What church holiday do believers celebrate on February 3 according to the new and old styles, what not to do and who has a name day.
On February 3, according to the new church calendar, Orthodox Christians remember the righteous saints Simeon the God-Receiver and Anna the Prophetess. Among the people – the holiday of Pochinki. What to pray to the saints about, prohibitions and signs of the day, what is celebrated in the Orthodox Church on February 3, old style – we tell in the material.
February 3, 2024 – what church holiday is today according to the new and old calendar
February 3 (February 16, old style) is the day of remembrance of the righteous Simeon the God-Receiver and Anna the Prophetess, who were participants in biblical events.
We know about Simeon and Anna from the episode on the day of the Presentation of the Lord. When Joseph and Mary brought the baby Jesus on the fortieth day after his birth to the temple to dedicate him to God, Simeon took him in his arms. Anna witnessed the event; it symbolized the meeting of the Old and New Testaments, humanity and the Lord.
Little is known about Simeon and Anna themselves. According to legend, Simeon lived to be 360 years old. He, during the reign of the Egyptian king Ptolemy II, was among those who translated the Holy Scriptures from Hebrew into Greek. In the hall of work in the Book of the Prophet Isaiah Simeon read: “Behold, the Virgin will receive and give birth to a Son.” Deciding that there was a mistake, he wanted to correct it and write “wife” instead of “maiden”. But his hand was held by an angel, who promised him that Simeon would live to see this prophecy come true.
The Gospel of Luke says that Anna the Prophetess was a pious widow, and at the time of her meeting with Jesus she was 84 years old. After the Meeting, she glorified the Lord and spread the news throughout the city that the Messiah had come to earth.
Holiday February 3rd according to the old style – day of remembrance of St. Maxim, confessor. Previously, we told you what you can and cannot do on the church holiday on January 21.
What do the signs for February 3 say?
The signs of the day were used to judge the weather in spring, summer and in the near future:
- snow on this day – summer will be cold and rainy;
- sparrows chirped – towards early spring;
- the forest is noisy – there will be frost;
- Frost on the trees in the morning means cold weather.
In the folk calendar, February 3 is the holiday of Pochinki, Simeon and Anna. In the old days, on this day, they got to work from the very morning – they began to prepare for spring, they repaired everything that would be needed for work, they made the so-called start. It was believed that the sooner you start working at Pochinki, the sooner spring will come.
What not to do on February 3
What not to do today:
- swear, make noise, take offense and offend;
- to be lazy;
- refuse help.
According to popular belief, on this day you should not borrow money and dress in black – this will lead to trouble. Also, signs do not advise sweeping on this day – you can sweep away prosperity.
What can you do on February 3
On this day, parents and pregnant women turn to Saints Simeon and Anna in prayer – they pray for the health of their children. Simeon the God-Receiver is revered as the patron saint of infants.
As already mentioned, Pochinki is expected to do a good job: you can do household chores, cleaning, handicrafts, and prepare gardening tools.
February 3 – name day today
Name days today according to the church calendar are celebrated by Ivan, Roman, Mikhail, Pavel, Anna, Adrian, Nikolai, Vladimir.
Previously, we published a complete church calendar for February 2024 with holidays for every day in a new style.
