December 24, according to the Gregorian calendar – Catholic Christmas Eve (Holy Evening), also today is the Day of Archivists. Believers honor the memory of St. Nikon Sukhoi, Daniel Stovpnyk and Luke Stovpnyk .
Ukraine , Ukraingate , 24 , December , 2021 | Ukraine News
Christmas Eve
According to the Gregorian calendar, Western Christians celebrate Christmas on December 25. And it is preceded by a sincere and bright holiday – Holy Evening (Christmas Eve).
The Church believes that Jesus Christ was born at midnight, so you should sit at the feast table in the evening to solemnly await the birth of the Savior with the whole family. The events described in the Gospels are known to everyone. The Virgin Mary and her husband Joseph lived in the city of Nazareth. Maria was pregnant and was about to give birth. But an order was issued by Emperor Augustine, who wanted to conduct a census of the entire population, and they moved to Bethlehem to also register.
There was no place to spend the night in the city, so Joseph and Mary stopped at a lamb barn. That is where Jesus Christ was born. Maria placed her newborn son in a manger with hay. At the time of Jesus’ birth, a bright star lit up in the sky, pointing the way to the Savior. This is how the sages found him, who brought gifts to the little Christ: incense, gold and myrrh.
The birth of Christ was not a holiday at once. It was not until 336 that the celebration of this joyous event took place for the first time in the Roman Empire. Later, the tradition of celebrating Christmas on December 25 spread to other countries. In Russia, the first mention of Christmas and Christmas Eve dates back to the X century.
A nativity scene is often created to celebrate Christmas and Holy Evening. It was invented by St. Francis in the XIII century. Initially, the nativity scene was called a chest, which housed figures depicting the events in Bethlehem. Then it was improved: the figures became more like living people, and sometimes the roles are played by real actors.
But decorating the Christmas tree began in Germany. Initially, apples, candles and a hexagonal star were used instead of toys. At the beginning of the XX century, the Christmas tree with a nativity scene became the main and obligatory symbols of Christmas Eve and Christmas.
Day of employees of archival institutions
This holiday was introduced by the President of Ukraine Leonid Kuchma in 1998. Today, more than 60 million units of various documents are stored in archival institutions. There are about 700 archives throughout the country. And the total number of employees is 5,000 people.
Reverend Nikon Sukhoi Remembrance Day
He was a monk of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra. In 1096, during the attack on Kyiv, he was taken prisoner by the Polovtsian khan Bonyak. The nomads hoped to receive a large ransom for the monk, but their hopes were in vain. Nikon spends three years in captivity, from which he is freed by the power of prayer. Due to terrible tortures, the monk lost a lot of weight, for which he received the nickname Dry.
Remembrance Day of St. Daniel the Pilgrim
The saint was born in Mesopotamia in 410. His parents, Elijah and Martha, could not conceive a child for a long time, so Daniel’s mother made a vow to the Lord that if she became pregnant, she would send the child to serve in a convent. After some time, the couple received the good news. When the child was 5 years old, she was sent to a convent. There the boy was named Daniel. At the age of 12, he takes a haircut and performs his duties conscientiously. He was nicknamed the Pillar because he lived in the Phrygian desert for 33 years, sitting on a pillar he built with his disciples.
Remembrance Day of St. Luke the Pilgrim
The saint was a Byzantine warrior. In 917 he took part in the war with Bulgaria. After the war he decided to dedicate his life to God and became a monk. To achieve perfection, he decided to put on chains and live on a pole. The saint lived like this for three years, and then, at God’s command, he climbed Mount Olympus. In order not to break the vow of silence he had made long before the trip, Luke carried a stone in his mouth all the way. He then traveled to Constantinople and Chalcedon. There he finds a pillar on which he stood for the next 45 years. He died about 980.
Name day
Angel’s Day is celebrated by: Adam, Nicholas, Akepsius, Aifal, Vincent, Warsaw, Omelyan, Daniel, John, Luke, Leontius, Nikin, Nicephorus, Philemon, Terentius, Peter.
Source: Ukrgate
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