Nikola spring (spring) and Nikola winter, prayer for help. Summer Nicholas the Wonderworker: when is celebrated, history, rituals, signs and sayings St. Nicholas holiday in May

26.03.2023

Saint Nicholas is popularly called Nicholas the Wonderworker, i.e. a saint who has the gift of intercession and performs miracles. He is loved and revered for a long time as the patron of travelers, farmers and cattle breeders, the protector of people on land and sea. Sailors, whose ships are in distress, turn to St. Nicholas for help. The saint fulfills the requests of the children. In the West, Santa Claus is popular, bringing gifts on Christmas Eve. The prototype of this fairy-tale character is St. Nicholas of Myra.

Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in Nikolo-Prozorovo (Nikolskoe-Prozorovskoye), Moscow Region

The Lives of the Saints describe many miracles performed by Nicholas of Myra (from the city of Myra, Lycian region). Every year the saint is glorified on May 22(May 9 O.S.) and December 19th(December 6 O.S.). In the Russian Orthodox Church, the icon of St. Nicholas is located next to the image of the Savior and the Mother of God.

Such icons of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker are especially revered as " St Nicholas "(XVI century, Andrey Rublev Museum of Ancient Russian Culture and Art)," Nikola winter "(depicted in a bishop's miter)," Nikola spring », « Nikola Wet "(in honor of the miracle of saving a drowned baby)," Nikola Dvorishchensky "(on a round board, the healing of the Novgorod prince Mstislav)," Nikola the Disgusting "(turns away from all filth)," Nikola Velikoretsky "(XVI century, the icon is in the Kirillo-Belozersky Museum-Reserve)," Nikola Zaraisky " and etc.

All icons depict St. Nicholas with a very kind face, a gray beard and slightly sad eyes.

St. Nicholas of Myra, with the Old Testament Trinity, the Appearance of Our Lady to Sergius of Radonezh and selected saints. From the collection of the Andrei Rublev Museum, Moscow

According to the Lives of the Saints, Saint Nicholas was born into a wealthy aristocratic family in the seaside town of Patara (now Turkish territory) in the year 270. Then the family moved to the city of Mira (its ruins have been preserved). My uncle was the local bishop. It was he who ordained the pious nephew to the priesthood. After the death of his parents, Nikolai received a large inheritance and began to secretly help disadvantaged people.

Soon he visited Palestine to venerate the Sepulcher and the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord, to pray in the Jerusalem temple on Mount Calvary. There, the miracle worker's gift was discovered, which made it possible to tame a sea storm on the way back and resurrect a sailor who had fallen from the mast.

There is a legend that St. Nicholas, who returned to Myra, prayed daily in the local church. At that time, Mirs was a small port town where not only sailors, fishermen, merchants lived, but also sea pirates. They believed in the god of the sea and the water element Neptune (Poseidon), to whom temples were dedicated and sacrifices were made.

After the death of Bishop John of Myra, they decided to choose a new one, relying on Divine Providence. One of the bishops had a vision that the one who enters this church first in the early morning should be chosen, and his name is Nicholas. It was St. Nicholas who first came to the opening of the temple at dawn.

There were difficult times in the life of the saint, when he was imprisoned. Emperor Constantine the Great (272 - 337) allowed Nicholas to return to the flock, and then participate in the First Ecumenical Council of 325. There a quarrel took place with the heretic Arius, which showed that St. Nicholas was capable of punishing the enemy.

On December 6, 343, Saint Nicholas died peacefully at an advanced age. In 1087, his relics were transferred to the Italian city of Bari.

At first, St. Nicholas was considered only a local patron. In Rus', they learned about the saint from merchants arriving along the path "from the Varangians to the Greeks." Nicholas the Wonderworker became the patron saint of warriors, the protector of a wide variety of people, their intercessor before God. The people developed legends about Nicholas the Wonderworker. In the Church, it is celebrated not only twice a year, but also every Thursday.

In the 19th century, almost a third of Russian churches were illuminated in the name of Nicholas the Wonderworker. Now there are a lot of them too. In the Moscow Epiphany Cathedral in Yelokhovo there is a miraculous image of St. Nicholas. Muscovites are well aware of the Yelokhovskaya Church, located not far from the Baumanskaya metro station.

Prayer to Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker

O all-holy Nicholas, the Lord's most beautiful servant, our warm intercessor, and everywhere in sorrow a quick helper! Help me, a sinner and a dull one, in this present life, beg the Lord God to grant me the remission of all my sins, having sinned from my youth, in all my life, deed, word, thought and all my feelings; and at the end of my soul, help me, the damned one, implore the Lord God, all creatures of the Sodetel, to deliver me from air ordeals and eternal torment, may I always glorify the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit and your merciful intercession, now and ever and forever and ever. Amen

Nikola spring (spring)

May 22 - the feast of St. Nicholas of the spring (spring). It is also called herbal, warm. On this day in 1087, the relics of the saint were secretly transferred at night from the plundered city of Mira to the Italian city of Bari. This day has become a religious holiday. All sorts of people asked Saint Nicholas for help and protection, and swore oaths to honor his name. So the holiday became obligatory. And cherished, because It was believed that on this day it is impossible to violate the covenants of the ancestors.

Merchants and industrialists tried to give the name of the saint to new courts in Nikola.

In Rus', grooms drove the spring horses to Nikola in the field, set off at night, ordered prayers with blessings of water. They asked the Defender to protect the horses from predators and horse thieves. Young people have always participated in this holiday: single guys led horses in the field, and girls in huts baked pies at that time. The youth and grooms walked all night, drinking hearty pies with buckwheat, beer and kvass. It was believed that from that day livestock and horses could completely switch to pasture.

Sign of the weather : "Nikola would come, it will be warm."

Nikola winter

December 19 - Nikola winter, cold. This is the day the Saint died. Farmers were preparing for the Winter Nicholas in advance, in Rus' the mass sale of grain began. Fairs and bazaars were opened, the order at which Nikola himself followed. Merchants were afraid to anger him, so there were few scammers at such fairs.

Even the enemies put up with Nikola Winter. The elders walked and took part in fraternities. The younger ones looked at them and prepared for Christmas time. Relatives and acquaintances came to Nikolsky bratchiny to drink intoxicating beer together, which was brewed according to family recipes.

in which lasts from November 28 to January 6 , comply with the following rules. If the Day of St. Nicholas, i.e. December 19, falls on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, you can eat fish.

Vasily Belov wrote about the celebration of Winter St. Nicholas in the 1920s in the book Lad:

Beer in the North until the war itself was the main holiday drink among the peasants. They cooked it from rye.
Anfisa Ivanovna tells about it this way:
“On the nineteenth of December, and according to the old style the sixth, was the feast of St. Nicholas, in our parish the patronal. We also arranged the wedding for Nikola, so that for one expense. This is 1926, they didn’t get married anymore, but if there was a church, they still wouldn’t get married during Lent. Everyone was waiting for the holiday, from young to old. Even beggars. Many people come that day, the housewives baked pies especially for the poor. They also left the wort, although not a first, but a friend for regaling random outsiders.

Folk omens : “What a day is for winter Nikola, such is it for summer Nikola”, “If the day turned out to be cold and clear - by the harvest year”, “In front of Nikola hoarfrost - oats will be well born”, “How much Nikola winter gives snow, so much Nikola spring grass” .

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On May 22, 2018, Christians around the world celebrate the Day of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, who is considered the heavenly patron of children, travelers and the afflicted. It is believed that it was on this day that the relics of the archbishop were transferred from the town of Mira to a place called Bari. In Russia, May 22 got its name - Nikola Veshny. The thing is that the Christian holiday is closely connected with the long-awaited changes and the onset of the last week of spring. In all churches, temples, cathedrals and monasteries, the chasuble on the icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker is decorated with lilies of the valley, and believers bring flowers as a token of their reverence for the world-famous Saint.

Biography of Nicholas the Wonderworker: biography

Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker was born in the small town of Patara, located in a Greek colony in Asia. His parents were believing Christians who had a large fortune and were actively involved in charity work.

As a child, Saint Nicholas regularly attended church services and was fond of reading religious literature, which influenced the formation of his worldview. When he grew up, he went to study as a priest, and after that he went to serve God and people in the temple, where his own uncle, the famous Bishop of Patara, was the father rector of the monastery.

When the parents of Nicholas the Wonderworker passed away, he distributed all the fortune he had inherited to the needy, and he himself became a bishop in the World. Today this city is called Demre. It is located in the Turkish region of the city of Antalya and still thousands of tourists and pilgrims visit this place to bow to St. Nicholas the Wonderworker and see firsthand where the Saint served.

The honest and just archbishop was revered by parishioners and ordinary people. Already during his lifetime, St. Nicholas performed many miracles that glorified the Christian faith. Information about the following of his acts has come down to our time:

He actively fought against paganism, converting even the most violent heretics to the Christian faith;
Rescued from prison people who were unjustly convicted for acts that they did not commit;
He never remained indifferent to the requests of the suffering, helping them;
Protected the city of Myra from famine and poor harvest through sincere prayer.

In addition, Nicholas the Wonderworker during his lifetime became famous for the fact that he could, by the power of his prayer to God, save the crew of sinking ships that had crashed from inevitable death. Therefore, to this day, the Saint is asked for patronage to people who are on a journey.

The saint of God, Nikolai, lived to a ripe old age, never ceasing to help people in word and deed. The exact date of his death is unknown, but scholars agree that it happened around 341-351.

Who patronizes Nicholas the Wonderworker?

The glory of the Great Saint came to Nicholas the Wonderworker during his lifetime. Therefore, on May 22, 2018, all Christian churches will remember the life of this amazing Saint, who is considered the patron saint of children, sailors and travelers. It is believed that it was St. Nicholas who became the prototype of Santa Claus, who brings gifts to children and seeks to please them. Any requests can be made to him, especially those for the implementation of which a real miracle is needed.

Why is Saint Nicholas called God's Pleaser?

Saint Nicholas received such a nickname because he served God throughout his life, helped people and kept the commandments. Nicholas the Pleasant prayed with such strength and unshakable faith in Christ that even after his death, his body remained incorruptible. The relics of the Saint were streaming myrrh, and all who likened to venerate them received healing from their mental and physical ailments.

How to celebrate May 22, 2018?

May 22, 2018 is the feast of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker and God's Pleaser, which will be celebrated in all Christian parishes. On this day, all believers try to give up eggs and meat, laying a fasting table with fish dishes.

On this day, it is customary to pray in a temple or at home, asking Nicholas the Wonderworker for mercy and intercession before God. In addition, it is best to refrain from:

From doing any housework related to washing, cleaning or ironing;
Carrying out repairs or performing draft tasks;
From working in the fields and gardens, as well as cleaning livestock pens.

Today, May 22, 2018, you need to visit the temple, where a service will definitely be held. You can also pray at home, asking Nikolai Ugodnik for help in any business. It is recommended that the whole family gather at the festive table, as well as treat all those who come to visit. The holiday of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker is bright and fertile, not associated with tragic events, so it should be celebrated cheerfully and easily.

In the folk calendar, the date May 22 is Nikola Veshny, spring, summer, warm, herbal, Nikolin's day. Signs on Nikola (May 22) will tell you what the harvest will be this year. The Orthodox Church on this day celebrates the transfer of the relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker from the city of Mira to the city of Bari.

The saint was born in the III century in the colony of Patara (Greece), from childhood he was very religious, excelled in the study of the Holy Scriptures. During the day he did not leave the temple, but at night he read books and prayed. Nicholas distributed the property received after the death of his parents to those in need, and devoted his life to serving God.

The saint and wonderworker lived in the Malaysian city of Mira, where he was buried around the year 345. Seven centuries later, Muslims attacked the city and destroyed it. In order to protect the relics of St. Nicholas from desecration, they were transported to the city of Bari, located in southern Italy. In 1087, the inhabitants of the city placed the relics of the saint in a specially built temple, where they are still today, attracting believers from all over the world.

May 22: traditions and customs of the day

The holiday of Nikola Veshny is an important agrarian date. Many signs, proverbs and sayings are associated with this day. Many ritual actions and agricultural affairs are timed to coincide with it. Many texts relating to the day of warm St. Nicholas contain a comparison of either two St. Nicholas dates (and May 22), or two big spring holidays -) and St. Nicholas Day.

The people looked forward to this day with great impatience. He was called Nikola vernal (spring), warm, herbal. From this date, they waited for the onset of real heat and the growth of grasses.

Before Nikola, be strong, at least loosen up, but live with Nikola - do not grieve.

Nikola would come, but it would be warm.

Knowing from experience that the warmth of spring is changeable and can be replaced by bad weather at any moment, they said:

Before Nikola, do not shear sheep, not this buckwheat.

Praise the winter after Nikolin's day.

In the northern regions, it was believed that there could be 12 more frosty matinees from Nikola, which could stretch right up to). If the weather remained cold that day, they relied on: Nikola poisons, and the Trinity rules.

Grass begins to grow well from Nikola. For the peasants, this was not only gratifying and beautiful, but also very important, because it became possible to transfer horses and cattle to pasture, and significantly enrich their diet with greens. Therefore, the topic of Nikolskaya grass is widely represented in signs and sayings:

There are two Nikolas in a year: one is herbal, the other is frosty.

Egory with warmth, and Nikola with food.

Egory with water, Nikola with grass.

Do not brag about Egory's sowing, but brag about Nikola with grass.

In the old days, especially respectful of the land, ready for the growth of grasses. Therefore, it was forbidden to beat her with a stick.

The rain that began that day was considered a real blessing, which is so necessary for the growing grass, already sown with spring crops, for good soil moisture for sowing other grain crops.

God's mercy is great if it rains on St. Nicholas of the Veshny.

If it rains on Nikolin's day, then the summer will not be dry and bread will be born.

Therefore, if there was no rain that day, then they prayed to Nikolai Ugodnik, asking him to have mercy and give the long-awaited moisture to the spring land.

In some places from that day they began to sow wheat and oats. Where the early sowing of spring crops had already taken place, Nikola Teploe had a medium sowing. In preparation for sowing, they relied not so much on the calendar date, but on the state of nature. For example, it was believed that it was impossible to sow wheat until the leaf unfolded on the oak or until the bird cherry blossomed. But if the birch is "spread", it's time to sow. Also, farmers began to sow wheat when the bare foot could endure the cold in the plowed furrow.

There was another interesting saying dedicated to this day: “ St. Yegori stocks cows, Nikola horses. She points out that from St. George's Day (May 6), the first grass appears and grazing of cows begins, and from St. Nicholas Day - horses. The horses are moving to pasture. In general, spring Nikola is considered the patron saint of horses. On the day of his memory, a prayer service with water blessing was ordered to give animals health and protect them from wild animals. From Nikolsky Day, they began to drive horses to the “night”, tying copper bells to them, by the sound of which one could easily find a village herd. Cattle breeders turned to the saint, asking: “ Nicholas the Wonderworker, look after our cattle”, and each cow and horse was called by name.

From each village, single guys were chosen as grooms, and then the whole world saw them off. Pies with porridge were baked especially for them and presents were prepared. After a plentiful treat, the grooms went to the meadows, where they had fun all night. By the light of the fires, they celebrated their simple feast: they brought vodka, snacks, fried eggs, and after sunset the girls joined them. The youth had fun, sang songs and danced round dances until the morning. For this reason, Nikola Veshny in Rus' has traditionally been considered a men's holiday.

In connection with the transfer of cattle to pasture, from that day on, meadows were “ordered”, i.e. branches and twigs were stuck into the ground at the borders. Thus, they marked places where it was forbidden to graze animals.

After Nikolin's day, build a gorodba.

On May 22, they finished planting potatoes, which in the old days were valued no less than bread. On this day, the peasants laid out crosses from twigs or chips near the house, burned alder branches near the porch to protect the dwelling and its inhabitants from snakes.

In religious consciousness, Nikolai Ugodnik is directly connected with the water element. He is the patron saint of sailors, fishermen and all sailors on the oceans, seas, rivers and lakes. This is connected with episodes from the life of the saint, which tells about the salvation of people drowning or caught in a storm by Nicholas the Wonderworker. There are many conspiracies and prayers in which they turn to the saint with a request to save and save "on the waters." As before, so today, on any ship, the image of St. Nicholas is mandatory.

The folk calendar reflected this connection in its own way. It was believed that before the spring of Nikola, hemp should not be wetted, and the wetted one should be pulled out so that later the drowned man would not have to be pulled out. Until that day, they did not swim.

May 22: signs and beliefs

Rain on Nikola Veshny - to a good harvest.
If the frogs croak on Nikola, then the oats will be good.
Before St. Nicholas, do not shear the sheep, do not this buckwheat, do not swim in the reservoirs.
A dream from May 21 to May 22 will come true for people born on this day. A dream seen on the afternoon of May 22 will come true in 5 years, when you have already forgotten about it.

Video: May 22 - "Nikola Veshny"

When is the memory of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker celebrated?

What helps Nicholas the Wonderworker

Saint Nicholas is called a miracle worker. Such saints are especially revered for the miracles that occur through prayers to them. Since ancient times, Nicholas the Wonderworker was revered as an ambulance to sailors and other travelers, merchants, unjustly convicted and children. In Western folk Christianity, his image was combined with the image of a folklore character - "Christmas grandfather" - and transformed into Santa Claus ( santa claus translated from English. - St Nicholas). Santa Claus gives gifts to children for Christmas.

Life (biography) of Nicholas the Wonderworker

Nicholas the Pleasant was born in 270 in the town of Patara, which was located in the region of Lycia in Asia Minor and was a Greek colony. The parents of the future archbishop were very wealthy people, but at the same time they believed in Christ and actively helped the poor.

As the life says, from childhood the saint devoted himself completely to faith, spent a lot of time in the temple. Having matured, he became a reader, and then a priest in the church, where his uncle, Bishop Nicholas of Patara, served as rector.

After the death of his parents, Nicholas the Wonderworker distributed all his inheritance to the poor and continued his church ministry. In the years when the attitude of the Roman emperors towards Christians became more tolerant, but persecution nevertheless continued, he ascended to the episcopal throne in Mir. Now this town is called Demre, it is located in the province of Antalya in Turkey.

People loved the new archbishop very much: he was kind, meek, fair, sympathetic - not a single request to him remained unanswered. With all this, Nicholas was remembered by his contemporaries as an implacable fighter against paganism - he destroyed idols and temples, and a defender of Christianity - he denounced heretics.

Even during his lifetime, the saint became famous for many miracles. He saved the city of Mira from a terrible famine - with his fervent prayer to Christ. He prayed and thereby helped the drowning sailors on ships, led the unjustly condemned from imprisonment in prisons.

Nicholas the Pleasant lived to a ripe old age and died around 345-351 - the exact date is unknown.

Relics of Saint Nicholas

Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker reposed in the Lord in 345-351 - the exact date is unknown. His relics were incorruptible. At first they rested in the cathedral church of the city of Lycian Myra, where he served as archbishop. They streamed myrrh, and the myrrh healed believers from various ailments.

Veneration of St. Nicholas in Rus'

Many temples and monasteries are dedicated to Nikolai Ugodnik in Rus'. In his name, the holy Patriarch Photius baptized in 866 the Kyiv prince Askold, the very first Russian Christian prince. Above the grave of Askold in Kyiv, Saint Equal-to-the-Apostles Olga built the first church of St. Nicholas on Russian soil.

In many Russian cities, the main cathedrals were named after the archbishop of Mir Lycian. Veliky Novgorod, Zaraysk, Kyiv, Smolensk, Pskov, Galich, Arkhangelsk, Tobolsk and many others. In the Moscow province, three Nikolsky monasteries were built - Nikolo-Greek (Old) - in Kitay-gorod, Nikolo-Perervinsky and Nikolo-Ugreshsky. In addition, one of the main towers of the Moscow Kremlin was named Nikolskaya.

Iconography of Saint Nicholas

The iconography of St. Nicholas took shape in the 10th-11th centuries. At the same time, the oldest icon, namely the fresco in the church of Santa Maria Antiqua in Rome, dates back to the 8th century.

There are two main iconographic types of St. Nicholas - full-length and half-length. One of the classic examples of a full-length icon is a fresco from the St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery in Kyiv, painted at the beginning of the 12th century. Now it is kept in the Tretyakov Gallery. In this fresco, the saint is depicted full-length, with a blessing right hand and an open Gospel in his left hand.

Icons of the belt iconographic type depict the saint with a closed Gospel on his left hand. The oldest icon of this type in the monastery of St. Catherine in Sinai dates back to the 11th century. In Rus', the earliest surviving similar image dates back to the end of the 12th century. Ivan the Terrible brought it from Novgorod the Great and placed it in the Smolensk Cathedral of the Novodevichy Convent. Now this icon can be seen in the Tretyakov Gallery.

Icon painters also created hagiographic icons of St. Nicholas, that is, depicting different scenes from the life of the saint - sometimes up to twenty different plots. The most ancient of these icons in Rus' are the Novgorod one from the Lyubon churchyard (XIV century) and the Kolomna one (now kept in the Tretyakov Gallery).

TroparionSaint Nicholas the Wonderworker

voice 4

The rule of faith and the image of meekness, the abstinence of the teacher reveal the truth to your flock of things: for this sake you acquired high humility, rich in poverty. Father Hierarch Nicholas, pray to Christ God that our souls be saved.

Translation:

By the rule of faith, by the example of meekness, temperance, the teacher has shown you your life to your flock. And therefore, with humility, you acquired greatness, poverty - wealth: Father Hierarch Nicholas, pray to Christ God for the salvation of our souls.

Kontakion to Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker

voice 3

In Mirech, holy, the clergyman appeared to you: Christ, reverend, having fulfilled the Gospel, lay down your soul about your people, and saved the innocent from death; for this sake you were sanctified, like a great secret place of God's grace.

Translation:

In the Worlds, you, saint, appeared as a performer of sacred rites: having fulfilled the gospel teaching of Christ, you, reverend, laid down your soul for your people and the innocent delivered from death. Therefore, he was sanctified as a great minister of the mysteries of God's grace.

First prayer to Nikolai Ugodnik

Oh, all-holy Nicholas, the most beautiful servant of the Lord, our warm intercessor, and everywhere in sorrow a quick helper!

Help me a sinner and despondent in this present life, beg the Lord God to grant me the remission of all my sins, having sinned from my youth, in all my life, deed, word, thought and all my feelings; and at the end of my soul, help me the accursed, implore the Lord God, all creatures of the Sodetel, to deliver me from air ordeals and eternal torment: may I always glorify the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, and your merciful intercession, now and ever and forever and ever.

What can you eat on the day of memory of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker

December 19, according to the new style, falls on the Christmas, or Filippov, as it is also called, post. On this day, you can eat fish, but you can not eat meat, eggs and other animal products.

Miracles of Saint Nicholas

Nicholas the Wonderworker is considered the patron, intercessor and prayer book for sailors and, in general, for everyone who travels. For example, as the life of the saint says, in his youth, traveling from Myra to Alexandria, he resurrected a sailor who, during a fierce storm, fell off the mast of the ship and, falling on the deck, crashed to death.

Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh. Word, uttered at the vigil on the feast of St. Nicholas, December 18, 1973, in the church named after him in Kuznetsy (Moscow)

Today we celebrate the day of the death of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. What a strange combination of words: death feast... Usually, when someone is overtaken by death, we yearn and weep for it; and when the saint dies, we rejoice about it. How is this possible?

This is possible only because when a sinner dies, those who remain have a heavy feeling in their hearts that the time has come for parting, even if only temporarily. No matter how strong our faith is, no matter how hope inspires us, no matter how sure we are that the God of love will never finally separate from each other those who love each other with even imperfect, earthly love - still remains sadness and longing that for many years we will not see the face, the expression of the eyes shining on us with caress, we will not touch the dear person with a reverent hand, we will not hear his voice, bringing his caress and love to our hearts ...

But our attitude to the saint is not exactly like that. Even those who were contemporary with the saints, already during their lifetime, managed to realize that, living in the fullness of heavenly life, the saint did not separate from the earth during his life, and that when he rests in his body, he will still remain in this mystery of the Church, which unites the living and the dead. into one body, into one spirit, into one eternal, Divine mystery that conquered all lives.

As they died, the saints could say, as Paul said: I fought a good feat, I kept the faith; now an eternal reward is being prepared for me, now I myself become a sacrifice...

And this consciousness is not the head, but the consciousness of the heart, a living feeling of the heart that the saint cannot leave us (just as the Risen Christ, who has become invisible to us, does not leave us, just as God, invisible to us, is not absent), this consciousness allows us to rejoice on the day when, as the ancient Christians said, a person born into eternal life. He did not die - but was born, entered into eternity, into the whole expanse, into the fullness of life. He is in anticipation of a new victory of life, which we all look forward to: the resurrection of the dead on the last day, when all the barriers of separation will fall, and when we will rejoice not only about the victory of eternity, but that God has restored the temporal to life - but in glory, new shining glory.

One of the ancient fathers of the Church, Saint Irenaeus of Lyon, says: the glory of God is a man who has become Man... Saints are such a glory to God; looking at them, we are amazed at what God can do to a person.

And behold, we rejoice on the day of the death of the one who was on earth heavenly man, but having entered eternity, he became our intercessor and intercessor, not leaving us, remaining not only the same close, but becoming even closer, because we become close to each other as we become close, dear, our own to the Living God, God of love. Our joy today is so deep! The Lord on earth shook, like a ripe ear, St. Nicholas. Now he triumphs with God, in heaven; and just as he loved the earth and people, knew how to pity, compassion, knew how to surround everyone and meet everyone with amazing, tender, thoughtful care, so now he prays for us all, caringly, thoughtfully.

When you read his life, you are amazed that he cared not only about the spiritual; he cared for every human need, the humblest human need. He knew how to rejoice with those who rejoice, he knew how to cry with those who weep, he knew how to console and support those who needed comfort and support. And this is why the people, the Myrlikian flock, fell in love with him so much, and why the entire Christian people honors him so much: there is nothing too insignificant that he would not pay attention to with his creative love. There is nothing on earth that would seem unworthy of his prayers and unworthy of his labors: illness, and the poor, and deprivation, and disgrace, and fear, and sin, and joy, and hope, and love - everything found a lively response in his deep human heart. And he left us the image of a man who is the radiance of God's beauty, he left us in himself, as it were, a living, acting icon genuine person.

But he left it to us not only so that we rejoice, admire, be amazed; he left us his image so that we could learn from him how to live, what kind of love to love, how to forget ourselves and remember fearlessly, sacrificially, joyfully every need of another person.

He left us an image of how to die, how to mature, how to stand before God at the last hour, giving His soul joyfully, as if returning to his father's house. When I was a young man, my father once told me: during your life, learn to expect death in the same way as a young man anxiously awaits the arrival of his bride... This is how St. Nicholas waited for the hour of death, when the gates of death will open, when his soul will fly to freedom when it will be given to him to behold the God whom he worshiped with faith and love. So it is given to us to wait - to wait creatively, not to wait numbly, in fear of death, but to wait with joy for that time, that meeting with God, which will make us akin not only to our Living God, with Christ who became a man, but also with every person. because only in God are we made one...

The Fathers of the Church call us to live fear of death. From century to century we hear these words, and from century to century we misunderstand them. How many people live in fear that death is about to come, and after death - judgment, and after judgment - what? Unknown. Hell? Forgiveness?.. But not about that fear of death fathers said. The Fathers said that if we remembered that in a moment we might die, how we would hasten to do all the good that we can still do! If we thought constantly, tremblingly that the person standing next to us, to whom we can now do good or evil, might die - how we would hasten to take care of him! There would then be no need, either great or small, that would exceed our ability to devote life to a person who is about to die.

I have already said something about my father; sorry - I'll tell you one more personal. My mother has been dying for three years; she knew it because I told her. And when death entered our life, it transformed life by the fact that every moment, every word, every action - because it could be the last - had to be a perfect expression of all the love, all the affection, all the reverence that was between us. And for three years there was no trifle and no big things, but only the triumph of tremulous, reverent love, where everything merged into greatness, because in one word you can enclose all love, and in one movement you can express all love; and it should be like this.

The Saints understood this not only in relation to one person, whom they loved especially tenderly and for some small years, for which they had the spirit. The saints knew how to live like this throughout their whole lives, from day to day, from hour to hour, in relation to each person, because in each they saw the image of God, a living icon, but - God! - sometimes such a defiled, such a mutilated icon, which they contemplated with special pain and with special love, as we would contemplate an icon trampled into the mud before our eyes. And each of us, with our sin, tramples into the mud the image of God in ourselves.

Think about it. Think how glorious, how marvelous death can be if we only live life like saints. They are people like us, differing from us only in courage and burning spirit. If only we could live like them! And how rich the memory of death could be for us if, instead of being called, in our language, the fear of death, it were a constant reminder that every moment is and can become a door to eternal life. Each moment, filled with all love, all humility, all the rapture and strength of the soul, can open time to eternity and make our earth already a place where paradise is manifested, a place where God lives, a place where we are united in love, a place where everything the evil, the dead, the dark, the dirty, are defeated, transfigured, become light, become purity, become Divine.

May the Lord grant us to ponder these images of the saints, and not to each other, not even to ask ourselves what to do, but to turn directly to them, to these saints, of whom some were at first robbers, sinners, people terrible for others, but who managed by the greatness of the soul to perceive God and grow into measure of the age of Christ. Let's ask them... What happened to you, Father Nicholas? What did you do, how did you reveal yourself to the power of Divine love and grace?.. And he will answer us; with his life and his prayer he will make possible for us what seems impossible to us, because the power of God is made perfect in weakness, and everything is available to us, everything is possible for us in the Lord Jesus Christ who strengthens us.

Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh. About the calling of a Christian.

Word pronounced at the liturgy on the day of memory of St. Nicholas on December 19, 1973, in the church named after him in Kuznetsy (Moscow)

In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

I congratulate you on the occasion!

When we celebrate the day of such a saint as Nicholas the Wonderworker, whom not only the Russian heart, but universal Orthodoxy perceived as one of the most perfect images of the priesthood, it is especially reverent to serve the Divine Liturgy and stand before it; because before he became a companion of the apostles, Saint Nicholas was a genuine, true layman. The Lord Himself revealed that it was he who should have been made a priest - for the purity of his life, for the feat of his love, for his love for worship and the temple, for the purity of his faith, for his meekness and humility.

All this was in him not a word, but it was flesh. In the troparion we sing to him that he was rule of faith, image of meekness, teacher of temperance; all this appeared to his flock by the very deed, the radiance of his life, and not just a verbal sermon. And so he was still a layman. And by such a feat, such love, such purity, such meekness, he acquired for himself the highest calling of the Church - to be appointed bishop, bishop of his city; to be before the eyes of the believing people (which itself is the body of Christ, the seat of the Holy Spirit, the divine lot), among the Orthodox people to stand like a living icon; so that, looking at him, in his eyes to see the light of Christ's love, to see in his actions, to experience Christ's divine mercy with his own eyes.

We are all called to follow the same path. There are no two ways for a person: there is a way of holiness; the other way is the way of renunciation of one's Christian calling. Not everyone reaches the height that is revealed to us in the saints; but we are all called to be so pure in our heart, in our mind, in our life, in our flesh, that we may be, as it were, the incarnate presence in the world, from century to century, from millennium to millennium, of Christ Himself.

We are called to be so completely, so completely given to God, that each of us becomes, as it were, a temple where the Holy Spirit lives and acts - both in us and through us.

We are called to be daughters and sons of our Heavenly Father; but not only allegorically, not only because He treats us as a father treats children. In Christ and by the power of the Holy Spirit, we are called to truly become His children, like Christ, partaking of His sonship, receiving the Spirit of sonship, the Spirit of God, so that our life may be hidden. with Christ in God.

This we cannot achieve without difficulty. The Church Fathers tell us: shed blood and you will receive the Spirit... We cannot ask God to dwell in us when we ourselves are not working to prepare for Him a holy, purified, God-consecrated temple. We cannot call Him into the depths of our sin again and again, if we do not have a firm, fiery intention, if we are not ready, when He descends to us, when He seeks us like a lost sheep, and wants to carry us back to our father's house, to be taken and carried away forever in His Divine arms.

To be a Christian is to be an ascetic; to be a Christian is to struggle to overcome everything in oneself that is death, sin, unrighteousness, impurity; in a word - to overcome, to overcome everything because of which Christ was crucified, killed on the Cross. Human sin killed him - mine, and yours, and our common; and if we do not overcome and do not get rid of sin, then we partake either of those who, through negligence, coldness, indifference, frivolity, gave Christ to be crucified, or those who maliciously wanted to destroy Him, wipe Him off the face of the earth, because His appearance, His preaching , His personality were their condemnation.

To be a Christian is to be an ascetic; and yet it is impossible for us to save ourselves. Our calling is so high, so great, that a person cannot fulfill it on his own. I have already said that we are called to be, as it were, grafted into the humanity of Christ, as a twig is grafted into a life-giving tree - so that the life of Christ springs up in us, so that we are His body, so that we are His presence, so that our word is His in a word, our love is His love, and our action is His action.

I said that we must become a temple of the Holy Spirit, but more than a physical temple. The material temple contains the presence of God, but is not permeated by it; and a person is called to unite with God in such a way as, according to the word of St. Maximus the Confessor, fire pierces, penetrates iron, becomes one with it, and it is possible (says Maxim) to cut with fire and burn with iron, because it is no longer possible to distinguish where the burning is and where the fuel is. Where is man and where is God.

This we cannot achieve. We cannot become sons and daughters of God just because we ourselves want it or we ask and pray for it; we must be accepted by the Father, adopted, we must become, in the love of God for Christ, what Christ is to the Father: sons, daughters. How can we achieve this? The Gospel gives us the answer. Peter asks: Who can be saved? - And Christ answers: What is impossible for man is possible for God...

Through deeds we can open our hearts; protect your mind and soul from impurity; we can direct our actions so that they are worthy of our calling and our God; we can keep our flesh pure for the communion of the Body and Blood of Christ; we can open ourselves to God and say: Come and dwell in us... And we can know that if we ask it with a sincere heart, we want it, then God, Who wants us to be saved more than we know how to want it ourselves, will give it to us. He Himself tells us in the Gospel: If you, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him...

Therefore, let us be with all the strength of our human weakness, with all the burning of our dim spirit, with all the hope of our heart yearning for fullness, with all our faith that cries out to God: Lord, I believe, but help my unbelief! With all the hunger, with all the thirst of our soul and body, let us ask God to come. But at the same time, with all the strength of our soul, with all the strength of our body, let us prepare for Him a temple worthy of His coming: cleansed, dedicated to Him, guarded from all unrighteousness, malice and impurity. And then the Lord will come; and will celebrate, as He promised us, with the Father and the Spirit, the Last Supper in our hearts, in our lives, in our temple, in our society, and the Lord will reign forever, our God to generation and generation.

Santa Claus

In Western Christianity, the image of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker was combined with the image of a folklore character - "Christmas grandfather" - and transformed into Santa Claus ( santa claus translated from English. - St Nicholas). Santa Claus gives gifts to children on St. Nicholas Day, but more often on Christmas Day.

At the origins of the tradition of giving gifts on behalf of Santa Claus is the story of a miracle performed by Nikolai Ugodnik. As the life of the saint says, he saved the family of a poor man who lived in Patara from sin.

The poor man had three lovely daughters, and the need made him think terrible - he wanted to send the girls into prostitution. The local archbishop, and Nicholas the Wonderworker just served them, received a revelation from the Lord about what his parishioner had conceived in desperation. And he decided to save his family, and secretly from everyone. One night, he tied a bundle of gold coins that he inherited from his parents, and threw the bag to the poor man through the window. The father of his daughters discovered the gift only in the morning and thought that it was Christ himself who sent him a gift. With these funds, he married his eldest daughter to a good man.

Saint Nicholas rejoiced that his help had brought good fruit, and in the same way, secretly, he threw a second bag of gold through the window of the poor man. With these funds, he played the wedding of his middle daughter.

The poor man was eager to know who his benefactor was. He did not sleep at night and waited if he would come to help the third daughter? Saint Nicholas was not long in coming. Hearing the ringing of a bundle of coins, the poor man caught up with the archbishop and recognized him as a saint. I fell at his feet and warmly thanked him for saving his family from a terrible sin.

Nikola Winter, Nikola Autumn, Nikola Veshny, "Nikola Wet"

On December 19 and August 11, according to the new style, Orthodox Christians remember, respectively, the death and birth of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. According to the time of the year, these holidays received popular names - Nikola Winter and Nikola Autumn.

Folk traditions of celebrating the day of memory of Nikolai Ugodnik

In Rus', Nicholas the Pleasant was revered as the "senior" among the saints. Nicola was called "merciful"; temples were built in honor of him and children were named - from antiquity and until the beginning of the 20th century, the name Kolya was the most popular among Russian boys.

About Nikola Zimny (December 19) in the huts in honor of the holiday, festive meals were arranged - they baked pies with fish, brewed mash and beer. The holiday was considered "old man's", the most respected people of the village gathered together a rich table and had long conversations. And the youth indulged in winter entertainment - sledding, dancing, singing songs, preparing for Christmas gatherings.

On Nikola Summer, or Spring (May 22), the peasants arranged religious processions - they went to the fields with icons and banners, performed prayers at the wells - they asked for rain.

May 22, 2018 the national holiday of Nikola Spring or Nikolin's day is celebrated. For the Orthodox Church, this day is also a memorable date. On this day, the transfer of the holy remains of St. Nicholas from the World of Lycia to Bar is celebrated.

The spring among the people was nicknamed Nicholas for the reason that it is celebrated as if in contrast to another holiday - the date of celebration of which falls on December 19th.

Also a holiday Nikola Veshny or Nikolin's Day May 22 has several other names. He is also called Nikola Warm, Nikola Summer, Nikola spring, Nikolshchina, Nikola, Nikola herbal, herbal day.

As the story goes, Saint Nicholas is a great saint of God. He is known all over the world. Temples, monasteries and cathedrals are named in his honor to this day. In almost every major city in our country there is a church of St. Nicholas or St. Nicholas Church.

Saint Nicholas died in the middle of the 4th century. His relics were kept in the Lycian Cathedral until hard times came in Greece. When the Turks began to ravage Greece, they also wanted to destroy the remains of St. Nicholas. But since the entire Christian people deeply revered the saint, he could not allow this. Then, in 1087, the inhabitants of the city of Bar specially came to Mir to take the relics of Nicholas the Wonderworker. On May 8 (according to the old style) the ship arrived in the city, and the next day the relics of the saint were solemnly brought into the church of St. Stephen. There they are to this day. Therefore, every year on May 9, according to the old style, or on May 22, according to the new style, the Orthodox Church celebrates the Memorial Day of St. Nicholas.

Since St. Nicholas has always been loved by the people, a national holiday was timed to coincide with the day of his memory. It was called Nikola Veshnij or Nikolin's Day, and it is always celebrated on May 22 as well.

As a national holiday Nikola Veshny or Nikolin's Day on May 22, 2018 has many traditions, customs, rituals, beliefs and signs.

Since St. Nicholas is popularly considered the patron saint of horses, on this day it is customary to drive animals out to pasture all night. By this day, the grass in the field is already tall and juicy enough, so the herds of horses can frolic all night. On this occasion, our ancestors even held a special ceremony and arranged a holiday. This tradition in some regions has survived to this day.

Young unmarried guys should guard the horses that night. It is customary for them to cook a special treat for dinner - pies, porridge, pancakes.

On Nikolin's day, May 22, they do not go to bed until late at night. People burn fires, sing songs, dance, even small children are allowed to have fun and walk longer than usual.

In the old days, Nikola Veshny was considered the day when young men began their adult lives. Therefore, adults could no longer control the hot young hearts.

According to popular belief, in the morning on Nikolin's day you need to wash yourself with dew, then you will gain health for the whole year.

Also, in the morning on this holiday, people go out into the fields or gardens, where they perform special rituals and read conspiracies to protect the land from pests and drought and attract a good harvest.

A popular sign says that if alder blossomed on Nikola Veshny, then buckwheat can be sown.

According to another sign, if you didn’t have time to plant potatoes by Nikolin’s day, then there’s no point in doing this, since it won’t have time to ripen.