Praise of the Most Holy Theotokos: history and meaning of the holiday

Praise of the Most Holy Theotokos is a holiday of Orthodox Christians, which always falls on Saturday of the fifth week of Great Lent. In 2024, it will be celebrated on April 20. This day has another name – Akathist Saturday.

Praise of the Most Holy Theotokos: the history of the holiday

The Feast of the Praise of the Most Holy Theotokos is associated with the events of 626, when thanks to the intercession of the Mother of God, the capital of Byzantium was freed from enemies. On that alarming night, when the invaders were preparing to storm the city both from the sea and from the land, the inhabitants sought protection in the temples of God. They begged for liberation on their knees, without ceasing their prayers. At that time, Patriarch Serhiy, with the holy icon in his hands, was walking under the city walls with prayers for protection. When the robe of the Holy Mother of God was lowered into the sea, a terrible storm arose and sank the enemy fleet, forcing the surviving invaders to flee. On the same night, the akathist was read for the first time (a Greek word that means “service during which one cannot sit) as a sincere thanks for saving the city.

Traditionally, on this day, the Akathist of the Mother of God is performed in the church – a prayer , which is sung in honor of thanksgiving. Christians thank the Mother of God for her continuous care for people.

What should not be done on this day

• You cannot fish on this day.
• It is not advisable to plant plants.

< li>You can't curse and fight.

• You can't eat dairy products, meat and eggs on this day, because Lent is in progress.
• It's also forbidden to drink alcohol and organize loud celebrations.

It is worth noting that Metropolitan Oleksandr of Pereyaslavskyi and Vishnevskyi previously explained that the decision to observe the New Julian calendar will not be binding for everyone, that is, it will not be forcibly imposed on anyone. This means that if certain parishes want to worship in the old style that is in effect today, they will be able to do so. In order to protect the OCU from splitting, there will be a transitional period during the introduction of the New Julian calendar.