We tell you which church holiday is celebrated on September 20 according to the new and old style, the prohibitions of the day, whose name day it is.
Church holiday today, September 20 / ua.depositphotos.com
On September 20, according to the new church calendar, the venerable prince Mykhailo of Chernihiv and his boyar Theodore, as well as the great martyrs Eustafius Plakyda, his wife and children are remembered. We talk about the traditions and omens of September 20 and which holiday is celebrated today in the church according to the old style.
September 20, 2024 – which church holiday is today according to the new and old church calendar
In 2023, the Orthodox Church of Ukraine switched to a new calendar style, and all fixed-date Orthodox holidays moved 13 days earlier. But some believers continue to adhere to the old calendar – the preservation of the old style remains the right of religious communities and monasteries.
What a church holiday in Ukraine today according to the new style
September 20 according to the new church calendar (October 3 according to the old) is the day of commemoration of the venerable prince Mykhailo of Chernihiv and his boyar Theodore and the great martyrs Eustafius Plakida, his wife and children.
Prince Mykhailo of Chernihiv occupied the throne of Kyiv in the 13th century. In the fall of 1240, the Mongols approached the city, and Kiev needed help to repel it. The prince tried to take Hungary, Poland, and Germany as allies, but, unfortunately, he did not succeed, and Kyiv was taken by Batia’s army. After that, the khan’s ambassadors arrived in Russia to pay her tribute. In addition, it was necessary to obtain the permission of the khan to rule Kiev – a shortcut. Therefore, Prince Michael and the boyar Fyodor went to the Horde, but were executed upon arrival.
There are several versions of why this happened, one of them is that the prince and the boyar were asked to go through the purifying fire and bow to the sun before appearing before the eyes of Batya, but the Orthodox prince and the boyar refused.
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The holy great martyr Eustafius Placida lived in the 1st century and served as a military commander under the Roman emperors Titus and Trajan. Before his baptism, Eustafius bore the name Placida, and he was known as a merciful and generous person. Once while hunting, in pursuit of a deer, he witnessed a miracle: between the horns of a tired animal, a cross with the crucifixion of the Lord. After returning home, Plakyda was baptized together with the whole family.
Further fate of Eustafius was not very favorable to him: he lost his property, and in his travels – his wife and children. The warlord became a simple peasant and lived like that for 15 years. But he spent all these years in prayer and humility. Meanwhile, Emperor Trajan started a new war and remembered his commander. Eustafius was sent on a long campaign, and he recognized his sons in two soldiers, and in one of the villages he found his wife, who had been kidnapped earlier.
When the military leader returned to Rome with victory, the emperor arranged a feast with a sacrifice. The commander refused to bow to the pagan gods, declaring that he believed in Christ. Eustafius was pitied, and later he and his family were martyred.
Church holiday on September 20 in the old style
Previously, UNIAN told which church holiday is celebrated today according to the old calendar style – what can and cannot be done on the eve of the Christmas of the Holy Mother of God and the day of memory of the Reverend Martyr Makarios Kanivskyi, Archimandrite Ovrutskyi, Pereyaslavskyi.
What do the omens say about September 20
September 20 – today’s omens / pixabay.com
According to the signs of the day, they are guided by what the weather will be like in the future, as well as winter:
- there is a lot of husk on the onion – the winter will be frosty;
- mushrooms appeared – summer is over;
- the cherry tree has not dropped its leaves yet – the winter will be warm and wet;
- white clouds – to bad weather;
- the cones on the Christmas trees grow low – soon there will be frosts, and if they are high – then only the end of winter will be frosty.
In the people, September 20 is the holiday of Astafiy Vitryak, Astafievy vytryak. On this day, according to the wind, the weather was predicted: the north wind – for cold weather, the south wind – for warming, the west wind – for precipitation, and the east wind – for warm and sunny weather.
What not to do on September 20
On September 20, as on any other day, the Church does not approve of quarrels, slander, gossip, opposes slander, condemnation and envy, as well as greed, revenge and despair. Do not refuse those who ask for help.
Folk omens of the day do not advise you to count small money in your wallet today – otherwise, large ones will cease to be in it, and you also cannot return someone else’s dishes or dishes empty – your dishes will be empty as well.
What can be done on September 20
Saint Michael is asked for healing from ailments and protection from enemies. Saint Eustafius is considered the patron saint of hunters, warriors, foresters, he is prayed for help in military affairs, a good harvest, and preservation of the family.
Blankets, pillows and bed linen should be taken out and aired outside on Astafia – so that the wind “blows away” all diseases and problems.
September 20 – today is the name day
Name days today according to the church calendar are celebrated by Fedir, Oleksandr, Oleg, Mykhailo, Ivan, Vasyl, Tetiana, Hilarion.
According to the old style, Makar, Andriy, Petro, Mykola, Oleksandr, Ivan, Lev, Yevhen, Mykhailo, Stepan, Vasyl celebrate the name day.
Previously, we published the church calendar for September 2024 with dates in the old and new style.
