On February 2, the Orthodox Church celebrates the Lord’s welcome, celebrated 40 days after the Birth of the Lord. In the popular faith it is said that whoever works on this day will fall into the disease and his mouth will be crooked.
Lord’s welcome, honest holiday on February 2 Photo Adevărul
Lord’s welcome, honest feast on February 2 Photo Truth
40 days after Christmas, Orthodox Christians celebrate the Lord’s welcome. In the people, the feast is known as “Stretenia”. Today is honest the moment of bringing the baby Jesus to the Temple in Jerusalem.
On February 2, 40 days after the birth of Jesus, the Holy Virgin Mary, complying with the law (Lev XII, 8) went to the Temple in Jerusalem for cleaning the soul, and the baby Jesus was met and held in his arms. Simeon (Luca, II, 22, su). The moment of bringing Jesus to the Temple is described only by the evangelist Luke.
According to Christian.ortodox, in the first centuries, the holiday was celebrated on February 14, because the birth of Jesus was celebrated with his baptism. In 526, during the reign of Justinian the Great, the holiday was officially introduced in the Eastern calendar.
In 534, by imperial decree, the emperor Justinian the Great changed the celebration date of 14 to February 2 (40 days being considered from December 25, the new date of the feast of the Lord). The meeting of the Lord remained as a parable to us, as a duty of mothers to take newborns to church 40 days after birth
The “scarecrow” patients were cured
In the popular faith it is said that whoever works on February 2 will fall into the disease and his mouth will be crooked. Popular spirituality retains this day under the name of Stretenia or Bear Day. It is considered that on this day the cold season faces the hot one, the holiday being a landmark for the provision of calendar time.
In order to be healthy, in ancient times, the children were greased with bear fat and it was believed that the power of this animal was transferred over them.
The “scarecrow” patients were treated on this day by smoking with bear hair. It is also said about Stretenie that it is a bad day, with many bad watches, and whoever is born or who does the wedding on this day will have only trouble and will not do well.
It was believed that if on this day it is sun, the bear comes out of the beam and, seeing its shadow, is scared and withdrawn, thus foreshadowing the winter with another 6 weeks.
