Holy Trinity Day. Holy Trinity Day: date, history of the holiday, congratulations

Trinity is a great Orthodox holiday, symbolizing the fullness of God's grace, when the third Holy Hypostasis, the Holy Spirit, appeared to people, in 2020 it is celebrated on June 7th.

Before His ascension, resurrected and staying with the chosen disciples, the Apostles, Jesus commanded them not to leave Jerusalem until the Holy Spirit descended on them, after which He ascended to heaven.

Biblical Description of Pentecost

Trinity called this holiday in honor of the fullness of God, God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, with which the Creator baptized the Apostles on the fiftieth day from the Resurrection of the Lord. Hence the second name of this holiday - Pentecost.

The Holy Trinity

In prayer, daily communion were the Apostles and faithful followers of Jesus Christ, among whom were:

pupils;
the women who accompanied the teacher during His earthly life;
Mother Mary;
His brothers.

The Teacher did not say when the Holy Spirit would appear, and how it would be, only said that everyone should be in expectation.

The history of the holiday in Orthodoxy

From that day on, every Sunday every 50 days or seven weeks after the Apostles and the Christians around them celebrated the day of the Descent of the Holy Spirit. The celebrations of the Week ended with the baptism of those added to the Church.

Quintus Tertullian, an early Christian theologian, writer of more than 31 preserved treatises, wrote in 220-230 that the feast of the Trinity eclipsed all the pagan rites of that time.

The Trinity in Orthodoxy denotes the unity of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit

Pentecost received official recognition by the Church in 381 during the Ecumenical Council of Constantinople, at which a dogma was approved recognizing the equality of all three hypostases of the Holy Trinity.

At the Council, the Symbol of the Christian Faith was adopted - I believe in God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Symbol of faith
I believe in God the Father, the Almighty Creator who created heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, His Only Son, the Savior of people, who was born of the Virgin Mary at conception by the Holy Spirit, was tormented during the time of Pontius Pilate, died through crucifixion, was buried and resurrected after descending into hell, ascended to Heaven, sat at the right hand of the Most High, so that with Him to judge people, living and dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Universal Church, eternal life through forgiveness and resurrection. Amen.

Amen in translation means the statement "So be it!"

The difference between the Trinity and other holidays

Easter services end with Pentecost, after which the weeks in the church calendar are numbered weeks after Trinity.

The Monday after the feast of the Baptism with the Holy Spirit is called the Day of the Holy Spirit. From it until Easter, the Creed is read, and after the Resurrection of Jesus and until the day of Pentecost, during church and home prayers, the hymn is read: “Christ has risen from the dead, overcame death by death, rose alive from the tomb”, which is not sung after the Day of the Holy Spirit.

Divine service on the Trinity begins with a prayer, it is read before the start at the end of every holiday and deed, when the Holy Spirit is called as a reliable helper.

Heavenly King, Comforter, Spirit of truth, who dwells everywhere and fills everything, Source of blessings and Giver of life, come and dwell in us and cleanse us from all sin and save our souls, Good One.

St. John of Damascus and Cosmos of Maium compiled the canons of the holidays as early as the eighth century; they were set forth in the First Complete Byzantine Charter for the Service on the Trinity.

For information! At the evening service, there is no kissing of the icon; the parishioners venerate the Gospel.

At the vigil before the feast, the canon of Pentecost is read. The morning Liturgy is replaced by the feast of the Holy Spirit, on which prayers are read, kneeling.

The festive stichera helps to understand the meaning of this action. The Jewish people, in whose midst God the Son was born, is deprived of God's grace through their unbelief. Christians all over the world, pagans according to the flesh, are filled with Divine light. On our knees, as a symbol of a bowed heart, with deep faith we worship the third Hypostasis of the Divine Trinity - God the Spirit.

Compiled the first prayers:

The first petition is dedicated to the confession before the Creator of sins and the request for mercy in the name of the Sacrifice given to people by Jesus Christ, God the Son.
The second prayer is an appeal for the gift of the Holy Spirit to all people.
The third appeal to Christ, the Mission, God, who descended into hell and took the keys of life from Satan, to have mercy on our deceased relatives.

During the holiday, the Troparion is performed:

Blessed are you, Christ our God, who gave wisdom to the fishermen, making them Apostles, sent them the Holy Spirit and helped them win the whole world, glory to Thee, God is the Lover of mankind.

Traditions of decorating temples and houses on the day of Pentecost

According to folk tradition, on the Trinity, churches and houses are decorated with greenery; the people call this holiday green Christmas time.

Decorating the temple with greenery on the feast of the Trinity as a symbol of the flourishing of the Christian soul

On the one hand, this is a historical basis. God appeared to Abraham in the form of three elders who were reclining under an oak tree.

On the fiftieth day after the exit from Egypt, the Almighty on the green Mount Sinai gave the people 10 commandments, which are now the basis of Christianity.

According to custom, in honor of these events, all the temples were decorated before with greenery. Greenery at Pentecost symbolizes the flowering of the Christian soul, which was awakened by the Divine Spirit through the grace of God the Father and the Son.

The birches cut down on the Trinity symbolize the power of grace. While the tree was fed through the roots, grew in the ground, it lived, and as soon as it was cut down, it died. So the human soul lives as long as it is nourished by Divine power, but when a person departs from the Church, he immediately perishes. Jesus is the Vine, and we are His branches, feeding on mercy, forgiveness through confession and communion.

For information! The next week after the Bright Week is short, it ends with the Week of All Saints, after which Peter's fast comes.

The Almighty has shown himself to be triune in the Trinity consubstantial and inseparable, you should not try to understand this dogma with your mind, explain it with the human mind. Each hypostasis of the Trinity has its own face, but these are not three Gods, but a single Divine essence.

Day of the Holy Trinity. Pentecost

Pentecost (Trinity) is celebrated seven weeks (on the 50th day) after Easter.

Holy Trinity Day in 2017 Orthodox Christians celebrate - June 4

The holiday got its name because this event took place on the Old Testament feast of Pentecost, which was celebrated after the Jewish Passover on the 50th day. And the name is explained by the fact that the descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles revealed “the perfective activity of the third Person of the Most Holy Trinity, and the teaching of the Lord Jesus Christ about the Triune God and the participation of the Three Persons of the Godhead in the Dispensation of the salvation of the human race reached perfect clarity and completeness.”

Feast of the Holy Trinity established by the apostles. After the day of the descent of the Holy Spirit, they began to celebrate the Day of Pentecost every year and commanded all Christians to remember this event. The Holy Church lifts up the general doxology of the Most Holy Trinity and inspires people to sing "the Father without beginning, and the Son without beginning, and the co-eternal and most holy Spirit" ”-“ the Trinity of consubstantial, equivalent and without beginning.

The day of Holy Pentecost has long been considered the birthday of the Church of Christ the Savior, "created not by the vanity of human interpretations and reasoning, but by Divine grace."

For centuries, this holiday has combined sincere joy, fun, and a deep prayerful mood. God is Love, and Love contains everything. Even during His life on earth, the Lord told His disciples many times that He would never leave people.
He gathered believing people into His large family, which He called His Church, and said: "I will build My Church, and the gates of hell will never prevail against It." We are all members of this Church.

Traditions of the celebration of Pentecost in Russia

Trinity is a very beautiful holiday. Houses and temples are decorated with branches, grass, flowers. And it is no coincidence. Greenery, flowers symbolize life. This is how people express their joy and gratitude to God for the fact that He has revived them through baptism into a new life.

Historically, birch branches are used to decorate temples and houses. This tree is considered blessed in Russia. It is not for nothing that many poems and songs are dedicated to him. The Trinity holiday without a birch is the same as Christmas without a Christmas tree. But Russia is a large country, with different climatic conditions, apparently, this can explain the fact that in some areas the festive trees were oak, maple, mountain ash. Noisy and fun is the holiday. In the morning, everyone rushes to the temple for a festive service. And after it they arrange folk fun with round dances, games, songs. Be sure to cook loaves. They called guests to a festive dinner, made gifts to each other. Fairs were held in some areas.

With the revival of faith in Russia, the traditions of celebrating Orthodox holidays are also being revived. And already in our time, folk festivals with games, performances, songs are organized in the cities of the country.

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The feast of the Holy Trinity (Pentecost) is celebrated on the 50th day after Easter.
The Day of the Holy Spirit is celebrated the day after the feast of the Trinity.

HISTORY OF THE HOLY TRINITY

Several centuries before his son Jesus Christ was crucified on earth, the Lord through the prophets announced to people that the Holy Spirit would be sent to help them:

“I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my commandments and keep and do my statutes” (Ezekiel 36:27).

Jesus Christ also promised his disciples:

“But the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of everything that I have told you” (John 14:26).

Therefore, the apostles, together with the Blessed Virgin Mary, after Christ did not go home, but remained in Jerusalem, waiting for the fulfillment of the promise.
They were in the Upper Room of Zion, where they all prayed to the Lord together. In this room, after His Resurrection, the Savior has twice appeared to His disciples.
When fifty days had passed after the Resurrection of Christ, on the tenth day after His Ascension, the words of the Master were fulfilled. On this day there was a big Jewish holiday - God gave the Ten Commandments to the prophet Moses, which he received on Mount Sinai, so there were a lot of people in Jerusalem. Pilgrims came not only from Judea itself, but also from other countries.
In the morning

“Suddenly there was a noise from heaven, as if from a rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were” (Acts 2:2).

Following this, fiery flames appeared in the air, which froze over each of the apostles. The fire of these tongues shone, but did not burn. The prophecy of St. John the Baptist about the fiery baptism of the apostles came true:

"He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire" (Matthew 3:11).

This miraculous property occurs every year and at the present time - at the Descent of the Holy Fire in Jerusalem. On Great Saturday, on the eve of Orthodox Easter, during the first few minutes the fire really shines, but does not burn.
Each of the apostles felt an extraordinary surge of spiritual strength - this is God, through the fiery tongues of flame, transferred power to the apostles so that they could preach and glorify the teachings of Christ.
Hearing a loud noise, pilgrims began to gather at the Zion Upper Room, and the apostles went out to the people and

“began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance” (Acts 2:4)

It was a miracle that each of the people heard speech in their own language, so the people were very surprised at this phenomenon.
Many knew the apostles as ordinary poor people who were not trained in the sciences and, accordingly, were not trained in oratory.

The assembled people tried to explain what had happened by saying that the apostles “ drunk sweet wine”and in response to this accusation, the most ardent in character, the apostle Peter, unexpectedly for everyone and, above all for himself, began the first sermon in his life.
Now, through the mouth of the simple poor Peter, the Holy Spirit Himself spoke to people. The apostle preached to them about the life of Jesus Christ and His martyrdom. The words of the Apostle Peter sunk deep into the souls of those gathered.

"What should we do?" they asked him. “Repent, and let each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins; and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:37-38).

After his preaching, about three thousand people believed and became Christians.
Thus, the Lord gave His disciples 9 special gifts:
the gift of wisdom and knowledge, the gift of prophecy, the ability to discern spirits, the gifts of shepherding, faith, healing and miracles, the gifts of knowledge and the interpretation of tongues.

The apostles were literally reborn - they became people of strong faith, unusual fortitude. From their Teacher, they knew that their life would not be easy, each of them had their own cup of suffering ahead of them, their life would be full of ridicule, bullying, beatings and imprisonment. Indeed, almost all of them died or were executed.
To overcome these sufferings, the ascended Jesus Christ sent His messengers the Holy Spirit the Comforter. And now neither crucifixion, nor burning at the stake, nor death under a hail of stones could make God's apostles-messengers stop in preaching the Divine teaching throughout the world.
Zion's Upper Room, after the descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles and the Mother of God who were in it, began to be considered the first Christian church. And this day began to be called the feast of the Holy Trinity, in honor of the fact that the Lord revealed himself to people in three forms - God the Father, God the Son and the Holy Spirit.

SIGNIFICANCE AND MEANING OF THE TRINITY HOLIDAY

Holy Trinity Day is one of the Great Orthodox holidays. On this day, the Holy Spirit descended to earth and people were shown the Triune image of God: God the Father - the creator, God the Son - Jesus Christ, who appeared to people to atone for sins and God the Holy Spirit. This day of the Trinity is considered the feast of the birth of the earthly Church.
Trinity is celebrated on the fiftieth day after the Resurrection of Christ, because of this it is also called Holy Pentecost. The holiday itself consists of two parts. Sunday (the first day) is the Day of the Most Holy Trinity, and the second day (Monday) is the day of the Holy Spirit.
« Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit… ”- any Christian repeatedly uttered these solemn words, while doing, the first three fingers folded together express our faith in the Father, Son and Holy Spirit as a consubstantial and inseparable Trinity.

And what can be more reliable for a person than faith in God, in his protection and patronage:
“My hope is the Father, my refuge is the Son, my protection is the Holy Spirit: Holy Trinity, glory to Thee.”

The Feast of the Trinity is a bright holiday that is permeated with sunlight, the birth of life in nature after winter, when it seems to us that God's grace is spreading everywhere and everywhere, in every ray of the sun and in every green leaf, when everything around blooms, blossoms, comes to life and begins new round of life!
On this day, churches are decorated with flowers, greenery - this is a symbol of the birth of life in spring, as a symbol of the birth of the Church.

Special reverence is associated on this day, primarily with the birch, the flowering of greenery which falls on the feast of the Trinity. Among the people, it is associated with goodness, with protection from evil spirits and with a tree that exorcises diseases (birch sap, birch buds and, of course, bath brooms).
Since ancient times, temples and churches in Russia have been decorated with its branches, as well as young trees.

People who come to the festive service bring with them and hold birch twigs and flowers in their hands, which are consecrated during the service.
In honor of this Great Feast, priests usually dress in green phelonions, and church utensils are often decorated with light green fabrics and ribbons.
On the Day of the Holy Trinity, during special prayers, everyone in the temple is supposed (as far as possible) to kneel. Trinity is considered the first permissive day after Easter for kneeling prayers in the temple. This kneeling is a liturgical feature, the highlight of this holiday.

Magnification

We magnify Thee, Life-Giver of Christ, and honor Thy All-Holy Spirit, Whom from the Father Thou hast sent as Thy Divine Disciple.

VIDEO FILM

The feast of the Holy Trinity is one of the most interesting and, perhaps, the most unusual church celebrations. He, like Easter, is also always celebrated on Sunday - namely, 50 days after this day (the Most Holy Trinity is also called Pentecost).

At the same time, for the most part, we know much more about the Bright Resurrection or about Christmas than about the day of the Most Holy Trinity. That is why it will be interesting to understand what kind of holiday it is, why it has several names, and what is the sacred meaning of this date. And most importantly - how to properly celebrate the Great Trinity?

Trinity holiday in Orthodoxy: meaning and names

First of all, let's deal with the names. There are simple cases when everything is clear: Christmas is Christmas, and Easter is Easter (or the Bright Resurrection of Christ). But with the Trinity, the situation is a little different - the holiday has several names at once:

Trinity Day (Holy or Most Holy Trinity Day, Trinity Day) - i.e. holiday in honor of the triune God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Pentecost - this word has exactly the same meaning. It simply reminds us that the descent of the Spirit took place on the 50th day after Easter. Therefore, the celebration always also falls on Sunday: May 27, 2018, June 16, 2019, etc.
Spirits day, or the day of the Holy Spirit - this name emphasizes the key event in honor of which the holiday is celebrated.

All these names of the Trinity holiday can be found in various sources - for example, on Wikipedia, Orthodox magazines and others. By the way, Spirit Day falls on Monday, and Pentecost itself falls on Sunday.

But what do the three days of the Trinity mean? They symbolize the same holiday, it is simply celebrated for three days.

Holy Trinity: what kind of holiday

So, what is the meaning of this interesting holiday? Why is it considered one of the great Christian celebrations along with Easter, Christmas, Epiphany and other significant dates? Answers to these questions can be obtained if you learn something about those events two thousand years ago, which laid a good tradition to celebrate this date.

The history of the Trinity feast dates back to the last days of Jesus' life on earth. Shortly before his death, he promised that exactly 50 days after that, God would send the Comforter, who would invisibly help all his followers.

And indeed, after 40 days, the Savior ascended to heaven, and a decade later, the disciples of Christ gathered together in one of the houses of Jerusalem. And at that moment, a very strong noise was heard in the sky, as if a hurricane wind swept over the city.

It turned out that these were not air currents, but a miraculous event: at the same moment, flames lit up over the heads of the disciples-apostles. People began to speak all the languages and dialects that were used in those days by the local peoples. Then the holy apostles-followers of Christ began to teach people, preaching to them salvation and God's love.

However, what does the holiday of the Trinity mean for us - people living in modern times, 2000 years later? It turns out that the relevance of those events has been preserved in its original form, because the descent of the Holy Spirit is directly related to all the inhabitants of the planet.

His coming to earth means the onset of a grace-filled time when we have a direct connection with the heavenly powers. Every person today can just pray, ask for forgiveness and receive it.

And in the old days, complex rituals were performed for this, sacrifices were made, bonfires were kindled. In a word, forgiveness was purchased at a very high price. Now the connection with the Almighty has been established so that any of us can turn to him.

It turns out that the Holy Spirit is a kind of communication channel between man and God. Moreover, he is God himself, his third person. Therefore, the Orthodox feast of the Trinity symbolizes the Triune Lord, who has revealed himself in all his fullness.

WHY IS THE HOLY SPIRIT THE COMFORTER?

Let's rewind the events 20 centuries ago and present such a picture. The Lord died but rose again. There is no limit to the joy of believers - after all, even today, the echoes of this event resound with a joyful wave in the hearts of billions of believers when they say: “Christ is risen! He has truly risen!" What happened after?

The Savior went to heaven, as expected, on the 40th day. Probably, many people had such a feeling in their hearts that they seemed to be orphaned or lost their right wing. But now - only 10 days have passed, and the Holy Spirit descended on the earth.

It turns out that since then and until today, God himself is invisibly next to us, and at any moment we can ask for his help. It was for this purpose that the Comforter was sent to our planet.

How Orthodox Christians Celebrate the Holy Trinity

Among church holidays, Holy Trinity Day is perhaps the most beautiful event of the year. Priests dress in green clothes, temples and icons of the Holy Trinity are decorated with birch branches, wildflowers, and leaves. The floor in the temples is covered with fresh grass.

The green tone serves as a symbol of life-giving faith, the rebirth of nature after a long winter, but most importantly, the liberation of the human soul from sin.

That is why on this day it is customary to consecrate birch branches (after all, a birch is a real symbol of Russia) and bring them into the house. It is believed that this kind of bouquet will bring good luck for the whole year, if you save it until the next Trinity.

Green branches of other plants - oak, linden, maple and mountain ash are also used to decorate the home on the Trinity. They are designed to protect the house from evil spirits. Cornflowers, lovage, thyme, fern, mint, lemon balm, burdock are taken from meadow herbs, wreaths are woven from them and hung on the door, bouquets are made that are placed on the table or near the icons.

On the eve of Holy Trinity Saturday, an all-night vigil is served. On the day of the feast of the Holy Trinity, the Gospel of John is read, and a festive liturgy is performed.

The third day of Trinity is called the day of the Holy Spirit. On this day, it is customary to bless water in churches. People take the grass and branches that decorated the temples and bring them home. They dry them and store them all year round - they protect the house from diseases and troubles. Healers recommend collecting herbs on this day - it is believed that nature endows them with special miraculous properties.

Priests do not recommend doing heavy physical work on these holidays, visiting a cemetery, planning some global affairs (for example, cleaning the house, working in the country, large purchases, etc.). It is best to find time for festive services - go to church for a service, attend a liturgy in honor of the Holy Trinity, feel the spirit of the bright, tune in to the festive wave.

And the rest of the day you can spend with your loved ones, help your family, visit old friends. There is no fasting on the feast of Holy Pentecost, so the festive table is supposed to be rich and plentiful, with a variety of meat dishes, pies, and fresh herbs.

Also, after the festive dinner, traditional folk festivities are arranged - people go to nature, where they perform ritual dances, sing songs, kindle bonfires. And you can also make your most cherished wish on such a holiday - if you tune in to the fulfillment of a dream, it will certainly come true.

So, what is this - the holiday of the Great Trinity? This is the day of the descent of the Holy Spirit, when God manifested himself in all three persons and revealed himself as the triune Supreme.

And it is also the day of the rebirth of the human soul, when it can receive the priceless gift of salvation, simply by repenting of its sins and entrusting all experiences to the Lord. Such is it - the bright Holy Trinity.

One of the transitional Orthodox holidays is the Trinity. On this day, temples are decorated with birch branches and fresh grass. And on the day of the Holy Trinity, special prayers are read. They are read only once a year and on this particular holiday.

Speaking of Christian holidays, one cannot help but dwell on the Trinity in more detail.

Let's dive into history

What is the history of the Holy Trinity Day? The Lord ascended on the 40th day after the Resurrection. And on the tenth day after His Ascension, the Mother of God with the apostles gathered in one of the prayer houses. where they actually prayed. And suddenly a loud noise came from the sky, as if the wind had risen. And this noise filled the whole house, where the Mother of God with the apostles was. Tongues of fire appeared from heaven, and each of them descended on the disciples of Christ. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak in different languages hitherto unknown to them.

On that day, in connection with the holiday, there were Jews in the city. Hearing the noise from the prayer house, many of them gathered in front of it. And they heard the apostles speak in different dialects. Some of those present began to mock the disciples of God, saying that they were drunk.

Having heard about this, the Apostle Peter stood before the Jews. And he told that his brothers in Christ were not drunk at all. They are filled with the Holy Spirit, and the prophecy of Joel has come true. God said that He would send the Holy Spirit on all flesh. And they will prophesy, and they will be taught through visions and dreams.

What is the holiday dedicated to?

The Holy Trinity Day is established in honor of the descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles. Remarkably, the New Testament does not directly indicate whether the Mother of God was with them at that moment. However, according to Bishop Innokenty Borisov, how could She who conceived and gave birth to the Savior of the world miss this event?

Its meaning

What does the Holy Trinity symbolize? It's the birthday of the church. On this day, the first apostolic church was founded. The Lord gathers around Him all the people who want to follow Him. Regardless of nationality. The Old Testament describes such an event as the construction of the Tower of Babel. People wanted to build a tower in Heaven. And the Lord, seeing this, caused these builders to suddenly speak in different languages. Everyone spoke in a language they did not know. And no one could understand each other. People gathered in groups with those who spoke their new language. This is how the Babylonian dispersion of people took place.

On the day of the Holy Trinity, the Lord sends the Holy Spirit to the apostles. And they start speaking in different languages. What is it for? To gather all believers who are ready to follow Christ. For the salvation of everyone who follows God.

double name

The Day of the Holy Trinity and the feast of Pentecost are two different names for the same event. Why Pentecost? Because the Holy Spirit touched the apostles on the 50th day after Pascha, that is, after the Resurrection of Christ.

Old and New Testament

The feast of Pentecost already existed in the Old Testament. But in a different meaning. It was a harvest festival. As time went on, the meaning of the holiday changed. Pentecost has become a symbol of the birth of the Old Testament Church. The events of that day were remembered as the Covenant that the Lord made with Moses and the people of Israel about 50 days after the Jews left Egypt.

And finally, in the New Testament, Pentecost or the day of the Holy Trinity became the feast of the birth of the Christian church.

Holy Trinity Day in Russia is one of the most beautiful. The smell of incense and freshly cut green grass mingles in the church. The floors in the temples are covered with grass. The temples themselves are decorated with birch branches and wildflowers. The vestments of the priests on this day are green.

After the Liturgy, Great Vespers is served. It should be performed in the evening, as the name implies, but then not all parishioners will be able to get to the festival. Vespers is the glorification of the descent of the Holy Spirit. In addition, three special prayers are read at Vespers. About the church, about the salvation of all those who pray and about the repose of all the dead, including those who are in hell. While reading prayers, the clergy and parishioners kneel. Kneeling is a symbol of the end of the Easter period. For during the Paschal period they do not bow to the ground and kneel.

During Matins on the day of the Holy Trinity, two festive canons are sung. One of them was written by John of Damascus, the second - by Cosmas Mayumsky.

Why decorate the temple?

On the day of the Holy Trinity, as mentioned above, churches are decorated with birch branches. Why is this being done? This custom has several explanations.

Perhaps the birches serve as a reminder of Mamvra. It was there that the oak was and is located, under which the Holy Trinity appeared to Abraham in the form of three angels.
The second explanation has to do with the day of Pentecost. When the Holy Spirit descended on the apostles, the Jews celebrated the feast of the giving them the Law of God. On the fiftieth day after the Exodus from Egypt, Moses and the Jews approached Mount Sinai, where the Lord gave Moses the Ten Commandments. It was spring, the mountain was dotted with flowering trees. Perhaps, from that moment, the decoration of temples with birches and greenery originates. To again, as it were, be with Moses on Mount Sinai.

parent saturday

The day of the Holy Trinity is preceded by Parents' Saturday. What is this day? On this day, the entire Orthodox world commemorates their deceased relatives: parents, grandparents, relatives. Hence the name - Parent.

How to spend Parents' Saturday? Be sure to go to the temple, submit notes about the deceased loved ones. Good deeds done on this day in memory of deceased parents and relatives are the best gift to them, who are in the face of God.

What can you do on a holiday?

Prayer on the day of the Holy Trinity, participation in worship, communion - the most correct way to spend this day. But for some reason, it is not always possible to visit the temple. Do not despair, you can pray at home, bring to the Lord a sincere prayer that comes from the very heart.

On a holiday, it is not forbidden to cook festive food, as well as feed and water pets.

What should you refrain from?

First of all, wine drinking is crazy. In other words, from the accepted tradition of celebrating holidays accompanied by alcoholic beverages. And celebrate to such an extent until you "settle down in the salad with your face."

Drinking wine in and of itself is not a sin. The Lord Himself and the Mother of God drank wine at the wedding feast in Cana of Galilee. It was made a sin by people who can drink without restriction. The holiday is not to get drunk to unconsciousness.

Secondly, you should postpone your affairs and work for another day. Working on great holidays, people show their disrespect for God in this way. Of course, there are cases that require mandatory execution and cannot be transferred. If possible, it is better to do them after the person went to the festive service.

The third point is household chores. You can’t wash, wash, clean up, sew, etc. There are other days for this, and the holiday should be dedicated to God.

Particular attention should be paid to such a moment as landing. Since ancient times, on Trinity it was strictly forbidden to plow the land (in the current variation - to dig beds), to carry out sowing and planting.

Is it possible to devote time to a hobby?

Watching which one. On the day of the Holy Trinity, it is forbidden to sew, knit, embroider, in general, needlework will have to be put aside. You can read, but again, depending on what. Of course, these should not be romance novels, horror books and other secular non-useful literature. You can read the classics, for example, Dostoevsky, Pushkin, Tyutchev and other writers.

Listen to music and watch movies - with an eye on the content. On a holiday, you should devote the maximum part of your time to being with God. And everything that concerns a hobby should be connected with Orthodoxy.

Are outdoor activities allowed?

As for hiking in nature, there is a sign that you can’t go to the forest or the beach on Trinity. Allegedly, the goblin is acting weird in the forest, and mermaids can drag it under water. All this is nonsense. You can go to the forest and the river. Only do this after visiting the temple, because it is not good to replace the festive service with shish kebabs in the bosom of nature and swimming.

Signs

In Russia, it was believed that if it rains on the day of Pentecost, the summer will be warm, and the harvest will be rich.

Houses, like temples, were decorated with greenery and birches. The more greenery in the house on this day, the happier its inhabitants will be.

It was customary to visit each other, arrange fun feasts, without turning them into intoxication with alcohol. Close people were invited to dinner, and they were treated to the Trinity loaf, egg dishes, pies and pancakes. People brought treats and positive emotions to each other.

And what are the congratulations on the day of the Holy Trinity? How to congratulate your neighbors on this day?

The best gift for an Orthodox person will be consecrated birch twigs. Ideally, go to the temple together with loved ones, bless the greenery, and then gather at the festive table.

When is Trinity celebrated?

What date is Holy Trinity Day? It is a movable holiday that always falls on a Sunday. It is celebrated on the fiftieth day after Easter. Orthodox Christians will celebrate Pentecost on May 27, 2018.

Conclusion

What should be remembered from the article? First, what is the day of the Holy Trinity dedicated to? Descent on the apostles of the Holy Spirit.

Second, how to celebrate Pentecost. Visit the temple, defend the service, pray with everyone. Confess and take communion.

Thirdly, do not forget to go to church on Parents' Saturday and commemorate the deceased relatives.

Fourth, do not turn the holiday of the Trinity into a sweeping entertainment event with alcohol abuse.

Fifth, postpone various work. Do not do needlework on this day, and summer residents should forget a little about their gardens.

For the Christian soul, there is no better opportunity to spend a holiday than to go to church. In the bustle of life, we often forget about our soul, about its needs. As well as about God. And He is waiting, patiently waiting for us to take a step towards Him. And He is ready to receive everyone, just come.

So let's take this step towards God at least on Christian holidays.