How to determine the number of Trinity

The Orthodox church calendar is a timetable by which the church lives, worship services are performed, and fasts begin. In the Church there are twelve major holidays, which are called: Twelve. And the holiday of the Trinity is one of them. Easter is considered the main Orthodox holiday, it is not even among the twelve. Easter is a "holiday feast" - an event that determines the church life for a good third of the year. And the date of several twelve festivals, including the Trinity, can be determined precisely by Easter.

Easter is a passing holiday, that is, every year it happens at different times. The date of Easter is difficult to calculate, and the timing of the onset of a number of important events depends on it.

Before Easter, Christians all over the world have a fast. The Orthodox have this Great Lent, which begins seven weeks before the Bright Resurrection of Christ. Before Lent there are several special weeks for preparation: a week about Zacchaeus, a week with reading about Mytar and the Pharisee, a week dedicated to the prodigal son, a week about the Last Judgment (she also Maslenitsa).

That is, the preparation for Easter begins in 13 weeks. After Easter there is a series of holidays that are associated with it. This is Fomin's week, and the week of the Myrrh-Bearing Women, Ascension, Trinity. What is the number of the Trinity in a particular year, depends on the number of Easter falls.

The Trinity is on the fiftieth day after Easter, therefore it is called Pentecost. What is the number of the Trinity, to calculate simply, knowing the date of Easter or the beginning of Lent. By the date of Easter, you must add 50 days, and by the day of the Great Lent - 14 weeks. Orthodox publishers often print small calendars, Easter eggs, where it is painted, on what day will Easter be, and what is the number of the Trinity, for a decade ahead.

One week after the feast of Pentecost, Petrov's fast begins . It always ends on the 12th of July, the day of the holy apostles of the high-ranking Peter and Paul.

Easter and, consequently, the Trinity is early and late, and the beginning of the Petrine fast can also be early and late. Since this post ends on July 12, its duration depends on the number of the holiday of the Trinity. Petrovka, that is, the Petrovsky post, not strict, but its duration is different every time: from two weeks to six.

Any post imposes significant restrictions on all who follow it. The Great Lent assumes not only the refusal of fast food, but also the restriction of entertainment, frequent visits to worship services. Some do not watch TV in the post, do not go to the theater and visit. Life in the post is radically changing, so the Orthodox will learn with great interest the date of Easter for the next year or the number of the Trinity. For example, the Trinity 2013 of the year? It is necessary to open Easter eggs and find out that Easter in 2013 is very late, and the Trinity falls on June 23rd. This means that Lent this year will start late, and indeed, the beginning of the post fell on March 15. All calmly and without worry noted on March 8, and Easter fell on the May holidays, which is also very convenient. Petrov's post was short, only two weeks.

Some are surprised that the Orthodox use such an uncertain, each time a different calendar. But aside from theological justifications, there are other positive moments for such an "instability." Each year is different, one is not like the other, and it's not bad.