Celebration of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God (November 4)
The Kazan Icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary has been one of the most revered icons in Holy Rus' since ancient times. Many temples are erected in honor of the image of the Queen of Heaven. All churches in Russia hold festive services on this day. After all, the icon has always served as protection and consolation for the entire Russian people.
Many miracles revealed by the Most Holy Theotokos are associated with the Kazan Icon. The image was found under the ruins of a church after a strong fire in the city of Kazan (1579). At the same time, the icon was completely undamaged by the fire, which was already no small miracle. A religious procession was organized with the image of the Kazan Mother of God, during which two blind men became sighted. This was the first miraculous sign. Further, many sick people began to be healed by the miraculous face, and the sufferers received deliverance from their troubles.
Kazan Icon of the Mother of God
The face of the Kazan Mother of God helped the Russian people in the most difficult periods. When the Poles invaded the territory of Russia, it was with this icon in his hands and a prayer on his lips that Prince Pozharsky was the first to enter white-stone Moscow in 1612, putting an end to the unrest and the Polish invaders. Kutuzov, through prayers before a miraculous image, won victories over French troops in 1812. The cities of Moscow, Leningrad and Stalingrad were flown around with the iconographic face of the Mother of God. As a result, the first years of the terrible Great Patriotic War were survived, and the war itself was won. This miraculous image should be in every home to protect everyone living in it.
November 4 holidays in other countries
Armenia. Social Worker's Day . The professional holiday was established by the government of the country in 2009. Armenia, since 1918, had to endure difficult times, and the social problems were truly difficult. This is poverty with hunger, refugees, orphans, mass mortality. With the advent of Soviet power, social issues became one of the most pressing.
The situation worsened after 1988, when the country was devastated by an earthquake. Further events developed at a rapid pace and brought with them a blockade, new refugees, energy problems, unemployment, impoverishment of the people and poverty. It was in the nineties that social structures were formed in Armenia, whose workers tried to help the people in any way. It is customary to congratulate them on November 4 in Armenia.
Ukraine. Railwayman's Day . All drivers, conductors, railway workers and railway workers in Ukraine celebrate their professional triumph on November 4th. The date became a holiday in the country at the suggestion of the Lviv Railway.
Timed to coincide with the event when the city of Lviv saw a miracle in 1861. At the station, the beeps of the first passenger train called “Yaroslav”, running between Vienna and Lvov, were heard. The road has expanded across the country in different directions. The modern Ukrzaliznytsia includes 6 roads running in different directions. Professional Day has changed its date more than once. But since 2003, it has been regularly celebrated in November, on the 4th.
Dmitrievskaya Parents' Saturday (November 7)
On this day, the Orthodox Church calls on all Orthodox Christians to remember their deceased relatives and friends. Only the prayers of believers can help them after physical death, in mitigating their posthumous fate, in achieving the salvation of the soul and a blissful stay with God and his saints in the Heavenly Kingdom. Many people ended their lives on the battlefield, some died tragically, and there was no one to pray for. The Mother Church, out of love for her deceased children, established this day as a date for special commemoration of all deceased Orthodox Christians.
On Parents' Saturday there are always a lot of people in churches. They come not only to light a candle for repose or to submit a note for a memorial service, but also to pray collectively, confess, and partake of the holy mysteries of Christ. The commemoration of the dead was legalized by the holy fathers due to the fact that many people die an unexpected death, without having time to properly prepare for this event.
On Mother's Saturday there are especially many people at churches where there are necropolises. When they come to the cemetery and perform funeral services, they fulfill the order of the holy fathers that it is necessary to honor their relatives. What can we give to souls who have gone to another world? Only prayer, which they need as bodily food for living people.
Holidays in the Far Abroad on November 4
Panama . National Flag Festival . The day dedicated to the main flag of Panama falls on the date following the country's Independence Day. The holiday begins with an unforgettable parade.
The orchestra plays all day long, with musicians playing trumpets and drummers competing with each other. Guests of the country, of course, are shocked by such a noisy, colorful show, but for the local population this is a great reason to have fun. By the way, the history of the Panama flag is quite young, since it was approved on November 4, only in 1925.
Italy . Ceremonies on National Unity Day are held throughout the country, even since 1976, when the celebration ceased to be a state celebration.
It appeared in 1922 in honor of the Victory (another anniversary) in the First World War. Since those times, it has been customary on November 4 to remember all the soldiers who died for their homeland - Italy.
Memorial Day of the Great Martyr Demetrius of Thessalonica (November 8)
The Holy Great Martyr Demetrius is widely known and loved throughout the Orthodox world. In Rus', the saint of God is revered as the patron of warriors and defender of the Fatherland. After the Battle of Kulikovo, the custom of commemorating fallen soldiers was established on the coming Saturday before the day of celebration of the memory of Demetrius of Thessalonica. Later this tradition spread to all deceased Orthodox Christians. The Day of Remembrance of the Dead began to be called Dmitrievskaya Parental Saturday.
Great Martyr Demetrius of Thessalonica
Day in history
1708 - Ukrainian hetman Ivan Mazepa announced the dissolution of the alliance with Peter I and moved to join the troops of the Swedish king Charles XII.
1879 - Jade Ritty patents the first cash register.
1890 - The world's first underground electric railway, the Underground, opens in London.
1922 - Englishman Howard Carter discovers the tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamun in Egypt.
1979 - Iranian "revolutionary guards" seize the American embassy in Tehran.
Memorial Day of St. Job, Abbot of Pochaev the Wonderworker (November 10)
At the age of 10, the Monk Job left his father’s house and went to a monastery. He was a zealous man of prayer and a guardian of the Orthodox faith. The young monk led a strict ascetic life. Even the elders who labored in the monastery for many years were amazed at his asceticism. The Monk Job zealously attended church services, was tireless in obedience, meek with his superiors, silent, and prayed unceasingly.
Being the abbot of the monastic monastery in Pochaev and engaged in its good organization, the monk never abandoned heartfelt prayer. For everyone, he was the brightest example of meekness, humility and love for others. The holy abbot lived to be one hundred years old, devoting his entire adult life to God and monastic feats.
Day of Veneration of St. Demetrius, Metropolitan of Rostov (November 10)
Saint Demetrius of Rostov made a huge contribution to education. In addition to his monastic works, he did not abandon his scientific studies. Dimitri Rostovsky is the author of “The Lives of the Saints,” on which he worked for many years.
Books "Lives of the Saints"
During this period, saints repeatedly appeared to him and provided assistance. The main task of Dmitry of Rostov was to truthfully depict events in the biographies of Orthodox ascetics. To compile the Lives of the Saints, all the best manuals on hagiography were sought not only in Russia, but also in Europe.
Dimitry Rostovsky
Honoring the memory of Paraskeva Pyatnitsa (November 10)
Saint Paraskeva, called Friday, has been loved by Orthodox people from time immemorial and is famous as an intercessor and helper along with Nicholas the Wonderworker and the Most Holy Theotokos. In the pre-revolutionary period, her veneration was especially widespread among believers. The name Paraskeva was borne by queens, boyars, and simple peasant women. She is considered the patroness of wives and mothers, a helper of family and marriage, and temples are built in her honor.
Saint Paraskeva
Beginning of the Nativity Fast (November 28)
The Nativity Fast begins at the end of November and lasts forty days. It is intended to prepare Orthodox Christians for the Nativity of Christ, although it is not as strict as Easter. Meat and dairy foods, chicken and eggs are completely excluded from the diet. On Saturdays and Sundays, as well as on major holidays, you can eat fish. There should be no fanaticism or vanity in observing food restrictions. Sick people are not required to strictly abstain from their usual foods. It should be remembered that fasting is not a diet, but a special repentant state of mind.
Video on the topic: Orthodox holidays, memorial days in November
Unusual holidays on November 4
What unusual holiday falls on November 4th? It’s worth looking at the calendar of unusual dates and there will always be a reason for fun. November 4 was no exception.
When was the cash register born?
The idea of creating a cash register came to James Ritty, the owner of a popular cafe located in Dayton, Ohio. The man was concerned about how to rein in careless bartenders who were trying to get their hands into the cash register of his establishment.
During his next trip on the ship, he saw firsthand how trade transactions could be calculated. This idea was prompted by a device that counted the rotation of the engine shaft. Returning home, James gets to work and, together with his brother, designs a primitive cash register. He received confirmation of a patent for his invention on November 4, 1879. Since then, November 4 has come to be considered the birthday of the most common commercial equipment today.
Self care day
One can argue and talk about altruism and egoism endlessly. But these concepts are definitely closely related. After all, caring for others begins with caring for yourself. It is not for nothing that an unspoken rule has been established on airplanes, according to which during a disaster an oxygen mask is put on immediately for oneself, and then for other companions, even if they are children.
In the modern fast pace of life, a person is so preoccupied with solving global problems that he completely forgets about himself. When you have to choose what is better: to devote time to communicating with children or to stay at work for a couple of hours, because this is so important for the development of the company, the answer is clear.
We have completely forgotten how to enjoy the little things: good weather, communication with friends, not business, but simply spiritual, beautiful music, a delicious dinner. Hurry and bustle, business trips and meetings, eternal cooking and cleaning - this is how life goes by. Stop. Stop.
Mark November 4th on your calendar – it’s worth dedicating to yourself. Not children, parents, bosses, neighbors, and not even friends, your soulmate. Only for myself, my beloved. This is such a selfish holiday from which one’s worldview and attitude towards life can begin to change.
