What church holiday is celebrated on March 18 according to the new and old styles, what not to do, signs of the day.

On March 18, according to the new church calendar, Orthodox believers remember St. Cyril, Archbishop of Jerusalem. Lent begins on the same day. We talk about the prohibitions and signs of the day that are celebrated in the church on March 18 according to the old style in the material.

March 18, 2024 – what church holiday is today according to the new and old calendar

March 18 according to the new style (March 31 – according to the old style) is the day of remembrance of St. Cyril, Archbishop of Jerusalem.

Saint Cyril, Archbishop of Jerusalem, lived in the 4th century. When he reached adulthood, he became a monk. In 350, Cyril became the head of the Jerusalem see and during his reign he took care of the city like a father. When famine began in Jerusalem, the archbishop spent all his property on bread and wheat for the starving.

The saint fought against the Arian heresy, which denied the consubstantiality of God the Father and God the Son. For this, Cyril was hated by the bishops supporting Arius, and they achieved the expulsion of the archbishop from Jerusalem. After a while, Kirill returned to his department, but even then he became unpopular with the secular authorities – he was sent into exile three times. When Emperor Theodosius the Great came to power, Cyril returned to his archpastoral activities forever. The saint left behind teachings and conversations on gospel themes.

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Holiday March 18th according to the old style – St. Conon of Mandon and the beginning of Lent 2024. The dates of Lent coincide in the new and old church calendar, as they depend on the date of Easter.

What do the signs say for March 18?

In the folk calendar, March 18 is St. Kirill’s Day. His signs are related to the weather:

• young catkins have appeared on the hazel tree – there will be no more frosts;
• no starlings are visible – bad weather;
• midges appear – to a good harvest of berries and mushrooms;
• coltsfoot has bloomed – it will be warm in early April.

It is believed that if swans arrive on this day, it will already be warm.

What can you do on March 18

Saint Cyril is asked to heal illnesses and improve health. This is popularly considered a good time to start treatment – patients recover faster.

According to popular beliefs, if by March 18th the coltsfoot blossomed, then you need to prepare an infusion from it and wash it – this will help preserve youth.

What not to do on March 18

Among the prohibitions, what you cannot do today is to quarrel, gossip, brag, envy, condemn, refuse help.

Lent 2024 begins on March 18, which will last 48 days. Those who fast should not eat food of animal origin – meat, fish, eggs, milk and dairy products. But food restriction is not the main thing. It is much more important to monitor your thoughts, language, and actions. It is also good to do more good deeds during fasting.

Folk omens do not advise lending or borrowing money, or cutting hair and nails on this day.

March 18 – name day today

Name days today according to the church calendar are celebrated by Trofim, Kirill, Daniil, Dmitry, Natalya, Gregory.

Previously, we published the Orthodox calendar for March 2024 with holidays in the new and old styles.