When is the day of the Kazan Mother of God icon. Day of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God - date, history, congratulations, poetry, prose, SMS

The Orthodox Church celebrates the Day of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God on November 4. This is one of the most beloved and revered images of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Russia.

The Kazan Icon of the Mother of God is considered the patroness of the Russian land, which is confirmed by many historical facts. Since ancient times Orthodox people prayed to her, asked for help and support in the most Hard times For Russia.

The Day of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God is celebrated twice a year: in the summer - on July 21 - in memory of the appearance of the icon in Kazan, and on November 4 - in gratitude for the deliverance of Moscow and all of Rus' from Polish invaders.

Phenomenon

© SPUTNIK/ MAXIM BOGODVID

The Kazan Icon of the Mother of God has a very interesting story. It was found in 1579 by a nine-year-old girl in the ashes of a terrible fire that destroyed part of the city of Kazan.

The fire in Kazan started in the house of the merchant Onuchin. After the fire, the Mother of God appeared to the merchant’s daughter Matrona in a dream and revealed to her that under the ruins of their house there was her miraculous image buried in the ground.

It still remains a mystery how the shrine fell into ruins. It is believed that it was buried by secret confessors of Christianity during Tatar rule.

© SPUTNIK/ YURIY COVER

At first they did not pay attention to the girl’s words, but when the dream repeated itself three times, they began to dig and found an icon of amazing beauty in the ashes. The holy image, despite the fire, looked as if it had just been painted.

The image was solemnly transferred to the parish church of St. Nicholas of Tula, the rector of which was then the pious priest, the future Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Hermogenes.

The future saint, who died at the hands of the Poles for his fidelity to Orthodoxy and was canonized, compiled a detailed account of the miracles of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God.

The fact that the icon was miraculous became clear immediately, since already during the procession the sight was restored to two Kazan blind people. These miracles were the first in a long list of cases of grace-filled help.

At the place where the icon was found, a convent, where Matrona and her mother took monastic vows.

So by the time Russia came difficult times, the icon of the Kazan Mother of God was no longer just known, but also very revered.

© SPUTNIK/ SERGEY PYATAKOV

Many copies were made of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, and the icon itself became famous for its miraculousness - the sick recovered, the blind gained sight, enemies were defeated and expelled.

The most famous miracles of the intercession of the Mother of God are associated with the events of the Time of Troubles. It is believed that it was the miraculous icon that helped the militia led by Prince Dmitry Pozharsky and merchant Kuzma Minin defeat the enemy on November 4, 1612 and liberate Moscow from the Poles.

Story

At the turn of the 16th-17th centuries, a series of tragic circumstances occurred in Russia and this era went down in history under the name Time of Troubles. This era of deep crisis of the Moscow state caused by the suppression royal dynasty Rurikovich.

The dynastic crisis soon developed into a national-state crisis. One Russian state collapsed, numerous impostors appeared. Widespread robberies, robbery, theft, and widespread drunkenness struck the country.

By call His Holiness Patriarch Hermogenes, the Russian people stood up to defend their homeland. To Nizhny Novgorod civil uprising, which was headed by Prince Dmitry Pozharsky and Kuzma Minin, a list of the miraculous icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Kazan was sent from Kazan.

The militia, having learned about the miracles performed by the icon, took it with them and constantly prayed in front of it, asking for help. They liberated Kitay-Gorod on October 22 (November 4, new style), and two days later they took the Kremlin. The next day, Russian soldiers went to the Kremlin with a religious procession with a miraculous image in their hands.

In memory of the deliverance of Moscow from the Poles by the will of Tsar Mikhail Feodorovich, the first Russian Tsar of the Romanov dynasty, and the blessing of the Metropolitan, later Patriarch Philaret, Orthodox Church It was established annually on October 22 to celebrate the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God in Moscow with a procession of the cross.

At first this celebration took place only in Moscow, but since 1649 it became all-Russian. It is believed that Holy Mother of God took the Russian militia under her protection. The holiday was celebrated in Russia until the 1917 Revolution.

The icon of Our Lady of Kazan became the common shrine of Kazan, Moscow, St. Petersburg and all of Russia, where there were three main miraculous icons of Our Lady of Kazan - the found one and two copies.

One of the lists of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God was brought into Moscow liberated from the Poles by Dmitry Pozharsky, who headed the people’s militia. Now it is kept in the Epiphany Patriarchal Cathedral in Moscow.

© SPUTNIK/ ALEXEY NASYROV

Prayer

Oh, Most Pure Lady Theotokos, Queen of heaven and earth, the highest angel and archangel and the most honest, pure Virgin Mary of all creation, the Good Helper of the world, and affirmation for all people, and deliverance for all needs! You are our intercessor and representative, you are protection for the offended, joy for the grieving, refuge for the orphans, guardian for widows, glory for virgins, joy for those who cry, visitation for the sick, healing for the weak, salvation for sinners. Have mercy on us, Mother of God, and fulfill our request, for everything is possible through Your intercession: for glory befits You now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

The Kazan Icon of the Mother of God is one of the most revered in Rus'. The celebration takes place twice a year - July 8/21 and October 22/November 4. The iconography of the image is of the “Hodegetria” (“Guide”) type.

The history of the discovery of the miraculous image of the Mother of God goes back to the time of the capture of Kazan by Ivan the Terrible in 1552. After a long siege and a successful assault on the city, the Kazan Khanate was finally annexed to Rus'. A year later, the Kazan diocese was established, and the conversion of pagans and Muslims to Christianity began. In 1579, a terrible fire occurred in the city, incinerating part of the Kremlin and the adjacent territory of the city. In this regard, the Mohammedans began to say that the Russian God was unmerciful to people and punished them with fire. Then to strengthen Orthodox faith the great mercy of God was revealed - the discovery of the miraculous image of the Mother of God.

To nine-year-old Matrona, the daughter of the archer Onuchin, whose house was completely destroyed by fire, the Mother of God appeared in a dream and revealed that under the ruins of the house there was Her miraculous image. Nobody paid attention to the child’s words about the miraculous phenomenon. The Mother of God appeared to Matrona two more times, indicated the exact location of the icon on the ashes and ordered to inform the archbishop and mayors so that they would remove Her miraculous image from the ground. Finally, the girl’s mother began to dig the ground in the place indicated to her, but the icon was not there. As soon as Matrona herself took the spade, the miraculous icon of the Mother of God was found. The magnificent image, wrapped in an old cloth sleeve, was clear and bright, as if it had just been painted.

After the miraculous discovery, the icon was transferred to the Church of St. Nicholas of Tula, and then to the Annunciation Cathedral. The priest of the St. Nicholas Church Ermolai, the future Patriarch of Moscow Ermogen, became the first author of the troparion and service to the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God. He also witnessed miracles that happened during the religious procession with the icon: along the way and during the celebrations, several blind people regained their sight.

The autumn celebration of the icon is associated with the liberation of Moscow from the Poles in 1612. During the Time of Troubles, when the capital of Rus' was occupied by the enemy, a copy of the miraculous Kazan icon was handed over to Prince Dmitry Pozharsky. After the fervent prayer of the Russian soldiers in front of the image of the Most Pure One, it became known that the Reverend Sergius of Radonezh, who was in captivity within the Kremlin walls, appeared to Archbishop Arseny of Elasson, illuminated by light, and announced that the next day Moscow would be in the hands of Pozharsky’s militia and Russia would be saved. Such spiritual support gave strength to the Russian army, and the next day, October 22/November 4, the defenders of the Fatherland managed to liberate Kitay-Gorod from the Poles, who then themselves surrendered the Kremlin to the militia. Foreigners were expelled. The clergy solemnly came out to meet the winners with Moscow shrines, at the head of which they carried the image of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God. In memory of the liberation of Moscow and Russia from the Poles, the celebration of the icon was established on October 22/November 4, and in memory of the miraculous discovery of the Kazan image of the Most Pure One - on July 8/21.

Nowadays, November 4 is a public holiday in Russia - a day national unity, which coincided with the victory over the Polish invaders in 1612.

Kazan Cathedral on Red Square

In the very heart of Russia, on Red Square stands the majestic Kazan Cathedral. It was built by order of Prince Dmitry Pozharsky for the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God approximately in 1625. At first it was a small wooden church, then a stone temple, to which a third tier and a bell tower were eventually added. In 1936 the temple was completely destroyed. The rebirth took place in 1990–1993, when, on the initiative of the Moscow city branch of the All-Russian Society for the Protection of Historical and Cultural Monuments, the cathedral was rebuilt and consecrated on November 4, 1993 by His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Rus'.

Troparion to the Icon of the Mother of God of Kazan

O zealous intercessor, / Mother of the Lord Most High, / pray for all Thy Son Christ our God, / and cause all to be saved, / to those who seek refuge in Thy sovereign protection. / Intercede for all of us, O Lady Queen and Lady, / who are in adversity and in sorrow, and in illness, burdened with many sins, / standing and praying to You with a tender soul / and a contrite heart, / before Your most pure image with tears / and irrevocable hope those who have against You, / deliverance from all evils, / grant to everyone what is useful, / and save everything, O Virgin Mary: / For You are the Divine Protection of Your servant.

Anna Kotova

From the words of the ever-memorable Archimandrite Kirill (Pavlov)

In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit!

Beloved brothers and sisters, today we solemnly and prayerfully remember and glorify the manifestation of the mercy of the Mother of God to the Russian Orthodox state, expressed in the miraculous deliverance of our dear Fatherland in 1612 from the invasion of foreigners.

Our ancestors, the Russian people, loved the Mother of God and had a special, deep faith in Her heavenly intercession for the Christian race and always turned to Her with fervent prayer in their sorrows and disasters. Although entire countries considered the Most Holy Virgin their Patroness and honored Her, in our Fatherland the name of the Mother of God was surrounded by special veneration - immeasurably greater than anywhere else, and the Mother of God did not pour out so much of Her grace and mercy on any other land, how much for the Russian Land. In almost every Russian city there is certainly a source of the Mother of God’s grace - Her miraculous icons, in which She wanted to give people a heavenly guarantee of Her love and serve as a Consolation for suffering humanity. Our people loved to call the Mother of God by special names befitting Her heavenly protection and mercy, and the Mother of God did not leave his faith in vain, but gave ambulance to everyone who asks and to our Fatherland as a whole.

Particularly memorable is the deliverance of our land by the grace of the Mother of God from the dominion of the Poles in 1612. During that mournful time, when the royal family in Rus' was completely extinguished, unrest began to occur in our Fatherland, which led to complete anarchy. The Poles hastened to take advantage of this: they captured Moscow and with it half of the Russian kingdom. Fearing that they would forever remain under the rule of the Polish yoke, the Russian people stood up in defense of their Fatherland, placing their trust in the Heavenly Intercessor, to Whom they turned with an ardent plea for help in the fight against the enemy. The troops took with them the icon of the Mother of God, called the Kazan icon, and, led by Her, approached Moscow. A fast was declared, all the people and soldiers fasted for three days and prayed fervently before miraculous icon The Queen of Heaven about granting them victory. And the Most Immaculate Lady heard their prayer and, through Her intercession, asked her merciful Son and Her Lord for help and victory over the enemies of the Russian people. Appearing at night in a dream vision to the Greek Archbishop Arseny, who was languishing in captivity among the Poles. Venerable Sergius Radonezh told the Vladyka that the Lord, through the prayers of His Mother and the Moscow saints Peter, Alexy, Jonah and Philip, would overthrow the invaders the next day and return the capital city of Russia into the hands of the Russian people.

Encouraged by this news, our soldiers on October 22, with the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, without much difficulty took Moscow and liberated the Fatherland from foreigners. Thus, both the country and the Church were delivered from foreign enslavement. Reverently before the Heavenly Helper, the grateful army and all the citizens of the capital on the next Sunday day performed a prayer service to the Most Holy Theotokos, who saved the Russian state. In a procession of the cross, carrying the Kazan Icon, they walked all the way to the Place of Execution, and at the Kremlin gates they were met by Saint Arseny with another shrine - the miraculous Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God, which he had preserved in captivity. And so that the memory of the saving intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos for our Fatherland would not weaken with time, it was soon unanimously decided that the solemn remembrance of Her miracle should be celebrated annually on this day, October 22.

As we see, dear brothers and sisters, the main reason for saving the country from destruction was the strong Orthodox faith of our ancestors. When there was no longer any hope for human strength, then everything true sons The Church and the Fatherland committed themselves to a three-day fast and prayed to the Mother of God before Her miraculous Kazan Icon. And their prayer was heard. In addition, from the most ancient times, the Russian people have been distinguished by their simple, reverent faith and sincere, heartfelt love for the Lord Jesus Christ. In this faith of ours and in our love for the Son of the Ever-Virgin Mary lies the reason for Her special mercy towards us. What mother will remain indifferent to someone who will show, who will show clear signs of concern and love for her children? Reverent faith, strong love for the Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, undoubtedly brings special joy to His Most Pure Mother in heaven. And from here it happens that Her intercession and help are poured out on all who, from ancient times, sacredly honor and confess the Lord Jesus Christ, reverently worship Him and lovingly obey the Church He established on earth.

What does the memory of the miraculous help of the Mother of God to our Russian Land oblige us to? The closer, the more merciful and attentive the Mother of God is to us, the more careful we must be with our behavior and our faith. The more is given, the more will be collected from us. Who, if not the people of God, the Jewish people, saw such obvious, such miraculous help of God above them? His entire story from beginning to end is imbued with, filled with descriptions of the wonderful, direct guidance of God. But at the same time, how much, how hard he suffered, this chosen people God, for your repeated apostasy from the true God, for your frequent betrayals of the faith of your forefathers! Why? Because justice and the greatness of God require it: the Lord cannot leave unpunished a single offense that offends the dignity of His holy Law. “Let us leave here,” was heard in the very Sanctuary of the Jewish Temple, and soon the abomination of desolation appeared in the holy place and will remain there, according to the word of the Lord, until the end of the century - after the Jewish people did not believe in the Only Begotten Son of God.

Let us thank, dear ones, the Lord and His Most Pure Mother for such great benefits shown to the establishment and exaltation of our Fatherland, brought to its glory through severe trials by the sole hand of God. Let us cherish, brothers and sisters, the holy union with the Lord Jesus Christ and His Most Pure Mother, who chose our land as Her heritage. The Lord Jesus Christ and His Mother are jealous of us with love. Let us remember who is our Intercessor, who is our help and hope, and we will not break our union with Her, but we will establish it with faith, our life and hope.

Thinking that Orthodox Christians constitute the property of Her Son and enjoy Her special protection, let us not forget at the same time that the true property of Orthodox Christians is, in fact, to follow Christ in everything as the only Lawgiver and to endlessly love Him as our only Savior. We must hold fast to the path that our Orthodox ancestors walked, which Jesus Christ showed us, which the Holy Church also shows. The Lord outlined this path for us in His Holy Gospel, and we must sacredly preserve and observe it. If we retreat from this path, from this covenant with Christ, our Intercessor, the Queen of Heaven, will also retreat from us, because She cannot be in union with the enemies of Her Son, who trample His teaching, His commandments, His Treasured Blood, just like Christ. , Her Son, cannot be in union with Belial.

Let us pray today to the Queen of Heaven that She Herself will confirm us on the path of salvation, for She is always ready to intercede for us, if only we would resort to Her intercession with warm and earnest prayer, with firm faith and hope. And then She will never leave us with Her mercy, but will always preserve and save us from all evil. Let us offer up fervent prayers to Her with all our hearts, and call upon Her with tenderness: Rejoice, zealous Intercessor of the Christian race!

Pray at the icon of the Mother of God © depositphotos

Today, November 4 Orthodox world celebrates another religious holiday− day of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God. Website tochka.net will tell you about the history of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, the holiday, prayer, traditions, rituals and signs of this day.

The Day of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God is celebrated on November 4, and in 2018 it falls on Sunday.

Kazan Icon of the Mother of God - history

The Kazan Icon of the Mother of God has a very interesting history. It was found in the 16th century by the little girl Matrona in the ashes of a large fire that destroyed part of the city of Kazan, after the Mother of God herself appeared to her three times in a dream and indicated the place where the icon was hidden.

At the site where the icon was found, the Mother of God nunnery was built, where Matrona and her mother subsequently took monastic vows.

The most famous miracles of the intercession of the Mother of God are associated with the events of the Time of Troubles. The militia, blessed by the Kazan Icon, led by Kuzma Minin and Prince Dimitry Pozharsky, liberated Moscow from the Poles on November 4, 1612, in a fierce struggle.

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Day of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God - signs

Kazanskaya without rain - the year will be difficult. It was believed that on this day the Mother of God cries for all people, begging the Lord God for forgiveness for human sins and a good harvest for the next year.
It will rain on Kazanskaya in the morning, and by the evening there will be snow. This day is the boundary between autumn and winter: before Kazanskaya it is not yet winter, and from Kazanskaya it is no longer autumn. Therefore, during the day, rain may gradually turn into snow.
Good people don’t go to Kazanskaya long journey- It will take a long time to return home. This sign clearly confirms the previous one. If you go out on wheels in the rain, you need to return on runners.
Whoever marries Kazanskaya will be happy and will not repent.
In Kazanskaya the frost is not great, but it is not good to stand.
What Kazanskaya shows, winter will say.
If it rains on Kazanskaya, it will fill all the holes, and if it snows, it will cover all the roads.
On Kazanskaya, a clear day means cold weather.
Kazanskaya shows the way to the frosts.
If there is fog in the morning, there will still be thaws.

Miraculous icon of the Kazan Mother of God - prayer

In front of the icon of the Kazan Mother of God they pray for the healing of eye and other diseases, protection of the house from disaster and fire, deliverance from enemy invasions, blessing of the newlyweds, the birth of children, and family well-being.

O Most Holy Lady Lady Theotokos! With fear, faith and love, I fall before Your honorable icon, we pray to You: do not turn Your face away from those who come running to You, beseech the merciful Mother, Your Son and our God, the Lord Jesus Christ, that He may preserve our peaceful country and preserve His Holy Church unshakably from unbelief, heresies and schism. There are no imams of any other help, no imams of other hope, except You, Most Pure Virgin: You are the All-Powerful Helper and Intercessor of Christians. Deliver all who pray to You with faith from the falls of sin, from slander. evil people, from all temptations, sorrows, misfortunes and from vain death: grant us the spirit of contrition, humility of heart, purity of thoughts, correction of sinful life and the remission of sins, so that we all praise Thy greatness with gratitude, let us be worthy of the Heavenly Kingdom and there with all the saints we will glorify the Most Honest and Magnificent The name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

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The Feast of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God is celebrated twice a year: July 21 and November 4. This icon is associated with the great historical events Russia. She is especially revered by the Russian Orthodox people and is considered miraculous. The autumn holiday of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, November 4, is a holiday in honor of the day of the liberation of Moscow and Russia from the Poles in 1612.

Kazan Icon of the Mother of God: history
She was found miraculously in 1572 in Kazan. The city was taken by the troops of Ivan the Terrible shortly before this event. After the fire, due to which almost the entire Christian part of Kazan was destroyed, the Mother of God appeared three times in a dream to the nine-year-old girl Matrona and ordered her icon to be found in the ashes.
When mother and daughter began to dig in the place where the stove was located before the fire, they discovered an icon at a depth of about 1 meter. Among the first eyewitnesses of the miracle that occurred was the priest of the St. Nicholas Church, Ermogen, who later became the Patriarch of All Rus'.
On the same day, many people came to the place where the icon was found, and the city resounded with festive ringing. Since then, this day began to be celebrated annually, first in Kazan, and then throughout Russia. In 1579, at the site where the icon was found, Ivan the Terrible founded the Mother of God Monastery, where the found icon was kept, which soon became a national shrine, a sign of the Mother of God’s heavenly protection over Russia.

People call the date November 4 the autumn (winter) Kazan date. This holiday is connected with the events of the Time of Troubles, when Polish invaders invaded the territory of Russia. Moscow was taken Polish troops, and the Patriarch of All Rus' Hermogenes is imprisoned. In captivity, the Patriarch prayed to the Mother of God, trusting in her help and protection. His prayers were answered, and in September 1611 a second militia was organized. Russian troops liberated Moscow and entered Red Square with the miraculous copy of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God.
In honor of the Most Holy Theotokos, Prince Pozharsky erected a temple of the Kazan Icon in the 1630s, where it remained for three hundred years. In 1920, the church was barbarically destroyed. In its place a pavilion was erected and public toilet. In the nineties of the last century, these buildings were demolished and a new temple was erected. The original appearance of the cathedral was preserved thanks to drawings and measurements made before the demolition of the shrine.
The image of the Kazan Mother of God was especially revered by Peter the Great. During Battle of Poltava on the battlefield there was a miraculous list from the icon (Kaplunovsky). There is a legend that Saint Mitrophan of Voronezh, even before the founding of St. Petersburg, blessed Peter I with the Kazan Icon: “Take the icon of the Kazan Mother of God. She will help you win evil enemy. After this, move the shrine to the new capital. She will become the cover of the city and all your people.”
In 1710, Peter I ordered the miraculous copy of the Kazan Icon to be transported from Moscow to St. Petersburg. For some time, the holy image was in the Alexander Nevsky Lavra, and later (under Anna Ioannovna) it was transferred to a special temple built on Nevsky Prospekt.
The accession to the throne of Catherine II is also connected with this St. Petersburg shrine. Paul I, having become emperor in 1796, decides to build a more worthy temple for the icon. He announces a competition of projects, in which A. N. Voronikhin won. The temple was designed after St. Peter's in Rome. It took 10 years to build it. It was completed under Alexander I.
The construction of the Kazan Cathedral was completed in 1811. For the project A.N. Voronikhin was awarded the Order of Anna
In front of the miraculous icon in 1812, M. I. Kutuzov prayed for the salvation of Russia. In the Kazan Cathedral on December 25, 1812, the first prayer service was served for the deliverance of Russia from the French invasion.
Autumn Kazan: signs and traditions
Feast of the Kazan Icon – important date V folk calendar. Winter is approaching, the gardening and field work is over, the workers are returning from waste production. Winter Kazan is the traditional settlement date. All construction work is completed by this time, and carpenters, diggers, plasterers and masons receive payment and return home.
- Be patient, farm laborer, and you will have Kazanskaya in your yard.
“And the owner would be glad to squeeze the farm laborer, but Kazanskaya is in the yard: she is the head of the whole row.”
— It often rains on this day. On this occasion they said: “If the Kazan sky cries, then winter will come soon.” If the day is clear on November 4, then cold weather is coming.
In some places, this date marks the patronal feast day. Many people get married on this day. After all, according to legend, whoever marries Kazanskaya will be happy all his life. But you shouldn’t hit the road on November 4th. It is believed that troubles can await a person on the road.
Among the people, the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God is a woman’s intercessor and patroness of the common people. Therefore, autumn Kazan is one of the main women's holidays. It was celebrated with a magnificent feast with mash and beer.
This icon is also considered an assistant in the treatment of eye diseases. They say that on this day the dew is especially healing. Therefore, before sunrise, they tried to collect at least a little dew, which they used to wipe their eyes and treat abscesses and skin diseases. There is a legend that one young girl thought that she didn’t show her face, that’s why no one loved her. On autumn Kazan, she got up early and went to the grove, there she found a birch leaf that hung low on a tree and was covered with frost. She looked into this sheet, as if into a silver mirror, and all the unsightliness disappeared from her face.
Autumn Kazan: signs and sayings
- Whoever marries Kazanskaya will not repent.
- If rain pours into Kazanskaya, it will send winter.
“What Kazanskaya shows, winter will say.”
“You can’t drive far: you go out on wheels and come back on runners.”
— Before Kazanskaya it’s not winter, from Kazanskaya it’s not autumn.
- Happens on this day in the morning It is raining, and in the evening the snow lies in drifts.
A person born on November 4th should wear peridot.

This is one of the most beloved and revered images of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Russia. The Kazan Icon of the Mother of God is considered the patroness of the Russian land, which is confirmed by many historical facts. Since ancient times, Orthodox people prayed to her, asking for help and support in the most difficult times for Russia.

Day of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God: history and signs of the holiday

The Orthodox Church celebrates the Day of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God on November 4. This is one of the most beloved and revered images of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Russia.

The Kazan Icon of the Mother of God is considered the patroness of the Russian land, which is confirmed by many historical facts. Since ancient times, Orthodox people prayed to her, asking for help and support in the most difficult times for Russia.

The Kazan Icon of the Mother of God has a very interesting history. It was found in 1579 by a nine-year-old girl in the ashes of a terrible fire that destroyed part of the city of Kazan.

It still remains a mystery how the shrine fell into ruins. It is believed that it was buried by secret confessors of Christianity during Tatar rule.

The image was solemnly transferred to the parish church of St. Nicholas of Tula, the rector of which was then the pious priest, the future Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Hermogenes.

The future saint, who died at the hands of the Poles for his fidelity to Orthodoxy and was canonized, compiled a detailed account of the miracles of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God.

At the site where the icon was found, a convent was subsequently founded, where Matrona and her mother took monastic vows.

So by the time difficult times came in Russia, the icon of the Kazan Mother of God was no longer just known, but also very revered.

Icon in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior

Story

At the turn of the 16th-17th centuries, a series of tragic circumstances occurred in Russia and this era went down in history as the Time of Troubles. This is the era of the deep crisis of the Moscow state, caused by the suppression of the royal Rurik dynasty.

The dynastic crisis soon developed into a national-state crisis. The united Russian state collapsed, and numerous impostors appeared. Widespread robberies, robbery, theft, and widespread drunkenness struck the country.

At the call of His Holiness Patriarch Hermogenes, the Russian people stood up to defend their homeland. A list of the miraculous icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Kazan was sent from Kazan to the Nizhny Novgorod people's militia, which was led by Prince Dmitry Pozharsky and Kuzma Minin.

In memory of the deliverance of Moscow from the Poles by the will of Tsar Mikhail Feodorovich, the first Russian Tsar of the Romanov dynasty, and the blessing of Metropolitan, later Patriarch Philaret, the Orthodox Church established annually on October 22 in Moscow the celebration of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God with a procession of the cross.

At first this celebration took place only in Moscow, but since 1649 it became all-Russian. It is believed that the Most Holy Theotokos took the Russian militia under her protection. The holiday was celebrated in Russia until the 1917 Revolution.

Traditions and signs

On this day, all people went to church, where they prayed for their homeland, for their loved ones and relatives, so that there would be peace and tranquility in families.

After the liturgy, all believers went to procession- with icons in their hands they walked around cities and villages, which symbolized the protection of the settlement from harm. Today they are limited to walking along the main streets or just around the church.

In the old days, women believed that on this day the Mother of God helped them. There were many protective rituals that women used on this day.

For example, a birch leaf gives beauty and protects against old age. To do this, early in the morning on the holiday, women went to a birch grove, where they looked for leaves covered with frost. Having torn off a piece of paper, they looked at it as if in a mirror. It was believed that after this the face would become clearer and younger, and the woman would look beautiful throughout the next year.

This day is considered happy for marriages and weddings. In the old days, it was believed that on such a bright day of the triumph of the Orthodox faith, it was the right time to create new family. Those who wanted to live family life without problems and in happiness, they tried to coincide the wedding ceremony precisely with the autumn holiday of the Kazan Mother of God.

There are many signs associated with the weather: if the ground is covered in fog in the morning, it will be warm, and if it rains, it will snow soon, if the sun is shining brightly, the winter will be just as sunny.

Rainy weather on this day is a good sign. People said that this Mother of God cries and prays for all people. She begs the Lord God for forgiveness for the people and asks that their life be easier, that the harvest next year be good, and that there be no famine.

But dry weather, on the contrary, is bad omen. People say that if there is no rain on Kazanskaya, then next year will be very difficult. And you can’t count on a good harvest at all.

Also on this day, the villagers went out into their gardens and scattered salt on the ground: “they treated them to bread and salt” so that the future harvest would be rich and plentiful. After this, all the fields were walked around with the icon, and then a festive meal was held on the ground, consisting of gifts of earth and holy water.

What do they pray for?

The Kazan Mother of God is considered a miraculous icon, and prayers to her can be fateful. People believe that during any disaster, grief or misfortune, the Kazan Mother of God can cover a person asking for help from all troubles with her invisible veil and save him.