Saints in divine services are called equal to the apostles.
On February 12, Christians of the Eastern Rite celebrate the Three Saints Cathedral – a holiday dedicated to Gregory the Theologian, Ivan the Great, and Basil the Great. Shortly before the holiday, they celebrate the day dedicated to Grigory the Theologian.
Read also: Shrovetide: the date of the beginning of the holiday week
History of the holiday
This day honors the saints who made a significant contribution to the formation of Christianity and the church.
Basil the Great lived in 329–379. He was the archbishop of Caesarea Cappadocia in Asia Minor, an outstanding church figure and one of the Fathers of the Church.
Grigory the Theologian was born in 326 and was a very educated person, had special abilities in rhetoric, brought the Word of God to people, and later became the Patriarch of Constantinople. He is considered the forefather of Christianity.
Ivan Zolotoust lived in 347-407. He was one of the founders of the Patriarchate of Constantinople and held this position himself. St. John stood out among a number of preachers of the Eastern Christian Church.
During the services of the Three Saints, they are called co-apostles, organs of the Holy Spirit, pillars of the church and universal teachers.
In the years 1081-1118 in Constantinople there was a dispute about which of the three teachers should have the upper hand. According to legend, the discussion was decided by the Saints themselves, who appeared to Ivan, the bishop of the city of Euchaita.
They said: “We are as one in God and there is nothing contradictory or debatable about us, and each of us was individually inspired by the Spirit of God in his time. There is neither the first nor the second among us, but if you name one, the other two follow. Arise, therefore, and command those who are quarreling because of us not to divide, for both during life and after death our endeavor is to bring all parts of the world to peace and unity. Establish, therefore, the celebration of our memory on one day, because we are as one in God, and we will help those who celebrate our memory to come to salvation.”
The bishop listened to them and made a joint holiday – the Cathedral of the Three Saints.
What you can't do on the holiday
You can't go hunting on this day. It is believed that animal weddings begin in the forest, males fight for females.
On this day you can not swear, conflict and clarify relationships. But if a quarrel has occurred, it is necessary to reconcile as soon as possible so as not to be enemies for the whole year.
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You can't sleep on the holiday either. It is believed that this will help to avoid nervous breakdowns.
