September 1/14 – Church New Year (New Year)translated

If you ask a modern schoolchild: “What is September 1?”, he will immediately answer: “The beginning of the school year.” And the tradition of starting the year on September 1 comes from ancient church customs. Three circles of worship - daily, weekly and annual - form the essence of the holidays. Inside each circle, the entire history of the universe is remembered, from the creation of the world to the Second Coming of the Savior. Holidays in Rus' have been celebrated since ancient times. Adam Olearius, who traveled around Rus' in the 17th century, spoke in his notes about the veneration of Russian holidays. Here, in particular, is what he wrote: “The Russians have their own well-known, solemn and holiday days, on which they conduct their prayers in churches, and to these holidays they add Sunday, Wednesday and Friday from each week; They have been fasting for the last two days. These holidays are now observed by them more than before.

At the present time, the Patriarch has established that not only on holidays and Sundays, but also on Wednesdays and Fridays, neither shops nor workshops should be opened, and also on these days taverns and club yards should be closed, and that nothing should be sold in them, especially at the time when there is a service in the church. Big holidays that...