December was marked by one great twentieth Mother of God of the Orthodox Church, as well as several other significant celebrations. For example, in memory of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker.
On December 4, the fullness of the Russian Orthodox Church solemnly celebrates the day of the Entry into the Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Holy Tradition of the Christian Church tells about this historical event. Parents of the Virgin Mary Joachim and Anna were merciless (they could not have children to the extent of physiological problems and old age). However, the righteous prayed to the Lord for the gift of a child. God heeded the prayers of the saints. Joachim and Anna gave birth to a girl who became the mother of the Savior of the world. Joachim and Anna vowed to God that if they had a child, they would dedicate him to the service of the Lord. When the Mother of God was three years old, her parents solemnly introduced her to the Jerusalem Temple for study and living. It was there that the Virgin Mary learned the knowledge of scripture and faith in God. The church celebrates the Feast of the Entry of the Virgin into the temple with a special solemn service.
December 6th marks the memory of the Holy Right Prince Alexander Nevsky. This man is known in history not only as the Grand Duke of the Novgorod lands, but also as a man of holy life. Before his death, Prince Alexander took monastic tonsure with the name Alexy.
The next day, December 7th, the Orthodox Church celebrates the memory of St. Catherine the Great Martyr. The saint lived in the 4th century. She came from a princely family in Alexandria. Catherine received a brilliant education, but she decided to devote her whole life to Christ. For his faith in Christ, the holy great martyr accepted death from the king of the Roman Empire, Maximinus. The saint for refusing to worship pagan gods was starved, beaten with oxen. The martyr accepted death by truncating the head with a sword.
On December 13, the Orthodox Church commemorates the holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called. He was the first disciple of Jesus Christ. The pious Russian tradition says that in his sermon on the world, the apostle Andrew reached the Kiev hills. He predicted that a great city would arise in this place, in which the Orthodox faith would shine. The apostle Andrew ended his life with martyrdom in 62.
St. Nicholas the Wonderworker is especially revered among the Russian people. His memory is committed on December 19th. It is difficult to find a believer in whose house there is no icon of this great saint of God. Saint Nicholas during his lifetime became famous for many miracles. He does not leave people after death. He can pray in all everyday needs, illnesses and sorrows.
December 25th is a holiday in honor of the memory of St. Spyridon of the Trimifunta miracle worker. He lived at the same time as Nicholas the Wonderworker (4th century). The saint is known for his miracles at the First Ecumenical Council, during which the Church decided on the dogma of the deity of Jesus Christ. So, to prove the existence of the Holy Trinity, the saint clutched a brick in his hands, from which water flowed out, and fire burst upwards. In the hands of the bishop were only stones. He explained this by the fact that from one brick other things also turned out - fire, water and stone. So is God - He is one, but threefold in Persons.
