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Текст 1

The Grades of Holy Orders.

There are three major orders of Orthodox clergy – Bishops, Priests, and Deacons. There are also some minor orders – Sub-Deacons, Readers and Singers. The priesthood includes married and monastic clergy. Most married priests head parishes. Monastic clergy usually live in monasteries. Parochial clergy can marry only before ordination. Once ordained, priests and deacons cannot marry. Only unmarried priests can become bishops.

Deacons, Sub-Deacons, and Readers assist a Priest or a Bishop in the celebration of divine services or Sacraments.

Текст2

Wale’s patron saint is St. David. He was a Celtic monk, who lived on bread, water and leeks (лукпорей) and died on the 1^st of March, 589. He was buried in a place now called St. David’s.

March 1^st, St. David’s Day, is now Wale’s national day. It is celebrated by Welch people all over the world. On this day they wear leeks or daffodils (нарциссы), traditional Welsh emblems.

On St. David’s Day, some children in Wales dress in their national costume, which consists of a tall black hat, a white frilled cap and a long dress.

Fasts

All the Orthodox Christians spend some time of the year fasting. Time for fasting was laid down in the ancient Christian Church, following the example of Jesus Christ, Who fasted for forty days and spoke about fasting.

Fasting is a kind of Spiritual exercise. It helps the believers to get rid of their addictions. Some of them are: addiction to food, television, computers or other entertainments. Fasting is seen as a starting point for repentance.

In general, fasting means abstaining from meat and meat products, milk and dairy products, eggs, fish, olive, and vine. Wine and oil sometimes fish are allowed on certain feast days, but animal products are always excluded on fast days. Some fasts are very strict, only bread, vegetables and fruit are allowed. Food is taken without oil.

So, fasting forms in us the habit of abstinence; it helps a man to restrain his passions; it strengthens the spirit while weakening the flesh.

There are four major fasting periods during the year. They are:

The Nativity Fast (or Advent) is forty days before Christmas. It begins on November 15 (28) and is over on December 24 (January 7). This fast is not very strict but the last day of this fast, Christmas Eve, is kept with special strictness; people do not eat anything until the first star has appeared in the sky.

The Great Fast (Lent) which is 6 weeks long (40 days) and the Great Week (Holy Week). This week precedes Pascha (Easter).

The Apostles’ Feast. Its length depends on the day of Pascha (Easter) and it may be 8 days or 6 weeks long. It begins on the Monday following All Saints Sunday (the first Sunday after Pentecost) and extends to the feast of Saints Peter and Paul on June 29 (July12).

The Dormition Fast is the fast preceding the Dormition of the Virgin Mary. It begins in August 1 (14) and lasts till August 14 (27).

In addition to these fasting periods there are some other fasting days. The Orthodox Christians fast every Wednesday (in commemoration of Christ’s betrayal by Judas Iscariot) and Friday (in commemoration of his Crucifixion) throughout the year.

A strict Fast is kept on the Eve of Christmas, the Eve of Epiphany, Great Friday and Holy Saturday.

There are some other days of fast. They are:

- the Beheading of St. John the Baptist – August 29 (September 11),

- the Elevation of the Holy Cross - September 14 (27)

There are also fast-free periods in the year. These are: the week following the Easter; the week following the Pentecost; Sviatki – the period from Christmas up to the eve of Epiphany, but the day of Epiphany itself is always a fast-free day; the week following the Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee; Maslenitsa; Bright Week; Trinity Week.

The believers should not advertise their fasting. Fasting is a purely personal union between an Orthodox Christian and God.

The Feasts of the Church.

All feasts of the Orthodox Church are divided into several categories, consisting of three principle grades, which are subdivided into lesser and greater.

The ecclesiastical year begins o September 1 (14) and each day of the year is dedicated to the memory of particular events or Saints.

A special place is given by the Orthodox Church to the Feast of Feasts, the Holy Pascha (Easter). The determination of the date of Easter was regulated by the decision of the First Ecumenical Synod, held in Nicea (325).

The twelve Great Feasts are next in importance to Easter. Nine of these feasts are fixed and they always fall on the same date each year and three are movable.

These feats are called movable because the yearly cycle of Movable Feasts is centered around the Holy Pascha (Easter) which is the most important feast of the year. And every year Pascha falls on a different date.

Eight of these feasts are devoted to Christ and four to the Virgin Mary. There are also some days of varying importance, most of which commemorate the most popular Saints.

All the Orthodox Feasts, with the exception of Palm Sunday and Holy Pentecost are preceded by a period of preparation, the Forefeast. The Nativity of Christ (Christmas) and the Dormition are preceded by a fasting period.

In addition, all feasts, except Palm Sunday, are followed by a festal period known as the Afterfeast, during which the prior feast is continually observed. The last day of the Afterfeast is called the Leavetaking.

Three of the Feasts are followed, on the next day, by a special commemoration known as a Synaxis: the Nativity of Christ is followed by the Synaxis of the Most- Holy Theotokos (Dec.26); the Theophany is followed by the Synaxis of St. John the Baptist (Jan.7); and the Annunciation is followed by the Synaxis of the Archangel Gabriel (March 26).

Fixed Feasts

Movable Feasts

Some other Great Feasts

Some weeks from Paschalia

Afterfeast – попразднество

Ascension - Вознесение

Forefeast - предпразднество

Leave-taking –отдаление праздника

Synaxis– собор

Exercises

1. Name the Great Feasts of the Orthodox Church.

2. Which of the feasts are devoted to the Lord Jesus Christ?

3. What feasts are devoted to the Mother of God Virgin Mary?

4. Why do we call the feasts either “movable” or “fixed”?

5. Find Russian equivalents to:

6. – the Forefeast, the Afterfeast, the Leavetaking, the Synaxis.