When will Forgiveness Sunday be in 2025? | Religion Posting in CHAT: Russia On the last day of Maslenitsa, Orthodox Christians celebrate Forgiveness Sunday. This day is considered to be the culmination of the preparatory period for the strictest period in Orthodoxy – Great Lent. On this holiday, Vespers is celebrated in churches with a special ritual of forgiveness. What does Forgiveness Sunday mean? The name Forgiveness Sunday is unofficial. In liturgical books such as the Triodion and Typikon, the day before Great Lent is called Cheesefare Week and Adam's Exile. The first name is associated with the fact that before the Great Lent, it is customary to have a transitional cheese week (week), during which it is already not allowed to eat meat products, but it is possible to eat eggs, dairy products, dairy products, including cheese. And the second church name of the holiday – Adam's exile – arose because on this day, during the all-night vigil, biblical stories about the creation of man, his fall into sin, and expulsion from paradise are remembered. According to the three names of this holiday, its divine service includes three themes: the fall of man and expulsion from paradise, the beginning of Great Lent, and forgiveness of neighbors. On this day, the Rite of Forgiveness is performed at the evening service. At the end of the evening, the abbot of the church or monastery asks forgiveness from his clergy and parishioners, bowing to the ground, and they respond to him in the same way. After that, all those present at the service approach the abbot and ask forgiveness from him: priests kiss him according to the priestly rite, kissing each other's hands, and deacons, clergy, and parishioners bow in the sash and receive a blessing. All parishioners also ask forgiveness from each other. The tradition of asking for forgiveness on the last day before the beginning of the Great Lent has ancient origins and arose among Egyptian monks. Before Great Lent, the monks left the monasteries for the desert, hid in caves, and spent the entire fast there in seclusion. In silence, focused prayer, and repentance, they purified their souls, preparing for Easter. At the same time, the monks went to semi-wild places and exposed their lives to possible danger: many did not know if they would return to the monastery before Easter or return at all. Therefore, on Forgiveness Sunday, before the first week of the Great Lent, the brethren came to the liturgy, the monks received communion, and in the evening of the same day, they gathered again in the temple. They asked forgiveness from each other and sought blessings before the dangerous period of loneliness. This tradition is described in the life of the Reverend Mary of Egypt, the author of which is St. Sophronius, Patriarch of Jerusalem: “Having prayed in earnest, bowing to the ground, the elders kissed each other and the igumen, embracing…and requested him to pray for him and make him a companion and companion.” Over time, this custom spread from the monastic environment to the entire Orthodox Church, but lost its original meaning. When will Forgiveness Sunday be celebrated in 2025? Forgiveness Sunday does not have a fixed date and is celebrated at different times every year. This is because this holiday, like Maslenitsa and Great Lent, is tied to the date of Easter (its celebration is calculated for each year according to the lunar-solar calendar). In 2025, Easter will fall on April 20, Great Lent will last from March 3 to April 19, and Forgiveness Sunday will be on the eve – March 2.Sources: https://azbyka.ru https://foma.ru Source link Source link
