Today was the last day of the Christmas feast. Tomorrow, the eve of Theophany, is a fast day (wine and oil permitted in the Russian tradition, strict fast for the Greeks). Historically, Theophany was a much bigger feast than Christmas in both the East and West. Today it has been overshadowed by the Feast of the Nativity, I suspect in no small part due to the insane levels of commercialism and secularization we have seen. Even so Theophany retains a great deal of importance in the Orthodox Church and is commemorated in many different ways from the polar dips that many Russians indulge in to the young men diving for a gold cross that is popular among Greeks. (Russians celebrate Theophany on Jan 19th using the Julian Calendar.)
A blessed Theophany to all.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please read the guidelines in the sidebar before commenting.