THE BEGINNING OF THE INDICT - THE CHURCH NEW YEAR September 1 (September 14, new style) The Orthodox Church celebrates the church new year (the beginning of the church year), also called the Beginning of the Indict.
Even in the Old Testament, the Lord our God commanded that every year we specially celebrate the onset of the seventh month, so that people on this day, freed from the vanity of life, would serve the One God. In this particular month, when the waters of the flood began to subside, Noah’s ark stopped on the mountains of Ararat. In the same month, the holy prophet Moses came down from the mountain with his face illuminated by the glory of the Divine, and brought new tablets on which the Law given by the Lord Himself was inscribed. And in the same month, the consecration of the Temple of the Lord, created by King Solomon, took place, and the Ark of the Covenant was brought there. In the Old Testament there are many other indications about the great significance of the seventh month (current September), considering the creation of the world in the month of March according to Biblical chronology. New Testament times. In the 6th century, during the reign of Justinian I (527–565), the Christian Church introduced calendar reckoning based on indictions or indictions (from Latin indictio - announcement), 15-year periods of tribute. In the Roman Empire, indictio was understood as the designation of the number of taxes that should be collected in a given year. Thus, the financial year in the empire began with the emperor’s “indication” (indictio) of how much taxes needed to be collected, while every 15 years the estates were revalued (according to V.V. Bolotov, indictions were of Egyptian origin). The official Byzantine reckoning, the so-called indictions of Constantine the Great or the Constantinople reckoning, began on September 1, 312. In Byzantium, the church year did not always begin on September 1 - both in the Latin West and in the East the March calendar was well known (when the beginning of the year is considered to be 1 March or March 25 (date of the Feast of the Annunciation)). In general, the solemn celebration of the New Year on September 1 can be considered a late Byzantine phenomenon.
On this day, the Church remembers how the Lord Jesus Christ read in the synagogue in Nazareth the prophecy of Isaiah (Isaiah 61:1–2) about the coming of a favorable summer (Luke 4:16–22). In this reading of the Lord, the Byzantines saw His indication of the celebration of the New Year's Day; Tradition connects this event itself with September 1st. The Menology of Basil II (10th century) says: “From that time on, He gave us Christians this holy holiday.” And to this day in the Orthodox Church on September 1, during the liturgy, this very Gospel concept about the preaching of the Savior is read. The same Gospel was read by the Patriarch in a special rite of summer service - a festive service held on September 1. It is significant that the Gospel was read by the Patriarch himself - in the practice of the Church of Constantinople in late Byzantine times, the Patriarch himself read the Gospel, except for this case, only three times a year: at Good Friday Matins (the first of the 12 Passion Gospels) and at the liturgy and vespers of the first day of Easter. According to the Typicon of the Great Church and the Byzantine service Gospels, the rite of summer conduction has the following order: after Matins, the bishop proceeds with a procession to the city square accompanied by the singing of the “big” Trisagion. When the procession reaches the square, the deacon proclaims the litany and 3 antiphons are sung. After the antiphons, the bishop pronounces an exclamation, blesses the people three times and sits down on the seat. This is followed by the prokeimenon and the Apostle; According to the Apostle, the bishop, having blessed the people three times, begins reading the Gospel. Lithium petitions are then pronounced; at the end of the petitions and the head-bending prayer, the singers begin to sing the troparion 2 voices: All creation to the Creator..., and the procession goes to the temple to perform the Divine Liturgy. In Rus', after the adoption of Christianity, there was a civil year until the 15th century. started in March. All ancient Russian chroniclers began the year on March 1, including St. Nestor. But, despite the fact that only in the 15th century. September 1 officially becomes the beginning of the civil year; there is evidence of the rite of summerkeeping being performed in Rus' on September 1, not only at the end of the 14th century, but even as early as the 13th century. The rite consisted of singing stichera, antiphons, reading paremias, the Apostle, the Gospel and reciting prayers. Russian editions of the 17th century. The rank of summer maintenance on September 1 is contained in the Moscow Worldly Potrebnik of 1639, in the Moscow Potrebnik of 1651, in the Metropolitan Trebnik. Peter the Great in 1646 and in a collection of church rites printed without a year designation. The Novgorod rank, contained in a handwritten collection of the first quarter of the 17th century, is also close to the printed Moscow ranks. Let us note the interesting features contained in the Moscow and Novgorod ranks. During the reading of the proverbs, the archpriest performed the rite of blessing of water until the moment of immersion of the cross. Then, after reading the Gospel, the saint immersed the cross in water while singing the troparion: Save, O Lord, Thy people... and washed the icons with his lip dipped in consecrated water, after which the prayer of Patriarch Philotheus of Constantinople was read: Master Lord our God... and the prayer of supremacy. In addition, the Moscow printed rite describes the ceremony of the Tsar’s coming to action (in Moscow, the rite was performed on the cathedral square of the Moscow Kremlin, and the Tsar most often arrived there after the arrival of the Patriarch with a procession of the cross, but sometimes he could come with him), his meeting and congratulatory speech to him by the Patriarch. In Novgorod, the serving saint addressed congratulations to the governors and people with the pronouncement of the “title” about the royal long-term health. The Kyiv rank differed from the Moscow and Novgorod ones. It does not indicate the religious procession to the square, the blessing of water and the washing of icons. The reading of the Gospel took place in the church; there were no proverbs and no Apostle. The litia was performed in front of the temple: first they walked around the temple twice with a procession of the cross while singing stichera, on the third circuit they stopped in front of each side of the temple, and the deacon pronounced a litany; in front of the western side the saint read a prayer. The ritual of congratulation is also not specified in the Kiev rite. The cessation of the rank of summerkeeping is associated with the publication by Peter I of a decree on postponing the start of the civil new year to January 1. The last time the rite was performed was on September 1, 1699 in the presence of Peter, who, sitting on the throne installed on the Kremlin Cathedral Square in royal clothes, received the blessing from the Patriarch and congratulated the people on the New Year. On January 1, 1700, the church celebration was limited to a prayer service after the liturgy, but the rite of summer service was not performed. Since those times, the celebration of the church new year on September 1 is not celebrated with the former solemnity, although the Typikon still considers this day a small Lord's holiday “The Beginning of the Indictment, that is, the New Summer,” combined with a festive service in honor of St. Simeon the Stylite, whose memory falls on the same date.
Metropolitan Anthony, manager of the affairs of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, tells Vesti readers about the history and traditions of an inconspicuous but future-determining church holiday.
“The Church New Year is celebrated on September 14, or September 1 according to the old style. This day is the first day of the new church year, and the first holiday of the year, accordingly, is the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (September 21). How to spend this day correctly?
First, a little history. The New Year began to be celebrated in September 1363 in the Byzantine Empire. In Rus', the New Year has become an official church and state holiday since 1492.
The meaning of the service on the New Year's Day was the remembrance of the Savior's sermon in the Nazareth synagogue: Christ said that he came “to heal the brokenhearted... to preach the acceptable year of the Lord.”
Today this holiday is not celebrated with the usual solemnity, since back in the time of Peter I a decree was issued to postpone the start of the new year to January 1. But this does not make the significance of the New Year any less for believers. The chants of the holiday tell us about important and defining things: gratitude to the Lord and surrendering oneself completely to the will of God.
“Give thanks to Thy unworthy servants, O Lord, for Thy great blessings upon us...”, “To the Creator of all creation, who set times and seasons in His power, bless the crown of the summer of Thy goodness...” - is sung in the troparia of the holiday.
We ask the Lord to bless us for the new year, strengthen us in everything good and useful, protect us from everything evil and destructive, and strengthen us in the truth. What could be more important than the Creator’s care for his creations.
These words should not become a formality; we should sincerely pray and ask the Lord for such a blessing. And at our humble request, according to His mercy, He will bless everyone who asks.
Without God's blessing, everything is in vain. On this day we thank the Creator for the past blessed summer - a time of short respite and rest, for the beauty of the summer season, shining with all kinds of colors and aromas and all their subtle tints.
He gave us, by His will, a continuous change of colors of the seasons so that we could be imbued with their beauty. Every time you are amazed at the amazing skill of the Creator to decorate nature in an unmistakable relationship of colors and their perfect transitions.
And now autumn is already breathing in our faces with its saving coolness and purity. Autumn is the beginning of new work; there are always new stages and new challenges. And if, with God’s help, you overcome them, they will always be for the good, they will always contribute to spiritual development. The correct beginning of the year determines its passage and, therefore, our future.
I wish all of us to be heard by God in our prayers and requests. May the Lord bless everyone for the New Year, may all our labors bring good to others and be saving for us and joyful for God. Strength, strength, patience to all of us! God bless you!
Today the Church celebrates the beginning of the indictment - the Church New Year, the New Year. Surely not everyone knows why this New Year is celebrated on September 14th. Let's explore this issue!
There are a lot of New Years. And it was, and is. Firstly, this is an extraordinary Russian holiday that is well known to everyone - the Old New Year. But not only. It turns out that in Kievan and early Muscovite Rus' the New Year began on March 1, and in a number of Western European countries - on the Annunciation. Honestly speaking, the Annunciation New Year is logical from all points of view - both astronomical (spring equinox) and church - the Incarnation of the Son of God as the beginning of our salvation: it is no coincidence that on this day the Church sings: “The day of our salvation is the greatest.” Old Testament Israel began counting time from Passover. And, hand on heart, it looks meaningful and logical - spring, as the beginning of a natural cycle, new plant life, awakening from hibernation.
But among the many new years, there is one special one. Autumn Church New Year - September 1st according to the old style, September 14th according to the new style. Memory of Rev. Simeon the Stylite and Joshua. Why did he appear? It is associated with the Old Testament tradition of a certain holiday in the seventh month after Easter, which is mentioned in the Holy Scriptures:
“The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Say to the children of Israel, ‘In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you may have rest: you shall not do any work on that day in all your dwellings, and you shall offer a sacrifice to the Lord’” (Lev. 23:24– 31).
A number of Old Testament memories are associated with this holiday. In this particular month, when the waters of the flood began to subside, Noah’s ark stopped on the mountains of Ararat (Gen. 8:4). This month, the holy prophet Moses came down from the mountain, with his face illuminated by the glory of the Divine, and brought new tablets, on which was inscribed the law given by the Lord Himself (Ex. 34:29). In this month, the construction of the Tabernacle of the Lord began among the camp of the Israelites (Ex. 35).
In the same month, the high priest entered the Holy of Holies for the only time during the entire year. This month, the people of God, humbling their souls with fasting and bringing a burnt offering to the Lord, accepted cleansing from their sins committed during the year. This month, the solemn consecration of the magnificent Temple of the Lord, created by King Solomon, took place, and the Ark of the Covenant was brought into this temple (1 Kings 8). This month, all the tribes of the people of Israel from everywhere flocked to Jerusalem for the holiday, fulfilling the commandment of the Lord: “This is a Sabbath of rest for you, and afflict your souls” (Lev. 23:32).
It is quite difficult to determine when the first of September became the beginning of the New Year in Byzantium. For quite a long time, the Annunciation New Year successfully competed with the September one. Probably, the beginning of the September year is associated with the indiction (or indiction) introduced during the reign of Justinian I (527–565) - a 15-year period of imposition of tribute. In the Roman Empire, indictio was understood as a designation of the amount of taxes that should be collected in a given year. Thus, the financial year in the empire began with the emperor’s “indication” (indictio) of how much taxes needed to be collected, while every 15 years the estates were revalued (according to V.V. Bolotov, indictions were of Egyptian origin). The official Byzantine reckoning - the so-called indictions of Constantine the Great or the Constantinople reckoning - began on September 1, 312, however, most likely it was introduced later - under Emperor Leo I or even later.
As for the solemn celebration of the New Year on September 1, it is attested even later - in the Typikon of the Great Church (ΙΧ–Χ centuries).
The cessation of the rank of summerkeeping is associated with the publication by Peter I of a decree on postponing the start of the civil new year to January 1. The last time the rite was performed was on September 1, 1699 in the presence of Peter, who, sitting on the throne installed on the Kremlin Cathedral Square in royal clothes, received the blessing from the Patriarch and congratulated the people on the New Year. On January 1, 1700, the church celebration was limited to a prayer service after the liturgy, but the rite of summer service was not performed.
Since those times, the celebration of the church new year on September 1 is not celebrated with the former solemnity, although the Typicon to this day considers this day to be a small Lord's holiday “The Beginning of the Indictment, that is, the New Summer,” combined with a festive service in honor of St. Simeon the Stylite, whose memory falls on the same date.
And truly, we must constantly thank the Lord “for life and knowledge,” as stated in the ancient anaphora of the Didache, or “Teachings of the Twelve Apostles to the Nations.” Time for us is an irreplaceable resource, the most precious thing in the world, a unique opportunity for salvation, for which we must constantly thank the Lord.
September 14 is the beginning of the New Year's count, which in the church calendar is called the beginning of the indict. The holiday was established at the first Ecumenical Council in 325 in the city of Nicaea, a suburb of Constantinople.
history of the holiday
Emperor Constantine. Mosaic above the entrance to Hagia Sophia. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org
In Rus', until the 14th century, the year began in the spring. All ancient Russian chroniclers began the year on March 1. This tradition was established by Alexandrian scientists, according to whose calculations, God completed the creation of the world on Friday, the first of March, preceding Saturday, better known as the “day of rest.”
September 1 replaced the usual March 1 in Russia in 1363, and in the Roman Empire during the reign Emperor Constantine the Great in 325 after the first Ecumenical Council was held in 325. The beginning of the year began to be considered the beginning of the indict (tax collection).
Calendar reckoning (numbering) according to indictions or indictions was adopted in the Roman Empire back in the 6th century during the reign of Justinian I (527-565).
The New Year in Russia was celebrated on September 1 until the reign of Peter I, who in 1700 moved the beginning of the year to January 1. At the same time, the Church continues to consider September 1, according to the old style, as the beginning of the indict, that is, the church New Year - the first day of the seventh month from the creation of the world. After 1918, when Russia switched to the Gregorian calendar, the New Year falls on September 14.
Justinian I. Mosaic of the Church of San Vitale in Ravenna Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org
What is the Great Indiction?
The concept of indiction is associated with such a concept as the Great Indiction or the Peaceful Circle. The Great Indiction is a long period of time of 532 years that defines the Easter cycle and is the basis of the church calendar.
The church calendar followed by the Jerusalem, Russian, Georgian, Serbian Local Churches and monasteries of Athos is based on the Byzantine calendar, which developed by the 6th century.
Monasteries of Athos. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org
A special feature of the Byzantine calendar is that it is inseparable from Paschal. This calendar begins the year on March 1 and keeps a continuous count of days from Friday, March 1, 5508 until the birth of Christ.
The rules for calculating the day of Easter developed during the 2nd-5th centuries AD. In the Alexandrian Easter, March 21 of the Julian calendar is called the vernal equinox. The conventional calendar full moon falling on March 21 or subsequent days is called the spring Easter full moon. The Sunday after the spring full moon is the bright holiday of the Resurrection of Christ. The date of Easter can range from April 4 (March 22) to May 8 (April 25).
How is the service conducted on the day of the Church New Year?
The service is festive in nature; after the festive liturgy, the Gospel is read, which tells about the beginning of the sermon Jesus Christ after His Baptism. According to legend, this happened on the first day of the Jewish harvest festival, which was celebrated from September 1-8. On this day, Jesus Christ for the first time witnessed the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies about the coming of the Messiah.
Celebration traditions
Boris Godunov Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org
On this day, the main celebration took place on the Cathedral Square of the Moscow Kremlin, where a platform was built from which the Metropolitan and Grand Duke announced the end of the year and congratulated the people. The Metropolitan blessed the water and sprinkled it on the prince and the townspeople standing around, and everyone congratulated each other. In the New Year, it was customary to present the heir to the throne to the people for the first time when he reached adulthood (14 years old). The future prince gave a public speech from the platform.
It was on the New Year of 1598 that he was crowned king Boris Godunov.
Indict (from the Latin word “indictio” - assignment, tax, tax) is a unit of historical time. During the time of Emperor Constantine the Great, the indict was established as the official measure of the year, due to the practicality of such calculation.
Indiction - a 15-year period of time, after which the Roman emperors made a new order on the distribution of taxes.
On September 1 (September 14, new style), the Orthodox Church celebrates the church new year (the beginning of the church year), also called the Beginning of the Indict.
In the 6th century, during the reign of Justinian I (527-565), the Christian Church introduced calendar reckoning based on indictions or indictions (from Latin indictio - announcement), 15-year periods of tribute. In the Roman Empire, indictio was understood as the designation of the number of taxes that should be collected in a given year. Thus, the financial year in the empire began with the emperor’s “indication” (indictio) of how much taxes needed to be collected, while every 15 years the estates were revalued (according to V.V. Bolotov, indictions were of Egyptian origin). The official Byzantine reckoning, the so-called indictions of Constantine the Great or the Constantinople reckoning, began on September 1, 312.
In Byzantium, the church year did not always begin on September 1 - both in the Latin West and in the East the March calendar was well known (when the beginning of the year is considered to be March 1 or March 25 (the date of the Feast of the Annunciation)). In general, the solemn celebration of the New Year on September 1 can be considered a late Byzantine phenomenon.
On this day, the Church remembers how the Lord Jesus Christ read in the synagogue in Nazareth the prophecy of Isaiah (Isaiah 61.1-2) about the coming auspicious summer(Luke 4:16-22). In this reading of the Lord, the Byzantines saw His indication of the celebration of the New Year's Day; Tradition connects this event itself with September 1st. The Menology of Basil II (10th century) says: “From that time on, He gave us Christians this holy holiday” (PG. 117. Col. 21). And to this day in the Orthodox Church on September 1, during the liturgy, this very Gospel concept about the preaching of the Savior is read.
The same Gospel was read by the Patriarch in a special rite of summer service - a festive service held on September 1. It is significant that the Gospel was read by the Patriarch himself - in the practice of the Church of Constantinople in late Byzantine times, the Patriarch himself read the Gospel, except for this case, only three times a year: at the matins of Good Friday (the first of the 12 Passion Gospels) and at the liturgy and vespers of the first day of Easter.
According to the Typicon of the Great Church and the Byzantine service Gospels, the rite of summer conduction has the following order: after Matins, the bishop proceeds with a procession to the city square accompanied by the singing of the “big” Trisagion. When the procession reaches the square, the deacon proclaims the litany and 3 antiphons are sung. After the antiphons, the bishop pronounces an exclamation, blesses the people three times and sits down on the seat. This is followed by the prokeimenon and the Apostle; According to the Apostle, the bishop, having blessed the people three times, begins reading the Gospel. Lithium petitions are then pronounced; At the end of the petitions and the head-bending prayer, the singers begin to sing the troparion in 2 voices: To the Creator of all creation..., and the procession goes to the temple to celebrate the Divine Liturgy.
In Rus', after the adoption of Christianity, there was a civil year until the 15th century. started in March. All ancient Russian chroniclers began the year on March 1, including St. Nestor. But, despite the fact that only in the 15th century. September 1 officially becomes the beginning of the civil year; there is evidence of the rank of flight keeping being carried out in Rus' on September 1, not only at the end of the 14th century. (Trebniks of the State Historical Museum. Sin. Slav. 372, late XIV - early XV centuries and RNL. Sof. 1056, XIV century), but even already in the XIII century. (the rank is mentioned in the Questions and Answers of Bishop Theognostus (1291)). The rite consisted of singing stichera, antiphons, reading proverbs, the Apostle, the Gospel and saying prayers. Russian editions of the 17th century. The rank of summer maintenance on September 1 is contained in the Moscow Worldly Potrebnik of 1639, in the Moscow Potrebnik of 1651, in the Metropolitan Trebnik. Peter the Great in 1646 and in a collection of church rites printed without a year designation ( Nikolsky K., prot. About the services of the Russian Church, which were in previous printed liturgical books. St. Petersburg, 1885. P. 113). The Novgorod rank, contained in a handwritten collection of the first quarter of the 17th century, is also close to the printed Moscow ranks.
Let us note the interesting features contained in the Moscow and Novgorod ranks (for more details, see: Ibid. pp. 114-116). During the reading of the proverbs, the archpriest performed the rite of blessing of water until the moment of immersion of the cross. Then, after reading the Gospel, the saint immersed the cross in water while singing the troparion: Save, Lord, Your people... and washed the icons with a lip dipped in consecrated water, after which the prayer of Patriarch Philotheus of Constantinople was read: Sovereign Lord our God... and head-bending prayer. In addition, the Moscow printed rite describes the ceremony of the Tsar’s coming to action (in Moscow, the rite was performed on the cathedral square of the Moscow Kremlin, and the Tsar most often arrived there after the arrival of the Patriarch with a procession of the cross, but sometimes he could come with him), his meeting and congratulatory speech to him by the Patriarch. In Novgorod, the serving saint addressed congratulations to the governors and people with the pronouncement of the “title” about the royal long-term health.
The Kyiv rank differed from the Moscow and Novgorod ones. It does not indicate the religious procession to the square, the blessing of water and the washing of icons. The reading of the Gospel took place in the church; there were no proverbs and no Apostle. The litia was performed in front of the temple: first they walked around the temple twice with a procession of the cross while singing stichera, on the third circuit they stopped in front of each side of the temple, and the deacon pronounced a litany; in front of the western side the saint read a prayer. The ritual of congratulation is also not specified in the Kiev rite.
The cessation of the rank of summerkeeping is associated with the publication by Peter I of a decree on postponing the start of the civil new year to January 1. The last time the rite was performed was on September 1, 1699 in the presence of Peter, who, sitting on the throne installed on the Kremlin Cathedral Square in royal clothes, received the blessing from the Patriarch and congratulated the people on the New Year. On January 1, 1700, the church celebration was limited to a prayer service after the liturgy, but the rite of summer service was not performed.
Since those times, the celebration of the church new year on September 1 is not celebrated with the former solemnity, although the Typikon still considers this day a small Lord's holiday “The Beginning of the Indictment, that is, the New Summer,” combined with a festive service in honor of St. Simeon the Stylite, whose memory falls on the same date.
Mikhail Bernatsky