
rich larks: 3 cups flour, 125 g milk, 10 g yeast, 15 g butter, 2 tablespoons sugar, salt, 1 egg, 1 tablespoon vegetable oil. from these ingredients we prepare yeast dough and sculpt larks from it, showing imagination. Brush with egg on top and bake in the oven.
March 22 is the day of memory of the Forty Martyrs, the Day of the spring equinox. On this day, it is customary to bake buns in the form of bird figurines with open wings and raisin eyes. Such buns have several names:
The dough can be rich yeast or yeast-free, because there is a post.
Divide the dough into cakes, brush with vegetable oil and sprinkle with sugar. Roll into a roll and tie it in a knot. One end of the knot is the bird's tail, the other is the head and beak. We flatten the end of the knot and cut it into thin stripes - feathers.
Spread the bird figurines on a baking sheet, give time for proofing. Lubricate with an infusion of strong sweet tea, the buns will turn out ruddy, with a crispy crust. Bake in the oven at 200C for 20 minutes. After baking brush with butter, sprinkle with powdered sugar.
(photo from internet)
Ancient feast of the Lark, in which buns or cookies in the form of these birds are baked, dates back to the feast day of the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste in the Russian Orthodox Church. It's March 22nd.
Winter ends - larks fly, bring spring.
This is the day of the equinox, that is, day and night are equal in time.
These days, Great Lent is going on, so baking from unleavened dough.
I remember that my grandmother used to put money in one bird - whoever gets it is special happiness and special well-being in this year.
The dough is very simple:
250 g flour;
1/4 bag of dry yeast;
0.5 cups of water;
1 st. l. sunflower oil;
2 tbsp. l. Sahara;
1/4 tsp salt.
In warm water, mix butter, yeast, salt, sugar. Add flour and knead the dough.
You can add vanilla, cinnamon, if you like. Leave the dough in a warm place until it rises.
suit. I give two rises: I crumpled it up, it came up on the table and I shape it.
We make koloboks, then we roll the bundles, which we fold with a bird, making out the nose and tail, we make eyes from raisins.
We bake as usual.
Recipe for lean larks from yeast dough:
Knead the dough: Warm water 250 ml + yeast 2 tsp + sugar 1/4 cup + vanillin + 1 tsp. salt + flour 500 gr. + vegetable oil 50 gr. Leave fit. Punch down and set to fit again.
Divide the dough into 40 equal balls. Roll each ball into a rope about 15 cm long. Tie the tourniquet in a knot, giving one end the shape of a bird's head, flatten the other end with a tail and make cuts. Cut the raisins into 4 parts and make eyes for each bird. Put the birds on a baking sheet in a warm place so that the dough rises. Lubricate with sweet tea. Bake at 180 degrees until done.
There is a good omen that larks bring spring on their wings and tails. Our distant ancestors, the Slavs, and later the Christians, celebrated the beginning of spring by baking larks from dough.
Each housewife has her own recipe for dough for making larks.
Here is a recipe for making lean larks, here all products are taken by eye
And there are also several ways of baking, making larks from dough. Here are the step by step instructions:
We make two sausages and put them on top of each other crosswise. At the top sausage, we flatten the edges, according to the principle of wings, and cut them, imitating feathers.
From the lower sausage we make the head and tail.
Bake the larks in the oven until tender. After baking, grease with vegetable oil.
Here is a small photo tutorial on making classic larks for the Easter holiday from yeast dough.
We roll the sausage and tie it into a knot. we make a tail with a knife and use a piece of raisins to create eyes and sculpt a beak.
