The Feast of St. Peter and Paul

The Feast of St. Peter and Paul

Orthodox Christians celebrate Peter and Paul on July 12, Catholics on June 29. Apparently on this very day the Apostles died a martyr's death. Peter was crucified upside down, and Paul's head was cut off. This was the punishment they received for their zealous service to God. 

The history of the feast

Faith turned Simon, the simple fisherman, into the Apostle Peter, and Saul, the persecutor of the church, into the greatest apologist of Christianity, named Paul. In spite of the fact that the story of the threefold denial of the Savior is linked to the name of the apostle Peter, and that Paul was an advocate of Christianity, and had only seen Christ, both apostles became fundamental figures in the church. As we know, the apostles were able to repent during their lives, and they spoke before the sermons, and their speeches were converted into Orthodoxy by thousands.

The followers of Christ, however, were different in character. Peter is considered to be the first of the 12 apostles who recognized Christ as the Messiah when he was fishing with his brother Andrew the First-Called. Christ named him Peter (which means stone) for his determination, courage, and devotion. Peter was also distinguished by his passionate temperament, and was one of the first to enter the tomb after Christ's resurrection. In Christian symbolism he is depicted as a guardian with the keys to heaven.  

Paul lived after the Ascension and was brought up in the tradition of Pharisaic godliness. He was a well-educated and widely educated man. From birth he was named Saul, and became known as an ardent persecutor of Christians. It was only after the miraculous appearance, during which Saul went blind, that he accepted Christianity with the name of Paul and received his sight.

The two disciples of Christ died a martyr's death - one on one day on July 12, and the other with a year's difference. The apostle Peter was crucified with his head down, for he considered it unworthy to be crucified like the Guru, and the apostle Paul was beheaded. 

The appearance of the feast of Peter and Paul is connected with July 12, 258, when their relics were transferred to Rome.

The date is also associated with the transfer of the relics of the Apostles, which took place in Rome on 29 June 258.

In the Catholic Church, the feast has the highest status of celebration.

On 12 July the fasting of Peter the Great, which began on 15 June in the year 2020, ends. The feast of the First Apostles Peter and Paul closes the cycle of great feasts that take place during the summer solstice. This cycle also includes the Green Holidays (Trinity) and the Feast of Ivan Kupala. They inextricably combine folk traditions and the Christian faith.

Traditions and customs

Ukrainians have always carefully prepared for this holiday: cleaned the yard, whitewashed huts, hung embroidered rugs. Girls put wreaths of wildflowers on their heads and wove red poppies there. 
In the morning, everyone went to church. 
By this date mistresses tried to make the first barley lightings from the new harvest and July 12 to consecrate in church ceremonial bread, even if the grain is not quite ripe.
When they returned home, people were talking about mandricks, cheese dough.

According to the legend, Peter and Paul fed on them, traveling around the world. It is noteworthy that after July 12, the cuckoo stops puppeting. It is said that it "choked the mandrike", which she stole from St. Peter, and for this God punished her. 

Since St. Peter is considered the patron saint of the shepherds (one of the plants even got the name of "Peter Batog"), on this day the owners carried the shepherds of the hotel - mandric and a piece of oil. After that the shepherds built a "petrivnik" - a small dugout or fence decorated with greens - and dined together. They ate dairy, "so the cows could be milked better". In some regions of Ukraine, hostesses were going to have lunch together. Then they tore the grass with yellow color for the cows "so that the yellow milk would be".

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