Lazarus Saturday in 2023: the history and traditions of the holiday

Lazarus Saturday is the day before Palm Sunday or, as it is also called, the feast of the Lord’s Entry into Jerusalem. It is celebrated in honor of the resurrection of the righteous Lazarus, whom Christ brought back from the dead. It was thanks to this event that many believed in the Savior and his amazing abilities. In Christianity, the resurrection of Lazarus is one of the most iconic miracles performed by Jesus during his time on earth.

It is interesting that Lazarus Saturday is celebrated on a calendar not at the same time when it happened historically. In fact, the resurrection of Lazarus happened two months before the Lord’s Entry into Jerusalem, and not the day before this event.

When is Lazarus Saturday celebrated in 2023

Lazarus Saturday falls on the sixth day of the sixth week of Great Lent, which means it has no fixed date. In 2023, believers will celebrate this holiday 8 April. The next day, April 9, is Palm Sunday, and Easter will come exactly one week after it.

What does the gospel say

The events are described in the Gospel of John. According to him, Lazarus was a righteous resident of Bethany (a suburb of Jerusalem), whose family Christ often visited, and called him a friend. Lazarus died from a serious illness, and when the Savior was able to come to his crypt, four days had already passed since his death. “Lazarus, get out!” – Christ said, and he returned to life and went out to the people gathered around the tomb cave, entwined in funeral shrouds. The news of the miracle quickly spread throughout the region. Jesus, entering Jerusalem on a small donkey, was already greeted by the crowd as a king who had conquered death. Seeing such worship of the people, the high priests decided to kill Christ.

According to the Bible, the resurrected Lazarus lived for another 30 years, because of persecution, he moved to Cyprus, where, in the rank of bishop, he preached the Christian faith all these years.

Meanwhile, the resurrection of Lazarus was not the only such miracle performed by the Savior. Prior to this, Jesus raised from the dead the son of a widow from the city of Nain, as well as the only 12-year-old daughter of a Jew, Jairus.

History of the holiday: Lazarus Saturday in the church

After his second death in Cyprus, Lazar was buried near the city of Kition, where he was a bishop. Now there is the city of Larnaca – its name comes from the word “larnax”, meaning “sarcophagus”. By the way, Bethany, where Christ brought his friend back to life, was called Lazarion in honor of this event in the Byzantine era.

At the end of the XNUMXth century, the relics of the righteous man were transferred to Constantinople, and a temple named after him was erected in Cyprus. At the same time, they began to honor the righteous Lazarus much earlier, already from the XNUMXth century.

During church services on Lazarus Saturday, priests change their robes from black to festive white. However, this day still falls during Lent, so any lavish festivities at this time are not welcome. In food, however, relief is provided for believers – caviar, vegetable oil and red wine are allowed.

Folk customs: time to go for willow

During the coming of Christ to Jerusalem, people who had already heard about his miracles threw palm branches under the feet of the Savior. Of course, there were no palm trees in Our Country – they were replaced by blossoming willow shoots.

They went for them just on Lazarus Saturday, in order to have time to consecrate them the next day during the church service. Usually they went to the nearest rivers – in Moscow, for example, willows and willows grew in abundance on the banks of the Neglinka. Before the revolution, on Saturday, a “palm auction” was opened on Red Square, where, however, they traded not only willow branches, but also icons, sweets and toys.

The hostesses prepared treats for the Sunday holiday: they baked buckwheat pancakes and pies with fish, cooked porridge. And in Greece they also made special sweet cookies – “lazarchiki”.

There were also signs on Lazarus Saturday. Having brought a willow into the house, they tried to lightly hit the household members with it – it was believed that this promises health for the whole year to each “beaten”. And they also looked at how many buds had already blossomed on the willow. If in abundance, the year will be not only fruitful, but also rich in joyful events.

By the way

The story of Lazarus and the miracle done to him is one of the earliest themes in Christian art. It is found in the paintings of the most ancient catacombs and sarcophagi since the XNUMXth century. It turns out that they began to draw the resurrection of the righteous even before they began to celebrate this event – an extremely rare case.

The greatest masters of painting in later eras turned to this gospel story. There are paintings about the return of Lazarus to life, for example, by Caravaggio, Rembrandt and Van Gogh.