BUPP "Art Products Factory" wishes you a Merry Christmas!
December 25 - Feast of the Nativity of Christ
The Nativity of Christ is a great holiday, a solemn day for all Christians. On this day, God himself, the Savior of the world, became incarnate in man. It is surprising that in the Holy Scriptures there is not a single indication that the day of the Messiah's birth is a church holiday or some special day. In those days, birthdays were not celebrated at all. And the ancient Church did not celebrate Christmas either. The birth of Christ was celebrated on the day of the Epiphany.
At the place where God came into the world, there is now the Basilica of the Nativity of Christ. The basilica was laid by the Equal-to-the-Apostles Empress Elena. The basilica operates continuously, the building of the basilica suffered from wars and fires. There is a cave under the basilica, its place is marked with a silver star with fourteen rays. This is the birthplace of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Until the day of Christmas, the great holiday, people observe the Nativity Fast. Fasts in a Christian's life take up one third of the year. On these special days, Christians are trying to get in touch with timelessness, Eternity. Believers imitate Christ, because Christ fasted. It is necessary to try to become like Christ not only in food, but also in spiritual life. We empathize not even with the holiday of Christmas itself, but with the appearance of Christ in the world, with the fact that God became a man. Fasting is a time of purification in the spiritual life and one of the main spiritual activities of a person. The holy saints of God fasted, as there are numerous references in the Scriptures. Many Holy Ascetics spent their entire lives in intense fasting. Jesus spoke of the need for fasting to the Apostles. To the question of the Apostles - why did they manage to drive out demons from the possessed one, Jesus answered that this kind is driven out only by fasting and prayer. Prayer is for the soul, and fasting for the body is an important matter for a Christian. Preparatory Christmas fast. We are preparing for the Nativity of the Lord, the day of the great holiday, such a holiday should be greeted with spiritual purity. So that the day of Christmas does not become an ordinary day, fasting is observed, a person repents of his sins, so that the soul accepts this holiday.
