There are three "red" dates in the Orthodox calendar for June 2019. Significant church holidays fall on these days. All of them do not have a constant date, that is, they are rolling.
In June 2019, the Orthodox celebrate two rolling twelve holidays - the Ascension of the Lord and the Trinity. They do not have a fixed date as they depend on the day of Easter. The third holiday is the Day of Spirits. Its date also varies from year to year, but it always falls on Monday.
Ascension of our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ
In 2019, this holiday falls on June 6th. Ascension is considered an important day for believers, as it is one of the 12 main Orthodox holidays. It is celebrated on the 40th day after Easter and always falls on Thursday.
According to the Gospel, after a miraculous resurrection, Christ spent 40 days on earth among his disciples and flock. He talked about life in heaven and gave parting words. On the 40th day, Christ gathered the disciples on the Mount of Olives, which is under Jerusalem. He gave them his blessing and ascended into heaven. Soon the disciples saw two angels who said that the Savior would not leave his disciples and would be with them, but already invisibly.
These lines from the Gospel are reflected in many icons. They are called the "Ascension of the Lord."
The church celebrates the Ascension for several days. On the eve (in 2019 - June 5), the rite of "giving away" Easter is performed in churches. At the morning service, Easter chants are heard for the last time, and in the evening there is an All-night vigil. On the day of the Ascension, a solemn liturgy is held, after which, under the bell ringing, lines from the Gospel describing the events of the Ascension are read.
The holiday is celebrated for 8 days. Its giving up in 2019 falls on Friday, June 14. On this day, at the service, the same chants are performed and the same prayers are read as on the holiday itself.
It is customary for believers to go to church on Ascension. According to popular beliefs, on this day, spring finally turns into summer, it gets really hot.
The Holy Trinity
In 2019, believers celebrate Trinity on June 16. This is another of the 12 main Orthodox holidays, which is also called the day of the descent of the Holy Spirit. The name speaks of what events it is associated with. The descent to earth of the Holy Spirit, about which Christ spoke, became a proof of the trinity of God. The Holy Trinity means his unity in the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
The holiday has a floating date. Only the day of the week, Sunday, remains constant. The date is counted from Easter. Trinity is always celebrated on the 50th day. Hence, another name for it - Pentecost.
People call this holiday Green Sunday, and the whole next week - Green.
On Trinity in churches, fresh grass is laid on the floor, icons are decorated with flowers and birch branches. At the morning service, the greens are consecrated. On this day, it is also customary to decorate the house with birch branches. It is believed that the more greenery there is, the stronger the protection of housing. On Trinity it is forbidden to swim in reservoirs and do housework.
Holy Spirit Day
This holiday falls on the 51st day after Easter. In 2019, it fell on June 17th. The holiday always falls on Monday, so it has another name - Spirits Monday.
Its history is connected with the biblical tradition, which is described in the book of the Acts of the Apostles. On the 50th day after the resurrection of Christ and on the 10th day after his ascension, the disciples saw a miracle. Suddenly the room where they were was filled with noise from the sky, similar to the howling of the wind, and at that very moment the Holy Spirit descended on each of the worshipers in the form of tongues of fire. After that, the disciples learned to heal the sick, prophesy and speak in different languages. God endowed them with such gifts that nothing would hinder them from walking the earth and carrying the Word of God to different countries.
The people believe that on Spirits Monday, the earth is the birthday girl, since it was created on that very day. Believers on this holiday collect healing herbs, believing that the Spirit endows all plants with special power.
