J. Gajeskov
The fourteenth of January was a holiday in which the believers of the Serbian Orthodox Church celebrated Little Christmas – Saint Basil the Great, the Circumcision of the Lord Jesus Christ and the first day of the new year according to the Julian calendar.
Although it was a weekday, it was festive in all our shrines across Australia.
On these holidays, His Eminence Metropolitan Siluan of Australia-New Zealand served the holy bishop’s liturgy in the Cathedral Church of the Holy Great Martyr George in Kabramata, with the concelebration of the elder of the temple, Đura Đurđević.
Dear guest from Cetinje
After the liturgy, the bishop gave an inspired sermon in which he spoke about the significance of the Feast of the Circumcision of the Lord. Then the Metropolitan also sent his warm greetings to Aleksandar Vujović, professor of the Cetinje Theological Seminary, who is visiting the Metropolitanate of Australia and New Zealand.
Professor Vujović arrived in Melbourne before the Christmas holidays and first stayed in the monastery of St. Sava in Ilajn, where he visited the grave of the holy elder Nicanor Hilandarc
During the visit to Australia, it is planned to meet with the Serbian people in various parishes, as well as with representatives of cultural organizations and associations. He is scheduled to hold a series of lectures in January.
On the occasion of his arrival in Sydney, the Bishop welcomed Professor Vujović and asked him to convey greetings to Metropolitan Joaniki of Montenegro and the Littoral on behalf of the faithful in Australia and New Zealand.
Solemnly in Liverpool
In the Church of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke in the Sydney neighborhood of Liverpool, the liturgy was served and the faithful received Holy Communion by Proto Aleksandar Milutinović, the apostles were read by Milorad Branežac, and the choir responded.
In his pastoral sermon, Archdeacon Alexander congratulated the holiday and emphasized the importance of the saint celebrated on January 14.
– The holiday dedicated to St. Basil the Great, a well-known great secular and spiritual teacher of the church, in our people the holiday known as Vasilijevdan or Vasilica – Little Christmas, is one of the most important Christian holidays. In the calendar of the Serbian Orthodox Church, it is written in red letters, and in the Liturgical Constitution it is a sign of a major holiday – a red cross, in a red circle, which means that it is in the first of six groups in which all church holidays of the year are ranked. Vasilijevdan is celebrated by Serbs as a celebration of baptism – emphasized the elder of the Liverpool shrine.
On the same day as Saint Basil, the Serbian Orthodox Church celebrated the Circumcision of the Lord, which is the eighth day after the birth of Jesus Christ, when he was brought to the temple and circumcised according to the law in Judea at that time.
After the religious ceremony in the temple of St. Luke, most of those present gathered in the church hall for the service, which was prepared by the members of the local Circle of Serbian Sisters.
Finally, a notice for Liverpool parishioners and all the faithful: On Sunday 19 January on the Feast of the Epiphany and Monday 20 January on the Feast of St. John the Baptist, the liturgy will begin at 9:00 a.m. in the morning.
Who all celebrates the New Year on January 13?
New Year according to the Julian calendar is also known as Old or Orthodox, and in our country as Serbian New Year. It is celebrated on January 13-14 according to the Gregorian calendar.
Although it is not an official New Year, it is happily celebrated in Balkan countries such as Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Macedonia, parts of Croatia where the Serbian people live, but also in eastern countries – Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Armenia, Moldova and Georgia.
It is interesting that the tradition of celebrating the New Year according to the Julian calendar also exists in some German cantons in Switzerland, as well as in parts of Scotland.
Source: www.vesti-online.com
