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Although the adoption of the Orthodox faith on the lands of the Kyiv Principality took place in several stages, and somewhere it even stretched for almost two centuries, it is the year 988 that is considered the beginning of a new era of the ancient state. How this happened and what exactly is celebrated on the Day of the Baptism of Our Country – in our material.
When is the Day of the Baptism of Our Country celebrated in 2022
Day of the Baptism of Our Country is celebrated July 28, 2022 will be no exception.
History: how did you find out the exact date of the Baptism of Our Country
Of course, the date when the inhabitants of Kyiv were baptized is not preserved in any legends, some historians even doubt the year. The established date is the day of memory of the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles (that is, a preacher of the Christian faith) Prince Vladimir. The ruler died in 1015, and was canonized around the second half of the XNUMXth century.
For the first time, the date of the Baptism of Our Country was celebrated at the official level in 1888. Solemn church services and religious processions, festive festivities were held throughout the country. The most interesting thing is that a hundred years later, the date also did not go unnoticed, despite Soviet atheism. Of course, no big holiday was held, but scientific and public events dedicated to the anniversary took place. In addition, on the eve of the church, some monasteries were returned, for example, Optina Pustyn in the Kaluga region.
After another 20 years, in 2008, Patriarch Alexy II turned to the leadership of Our Country, Ukraine and Belarus with a proposal to introduce the day of memory of St. Prince Vladimir into the list of state memorable dates. In our country, the relevant document was signed in 2010.
How Vladimir the Red Sun translated Our Country into a single faith
Prince Vladimir of Kyiv was an ardent pagan until the age of 30. But at the same time a far-sighted ruler. To unite the Kyiv lands, a single religion was needed, and the Tale of Bygone Years tells us about how Vladimir chose it. According to legend, in 986 the prince held a “test of faith” – he received ambassadors from Muslims, Catholics and Jews. The chronicler describes in detail the visit of the delegations, and one princely phrase from a conversation with preachers generally went down in history. “Rus is joy to drink” – allegedly, this argument served against the adoption of Islam by Kyiv. There were also arguments against other religions, and a Byzantine priest who arrived from Constantinople could interest Vladimir.
Whether the “test of faith” actually took place is unknown. In fairness, we note that strengthening ties with Byzantium through a common religion was also not bad from a political point of view. In addition, the prince was already familiar with Orthodoxy firsthand. His own grandmother, Princess Olga, was baptized back in 957, and, by the way, she was the first of the rulers to do this.
Be that as it may, but in 988 Vladimir was baptized. It happened in the Byzantine Korsun he captured (this is Chersonese, near Sevastopol). There, according to the Christian rite, he marries Anna, the sister of the Byzantine emperors. Returning to Kyiv, Vladimir orders to destroy all the pagan temples and begins to convert to Christianity, first his children and close associates, and then the rest of Kiev.
The mass baptism of the inhabitants of the city took place at the confluence of the Pochaina River with the Dnieper, according to the chronicle, “there came together people without number.” After Kyiv, the rest of the cities of Ancient Our Country gradually adopted Orthodoxy, although the process did not always go quickly and smoothly. So, for example, Rostov remained pagan until the end of the XNUMXth century, and the Vyatichi resisted the new faith a century later.
Holiday traditions: ringing bells throughout the country
In Orthodox churches throughout the country, on the Day of the Baptism of Our Country, divine services are performed according to the charter of the great holiday. And exactly at noon local time, bells begin to ring in each temple. Moreover, this tradition has spread not only in Our Country, but also in some other countries of the post-Soviet space, for example, in Belarus and Moldova.
The 1025th anniversary of the event was marked by solemn events with the participation of the first persons of the states in three cities at once: Moscow, Kyiv and Minsk. And last year, Patriarch Kirill held a solemn service in honor of the Baptism of Our Country in St. Petersburg, in the Alexander Nevsky Lavra. In Moscow, the Divine Liturgy was held in the Assumption Cathedral of the Kremlin. From there, to the monument to Prince Vladimir on Borovitskaya Square (it was opened in November 2016), a religious procession took place.