What holiday do Christians celebrate on February 25, what to pray for, signs and prohibitions of the day.
On February 25, Orthodox believers remember the saints Metropolitan Alexius and Bishop Meletius of Antioch of Sevastia. The Iver Icon of the Mother of God is also honored today.
The national holiday of February 25, 2023 is called Oleksiy Rybny, Meletei and Oleksiy – on this day the snow began to melt and fish were caught well.
Church holiday February 25 – the day of memory of St. Meletius
Saint Meletius lived in the IV century and was the archbishop of Antioch. He was also the spiritual mentor of Saints Basil the Great and John Zolotoust.
Saint Meletius suffered a lot from the emperor Julian the Apostate (361-363) and the Arian heretics. The saint was repeatedly removed from his post, but thanks to the firmness of his faith, he won every time. In 363, Meletius composed the theological treatise “Exposition of Faith”. Thanks to this work, many Arian heretics returned to Orthodoxy.
In 380, the saint was the chairman of the Second Ecumenical Council in Constantinople. Before the beginning of the Council, he raised his hand, showed three fingers, then joined two and blessed the people with the words: “We understand three hypostases, we are talking about a single being.” At the same moment, the saint was engulfed in fire, during the Council he died.
Church holiday February 25 – the day of memory of St. Oleksii
Alexei lived in the XIII-XIV centuries. When he was 11 years old, he saw a dream-sign, after which he began to attend church. At the age of 15, he became a monk and spent more than 20 years in asceticism. Then, for 12 years, he was the metropolitan’s deputy. In the middle of the 14th century, Oleksiy went to Constantinople to the Ecumenical Patriarch Callistus, where he appointed him Metropolitan of Kyiv.
A saint also known for his gift of miracles – Oleksiy healed the wife of the Tatar khan and received gifts for it. Throughout his life, Oleksiy took care of the flock in every possible way, he was remembered as a benefactor who built many churches and monasteries. Alexey left behind a handwritten Gospel.
Signs of February 25
According to beliefs, on the night of February 24-25, every person sees prophetic dreams, but they cannot be told to anyone to avoid trouble.
- Our ancestors noticed that if it is frosty on this day, the winter will be cold.
- If the wind blows on Oleksiy, but there is no frost, there will be a storm.
- If it is foggy on February 25, the summer will be rainy.
What can’t be done today
On this day, you cannot refuse hospitality to anyone, but you can only invite to a clean house. So they advised to do some cleaning. You can’t wear old clothes on this day – past resentments and troubles will return. They also tried to avoid negative thoughts. According to Slavic beliefs, angels are watching everyone on February 25 – woe to those who sin.
What can be done on February 25
Our ancestors noticed that on this day the memory of clouds is commemorated. Therefore, they tried to prepare dishes with fish for dinner. On February 25, grain intended for sowing was taken out to the frost – this was how it was “hardened”, it was believed that plants from this grain would suffer less and give a good harvest.
