Day of the Myrrh-Bearing Women 2023: the history and traditions of the holiday

When is the Day of the Myrrh-Bearing Women celebrated in 2023

The day of the holy myrrh-bearing women is a passing day, it is celebrated on the second Sunday after Easter. This is a celebration of women’s ministry. In 2023, the Day of the Myrrh-Bearing Women falls on 30 April.

The history of the holiday: who are the myrrh-bearing women

Most often in Scripture, Mary of Magdala, Mary Magdalene, is mentioned. Before meeting Christ, she led a sinful life, was possessed by seven demons whom he cast out. And Mary, having repented, followed him. By the strength of her faith and devotion, she stood out among the myrrh-bearing women. It is often told about in the Gospel. Mary was present in the Upper Room of Zion at the moment of the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles, she herself preached the Gospel in Asia Minor and Italy. She worked hard in the cause of the gospel of Christ and is considered equal to the apostles. According to her, the apostle and evangelist John wrote half of the 20th chapter of his gospel. It is noteworthy that the first person to whom the resurrected Christ appeared was Mary Magdalene. Among the myrrh-bearing women, Mary Kleopova, the mother of the future evangelist Matthew, is mentioned. Also known are Mary and Martha, sisters of Lazarus the Four Days, who was resurrected by Jesus 4 days after his death.

These women renounced the past and followed Jesus everywhere as their Master. In the most difficult time, the minutes of the crucifixion, they were next to Christ, supported the Mother of God and accompanied the body of the Lord to the tomb.

The Apostle Peter on the night of betrayal denies Jesus three times. Other disciples of Christ simply fled – so great was their fear of punishment for confessing his teachings. The apostles took refuge, but the women remained, they felt that they were caring not just for the deceased, but for the Conqueror of death, for the Eternally Existing One.

Since then, myrrh-bearing women have gone down in history as an example of Christian love and care for a person.

What does the word “myrrh-bearing” mean?

Myrrh is an aromatic oil, which, according to the Hebrew custom, was used to anoint the body of a deceased person. Accordingly, myrrh-bearing women are those who brought myrrh for the funeral ritual.

The Holy Scripture says that on the third day after the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, Mary Magdalene, Salome, Martha and Mary, Susanna, Joanna, Mary Cleopova and others came to his body, bringing myrrh with them. And again, the fearlessness and devotion of the myrrh-bearing women is manifested: they knew that the opponents of Christ had placed guards at his tomb, but nevertheless they came to serve the Three-Day Dead Man. But they couldn’t perform the proper ritual – the coffin was empty.

The angel who was there turned to the women: “Why are you looking for the living among the dead? He is risen as he promised.”

Easter greeting “Christ is Risen!” belongs to Mary Magdalene. It was she who came to the disciples of Christ and informed them about what she had seen with an exclamation: “Christ is Risen! He is truly the Son of God! I saw the Lord!…” – this was the first good news that Mary brought to the apostles. And the world’s first sermon on the Resurrection. The tradition of giving a red egg on Easter also belongs to her.

In the Orthodox Church, this day is celebrated as a holiday for all Christian women. Modern Orthodox venerate him instead of International Women’s Day on March 8.

Holiday traditions

On the Day of Myrrh-Bearing Women, it is customary to congratulate and give flowers to all close women: mothers, grandmothers, aunts, sisters, wives, daughters and just friends. It is believed that on this day they are all birthdays.

In the old days, this holiday was called “Woman’s Brotherhood” or “Woman’s Week”. “Baby” because only women celebrated. Men were not even allowed to prepare. On the eve, they chose a place for the celebration and women who went around the yards and collected eggs and chickens for the main dishes of the feast.

And the girls chose their godfather for the future – a spiritual friend, and exchanged gifts.

Recipes for the holiday

As we already mentioned, the main treats for this holiday were eggs and chicken dishes. And depending on the imagination of the hostesses, they varied, ranging from ordinary fried eggs to lush pies with various chicken fillings. Everything was used: fillet, wings, giblets. And in the manor houses they could even surprise with an unheard-of delicacy – aspic of chicken scallops! But times are changing, and with them culinary habits. We invite you to try some modern recipes for festive gatherings on the Day of the Myrrh-Bearing Women.

Roast chicken hearts

1. Melt the butter in a deep saucepan and quickly fry the washed and dried chicken hearts in it.
2. As soon as they are browned, add finely chopped onion and garlic to them. Continue frying until the onion becomes soft and translucent.
3. In the same saucepan, to the hearts, add flour and fry for another minute. Then add wine and simmer for five minutes. Now pour in boiling water and lay the potatoes cut into large cubes, celery, sprigs of rosemary and thyme, salt and other spices. We continue to simmer for 30 minutes.
4. And the last stage: cooked, turned off the fire and, under a closed lid, let the hearts brew for another 15 minutes. That’s it, you can serve it on the table.

Omelet on a cheese “pillow”

1. Cut the cheese into small pieces and lay on the bottom of the baking dish. On top of the cheese, for a better taste, spread the sliced ​​uXNUMXbuXNUMXbtomato in circles.
2. Further, familiar to most, the procedure for making an omelet: we combine the eggs with milk, add a pinch of salt and a pinch of the most fragrant dried spices that are at hand. Beat it all with a fork and pour straight onto the cheese with tomatoes.
3. We remove the egg mass for 5-6 minutes in a preheated oven and take out a ready-made air omelette from there with a cheese “cake” at the bottom and juicy tomatoes inside.