The second of August is one of the most revered holidays - Ilyin's Day. Day of Elijah the Prophet: history, signs and traditions of the holiday Who celebrates the holiday on August 2

August 2, 2018 - Thursday, 214th day of 2018 according to the Gregorian calendar. August 2 corresponds to July 20 of the Julian calendar (old style). Holidays August 2, 2018.

Holidays August 2, 2018 in Russia

Every year on August 2, our country celebrates a glorious date - the Day of the Airborne Forces (Day of the Airborne Forces), established by Decree of the President of the Russian Federation No. 549 of May 31, 2006 "On the establishment of professional holidays and memorable days in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation" promote the revival and development of domestic military traditions, enhance the prestige of military service and established in recognition of the merits of military specialists in solving the problems of ensuring the defense and security of the state. The airborne troops - "winged infantry", "blue berets" - with whatever epithets they awarded the guards-paratroopers, but always, at all times and under any circumstances, the strength, courage and reliability of people living by the principle: "No one, except us!". And today, more than a million Russians who once wore blue berets, as well as those currently serving in the Airborne Forces, will celebrate their holiday - Airborne Forces Day. The history of the Airborne Forces (VDV) dates back to August 2, 1930 - then, at the exercises of the Air Force of the Moscow Military District near Voronezh, a unit of paratroopers consisting of 12 people was parachuted for the first time to perform a tactical task. This experiment allowed military theorists to see the prospect of the advantage of parachute units, their enormous capabilities associated with the rapid coverage of the enemy through the air. The formation of airborne units, which marked the beginning of the mass deployment of this type of troops, began in 1932. Already at the beginning of 1933, special-purpose aviation battalions were formed in the Belorussian, Ukrainian, Moscow and Volga military districts. By the summer of 1941, the staffing of five airborne corps of 10 thousand people each had ended. The paratroopers have always been at the forefront in the battles of the Great Patriotic War and have repeatedly shown mass heroism. Since February 1988, Russian paratroopers have taken part in operations in "hot spots" both in the country and abroad. One of the heaviest losses in the history of modern airborne forces was the death of the 6th company of the 104th regiment of the 76th Pskov airborne division in March 2000, when the unit prevented a breakthrough of 2.5 thousand militants, destroying over 700 bandits. Today, the Airborne Troops (VDV) is a branch of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, which is a means of the Supreme High Command of the Armed Forces and is designed to cover the enemy by air and perform tasks in his rear to disrupt command and control, capture and destroy ground elements of high-precision weapons, disrupt the advancement and deployment reserves, disrupting the operation of the rear and communications, as well as covering (defending) certain directions, areas, open flanks, blocking and destroying airborne assault forces, enemy groupings that have broken through, and performing other tasks. They wrote many bright pages in the history of the Russian army. From the first day of its existence, the Airborne Forces have become "front line" troops capable of performing any task, no matter how impossible it would be considered. Their valor and courage, selfless devotion to the Motherland are forever covered with unfading glory. They are where it is most dangerous, where high combat skills and excellent physical training, self-sacrifice and courage are needed. "Blue Berets" are always at the forefront - be it a peacekeeping mission or participation in an anti-terrorist operation. In peacetime, the Airborne Forces perform the main tasks of maintaining combat and mobilization readiness at a level that ensures their successful use for their intended purpose. And today, paratroopers inspire respect and admiration, both among veterans and young people who are preparing to serve in the army. Traditionally, on this day, commemorative and festive events are held everywhere, demonstration performances of paratroopers and paratroopers, a demonstration of military equipment that is in service with the Airborne Forces, meetings with veterans of the Airborne Forces, charity events and folk festivals are organized.

Also read:

Holidays August 2, 2018 in Ukraine

There are no holidays on August 2, 2018 in Ukraine.

World and international holidays August 2, 2018

World and international holidays on August 2, 2018 - none.

Orthodox holidays August 2, 2018

The following memorable dates have been established:

Memorial Day of the Prophet Elijah;
Memorial Day of the Monk Avraamy of Galich, Chukhlomsky, hegumen;
Memorial Day of Hieromartyr Konstantin Slovtsov, presbyter;
Memorial Day of Hieromartyrs Alexander of Arkhangelsk, Georgy Nikitin, John Steblin-Kamensky, Sergius Gortinsky and Theodore Yakovlev, presbyters, Martyrs Tikhon (Krechkov), Archimandrite, George (Pozharov), Cyril (Vyaznikov), hieromonks, martyrs Euthymius Grebenshchikov and Peter Vyaznikov;
Memorial Day of Hieromartyr Alexy Znamensky, presbyter;
Memorial Day of the Martyr Theodore Abrosimov, novice;
Uncovering the relics of the venerable martyr Athanasius of Brest, hegumen;
Galichskaya (Chukhloma); "The Sign" of Abalatskaya; Orsha - icons of the Mother of God.

Folk holidays August 2, 2018

Ilyin's day. The folk-Christian holiday "Ilyin's Day" is celebrated on August 2 (according to the old style - July 20). In the Orthodox calendar, this day honors the prophet Elijah, who lived in the kingdom of Israel in the 9th century BC. Other names of the holiday: "Thunderbolt", "Ilya the Prophet", "Ilya the Angry". August 2 - the day of the turning point of summer and the turn to autumn. For Elijah, they usually arranged a big dinner for the worldly pool. Elijah became famous for his righteous deeds and the fight against idolatry. During the reign of Ahab, the wife of the ruler established the cult of the gods Astarte and Baal. Elijah informed the ruler that a three-year drought awaited his land as punishment for returning to paganism. A long confrontation began between a high-ranking person and the Prophet, accompanied by various miracles. The result was the denunciation of the dishonorable behavior of the ruler and his pacification. The Old Testament says that Elijah ascended to heaven while still alive, being carried away by a fiery chariot: “suddenly a fiery chariot and fiery horses appeared,” which took the prophet away. Thanks to this image, the saint received the nickname Ilya the Thunderer among the people. It was said that it was he who, rushing across the sky in a fiery chariot and trying to strike the unclean serpent, lets out thunders and lightnings. Elijah the Prophet belongs to the most popular saints, along with Nicholas the Wonderworker. In the Slavic folk tradition, he is the lord of thunder, heavenly fire, rain, the patron of the harvest and fertility. Ilya - "terrible saint." In the old days in Russia, on Ilyin's Day, they held religious processions and prayed to the prophet for rain or, conversely, for clear weather - depending on what was needed. In addition, according to beliefs, rainwater collected on this day relieved both the evil eye and eye diseases. From Ilyin's day, autumn began, despite the fact that according to the calendar it was still far away. The nights were getting cold, there were morning frosts, and the heat of the day was fading away. From that day on, people stopped swimming (by the way, this custom is still alive today). Our ancestors said: “Ilya the Prophet threw an ice cube into the water”; “From Ilyin’s day, the night is long, and the water is cold”; “Before Ilya, a peasant bathes, and from Ilya he says goodbye to the river”; "It's summer before lunch on Ilya, and autumn in the afternoon." The air became humid, and the housewives, hanging out the washed linen, noticed: “Before Ilyin’s day, it dries under the bush, and after Ilyin’s day it doesn’t dry on the bush either.” It often rained: “Before Ilya, the priest will not make rain, after Ilya, the woman will catch up with an apron.” The days were getting noticeably shorter. “Peter and Paul subtracted an hour, and Elijah the Prophet dragged away two,” our ancestors noted. “From the day of Ilyin, the night is long: the worker gets enough sleep, the horses are full,” people added, trying to see the good in everything. By Ilyin's day, it was customary to bake the first bread from the new harvest, which the whole village enjoyed. In the prophet, our ancestors saw a benefactor who is able to give a good harvest. In some provinces, on this day, a cup with grains of rye and oats was put up at the gate and the priest was asked to "magnify Elijah for the fertility of bread." A significant ritual in the villages on Ilyin's day was a brotherhood, which is a collective meal between residents of neighboring houses and villages. It was accompanied by the slaughter of cattle as a sacrifice for Elijah. He was brought to church, sprinkled with holy water, after which a dish was prepared from the animal. It was eaten by all participants of the ceremony and those invited. The body parts of a slain artiodactyl and its blood were considered miraculous, possessing a supernatural ability to heal. They were subjected to various manipulations aimed at maintaining health. It was not customary to work on Ilyin's day, especially in the field. They said that for such a “misconduct” the prophet could punish: “They don’t throw haystacks at Ilya - Ilya will be burned by a thunderstorm.” According to the Slavic tradition, the means of labor could be confiscated from the violators of the custom with their subsequent sale. The proceeds were spent on joint drinking. However, this custom was also associated with the belief that only until that time the grass is filled with taste and strength: “To throw hay until Ilyin’s day - put a pood of honey into it.” The peasants believed that on Ilyin’s day, animals and reptiles come out and crawl out of their holes and roam the meadows and forests, so cattle should not be released into the meadow that day, so that they would not be torn to pieces by predators and not stung by snakes. It was believed that evil spirits inhabited wild animals, and only the thunder of Elijah the Prophet could drive them away. Also on August 2, they tried not to let dogs and cats into the house - people believed that because of them, lightning could strike the hut.

Holidays August 2, 2018 in the countries of the world

Holidays August 2, 2018 in Belarus —Day of paratroopers. August 2 is celebrated annually in Russia, Belarus, Ukraine and Kazakhstan as the Day of the Airborne Troops (Day of the Airborne Forces). In each of these countries, the holiday has its own name, but its roots are common: it was established in honor of the anniversary of the exercises of the Air Force of the Moscow Military District near Voronezh in 1930, which marked the beginning of the history of the Airborne Forces in the USSR. In Russia and Kazakhstan, the name of the holiday remains the same - the Day of the Airborne Troops. In Ukraine, after gaining independence, the holiday was called the "Day of highly mobile airborne troops", and in the Republic of Belarus, the name "Day of the Paratrooper" was assigned to the holiday. At the same time, in all four countries, the name Airborne Forces Day is most often used, which has “taken root” among the people. Airborne Forces Day is always celebrated brightly: with solemn performances, concerts and often even fireworks. And in all the cities of the countries celebrating this holiday on August 2, you can see blue berets flashing here and there - this is the "winged infantry" celebrating its day.
Holidays August 2, 2018 in Serbia — Aviation Day. On August 2, Aviation Day is celebrated in Serbia in memory of August 2, 1893, when, by order of King Alexander Obrenovic, an aeronautical department was created in each army division.
Holidays August 2, 2018 in Kazakhstan —Day of the Airborne Troops.
Holidays August 2, 2018 in Azerbaijan — Day of national cinema of Azerbaijan. professional holiday of all film workers, which is celebrated annually in the Republic of Azerbaijan on August 2. “National Cinema Day of Azerbaijan” appeared in the calendar of official holidays of the Republic of Azerbaijan relatively recently, at the beginning of the third millennium, in 2000, after December 18, 2000, in the capital of the state, Baku, President of Azerbaijan Heydar Aliyev, “taking into account the merits of cultural figures Azerbaijan in the development of national cinematography" signed the Decree "On the establishment of the National Cinema Day". For the first time, a professional holiday for Azerbaijani filmmakers appeared in 1980, when, according to the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR No. 3018-X of October 1, 1980 "On holidays and memorable days", as amended by the Decree of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR No. 9724-XI of November 1, 1988 “On Amendments to the Legislation of the USSR on Holidays and Memorable Days” (on May 31, 2006, these decrees became invalid), the celebration of the “Day of Soviet Cinema” began. The AzSSR, which was part of the USSR, celebrated this holiday together with the entire Soviet Union on August 27. However, in 1976, the sixtieth anniversary of the national cinema was celebrated in the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic for the first time, timed to coincide with the feature film “In the Kingdom of Oil and Millions” created in the Russian Empire in 1916. The birthday of Azerbaijani cinema was celebrated in the republic along with the Day of Soviet Cinema. In 1996, twenty years later, a member of the Union of Azerbaijani Cinematographers, film critic Aydin Kazimzade, made a sensational statement to the media. He cited facts that testified that on January 8, 1898, French films were shown in Baku - "Live Photographs". In the same year, on June 21, films about the life of the city of Baku: "People's festivities in the city garden", "Arrival of the train at the railway station", about the activities of the society "Caucasus and Mercury", "Departure of the steamer from the port", "Bazaar street at dawn" were shown in the theater circus. These films were shot by Russian cinematographer, French-born photographer-cameraman Alexander Michon. On August 2, he also demonstrated the author's program of three newsreels and one documentary film: “Fire on Bibi-Heybat”, “Oil fountain at the Balakhani field”, “Seeing ceremony of His Excellency the Emir of Bukhara on the steamer “Grand Duke Alexei”, “Caucasian Dance” and "Gotcha". Some of these tapes were transferred from the Paris Archive to Azerbaijan and are currently stored in the Azerbaijan State Film Fund. In 1998, the "Festival of Festivals" was held in Baku, dedicated to the centenary of Azerbaijani cinema, one of the guests of honor of which was President Ilham Aliyev. It should be noted that not everyone in the Republic of Azerbaijan liked the new date. Thus, film critic Ulvi Mehdi spoke out with sharp criticism. “The Day of the National Cinema of Azerbaijan” is not a non-working day if, depending on the year, it does not fall on a day off.
Holiday in Guyana August 2, 2018 — Freedom Day.
Holiday in Costa Rica August 2, 2018 — Day of the Angelic Virgin. In Costa Rica, August 2 is the Day of the Angelic Virgin. This is a very important religious holiday for the people of the country. On this day, many Costa Ricans come on foot to the basilica in the city of Cartago, where the figure of the Angelic Virgin is located, to bow to the shrine. The procession of pilgrims to the basilica is a very interesting sight. Pilgrims march in large columns along highways and roads, while hawkers with all sorts of food and drinks line up along the roadsides. Red Cross tents are also set up along the roads, in order to provide medical assistance to the pilgrims if necessary. Many pilgrims arrive in Cartago on the eve of the holiday, but some try to get to this city even earlier. In the park in front of the church, pilgrims pitch tents and settle down for the night. The celebration begins in the morning. The priests hold a solemn service, the faithful venerate the holy stone, on which the statuette of the Angelic Virgin once stood, once found by the poor girl Juana in the forest. Then the faithful pray to the Angelic Virgin, draw water from the holy spring, located in the backyard of the church. A huge number of people take part in the celebration, songs are heard all day long, fun and joy reign everywhere. Costa Ricans greet their miraculous patroness and present gifts to her.
Holiday in Macedonia August 2, 2018 — Republic Day. Republic Day in Macedonia is celebrated annually on 2 August. This holiday is dedicated to three important events in the history of the state at once, so it is very important. The holiday at the same time coincides with the date of Ilyin's day, therefore it also has a religious character. Republic Day is a public holiday in the country. The first event, in honor of which the date of August 2 is considered a holiday in Macedonia, is the Battle of Chaeronea. In this battle, Philip II of Macedon defeated the united army of the Greek city-states. The second event is the 1903 uprising, which was organized by the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization against the Ottoman Empire. During this uprising, a republic was proclaimed for a short time. The third event was the First Assembly of ASNOM in 1944, during the Second World War, which laid the foundations of the modern Republic of Macedonia. And it was from 1944 that the day of August 2 was proclaimed a holiday.
Holiday in Evenkia August 2, 2018 — Day of Evenk nature. In the village of Tura, in 2011, a round table was held on the topic "Evenkia: its nature, as a factor in the formation of a positive image of the region", timed to coincide with the anniversary of the Putorana Plateau inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage List. The initiator of the round table was the Youth Parliament of the Evenki municipal district. The round table was attended by the head of Evenkia Petr Suvorov, the head of the administration of the EMR Viktor Yarotsky, acting. Anton Uvachan, First Deputy Head of the EMR Administration for Indigenous Minorities, members of the Youth Parliament, heads of structural divisions of the district administration. The most noteworthy decision of this event was the support by the participants of the round table of the law-making initiative of the Youth Parliament on the establishment of a new holiday - the Day of Evenk Nature, which is proposed to be celebrated annually on August 2. As Vyacheslav Repin, Chairman of the Youth Parliament of Evenkia, explained, the idea of establishing such a holiday arose at the first meeting of the Parliament, which was held from May 30 to June 3, 2011. “We knew that on August 2, 2010, the Putorana Plateau, located on the territory of two regions - Taimyr and Evenkia, was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Thus, on the territory of Evenkia, another natural object has received recognition from the world community. Prior to this, our region was known for the fact that at one time the “Tunguska catastrophe” occurred on the territory of Evenkia. In addition, UNESCO called Evenkia the most ecologically clean territory on earth. The geographical center of the Russian Federation is also located here. In other words, Evenkia is already well known outside of Russia for its nature, its sights, while the local population is often unaware of what unique land we live on. In order to correct this situation and promote the popularization of the nature of Evenkia, we decided to establish a new ecological holiday,” said Vyacheslav Repin. In order to give more weight to their initiative, the young parliamentarians first applied to the UNESCO Office in Moscow, which, on the whole, reacted positively to this initiative. Thus, the director of the UNESCO Office in Moscow, Mr. Badarch Dendev, said that: “The UNESCO Office in Moscow highly appreciates the desire of the youth of Evenkia to draw attention to the UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Putorana Plateau, and to preserve the natural value and folk traditions of the region.” He also advised to send information about the public initiative to the Commission of the Russian Federation for UNESCO, headed by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, which the young parliamentarians did. The Commission of the Russian Federation for UNESCO supported the initiative of the Youth Parliament of Evenkia to establish a holiday dedicated to the date the Putorana Plateau complex was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. “We hope that the celebration of this event will become an additional incentive to attract young people to serious systematic work to preserve the unique nature of Evenkia and implement social and economic projects harmonized with this task, including such as ecological and ethnographic tourism. The solutions found along this path can serve as an inspiring example of development in harmony with nature, which humanity needs so much today,” Grigory Ordzhonikidze, Executive Secretary of the Russian Commission for UNESCO, emphasized in his letter. He also advised that it would be preferable to call the new holiday "Putorana Plateau Day" or "Evenk Nature Day". Thus, understanding the significance of the establishment of a new holiday for Evenkia, the participants of the round table supported the initiative of the Youth Parliament. The head of the Evenki municipal district, Pyotr Suvorov, set the task for the youth to contribute in every possible way to the popularization of the Evenk Nature Day, to fill it with various social, cultural, scientific events, to make this holiday truly popular. “For the official establishment of a new holiday - the Day of Evenk Nature, the Youth Parliament of Evenkia will come up with a law-making initiative at the next session of the Evenk District Council of Deputies, which will be held at the end of September 2011. Taking into account the fact that up to this point the public initiative of young parliamentarians has found only positive responses, there is every reason to expect that the deputies of the Evenki District Council will support this initiative and a new holiday will appear in the district - the Day of Evenk Nature, ”Vek was told in Administration of the Governor of the Krasnoyarsk Territory.

The question among Russians about which holiday is celebrated on a particular day continues to remain relevant. Let's talk about those holidays that fall today, August 2, 2018. There are several of those.

August 2, 1930 is considered the birthday of the domestic airborne troops, when during the exercises near Voronezh the first parachute landing in the USSR was carried out.

The paratroopers heroically showed themselves both during the Great Patriotic War and in the post-war years. The USSR Airborne Forces, and then the Russian Airborne Forces, took part in all military operations and local conflicts in which the Russian army participated.

The landing troops are forever associated with their actual creator in their modern form and the first commander - the legendary general, Hero of the Soviet Union Vasily Margelov. He commanded the Airborne Forces for more than a quarter of a century, which is why the Airborne Forces are still called "Uncle Vasya's Troops."

The second of August is one of the most revered holidays - Ilyin's day, in honor of the prophet Elijah.

Traditions say that he lived in the 9th century. BC, the people of the kingdom of Israel knew Ilya as a faithful defender of Judaism, who did not hesitate to crush idolatry and denounce wicked deeds, no matter who committed them, informs the Ros-Register portal. The ruler of the city of Elijah then was Ahab, for whom, according to the softness of his character, his wife, Jezebel, actually ruled.

When she began to create a cult of the pagan god Baal, Elijah opposed this and made every effort to preserve the Jewish shrines and change the decision of the rulers. Among his deeds, the famine sent for three years throughout the country and the execution of pagan priests for sacrificing on Mount Carmel are especially well known.

But Jezebel did not accept the defeat of the prophet and decided to destroy Elijah. Then Ilya went into the wilderness, but upon his return he again pacified Ahab, thereby stopping the intrigues of the queen. According to the lines of legend: "suddenly a fiery chariot and fiery horses appeared," Elijah was raised to paradise during his lifetime.

From this legend, which ends the life of Ilya, came his popular nickname - the Thunderer. They believed that he sometimes rushes in the heavens, driving a fiery chariot and a sword of lightning and thunder at his enemy - an unclean serpent.

On this day, prayers were offered to the saint so that the weather would be what is necessary for peasant needs - clear or rainy, reinforcing requests with processions. When it rained on Ilya, water was collected to heal eye diseases and the evil eye with it.

Although August was just beginning, Ilya met autumn, foreshadowed by night chill at night, frost in the morning, and the fact that August days were still summer, but no longer hot.

Swimming ended: “It’s summer on Ilya before lunch, and autumn after lunch”, “Ilya the Prophet threw ice into the water”, “Before Ilya, a man bathes, and says goodbye to the river from Ilya”, “From Ilya’s day, the night is long, and the water is cold” .

Women were upset - washed clothes dried for a long time: “Until Ilyin’s day, it dries under a bush, and after Ilyin’s day it doesn’t dry even on a bush.”

Fine days were replaced by prolonged downpours: “Before Ilya, the priest will not make rain, after Ilya, the woman will catch up with an apron.”

National Cinema Day in Azerbaijan

Every year on August 2, Azerbaijan celebrates the Day of National Cinema - a professional holiday for workers of Azerbaijani cinema.

Angelic Virgin Day in Costa Rica

The Day of the Angelic Virgin or Our Lady of the Angels is an important religious holiday celebrated annually on August 2 in Costa Rica.

Qi Xi - Valentine's Day in China

Qi Xi is a famous romantic and traditional Valentine's Day in China, which is popular with young people. This holiday is celebrated according to the traditional Lunar calendar on the evening of the 7th day of the 7th month. This year the holiday fell on August 2nd. Another name for this holiday among the people is the Festival of the Double Seven.

Unusual holidays

A day of sitting on windowsills
Day of the Taming of the Shrew
birthday mailbox

Holiday brake

This holiday was probably invented for those who do not have brakes, so that they do not forget that they still have brakes. Brakes in our life, in fact, are everywhere, but on August 2, you can celebrate Brake Holiday with reliable friends and “without brakes”. 🙂

Church holiday according to the folk calendar

Ilyin's day

On this day, August 2, Orthodox Christians honor the memory of Elijah, who lived in the 9th century BC in the kingdom of Israel. According to popular tradition, he was a zealous champion of Judaism and denounced all ungodliness and idolatry.

Name day August 2 at: Alexander, Alexei, Athanasius, George, Yefim, Ivan, Ilya, Konstantin, Kuzma, Leonty, Nikolai, Peter, Savva, Sergei, Tikhon, Fedor.

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What holiday is July 10 - Day of Military Glory of Russia
Holiday May 26 - Russian Entrepreneurship Day, Snow Leopard Day
Holiday March 10 - Holiday risk

The question of what holiday is being celebrated today continues to be the focus of attention of a large number of people. In Russia, it is customary to celebrate a huge number of holidays, which are often almost impossible to track.

Today is a busy day in this aspect, since several holidays fall on August 2 at once. In particular, we can talk about the Day of the Russian Airborne Troops. In the church calendar, the day is called Ilyin, which is also reflected in popular beliefs. We will talk about this in the latest material of our site.

Every year on August 2, our country celebrates a glorious date - the Day of the Airborne Forces (Day of the Airborne Forces), established by Decree of the President of the Russian Federation No. 549 of May 31, 2006 "On the establishment of professional holidays and memorable days in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation" promote the revival and development of domestic military traditions, enhance the prestige of military service and established in recognition of the merits of military specialists in solving the problems of ensuring the defense and security of the state.
The airborne troops - "winged infantry", "blue berets" - no matter how many epithets were awarded to the paratroopers, but always, at all times and under any circumstances, the strength, courage and reliability of people living by the principle: "No one, except us!". And today, more than a million Russians who once wore blue berets, as well as currently serving in the Airborne Forces, will celebrate their holiday - Airborne Forces Day.

The history of the Airborne Forces (VDV) dates back to August 2, 1930 - then, at the exercises of the Air Force of the Moscow Military District near Voronezh, a unit of paratroopers consisting of 12 people was parachuted for the first time to perform a tactical task. This experiment allowed military theorists to see the prospect of the advantage of parachute units, their enormous capabilities associated with the rapid coverage of the enemy through the air.

The formation of airborne units, which marked the beginning of the mass deployment of this type of troops, began in 1932. Already at the beginning of 1933, special-purpose aviation battalions were formed in the Belorussian, Ukrainian, Moscow and Volga military districts. By the summer of 1941, the staffing of five airborne corps of 10 thousand people each had ended. The paratroopers have always been at the forefront in the battles of the Great Patriotic War and have repeatedly shown mass heroism.
Since February 1988, Russian paratroopers have been taking part in operations in "hot spots" both in the country and abroad, the Ros-Register website reports. One of the heaviest losses in the history of modern airborne forces was the death of the 6th company of the 104th regiment of the 76th Pskov airborne division in March 2000, when the unit prevented a breakthrough of 2.5 thousand militants, destroying over 700 bandits.

Today, the Airborne Troops (VDV) is a branch of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, which is a means of the Supreme High Command of the Armed Forces and is designed to cover the enemy by air and perform tasks in his rear to disrupt command and control, capture and destroy ground elements of high-precision weapons, disrupt the advancement and deployment reserves, disrupting the operation of the rear and communications, as well as covering (defending) certain directions, areas, open flanks, blocking and destroying airborne assault forces, enemy groupings that have broken through, and performing other tasks.

The second of August is one of the most revered holidays - Ilyin's day, in honor of the prophet Elijah.

Traditions say that he lived in the 9th century. BC, the people of the kingdom of Israel knew Elijah as a faithful defender of Judaism, who did not hesitate to crush idolatry and denounce wicked deeds, no matter who committed them. The ruler of the city of Elijah then was Ahab, for whom, according to the softness of his character, his wife, Jezebel, actually ruled.

Although August was just beginning, Ilya met autumn, foreshadowed by night chill at night, frost in the morning, and the fact that August days were still summer, but no longer hot.
Swimming ended: “It’s summer on Ilya before lunch, and autumn after lunch”, “Ilya the Prophet threw ice into the water”, “Before Ilya, a man bathes, and says goodbye to the river from Ilya”, “From Ilya’s day, the night is long, and the water is cold” .

Women were upset - washed clothes dried for a long time: “Until Ilyin’s day, it dries under a bush, and after Ilyin’s day it doesn’t dry even on a bush.”

Fine days were replaced by prolonged downpours: “Before Ilya, the priest will not make rain, after Ilya, the woman will catch up with an apron.”

The nights lengthened: “Peter and Paul subtracted an hour, and Elijah the Prophet dragged away two”; this, however, is not bad: “From the day of Ilyin, the night is long: the worker gets enough sleep, the horses are full.”

But they baked bread loaves from the grain of this year. The farmers again thanked Elijah for the abundance of the harvest, adding to the words also a bowl of grains with oats and rye, which was customary to put at the gate, they turned to the priest with requests "to magnify Elijah for the fertility of bread."

Ilyin’s big holiday did not involve work, working for him is a sin, because Ilya himself is capable of punishing such a violation: “They don’t throw haystacks at Ilya - Ilya will be burned by a thunderstorm.”

The grasses were already losing their juiciness, they were beginning to wither, it was necessary to manage the harvesting of hay, which they used to say: “Until Ilyin’s day, throw hay - put a pood of honey into it.” But it is appropriate to collect hay in order to re-stuff the mattresses: "Ilyinskaya straw is a village featherbed."

It was believed that this day all the forest dwellers - from reptiles to animals - roam around the area, not only in the forests, but in the meadows, and therefore the cattle were not taken out for grazing, so as not to go to the wolf and receive snake bites.

Moreover, they were afraid of evil spirits that could move into animals, and only thunder from the hand of Ilya could cope with them. The door to the hut was closed even for cats and dogs that day - so that lightning would not be lured to it.

The modern mailbox has become a familiar attribute of our lives. It is in it that we look every day, expecting to receive our favorite magazine or greeting card.

It will be interesting to know that he has his own history. It is believed that the first mailbox was installed in the capital of France, Paris, and this significant event took place in 1653.

Russia is somewhat behind in this innovation and can boast of the first wooden miracle for correspondence since 1848, when the first collection of letters, dark blue, knocked down from simple boards and lined with sheet iron, was installed in Moscow.

The high point in the development of the delivery of newspapers, magazines and letters can be called the rapid 20th century. Currently, mail services are still in demand, and August 2 - the birthday of the mailbox - is celebrated by the public with undisguised pleasure.

Objectively, it should be said that the modern look of the device that stores our personal mail has changed significantly recently - there is even a whole movement of creative enthusiasts who have turned an ordinary street mailbox into a unique art object.

So did the resourceful inhabitants of a small California town, who seriously compete among themselves in the honorary title - "whose mail drive is more original." Against the backdrop of bright lawns near private houses, sometimes the most unexpected structures are installed, for example, these are bright fire trucks, sharp-nosed sharks, copies of ancient cathedrals, figures of turtles, cute kittens, penguins and dogs, and you can also see a whole family of fur seals on the lawn. Probably very kind people live in this city who like to write and receive letters, of course, only with good news.

Leonty, Kuzma, Ilya, Konstantin, Alexey, Alexander, Efim, Ivan, Georgy, Athanasius, Tikhon, Fedor, Peter, Nikolai, Sergey.

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Flag of the Airborne Forces of the Russian Armed Forces

Every year on August 2, a glorious date is celebrated in our country - Day of the Airborne Forces (Day of the Airborne Forces), established by Decree of the President of the Russian Federation No. 549 of May 31, 2006 "On the establishment of professional holidays and memorable days in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation" as a memorable day designed to promote the revival and development of domestic military traditions, increase the prestige of military service and established in recognition of the merits of the military specialists in solving problems of ensuring the defense and security of the state.

The airborne troops - "winged infantry", "blue berets" - with whatever epithets they awarded the guards-paratroopers, but always, at all times and under any circumstances, the strength, courage and reliability of people living by the principle: "No one, except us!". And today, more than a million Russians who once wore blue berets, as well as those currently serving in the Airborne Forces, will celebrate their holiday - Airborne Forces Day.

The Airborne Forces are the elite of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (Photo: mil.ru)

Since February 1988, Russian paratroopers have taken part in operations in "hot spots" both in the country and abroad. One of the heaviest losses in the history of modern airborne forces was the death of the 6th company of the 104th regiment of the 76th Pskov airborne division in March 2000, when the unit prevented a breakthrough of 2.5 thousand militants, destroying over 700 bandits.

They wrote many bright pages in the history of the Russian army. From the first day of its existence, the Airborne Forces have become "front line" troops capable of performing any task, no matter how impossible it would be considered. Their valor and courage, selfless devotion to the Motherland are forever covered with unfading glory.

The Airborne Forces are the reserve of the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (Photo: mil.ru)

They are where it is most dangerous, where high combat skills and excellent physical training, self-sacrifice and courage are needed. "Blue Berets" are always at the forefront - be it a peacekeeping mission or participation in an anti-terrorist operation. In peacetime, the Airborne Forces perform the main tasks of maintaining combat and mobilization readiness at a level that ensures their successful use for their intended purpose. And today, paratroopers inspire respect and admiration, both among veterans and young people who are preparing to serve in the army.

Traditionally, on this day, commemorative and festive events are held everywhere, demonstration performances of paratroopers and paratroopers, a demonstration of military equipment that is in service with the Airborne Forces, meetings with veterans of the Airborne Forces, charity events and folk festivals are organized.

The main Slavic god - the Thunderer Perun (Photo: leonid_tit, Shutterstock)

Perun's thoughts are fast,
Whatever he wants - so now.
Throws sparks, throws sparks
From the pupils of sparkling eyes.
K. Balmont

On this day, it was accepted that all men present at the beginning were required to have weapons with them (knife, ax, and if there was permission, then something more suitable). During the conception, the warriors make a solemn procession with a song. After glorifying Perun, the warriors proceed to the consecration of weapons: swords, axes, spears, knives, maces and other edged weapons are placed on the shields placed in front of the temple.

A bull is sacrificed, and in the absence of it, a rooster (should be of the same color, not motley, red is best). A weapon is spoken on the sacrificial blood, the priest smears the forehead of each warrior with blood, after which they put red bandages on their heads. Military amulets are consecrated over the sacrificial fire.

After the beginning, the ritual battle of "Perun" with "Veles" begins, dedicated to the victory of Perun over Veles (Perun defeats Veles and returns the herd of heavenly cows). At the end of the battle, the warriors carry a boat with gifts and put it on steal. The elder, having undressed, sets fire to the steal. After the fire burns out, the warriors pour a grave over the ashes and begin the funeral feast (ritual battles on the grave).

Then the Strava is performed, on which all the fallen Slavic soldiers are commemorated. Ritual food: beef, game, chicken, cereals. From drinks: honey, red wine, beer, kvass. Games begin with the capture of the "town".

On this day, military pleasures are preferred, but love affairs are not forgotten. The Magi advise to spend the night after the holiday with a woman. That warrior is bad who wins victories only over the enemy.

The ritual of making rain was also associated with Perun. It consisted in making a sacrifice - pouring water on a specially selected woman.

With the advent of Christianity, the functions of Perun were transferred to the Christian saint Ilya the Prophet, in whose image the features of Perun clearly appeared - the god of thunder, who rode the sky in a rumbling chariot, and who, in fact, simply changed his name, remaining the same revered deity.

The paratroopers fulfill their military duty with honor, continue the glorious traditions of their grandfathers and fathers (Photo: belarmy.by)

As in Russia, annually on August 2, a valiant holiday is celebrated in Belarus - Day of paratroopers and special operations forces of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus, approved by Presidential Decree No. 397 of July 30, 2010. It also leads its history from Soviet times.

The history of the Airborne Forces begins on August 2, 1930: on this day, during the exercises of the Air Force of the Moscow Military District near Voronezh, a unit of 12 people was parachuted.

Paratroopers also made a great contribution to the victory over the enemy during the Great Patriotic War. For military merit, all airborne formations were awarded the rank of guards. Thousands of soldiers, sergeants and officers of the Airborne Forces were awarded orders and medals.

A special page in the history of the Belarusian Airborne Forces is the participation of the 103rd Vitebsk Airborne Division and the 334th Separate Special Forces Detachment (formed on the basis of the 5th Special Forces Brigade) in combat operations in the Republic of Afghanistan. Hundreds of paratroopers were awarded orders and medals, seven were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

In the 90s of the last century, mobile forces were created as part of the Armed Forces of Belarus. And in 2007, by decree of the President of the country, a new branch of the armed forces was formed - the special operations forces of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus, which became the successor of the Airborne Forces.

Today, special operations forces are considered by the country's leadership as one of the most reliable links in the national security system of the Republic of Belarus. They act as the main element of strategic deterrence and serve as a school of military skill for thousands of citizens of the country. The paratroopers fulfill their military duty with honor, continue the glorious traditions of their grandfathers and fathers, and remain true patriots of the Fatherland.

And every year on August 2, celebrations in honor of the holiday are held throughout the country. In the cities of Belarus - Minsk, Brest, Vitebsk - it is marked by many events: solemn formations, rallies with the participation of veterans, representatives of various public organizations are held. Paratroopers demonstrate their skills in parachute jumps, demonstration performances, demonstrations of military equipment and weapons of mobile troops. Meetings with veterans of the Great Patriotic War and the Airborne Forces are held in the garrisons, military bands, reconnaissance and airborne companies, and paratroopers perform.

On August 2, 3 Orthodox church holidays are celebrated. The list of events informs about church holidays, fasts, days of honoring the memory of saints. The list will help you find out the date of a significant religious event for Orthodox Christians.

Church Orthodox holidays August 2

Prophet Elijah

Dedicated to one of the greatest prophets - Saint Elijah (IX century BC). It is believed that he was taken to Heaven in a fiery chariot alive. They pray to him during a drought for the gift of rain. In Russia, he is considered the patron saint of the Airborne Forces and the Air Force. In the people this holiday is called Ilyin's day.

Who does not know the prophet Elijah? I think everyone knows it, even atheists. However, the Old Testament refers it to such a distant past that it becomes completely inaccessible to us. In the memory of most people, the associative series associated with this most unique person turns out to be either semi-fabulous: if thunder rumbles, it’s “Ilya the prophet rides a chariot across the sky”, or completely everyday: “Ilya the prophet - mowing time”. That, in fact, is all.
So who is he really, the prophet Elijah? He is a saint. But a saint who could take a sword and kill 450 false prophets. He is "like in Heaven", but he did not die. He is an Old Testament righteous man, but he reveals an amazing new truth about God.

The feat of Elijah can be better understood if we think about it in modern terms. He lived almost three thousand years ago. He lived in a society where the majority of people broke away from their native faith. By name they called themselves Israelites, by way of life they were rude pagans. Vices, witchcraft, godlessness, cynicism and injustice. Isn't it very reminiscent of our modern times?

And now imagine that a not quite adequately dressed person walks along our paved streets and denounces all citizens of sins and godlessness. Let us assume that in some surprising way he was not admitted to a psychiatric hospital, like the Monk Amphilochius of Pochaev. They didn’t put him in jail because they are afraid ... and respected. Of course, he's crazy, but it's better not to touch him.

When iniquity became universal, God punished the Israelites with drought. The tribulation lasted three and a half years, and all this time the Lord waited for repentance from His people. But he wasn't. There was no rain either.

The prophet who announced the wrath of God suffered from the drought just like everyone else. At first he lived by the stream, and the raven brought him food. But the stream dried up, and the Lord sent Elijah to Sarepta of Sidon, in another state, to a certain pious widow.

“There were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when heaven was shut up for three years and six months, so that there was a great famine throughout the whole earth, and Elijah was sent to none of them, but only to a widow in Zarephath of Sidon” (Lk 4:25–26), Christ said to the Pharisees, emphasizing the constant weakness of the faith of the Jewish people.

That is, there was not found in all God's chosen people a pious enough person to send a prophet to him. And not only in Israel, but also in neighboring faithful Judea, God did not find a place of rest for his servant. But God is not partial, and the humble faith of a foreigner, even whose name the Bible does not preserve, turned out to be more precious in the eyes of God than the arrogance of the "sons of Abraham."

How do we know about the humility of the poor widow? In her first words:

“As the Lord your God lives! I have nothing baked, but only a handful of flour in a tub and a little oil in a jug; and behold, I will gather two logs of firewood, and I will go and prepare it for myself and for my son; let us eat it and die” (1 Kings 17:12).

Look, "As the Lord your God lives." A woman believes in the true God and recognizes Him as the Lord, the Creator of Heaven and earth. He knows the face of the prophet, because he does not even ask him who he is. And at the same time, she humbly places herself outside the "legitimate" worshipers of God, outside the Jewish people, emphasizing this with the word "your." And further, when Elijah assures her in the name of God that for the sake of him, the prophet, the flour and oil in her house will not end until the famine subsides, the widow does not reread, does not doubt, but immediately fulfills what was said to her. Truly, she is the Old Testament “Samaritan woman” and deserves all respect.

Meanwhile, the drought has been going on for four years now. There is such a famine in the country that even the king has nothing to feed and water his cattle. And so the Israeli king - the wicked idolater Ahab - decided to look for new pastures and water for his horses. And then he was told that the prophet Elijah wanted to see him. And, as the Bible says, "Ahab went to meet Elijah" (1 Kings 18:16). How stingy the chronicler is with words! However, in many places the biblical language is extremely restrained.

Behind this brief statement of fact, I see much more. How can a king "go"? How does the king "come out" and "go" in general? And from other biblical texts, and from our lives, we know that the ruler does not walk alone - he is surrounded by retinue, armor-bearers, guards. And the use of the singular verb in this case is a mere metaphor. It is logical to assume that here, too, Ahab "went" to meet Elijah not alone, but surrounded by his retinue. So, let's try to imagine it, but to make it easier and more convenient for us to understand the completeness of the picture, let's imagine how it would look now.

A motorcade with flashing lights is moving at high speed, police motorcycles are in front and behind, and an armored limousine with tinted windows is in the center. In the middle of the road, the lonely silhouette of Elijah grows. And the procession stops! Which of the modern spiritual authorities can stop the presidential procession by their appearance? I do not mean church hierarchs. I mean the authority of the spirit. Unfortunately, I don't know of any. Stepping out of the limousine... Ahab.

"Are you the one who confuses Israel?" (1 Kings 18:17) - says Ahab, and his bodyguards in jackets and ties look at the prophet embittered and fearful. “It is not I who confuse Israel, but you and your father's house, because you despised the commandments of the Lord and follow the Baals” (1 Kings 18:18), the prophet answers.

To which of the present rulers of the world can these words not be applied? Unfortunately, I don't know of any. It seems to me that when the prophet uttered these words, his eyes burned with fire, and his face was bright, like the face of Moses, for Divine jealousy kindled his heart.

The saint offered the king a test: he, Elijah, would meet with the servants of Baal on Mount Carmel, so that each side would make a sacrifice from itself. Whose sacrifice the Lord accepts with fire, he confesses the true God. And now 450 people - enemies of God, false prophets - gathered to confront Saint Elijah. 450 Wang, Blavatsky, Globe, Malach and Copperfield. From morning to evening, the prophets of Baal prayed to their gods, recited mantras, and in their frenzy stabbed themselves with knives. Surely, among them were real sorcerers (not all swindlers!), Having demons under their command. Probably, at other times they could perform various “signs” and “miracles”, but now, in the presence of the obvious power of God, all demonic power has drooped, weakened and abolished. The demons went away and nothing happened. St. Elijah stood aside and made fun of the prophets of Baal, galloping around the altar:

When it was his turn to pray, Saint Elijah built an altar of stones, spread out the firewood, prepared the calf, dug a ditch, and ordered that water be poured over everything three times, so that the miracle of God would be revealed even more clearly. And the Lord heard his laconic fiery prayer and descended with fire, burned the calf, and the altar, and the water around it. And all the assembled people fell on their faces, exclaiming, "The Lord is God!"

Oh, weak in the faith of the Jewish people! How many times have you exclaimed like this, and already in a moment betrayed your Lord. So it was at Mount Sinai, when Moses slowed down on the top, and people did not hesitate to make themselves a cast idol. So it was after the division of the Jewish kingdom into Judah and Israel, when the Israeli king Jeroboam set up two golden calves to distract his subjects from the Jerusalem temple. And the people were not indignant that they were being distracted from God Almighty to demons, they did not arrange either an uprising or a revolution, but quite calmly changed the object of worship. How much they didn't care! But they had a reliable teaching about angels and demons and knew the whole truth about the "gods of silver and gold." Only little was believed in this teaching... So it was later, in the time of Christ the Savior. So it was with Elijah.

As soon as everyone saw first the miracle of God in the descent of heavenly fire, then the miraculous rain according to the word of the prophet, how on the same day the godless queen Jezebel threatens to deal with Elijah in revenge for the murder of her false prophets. And no one stands up for him: neither King Ahab, who wept after these miracles (1 Kings 18:45), nor the people who saw the holiness of the prophet.

Heavenly fire descends on the sacrifice of the prophet! It is enough to watch at least a video recording of the descent of the Holy Fire on the Holy Sepulcher on Holy Saturday to try to understand what was happening then on Mount Carmel. It is easy to imagine the general enthusiasm, the fear of God and trembling. The prophet himself, imbued with this inspiration and zeal for God, ran before the king's chariot from Mount Carmel to the city of Jezreel, where Ahab's residence was, and this is more than 30 kilometers (1 Kings 18:46). But the wife of Ahab, the idolater Jezebel, was not enlightened by the miracle, and, fleeing from her wrath, Elijah hid in neighboring Judea, in the city of Bathsheba.

Reverend Abraham of Galich, Chukhloma, hegumen

Honoring the memory of Saint Abraham (XIV century), enlightener of the Galich country. Founder of 4 monasteries dedicated to the Blessed Virgin.

The Monk Abraham of Galich, Chukhloma, lived and labored in the fourteenth century in the monastery of St. Sergius of Radonezh. After many years of probation, he was awarded the holy order. Striving for perfect silence, he asked for the blessing of St. Sergius and retired in 1350 to the Galich country, inhabited by Chud tribes. Having settled in a deserted place, the Monk Abraham, by revelation, moved to the mountain, where he found the icon of the Mother of God shining with inexpressible light. The Galich prince Dimitri became aware of the appearance of the holy icon, and he asked the monk to bring it to the city.

The Monk Abraham came with the icon to Galich, where he was met by the prince and a host of clergy. Numerous healings took place from the icon of the Mother of God. Prince Dimitri gave the Reverend funds for the construction of a temple and a monastery near Lake Chukhloma, at the site of the appearance of the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos. The temple was built and consecrated in honor of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The newly built monastery of St. Abraham became a source of spiritual enlightenment for the local Chud population.

When the monastery was fortified, he appointed his disciple Porfiry as rector instead of himself, and he himself retired 30 miles in search of a secluded place, but his disciples found him there too. Thus, another monastery arose with a temple in honor of the Position of the Robe of the Mother of God, called "the great wilderness of Abraham." The Monk Abraham twice withdrew to remote places, after the silent ones again gathered to him. Thus, two more monasteries were founded - one in honor of the Cathedral of the Most Holy Theotokos, the rector of which the Monk Abraham appointed hegumen Paphnutius, and the other in honor of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos.

In the Intercession Monastery, the Monk Abraham ended his earthly life. He reposed in 1375, having transferred the rectorship to his disciple Innokenty a year before his blessed death. The Monk Abraham appeared as an illuminator of the Galician country, founding in it four monasteries dedicated to the Mother of God, who revealed Her icon to him at the beginning of his deeds of prayer.

Uncovering the relics of the Monk Martyr Athanasius of Brest, hegumen

The Monk Martyr Athanasius was born around 1595-1600 into a poor Orthodox family, probably an impoverished gentry (judging by the fact that the future hegumen served as a teacher at the court of a magnate). Perhaps he was from the family of an urban artisan - as he himself points out in his memoirs, calling himself "a non-nendzy Man, a simple, garbarchik, a miserable Kaluger." As is often the case, we have no information either about the place of birth or about the secular name of the saint; it is also unknown what the name "Filippovich" is - a surname or patronymic.

Probably, Athanasius received his initial knowledge in one of the fraternal schools, where, taught the Greek and Church Slavonic languages, the word of God and patristic creations, highly educated people were trained who could resist Uniate violence and Catholic proselytism. But the education received at the fraternal school did not fully satisfy the inquisitive young man, and he was trained at the Vilna Jesuit College, where young people of all Christian denominations were admitted.

The young scientist began his service as a home tutor in the homes of the Orthodox and Catholic gentry, but in 1620 his life fell into a different direction: Filippovich, who positively proved himself with rich knowledge, good manners and undeniable pedagogical talent, was invited by Hetman Lev Sapega, Chancellor of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania . The hetman entrusted him with the upbringing of a certain “Dmitrovich”, introduced to Athanasius by the Russian Tsarevich John - supposedly the nephew of Theodore Ioannovich, who died in 1598, the grandson of John IV the Terrible from his younger son Dimitri, under whose name several impostors acted in 1604-1612. One of these “applicants” was the father of the disciple Athanasius, whom the Poles were preparing for the Russian throne: Dimitry-Mikhail Luba, who was killed in Moscow during a rebellion against the militia of False Dmitry I. Mikhail Luba’s wife Maria died in custody, and a certain Wojciech took his young son Belinsky, who brought the child to Poland and passed off as the son of Dimitry and Marina Mnishek, who was actually hanged. All this was announced at the Diet before the king, who entrusted the education of Ivan Dimitrievich to Lev Sapega. He appointed the maintenance of the “prince” at six thousand zlotys a year from the income of Brest and the Brest district.

For seven years Athanasius served as the “inspector” of the false prince, gradually coming to the conclusion that this “certain Tsarevich of Moscow”, “certain Luba”, “who does not even know what he is”, is another impostor. This confidence increased over time, especially when Luba's allowance decreased to hundreds of zlotys a year, and Hetman Sapieha himself somehow escaped: "Who knows who he is!"

Having become an unwitting accomplice in political intrigue against the Moscow sovereign, the famous defender of Orthodoxy Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov, the son of the Russian Patriarch Filaret, Filippovich left the court of the chancellor in 1627 and retired to the cell of the Vilna Holy Spirit Monastery, where he soon received tonsure from the vicar Joseph Bobrikovich. Soon, with his blessing, Athanasius passed his obedience at the Kuteinsky Monastery near Orsha, recently founded in 1623 by Bogdan Stetkevich and his wife Elena Solomeretskaya (V. Zverinsky. Materials for historical and topographical research. St. Petersburg. 1892 P. 172), and then - in the Mezhyhirya monastery near Kyiv, at the hegumen of the Commentary (mentioned under 1627) and the brother of the Kyiv Metropolitan Job Boretsky - Samuel. However, already in 1632 the Mezhyhirya abbot released Athanasius to Vilna, where he was ordained a hieromonk.

The following year, Athanasius again left the monastery of the Holy Spirit and went as a viceroy of hegumen Leonty Shitik to the Duboinsky monastery near Pinsk, also subordinate to the Vilna monastic monastery, where he spent three years caring for the brethren, fasting and praying.

In 1636 Albrecht Radziwill, an ardent supporter of Catholic proselytism, violating the “Articles of Calm” published by King Vladislav IV, forcibly expelled Orthodox inhabitants from the Duboina Monastery in order to transfer the monastery to the Jesuits, who shortly before that, through the efforts of the same Albrecht, settled in Pinsk. Athanasius, unable to resist the magnate and keep the monastery, made a complaint with a story about the lawlessness committed, but this written protest, signed by many Orthodox, did not bring positive results.

Expelled from the holy monastery, Afanasy Filippovich came to the Kupyatitsky monastery to the hegumen Illarion Denisovich. This monastery was founded in 1628 by the widow of the Brest castellan Gregory Voina Apollonia and her son Vasily Koptem with a miraculous icon of the Mother of God painted inside the cross, once burned by the Tatars, and then miraculously appeared in the middle of the flame. Here, under the holy cover of the “small in size, but great in miracles” icon, blessed Athanasius lived in cordial friendship with monk Makariy Tokarevsky.

In 1637, this Macarius brought a station wagon from Metropolitan Peter Mohyla, allowing the collection of "yalmuzhna" - alms for the restoration of the Kupyatitsky monastery church. And so, on the advice of the brethren of the monastery and the blessing of the abbot, in November 1637 Afanasy Filippovich went to collect donations. To do this, he decided on rather bold actions: he went to Moscow in order to collect donations and seek the protection of Orthodoxy from the Moscow Tsar.

Shortly before the road, he had a vision, which the abbot of the monastery was also honored with: King Sigismund, papal nuncio and hetman Sapieha were burning in a flaming furnace. Athanasius considered this vision a good omen of the imminent triumph of Orthodoxy. Immediately before leaving for Muscovy, Athanasius, praying in the church vestibule, saw through the window the icon of the Mother of God and heard some noise and a voice from the icon “I am going with you too! ”, and then noticed Deacon Nehemiah, who had died a few years before, who said: “I also go with my Lady!” Thus, having secured the promise of the miraculous patronage of the Most Holy Theotokos, saying goodbye to the brethren and receiving the blessing of the hegumen, Athanasius set off on his journey.

Arriving in Slutsk, he met with unexpected difficulties: Archimandrite Samuil Shitik took away the metropolitan station wagon from him for the reason that Filippovich did not have the right to collect fees in a territory that did not belong to the Lutsk diocese. When the conflict was resolved at the end of January 1638, Athanasius and his companion Volkovitsky went to Kuteino to ask hegumen Ioil Trutsevich, who was connected with the most famous representatives of the Russian clergy, to assist in crossing the border to Muscovy (supervision was strengthened over the border due to the fact that Cossacks, fearing reprisals after a recent riot, fled from the Commonwealth to Russia).

Having taken letters of recommendation from Abbot Joel, "cards, information about himself," Filippovich went to Kopys, Mogilev, Shklov and again returned to the Kuteinsky Monastery, where the governor Joseph Surta recommended making his way to the Moscow kingdom through Trubchevsk. Having lost their way and almost drowned in the Dnieper, robbed and beaten in one of the inns, the travelers finally reached Trubchevsk. But here, too, failure awaited them; Prince Trubetskoy categorically refused to give them a pass, suspecting them to be scouts.

Forced to return, Athanasius visited the Chovsky Monastery on the way, where one of the elders advised him to make an attempt to cross the border in the region of Novgorod-Seversky with the assistance of the local voivode Peter Pesechinsky. The pilgrim gratefully accepted the good advice and crossed the border near the village of Shepelevo.

However, Athanasius's difficulties did not end there: on the way to Moscow, he had a quarrel with the novice Onesimus, who had lost hope of achieving his goal.

Finally, the walkers came to the gates of the capital. In Moscow, they stopped in Zamoskvorechye, on Ordynka, where in March 1638 Athanasius wrote a note to the tsar, outlining his mission and travel history in the form of a diary. In this note, Athanasius showed the plight of the Orthodox Church in the Commonwealth, expanding the picture of violence and abuse of Orthodoxy, begged the Russian sovereign to intercede for the Russian faith. He also advised the tsar to make an image of the Kupyatitskaya Mother of God on military banners, with the help of which it was possible to make such a difficult and unsafe journey. This note, together with the image of the miraculous image, was handed over to the king. As a result, Athanasius was received in the Embassy hut, where, apparently, he spoke about the upcoming impostor. The very next year, a commission headed by the boyar Ivan Plakidin was sent to Poland to identify impostors; the report of the head of the commission confirmed the information of Athanasius (Monuments of Russian antiquity. St. Petersburg. 1885. Vol. 8).

On the flower-bearing Palm Sunday, Athanasius left Moscow with generous donations for the Kupyatitsky church, arrived in Vilna on June 16, and in July reached the limits of his native monastery.

In 1640, the brethren of the Brest Simeonov Monastery, having lost their hegumen, sent a petition to Kupyatitsy to bless Afanasy Filippovich or Makariy Tokarevsky as hegumen. The choice fell on Athanasius, who went to Brest. Here he found himself in the very center of the struggle of Orthodoxy with the union, for Brest was the city in which "Greek Catholicism" was born and spread like nowhere else. Even earlier, all 10 Orthodox churches in the city were turned into Uniate ones, and only in 1632 did the Orthodox brotherhood manage to return the temple in the name of Simeon the Stylite with the monastery under it, and in 1633 - the church in honor of the Nativity of the Virgin.

The Uniates, however, did not stop their encroachments, and soon Abbot Athanasius had to look for "foundations" on Orthodox churches: six documents of the 15th century were found and entered in the city books of Magdeburg, relating to the Brest Nikolsky brotherhood, which united the monasteries of the Nativity of the Virgin and Simeon the Stylite . The documents found by the abbot gave grounds for the legal registration of the rights of the Nativity of the Mother of God brotherhood, and the Brest ascetic went to Warsaw in September 1641 to the Sejm, where he received royal privileges on October 13, confirming the rights of the brothers and allowing them to purchase a place in Brest to build a fraternal house.

But this privilege had to be ratified by the chancellor Albrecht Radziwill and the sub-chancellor Trizna, who refused, even for 30 thalers that the abbot could offer them, to certify the privileges with their seals, referring to the fact that “under an oath it is forbidden to them from the holy father of papezh, so that more the Greek faith did not multiply here.” Nor could the Orthodox bishops gathered at the Sejm help the hegumen of Brest, fearing that more could be lost in the struggle for less, causing a wave of new persecution from the authorities. Hegumen Athanasius, however, strengthened in the rightness of his cause by the blessing of the miraculous icon, again made an attempt to assure this privilege, and again unsuccessfully. Then he appeared at the Sejm and turned directly to the king with an official complaint - "suplika" - demanding "that the true Greek faith be thoroughly calmed, and the accursed union destroyed and turned into nothing", threatening the monarch with God's punishment if he did not curb the dictates Church.

This denunciation, uttered on March 10, 1643, brought the king and the diet into the strongest annoyance. Abbot Athanasius was arrested and imprisoned together with his colleague Deacon Leonty in the house of the royal gatekeeper Jan Zhelezovsky for several weeks - until the Diet departure. Deprived of the opportunity to explain the reasons for his speech, the hegumen of Brest took upon himself the feat of voluntary foolishness, and on March 25, on the celebration of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos, he escaped from custody and, standing on the street in captura and paramante, beating himself with a staff in the chest, publicly pronounced a curse union.

Soon he was captured and again taken into custody, and after the end of the Diet, he was brought to the church court. The court, to appease the authorities, temporarily deprived him of his priestly and abbot ranks and sent him to Kyiv for the final trial of the consistory. In anticipation of the final decision of the court, the Monk Athanasius prepared an explanatory note in Latin, for the arrival of a government prosecutor was expected. Far from the irritated Warsaw and the supreme authorities, the court, chaired by the rector of the Kiev-Mohyla Collegium Innokenty Gizel, ruled that Athanasius had already atoned for his “sin” by imprisonment, and therefore he was granted freedom and the priesthood returned. Metropolitan Peter Mohyla confirmed this decision and on June 20 sent the monk to the monastery of Simeon the Stylite with a message in which he was ordered to be more careful and restrained in church affairs.

So the Monk Athanasius returned to Brest, where he lived "for a considerable time in peace." This peace was very relative, for the continuous attacks on the monastery by Jesuit students and Uniate priests did not stop, insulting and even beating Orthodox monks.

Expecting to receive support from the Novogorodsk voivode Nikolai Sapega, who was considered the patron of the Simeonov Monastery, and in the hope that he would help secure a safe-conduct for the Orthodox Beresteyans, the Monk Athanasius went to Krakow, simultaneously collecting donations for his monastery. Unfortunately, the support of the noble governor could not be found, and the monk went to the Moscow ambassador, Prince Lvov, who at that time lived in Krakow and was investigating impostors. Having met with him, Athanasius told about his trip to Moscow, and also told a lot of facts about Jan-Favstin Luba, presenting one of his last messages, certain fragments of which gave reason to initiate a judicial investigation against the impostor.

Summoned from Krakow to Warsaw by a letter from the Warsaw jurist Zychevsky, who reported on May 3, 1644, that through his efforts the letter entrusted by Athanasius to be certified by the chancellor had already been provided with the necessary seals, and demanded to redeem the privileges for six thousand zlotys, the Monk Athanasius immediately set off for the capital. But when, upon verification, it turned out that the privileges were not included in the royal metric and, therefore, had no legal force, the abbot refused to redeem the fictitious document.

Returning to Brest from Warsaw, the Monk Athanasius ordered a copy of the Kupyatitsky icon from the Bernardine monastery and placed it in his cell; inspired by this image, he proceeded to compose a new public complaint, with which he expected to speak at the Diet of 1645. For this, he prepared several dozen copies of the handwritten "History of a Journey to Moscow" depicting the Kupyatitsky Icon of the Mother of God.