True Christians throughout the world have always been particularly venerated by the Theotokos. Back in ancient times, when the church was just beginning, people treated with great respect the various days of memory associated with her name. There are a number of Virgin feasts , places that believers associate with the earthly life of the Virgin Mary are revered. Hundreds of icons of the Mother of God are known and revered. There is one church holiday, which is celebrated in Russian Orthodoxy - it is the Protection of the Blessed Virgin. Today we want to tell not only the history of its emergence, but also how it was previously noted by us, what are the people's signs associated with it.
The history of the feast of the Protection of the Holy Virgin
At the end of the 10th century Byzantium waged bloody and constant wars with the Saracens and Gentile Slavs. In the life of St. Andrew the Elder, it is described how in 910 the troops of the invaders besieged Constantinople. Some sources say that they were Muslims, but in the Tale of Bygone Years it is said about the Rus army. Whatever it was, but the city managed to survive only thanks to a miracle. The people gathered in the Vlaherna church, where he began to pray for tears in defense. And then, during the all-night vigil, suddenly the vault of the church seemed to open, and the amazed people saw the Virgin Mary surrounded by angels and saints.
The Mother of God began to ask the Lord for protection for the poor Christians, after which she took off the maforion (shawl-veil) and spread it over all the people who were then in the temple. All present immediately felt grace and were illuminated by the light that came from the covering of the Virgin. The next morning the whole population of the city learned of the miracle, and the enemies fled in panic from the city. Since that time, the Orthodox in honor of this wonderful event began to celebrate the Feast of the Intercession of Our Lady on October 1, according to the old style.
According to legend, it was the Russes who lost the battle for Constantinople. But they got something else in return. The miracle shocked the pagans so much that they soon decided to accept Christianity, and the Virgin Mary became revered in Russia as the intercessor of all believers. Prince Andrew Bogolyubsky in 1165 built the Church of the Intercession on the Nerl and established during his reign to officially celebrate the Orthodox feast of the Protection of the Holy Virgin.
Although the Intercession is not included in the number of twelve holidays, but in our people is revered especially. In his honor, several cathedrals have been built, and in the Vladimir region even the city of Pokrov has been named. The most famous in Russia is the Intercession Cathedral in Moscow (St. Basil's Cathedral), built by John the Terrible. The new style celebrates the icon of the Protection of the Holy Virgin on October 14.
Feast of the Protection of the Holy Virgin - signs
In the old days it was believed that on that day the agricultural year was coming to an end. In the forest people gathered the last mushrooms. If it was believed before the Veil that the autumn was still in the yard, then after that it was already possible to expect the arrival of this winter. Many then looked at the sky. The early departure of the cranes to the south, to the Intercession, marked the arrival of an early cold winter. The hosts started urgently to insulate their homes, for winter feeds they transferred livestock. The east wind on the Pokrov promised a cold winter, and the southern wind was warm.
October has long been considered in Russia as a month-wedding. It was from the Veil that you could marry young people. The snow that fell on that day was considered a happy sign for the newlyweds. The girls decorated the icon of the Virgin Mary with a towel and talked about conspiracies. They asked for the Feast of the Protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary to cover the land with a white snowball, and their head with a handkerchief. Unmarried women walked with their heads uncovered, and this rite meant for them the desired marriage. Believers still believe today that the Blessed Virgin helps to save a person from trouble, being the best defender and patroness of children, as well as young girls.