Is it possible to work on Orthodox holidays? Is it possible to work on Sundays and holidays? What not to do

One who works out of necessity is not subject to condemnation

Is it possible to work on holidays and Sundays? Oddly enough, this simple question, which does not require deep theological knowledge, worries many Orthodox Christians. Most often, this excitement is caused by the wording of the fourth commandment: “ Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy: six days you shall work and do all your work, but on the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God"(Ex. 20:8). From the Old Testament we know that violators of this commandment faced universal condemnation and severe punishment.

Upon a superficial understanding of the question, the conclusion really seems obvious: God said don’t work, which means you can’t work. If you work, you will be punished. At the same time, bewilderment is also expressed: what about the fact that we celebrate not Saturday, but Resurrection, which, according to church tradition, is the eighth day, not the seventh? What about those who are forced to work on holidays and Sundays? Will bus, tram and train drivers, pilots, service workers, doctors on duty, grain farmers, military personnel and many others who are forced to perform their official duties on holidays and general weekends certainly die? But we use the products of their labor, services, goods produced “in sin” - isn’t this hypocrisy on our part? Are we shifting the blame onto other people's shoulders? And then, on a holiday, is it better to indulge in idle talk and idle talk, drink alcohol, watch TV, and sit back, rather than work for the benefit of yourself and your loved ones?

Thus, not wanting or not being able to find an answer, we often reach a situation where we consider a sin committed on a holiday to be the norm, and work for good as a sin.

By bringing life to the point of absurdity, we forget that the fourth commandment was given to a people who had almost completely forgotten about God. Let us remember: when Moses ascended Sinai, immediately, without surviving even forty days, the people of Israel sank into paganism, and yet before that they were shown such miracles that today one can only dream of. So in a situation of almost complete spiritual death of the Israelis, the fourth commandment was more than appropriate. For without it, the Jews could soon completely forget about what the Lord had prepared them for.

In this sense, severe punishments for violations of the commandments are also justified: only the fear of retribution was the incentive that kept the Old Testament people from deviating from the faith, just as the fear of punishment keeps our children from disobedience and bad deeds. Children are not yet able to understand all the reasons why their parents impose certain prohibitions on them, they are not yet able to make a conscious choice, and only the law given to them from above (from their parents) can teach them to distinguish between what is sin and what is virtue.

Actually, for this reason the Apostle Paul called the Old Law “ teacher to Christ"(Gal. 3:24). And it is in this context that his words should be understood: “ By the law is the knowledge of sin"(Rom. 3:19-20).

But all this applies exclusively to an old, fragile person. For Christians, everything is different. Even in the Book of the Prophet Jeremiah it is written: “ Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; They have broken My covenant... But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My law within them, and write it on their hearts...." (Jer. 31:31-34). And today we see that, according to this Testament, we Christians have already entered the eternal Saturday, which for us is Christ! It is He who is the Lord of the Sabbath (Rom. 10:4, Luke 6:5). He Himself became the Sabbath for us, i.e. peace (Heb. 4:1-11, Matt. 11:28-30).

Therefore, in the New Testament it is said that “ Let no one judge you for food or drink, or for any holiday, or the new moon, or the Sabbath"(Col. 2:16); " He who distinguishes the days distinguishes for the Lord; and he who does not discern the days does not discern for the Lord"(Rom. 14:6). And then follows a conclusion that radically changes the vector of the Old Testament commandment about the Sabbath: “ So, you can do good on Saturdays"(Matt. 12:12).

It’s strange, but for some reason modern Christians have forgotten that now the Lord is always with us! Now we go to church not under pain of punishment, not because God obliged us to do it, but because we feel an urgent need for it. We feel the need to be in His Body, to live His Life! In this sense, not only one day, but our entire life should be spent as a constant “worship.” And this “worship” should include not only visiting the temple, not only private prayer (which, according to the commandment of the Apostle Paul, should become unceasing), but also work for the good of loved ones, for: “ If anyone does not take care of his own, and especially his family, he has renounced the faith and is worse than an infidel."(1 Tim. 5:8).

Any work FOR THE GOOD is service to God (“divine service”), and therefore it is blessed. Therefore, the holy fathers, in addition to participating in divine services, always called on Christians to visit the sick on holidays and Sundays, help the suffering, feed the hungry, etc. Caring for others should be an urgent need for every Christian. And therefore, all people who perform socially useful work on Sundays and holidays not only do not commit sin, but, moreover, they do what is pleasing to God!

In this sense, the Church has never prohibited necessary useful work. So, for example, St. Gregory Palamas, exhorting Christians to attend church on Sundays, adds: “... Visit the temple of God on this day, and be present at all church services... and do no everyday work on that day, except what is necessary"(Philokalia, vol. 5).

The 29th canon of the Holy Local Council of Laodicea indicates even more eloquently all of the above: “ It is not proper for Christians to practice Judaism or to celebrate on Saturday, but to do so on this day: but to celebrate Sunday primarily, if they can, like Christians. If the Judaizers are found guilty, let him be anathema from Christ.».

All interpreters of the conciliar decrees of the Church are unanimous that Christians who are forced for one reason or another to work on Sunday are not subject to condemnation. Thus, Bishop Nikodim (Milash) emphasizes that this rule “prescribes to especially honor Sunday, not to work and to spend it in a Christian way. Regarding the latter, the fathers of the Council add that they should do this if they can, i.e., as Balsamon says in the interpretation of this rule, no one is forced to do absolutely nothing, because if anyone, due to poverty or some kind of necessity, work on Sunday, he is not subject to condemnation for this.”

Of course, we cannot talk about such patristic advice and conciliar rules becoming a reason (more precisely, an excuse) for not attending the divine service. But still the entire experience of the Church clearly indicates that creative work is good, to the fact that a person (especially a Christian) must through his labor decorate and put in order the world around him (his apartment, entrance, street, yard, country, finally).

Looking at our littered courtyards, streets and cities, it’s hard to imagine that Christians live here who fear God, but do not love their courtyard, street, country, their neighbors... From this look the words of the Apostle John come to mind: “ There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear, because in fear there is torment; he who fears is not perfect in love"(1 John 4:18). According to the promise of the Lord, the New Law, the law of love, must be written in our hearts, for: “Love is the fulfilling of the law” (Rom. 13:10).

And how can this law justify laziness and idleness?

Hierodeacon JOHN (Ampelokipiotis)
Newspaper "Hodegetria"

Viewed (14005) times

In 2018, Maundy Thursday will be celebrated on April 5, and many people are wondering whether it is possible to clean on this day or whether it is better to postpone all tasks for another time. The detailed answer to this question is given below.

Cleaning on Maundy Thursday - is it possible?

Definitely yes, and even necessary! It is believed that if the house is in complete order, then the year will be successful, because all household members will feel a wave of freshness, cleanliness and order.

Here we are faced with a fairly common case when Orthodox and folk traditions are harmoniously combined with each other.

Thursday of Holy Week is called clean because it was on this day that Christ washed the feet of all his 12 disciples (including Judas, who betrayed him a few hours later).

So it turned out that for several centuries in Rus' and in other countries people have sought to take a thorough swim on this day. And also to restore complete order in their homes - they removed cobwebs, swept away all the garbage, washed the windows and tinted the fences. This is understandable: Good Friday and Saturday are ahead. And then there is Easter - the main Christian holiday, which today, without exaggeration, is celebrated by billions of people on our planet.

Interestingly, many housewives still try not to pour dirty water left after cleaning into the toilet or other place in the house on Maundy Thursday. It would be better to take it out and pour it somewhere outside the apartment - on a rocky path or in a ditch, so as not to disturb plants and other living creatures.

NOTE

In fact, the question of whether it is possible to clean on Maundy Thursday can be reduced to a more general one: is it even possible to work on this day, or do any household or official work?

Of course, you can - life goes on as usual. And each person acts not only according to his own desire, but also in accordance with the actual circumstances.

Is it possible to clean on Friday after Maundy Thursday?

If a person does not have time to complete all his affairs, he can swim and clean the house both before and after Thursday, Wordyou reports. So, often circumstances are such that it is possible to tidy up, wash, etc. only on Wednesday evening. You can also do these things on Friday and Saturday - there are no strict prohibitions here.

This point of view is shared by representatives of the Orthodox Church.

However, it is important to make one caveat here. The fact is that Friday and Saturday during Holy Week (week) are the times when the Savior was executed and crucified, and his spirit left his lifeless body. It is clear that these are the most difficult, dramatic days for all believers, when even fasting involves the most serious restrictions.

Therefore, at such moments it will be better to focus on reading the Bible, prayers and virtues. The bustle of the house can simply distract from the holiday and the days preceding it - therefore, if possible, it is better to finish bathing, washing and general cleaning of the house on Thursday.

What else can you do on Maundy Thursday?

Here’s what else they do on Maundy Thursday before Easter according to folk traditions:

In modern conditions, not everyone can go to the bathhouse. But a silver spoon or other utensils made of this noble metal should probably be found in many homes. If you fill a silver bowl with water and wash your face with it in the morning (again, better before sunrise), you will receive a charge of vigor and health for the whole year. You can simply put a silver spoon in a vessel of water and wash your face.
You need to try to cleanse not only your body, but the whole house. On Maundy Thursday they try to get rid of all the trash, old things that have not been used for a long time.
Housewives are not forbidden to sew, wash and do other household chores on Maundy Thursday, and it is better to do them before the evening.
You also need to boil the eggs in the evening of Maundy Thursday, paint them, knead the dough, and then bake the Easter cakes. The pasochki will not go stale if you prepare them using the correct technology. An interesting nuance - on this day it is forbidden to take samples from Easter cake, eggs and other holiday dishes. Of course, this rule applies to a greater extent to churchgoers who observe Lent. However, those who have not fasted can also heed the advice.
Even on Maundy Thursday, the so-called Thursday salt is prepared. It is prepared on the basis of ordinary salt - the crystals are mixed with the soggy crumb of rye bread or with the grounds that remain after the kvass has settled. It is believed that it will serve as an excellent amulet for the whole family, and will last for a whole year.
On Maundy Thursday they also make peculiar conspiracies for money and for the betrothed. For example, you could put a silver coin in water overnight and then hide it in your wallet for a whole year. Or take a piece of soap and say the name of your loved one, saying: “(Name) sticks to me like soap.” Of course, these traditions are more likely to be folk than church traditions. However, there is nothing wrong with a person’s very desire to find love and live in abundance.

The last day of Lent before Easter, Holy Saturday, falls on April 15 in 2017.

Holy Saturday is the sixth day of Holy Week, which ends the 48-day period of Lent. Holy Saturday is the Saturday of Holy Week, dedicated to the remembrance of the burial and stay in the tomb of the body of Jesus Christ and the descent of Christ into hell (according to the beliefs of most Christian denominations), it is also a preparation for Easter - the Resurrection of Christ, which is celebrated on the night from Saturday to Sunday.

The services of Holy Saturday retained a number of characteristic features of early Christian worship, and a number of liturgical features of this day can be traced already in the monuments of the 4th century (“Pilgrimage of Egeria”). These features include the following:

Great Saturday is a fasting Saturday and at the same time the eve of Bright Resurrection. In this regard, both mournful and festive Sunday features can be traced in the service of Holy Saturday.
According to the custom of the most important fast days, the liturgy is celebrated after Vespers (as on Maundy Thursday, the eve of the Nativity of Christ and Epiphany).
On this day, the baptism of the catechumens took place, and therefore the service includes numerous Old Testament readings.
When pronouncing the litanies and at the small and great entrance to the Liturgy, the clergy does not stand on the pulpit (as usual), but in front of the shroud in the middle of the temple.

Good Saturday 2017what not to do on this day

Regarding restrictions, Holy Saturday is one of the strictest days of Lent. Prohibitions on this day apply to both food and human actions.

The main prohibitions of Holy Saturday (Holy Saturday, what not to do):

You cannot break your fast from three o'clock on Saturday morning until Sunday morning;
You should not eat food prepared by heat treatment;
You should not drink alcohol (those who observed strict fasting on Good Friday and only had bread and water can drink a little red wine to maintain strength);
You can't laugh, dance or sing;
It is necessary to refrain from intimacy with your spouse;
You cannot go fishing or hunting;
It is also forbidden to clean the house, iron or wash things;
You can't wash yourself;
Garden work is prohibited;
There is also a ban on handicrafts;
It is worth refraining from construction work and other physical work;

Good Saturday 2017: traditions, customs and signs (what you can do)

Based on the weather on Holy Saturday, you can determine the weather for the summer:

A clear and warm day promises a warm and sunny summer. If it is cloudy on this day, then summer will be cold and rainy.

If you don't sleep on the night from Saturday to Sunday, you can attract happiness for the whole year. It is believed that it is on this night that happiness flows among people, and it is important not to oversleep it.

If a blessed egg is thrown into water on this day and washed with it, it will make a person healthy and prolong youth.

The last day of fasting is still considered a mournful day. On this day you cannot laugh and have fun. It is believed that a person who spends Holy Saturday in fun and laughter will cry all year.

You cannot take anything out of the house on Holy Saturday, much less give it from home. It is believed that you can give away your well-being and wealth.

Everyone knows that the memorial day is the first Sunday after Easter, but on Holy Saturday it is allowed to clean the graves.

It is also forbidden to fish or hunt on this significant day, because during fasting it is forbidden to consume products from killed animals. Therefore, you should not do this, so as not to incur misfortune on yourself.

It is on Holy Saturday that services begin in Orthodox churches. Every Orthodox person waits for this day to test himself and commit himself to the all-night prayer. It will not be easy for an unprepared person to do this, but if you try, then at the end of the Easter service you will be visited by indescribable grace, and the whole year will be happy and full of health for you.

Housewives always painted eggs and baked Easter cakes on Holy Saturday. The most common color for dyeing eggs is red. You can also give free rein to your imagination and paint the eggs by hand. Every woman has her own proven recipe for Easter cakes, and every housewife turns them out in her own way. The general rule for preparing Easter cakes is that there should be an appropriate environment in the house. In the room where the dough will rise, you need to walk quietly and exclude swearing and foul language from the conversation, so that your Easter cakes are prepared in peace and love.

Holy Saturday is a day of peace and kindness. Therefore, ask forgiveness from your family and friends. Maybe you offended someone with a word or deed. Do not drag the weight of grievances with you on this bright holiday.

Also, on the Saturday before Easter, you must give alms to all the needy people you meet on your way. Well, your relatives and people close to you should not be left without Easter gifts. As throughout Holy Week, on Holy Saturday you cannot celebrate weddings, birthdays, various celebrations or generally have fun.

The last day of Lent before Easter, Holy Saturday, falls on April 15 in 2017. about Christ’s stay in the tomb after the crucifixion, when His soul descended into hell to bring the righteous out of it, the site reports.

The fast lasted 48 days, and during this time believers had time to think about their lives, remember the deeds of Jesus Christ when he was on earth, and prepare for Easter.

If the preparations have not yet been completed, then Holy Saturday is the time to complete all the preparatory work.

For believers, Great Saturday before Easter is both a mournful and a joyful day: Christ still lies in the tomb, the Resurrection has not yet arrived, but everything is already filled with pre-Easter joy.

Great Saturday is popularly called Silent Saturday, since on this day it is not customary to have fun and have fun, and it is worth refraining from various quarrels. foul language and swearing, so you need to watch your language. Another name for Great Saturday - Dyeing Saturday - suggests that it is time to start preparing dyes for Easter.

But the food that is prepared for the festive table cannot yet be eaten. Those who adhere to Lent eat raw vegetables and fruits, bread and drink water. unless they baked them in advance.

Traditions

On Saturday evening, believers, leaving a “small” treat on the tables at home, gather in churches and cathedrals for the evening service; at 12 am the religious procession begins, after which the service continues. Arriving home, the believers eat paska and go to bed. And only late on Sunday morning does the true celebration begin.

It is customary to collect the Easter basket not on the day of the Resurrection, but on Holy Saturday. Each family in its own way selects the products that it considers necessary to consecrate, making sure to fill the basket with dyes and Easter cakes. Housewives often cover their Easter baskets with embroidered towels. On Holy Saturday, women also decorate the house with branches of young trees and fresh flowers, which symbolizes a new beginning and rebirth of life.

Every year on the Saturday before Easter, the descent of the Holy Fire takes place in Jerusalem. Many thousands of pilgrims gather on this day at the Church of the Resurrection of Christ to observe one of the main miracles of the Orthodox Church. Tradition claims that the year when the Holy Fire does not descend to earth will be the last before the Last Judgment.

What not to do on Holy Saturday:

You cannot break your fast from three o'clock on Saturday morning until Sunday morning;
You should not eat food prepared by heat treatment;
You should not drink alcohol (those who observed strict fasting on Good Friday and only had bread and water can drink a little red wine to maintain strength);
You can't dance or sing;
It is necessary to refrain from intimacy with your spouse;
You cannot go fishing or hunting;
It is also forbidden to clean the house, iron or wash things;
You can't wash yourself;
Work in the garden and vegetable garden is prohibited;
There is also a ban on handicrafts;
You should refrain from construction work and other physical work.
On this day you cannot refuse people’s requests.

Also, on Holy Saturday they do not remember the dead, which means that they do not go to the cemetery. Every believer on the eve of a big holiday should try to behave righteously, not quarrel with anyone, not swear, and refrain from sorting things out.

Holy Saturday is a day of kindness, reconciliation and forgiveness. Today, be sure to ask for forgiveness from everyone you may have offended. Make peace with everyone with whom you are in a quarrel - do not overshadow tomorrow's holiday with negative feelings and emotions.

If you missed Easter
JoinInfoMedia journalist Kristina Kovtun learned that on the Saturday before Easter you must give alms to all the needy people you meet on your way. Well, your relatives and people close to you should not be left without Easter gifts.

Signs on Holy Saturday

On this day, it is considered a great sin to laugh and have fun. People say that whoever laughs on Holy Saturday will cry all next year.
As on the previous two days, on the Saturday before Easter you cannot give anything from home, no matter who asks you for it. In this way you can give away your health, well-being, luck.
On this day you can clean the graves in the cemetery, but you cannot commemorate them on Saturday.
If the weather on Holy Saturday is warm and clear, then the summer will be hot and dry. And if it’s cold and rainy on this day, then the summer will be cool.
Also, according to the sign, staying awake on the night of Easter promotes good health, a good harvest, will help girls be happy in marriage, and promises a successful hunt for boys.

On the eve of Easter, believers observe strict fasting, abstain from entertainment and follow many other instructions. We will tell you what you should not do on Holy Saturday, which falls on April 18 in 2020. This is a period of mourning and turning to prayer, cleansing the soul and pacifying the flesh.

What should you do on Holy Saturday?

On Sunday night you should stay awake. If you did not go to the all-night service in the temple, light a candle in front of the icon at home and devote time to prayers.

According to signs, staying awake on this night promotes good health, will help girls be happy in marriage, and will help boys become successful hunters.

What should you not do on Holy Saturday?

Visit restaurants and cafes, theaters, cinemas, watch entertainment programs on TV. Celebrating a birthday, wedding or anniversary should be postponed to another time.

On this day you cannot break the silence - sing, dance and listen to loud music. You also cannot swear, quarrel, or argue with people. There is a belief: whoever laughs on Holy Saturday of Holy Week will cry all next year.

What can you eat on Holy Saturday?

Many believers completely refuse food before the removal of the shroud during a church service. However, lay people can adhere to dry eating, that is, eating thermally unprocessed food.

It happens that Holy Saturday coincides with the Annunciation, as happened in 2018. Despite the fact that in honor of this holiday it is usually allowed to eat fish, food with vegetable oil and wine, in the event of such a coincidence of dates, these relaxations of the rules of Lent are abolished.

True, sick and elderly people can only give up meat. However, to relax the diet during Lent, you need to take a blessing from the priest.

You cannot break your fast until 3 a.m. from Saturday to Sunday.

What is customary to do on Holy Saturday?

On this day or on Sunday morning, it is customary to bless Easter food in churches. Usually all food is placed in a basket, which is placed on the common table in the temple for consecration.

What is undesirable to do on Holy Saturday? It is believed that on this day it is also forbidden to wash, get a haircut, clean, sew, knit, wash, do work in the garden, do repairs, construction work, etc.

You should not remember the dead, although visiting cemeteries is not prohibited.

What else did you do on Holy Saturday? In Rus', on this day it was customary to “call out” frosts so that they would not destroy the future harvest.