Nativity of Our Most Holy Lady, the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary On September 8th we celebrate the Nativity of Mary, which is one of the 12 major feast days. It is also the first major feast in our new liturgical year. Tradition is that Joachim (a descendant of King David) and Anna (of the tribe …
Venerable Epiphanius, Bishop of Cyprus We celebrate the Venerable Saint Epiphanius on May 12th. He was born to a Jewish family, around A.D. 315. Then, after witnessing a monk giving his clothes to the poor, he converted to Christianity. Epiphanius’ conversion brought him to the desert, where he became a disciple of the recluse St. …
Nativity of Christ: Byzantine Christmas One of the obvious differences in how the East and West celebrate the Nativity is the Calendar day. The Gregorian calendar, which is also the current calendar used by the secular world, places the date of Christmas on December 25th. And the Annunciation on March 25th, and so on. The …
We celebrate the five companions, Eustratios, Auxentius, Egenius, Mardarius, and Orestes on December 13th. These five companions, Martyred during the reign of Diocletian, the five companions are alternatively called Eustratius, Auxentius, Eugene, Mardarius, and Orestes. Either way, their names are quite the mouthful! So what do we know about these five companions? Eustratios/Eustratius and Auxentius …
We celebrate our venerable and God-bearing Father Sabbas the Sanctified on December 5th. So right before the Feast of St. Nicholas! Father Sabbas the Sanctified St. Sabbas is also known as Sabas, and is pronounced [Sava]. He was the son of an army officer, and was left in the care of his aunt and uncle …
We celebrate Saint John Chrysostom (c.347 – 407) on November 13th. (In the west it is in September) It is his Divine Liturgy we celebrate most days of the year. So no wonder St. John Chrysostom is called the Golden-Mouthed! St. John Chrysostom is one of our most popular saints in the East. He is …
Heavenly powers, bodiless powers, heavenly hosts or angels. There are many names for the great and holy beings we celebrate on November 8th. The Feast of the Synaxis of Michael the Archangel and Other Heavenly Powers. Sometimes this feast is also called Michaelmas. This feast day was established before the 1st Ecumenical Council, at the …
Demetrius, the Great-Martyr, is celebrated in the Byzantine Churches on October 26th. Although, I didn’t know much about this saint – actually, only that he existed. So I thought that I’d learn and share his story, as well as ways to celebrate this great martyr’s feast day! The Holy and Glorious Great-Martyr Demetrius, from Whose …
Apostle James Son of Alpheus We celebrate James, the apostle and Son of Alpheus, on October 9th. It is difficult to say what we know about this James. Particularly because there are many other people named James (or as it should be translated, Jacob) in the New Testament. Some people theorize that James Son of …
The Dormition of Saint Anna, Mother of the Most Holy God-bearer We celebrate the Dormition of Anna, the mother of the Theotokos, on July 25th. As the mother of the Theotokos, St. Anna (together with Joachim) held an important role in preparing Mary for her role in Salvation history. They taught their daughter to pray, …