When is Elijah's day? Saint Elijah the Prophet is revered by Orthodox Christians

The Holy Prophet Elijah - one of the greatest prophets of the Old Testament - was born 900 years before the birth of Christ. Among Christians, Saint Elijah enjoys special respect. Elijah (translated from Hebrew as “God is my strength,” “the fortress of the Lord”) was a zealous champion of Jehovah’s religion and a formidable denouncer of idolatry.

The history of the life and work of the prophet Elijah is set out in the Third and Fourth Books of Kings. The name Elijah given to the baby determined his entire life: from an early age he devoted himself to the One God, settled in the desert and spent his life in strict fasting, contemplation of God and prayer. Called to prophetic service under the Israeli king Ahab, the prophet became a fiery zealot for true faith and piety.

At that time, the Israeli people departed from the faith of their fathers, abandoned the One God and worshiped pagan idols, the veneration of which was introduced by the wicked king Jeroboam. The worship of the idol Baal led the Israelites to complete moral decay. Seeing the death of his people (and the king’s wickedness had reached its extreme at that time), the prophet - barefoot, in a rough cloak of camel hair, with a leather belt around his loins and a staff in his hands - appeared in Samaria, went to the royal palace and began to denounce King Ahab in wickedness, urging him to repent and turn to the True God.

The king did not listen to him. Then the prophet Elijah announced to him that as punishment there would be no rain or dew on the earth for three years and the drought would end only through his prayer. And indeed, through the prayer of the prophet, drought and famine occurred throughout the land. The people suffered from unbearable heat and hunger. The Lord, seeing the suffering of the people, in His mercy was ready to spare everyone and send rain to the earth, but did not want to violate the words of the prophet Elijah, who was burning with the desire to turn the hearts of the Israelis to repentance and return them to true worship of God.

Also read: traditions and customs on Elijah’s Day

Preserving the prophet Elijah, the Lord sent him during the disaster to a hidden place near the stream Horath. The Lord commanded the predatory crows to bring food to the prophet, thereby instilling in him pity for the suffering people. When the stream of Choreth dried up, the Lord sent the prophet Elijah to Zarephath of Sidon to a poor widow who suffered with her children in anticipation of starvation. At the request of the prophet, she prepared him unleavened bread from the last handful of flour and the remaining oil. After this, through the prayer of the prophet Elijah, flour and oil did not run out in the widow’s house throughout the famine.

By the power of his prayer, the great prophet performed another miracle - he resurrected the dead son of this widow. After three years of drought, the Merciful Lord sent a prophet to King Ahab to end the disaster. The Prophet Elijah ordered all Israel and the priests of Baal to be gathered to Mount Carmel. When the people gathered, he proposed to build two altars: one from the priests of Baal, the other from the prophet Elijah to serve the True God. “On which of them fire falls from heaven, that will be an indication whose God is true,” said the prophet Elijah, “and everyone will have to worship Him, and those who do not recognize Him will be put to death.”

The prophets of Baal were the first to begin the sacrifice. From morning to evening they cried out to the idol, but in vain - the sky was silent. In the evening, the holy prophet Elijah erected his altar of 12 stones, according to the number of tribes of Israel, laid the sacrifice on the firewood, ordered a ditch to be dug around the altar, and ordered to water the sacrifice and firewood with water. When the ditch was filled with water, the prophet turned to God with a fervent prayer and petition, so that the Lord would send fire from heaven to admonish the erring and embittered people of Israel and turn their hearts to Himself.

At the prayer of the prophet, fire came down from heaven and set fire to the sacrifice, wood, stones and even water. The people fell to the ground, crying: “Truly the Lord is One God and there is no other God besides Him!” Then the prophet Elijah killed all the priests of Baal and began to pray for the sending of rain. Through his prayer, the sky opened and abundant rain fell, watering the thirsty earth.

King Ahab realized his error and mourned his sins, but his wife Jezebel threatened to kill the prophet of God. The Prophet Elijah fled to Judea and, grieving over his powerlessness to eradicate idolatry, asked God for death. An Angel of the Lord appeared to him, strengthened him with food and ordered him to go on a long journey.

The prophet Elijah walked for forty days and nights and, having reached Mount Horeb, settled there in a cave. Here, after a terrible storm, earthquake and flame, the Lord appeared to the grieving prophet “in the still wind” and revealed that He had preserved seven thousand faithful slaves who did not worship Baal.

For his fiery zeal for the Glory of God, the prophet Elijah was taken to Heaven alive in a fiery chariot. According to the tradition of the Holy Church, the prophet Elijah will be the Forerunner of the Second Coming of Christ to earth and will suffer physical death during the sermon. Since the day of the fiery ascension to Heaven of the Prophet Elijah, his veneration in the Church of Christ has never been interrupted.

The first church built in Kyiv under Prince Igor was in the name of the prophet Elijah. Having received baptism, the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Princess Olga built the temple of the Prophet Elijah in her homeland, in the village of Vybuty.

Icon of the Prophet Elijah

Prayer to the Holy Prophet Elijah

They turn to the holy prophet Elijah in times of drought, famine and crop failure, during persecution of Christians, from deception and temptation.

“O most praiseworthy and wonderful prophet of God, Elijah, who shone forth on earth with your life equal to the angels, with your most ardent zeal for the Lord God Almighty, and also with glorious signs and wonders, also, by the extreme favor of God towards you, prenaturally caught up on a chariot of fire with your flesh to Heaven, deigned to converse with the Savior of the world who was transfigured on Tabor, and now constantly dwell in their heavenly villages and stand before the Throne of the Heavenly King! Hear us, sinners and indecent ones (names), at this hour standing before your holy icon and diligently resorting to your intercession. May the lover of mankind give us the spirit of repentance and contrition for our sins and with His omnipotent grace help us to leave the paths of wickedness, and may He strengthen us in the fight against our passions and lusts and implant in our hearts the spirit of humility; meekness, the spirit of brotherly love and kindness, the spirit of patience and chastity, the spirit of zeal for the glory of God and the salvation of others, abolish with your prayers, prophet, the evil customs of the world, and especially the destructive and pernicious spirit of this age, infecting the Christian race with disrespect for the Divine Orthodox faith, for. the charter of the Holy Church and the commandments of the Lord, disrespect for parents and those in authority, and casting people into the abyss of wickedness, corruption and destruction. Turn away from us, most wonderfully prophesied, by your intercession the righteous wrath of God and deliver all the cities and villages of our Fatherland from rainlessness and famine, from terrible storms and earthquakes, from deadly plagues and diseases, from the invasion of enemies and internecine warfare. Strengthen with your prayers, O glorious one, those who hold our power in the great and difficult task of governing the people, prosper them in all good deeds and undertakings for the establishment of peace and truth in our country. Help the Christ-loving army in battle with our enemies. Ask, prophet of God, from the Lord for our shepherds holy zeal for God, heartfelt concern for the salvation of the flock, wisdom in teaching and management, piety and strength in temptations, ask the judges for impartiality and selflessness, righteousness and compassion for the offended, for all those in authority to care for their subordinates, mercy and justice, while for subordinates submission and obedience to authority and diligent fulfillment of their duties; Yes, having lived in peace and piety in this world, we will be worthy to partake of eternal blessings in the Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, to Him due honor and worship with His beginningless Father and the Most Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen".

Prayer to the prophet Elijah during a drought for the sending of rain

“O great and glorious prophet of God, Elijah, for the sake of your zeal for the glory of the Lord God Almighty, you did not endure to see the idolatry and wickedness of the children of Israel, you denounced the lawless king Ahab and, as a punishment for them, a three-year famine on the land of Israel, through your prayer you asked from the Lord, yes, rejecting vile idols and having retreated from untruths and iniquities, they will turn to the One True God and the fulfillment of His holy commandments, wonderfully nurturing the widow of Sarepta during the famine and resurrecting her son after she died through your prayer, and after the passage of the appointed time of famine, the people of Israel were gathered to Mount Carmel for apostasy and wickedness, reproaching , the same prayer for your sacrifice, asking for fire from heaven and miraculously turning Israel to the Lord, disgracing and killing the cold prophets of Baal, and by prayer again resolving the sky and asking for abundant rain on the earth, and the people of Israel rejoiced to you, wonderful servant of God! , we diligently resort, sinners and humility, tormented by the rainlessness and heat: we confess that we are unworthy of the mercy and blessings of God, but more worthy than the fierce punishments of His wrath, sorrow and need and all sorts of evils and diseases. We did not walk in the passion of God and in the ways of His commandments, but in the lusts of our corrupted hearts we created countless types of sin; Our iniquity has surpassed our head, and we are not worthy to appear before the face of God and look into heaven. We confess that we, like ancient Israel, have apostatized from the Lord our God, if not by faith, then by our iniquities, and if we do not worship Baal and other vile idols, then we are servile to our passions and lusts, serving the idol of gluttony and lust, the idol of greed and ambition, the idol of pride and vanity, and follow the ungodly foreign customs and the destructive spirit of the times. We confess that for this reason heaven was closed and created like copper, as if our heart was closed with mercy and true love for our neighbor; For this reason, the earth has hardened and become barren, because we do not bring to our Lord the fruits of good deeds; for this reason there is no rain and dew, as if the imams are not the tears of tenderness and the life-giving dew of the thought of God; For this reason, every grain and herb has withered away, as if every good feeling has dried up in us; For this reason, the air is darkened, just as our mind is darkened with cold thoughts and our heart is defiled with lawless lusts. We confess that you, the prophet of God, have asked unworthy of us. You, having become a servile man to us, became like an angel in your life and, like an incorporeal being, was taken up into heaven, but we, with our cold thoughts and deeds, became like dumb cattle and created our soul like flesh. You amazed angels and men with fasting and vigil, but we, indulging in intemperance and lust, become like senseless cattle. You burned with the utmost zeal for the glory of God, but we neglect the glory of our Creator and Lord and are ashamed to confess His venerable Name. You have eradicated wickedness and evil customs, but we are slaves to the spirit of this age, supplying the ungodly customs of the world more than the commandments of God and the statutes of the Holy Church. And what sin and untruth have we not committed? Our iniquities exhaust the long-suffering of God. Moreover, the just Lord was angry with us and punished us in His anger. Moreover, knowing your great boldness before the Lord and trusting in your love for the human race, we dare to pray to you, most praiseworthy prophet: be merciful to us, unworthy and indecent. Pray to the Greatly Gifted and All-Generous God, may he not be completely angry with us and not destroy us with our iniquities, but may he bring abundant and peaceful rain to the thirsty and parched land, may he grant it fruitfulness and the goodness of the air. By your effective intercession, bow to the mercy of the Heavenly King, if not for the sake of us, sinners and vile ones, but for the sake of His chosen servants, who have not bowed their knees before the Baal of this world, for the sake of gentle and senseless babies, for the sake of dumb cattle and birds of the air, suffering for our iniquity and melting away from hunger, heat and thirst. Ask us with your favorable prayers from the Lord for the spirit of repentance and heartfelt tenderness, the spirit of meekness and self-control, the spirit of love and patience, the spirit of the fear of God and piety, so that, having returned from the paths of wickedness to the right path of virtue, we walk in the light of God’s commandments and achieve those promised to us good, by the good will of the Beginning God the Father, by the love of His Only Begotten Son and by the grace of the All-Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen".

Prayer to the prophet Elijah from hunger

“An angel in the flesh, the foundation of the prophets, the second forerunner of the coming of Christ, the glorious Elijah, who received food from the angel and nourished the widow in times of famine, and be a gracious nourisher for us who honor you.”

Prayer to the prophet Elijah during temptations

“O holy prophet of God Elijah, pray for us, the Lover of God, that He may give us, the servants of God (names), a spirit of repentance and contrition for our sins, and by His omnipotent grace help us to abandon the paths of wickedness, and to succeed in every deed of grace, and in the fight against our passions and lusts, may he strengthen us; may he instill in our hearts the spirit of humility and meekness, the spirit of brotherly love and kindness, the spirit of patience and chastity, the spirit of zeal for the glory of God and for the salvation of ourselves and our neighbors. Turn away from us through your intercession. the righteous wrath of God, so that we have lived in peace and piety in this world, we will be worthy to partake of eternal blessings in the Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and to Him befits honor and worship, with His Beginning Father and the Most Holy Spirit, forever and ever.”

Some Russians continue to be interested in the question of what date Ilyin’s Day will be in 2017. Apparently they failed to keep track of the calendar for changes, so they overlooked the fact that the holiday was celebrated on August 2nd.

However, this circumstance should not prevent us from talking about this holiday, which has received increased attention both in folk culture and in the church calendar. We will also touch upon such aspects as the history of the holiday and the prohibitions that have survived to this day and are observed everywhere.

Elijah's Day: history

A long time ago, more precisely in the 9th century BC, 900 years before Jesus was born, a boy was born in one of the Jewish cities, who was predicted to have a great future. He was destined to become a prophet. His name is Ilya. According to legend, during the birth of a child, his father had a dream - angels wrapped the boy in fiery swaddling clothes and fed him with fiery flames.

Later it turned out that the dream was prophetic. Elijah grew up and went into the desert, where he observed all the sermons of God, strictly fasted and prayed to the Gods daily. After his hermitage in the desert, Elijah continued to lead a righteous life, fought against sins, resisted evil spirits and fought against idols.

It is noteworthy to point out that they began to venerate Ilya very slowly - only from the 9th-10th centuries AD. In Byzantium, entire feasts and performances were organized in his honor. A little later, Ilya “pushed out” the guardian of heaven Perun, taking his characteristics and powers for himself. Currently, Prophet Elijah is considered the patron saint of air warriors (pilots, aviators and paratroopers). Apparently, it is not in vain that the holiday of Ilyin Day and Paratroopers Day is celebrated on August 2.

What not to do on Elijah's Day

The main prohibition of this day is to swim in open springs. It is believed that all the evil spirits that were expelled from it on the day of Ivan Kupala return to reservoirs. If the prohibition is violated, lightning can kill you or various diseases may attack you. According to another version, it is believed that Elijah throws a piece of ice into reservoirs on this day and therefore the water becomes very cold.

You can't work. And this prohibition was observed by our ancestors extremely strictly: after all, any attempt to do everyday things could turn into grief - Elijah could even burn down a house by directing lightning at it.

Under no circumstances should pets be allowed outside on this day, and if the animal does run outside, do not let them back in. It is believed that on this day the animals are possessed by evil spirits, which Elijah destroys in every possible way with his lightning. And therefore, letting evil spirits into your home under the guise of a pet is extremely dangerous. By the way, even fishermen usually release fish on this day if they have red eyes.

With all due respect to work, you can’t even go into the garden on this day: otherwise the roots of the cucumbers will rot, the fruits will fall off and the leaves on the cabbage will wither.

The holiday of Elijah's Day in 2017 is celebrated on August 2. And every year it falls on the same date. This is one of the most beloved celebrations by Christians. According to legend, the prophet Elijah performed great miracles for the glory of the Christian faith - he would cure whooping cough, water damage, and seizures, and also punish the guilty. And, if you are asked when Ilyin’s day is, you will definitely know the answer.

For treatment, they used herbs that were collected at dawn on August 2, and then decoctions were prepared from them. They were to be consumed for 40 days three times a day on an empty stomach. There was also a tradition on this day to sew a shirt for a seriously ill person, half from a man’s shirt, half from a woman’s, and the following words were said: “I wear a shirt of neither men nor women, so that Ilya will give health. Amen. Amen. Amen".

How to celebrate Elijah’s Day in 2017: why you can’t swim

On Ilya’s Day, not only were various rituals performed, but also certain rules for its celebration were observed: August 2 was considered the boundary between the sultry heat of summer and the cold snap, a harbinger of the coming winter. Usually on this day the man did not go out into the field, so as not to anger Ilya, who could punish him for refusing to rest with a three-year crop failure.

From Ilya’s day, people had to stop swimming in reservoirs, since, according to legend, evil spirits returned for the winter, which could drag the naughty person forever into the pool.

To ensure there was always enough food in the house, women baked bread from the new harvest and shared it with all relatives and godfathers. After the meal, everyone went out onto the hill and sang ritual songs.

If there was a girl of marriageable age in the house, then she had to go out into an open field and wait for the wind to blow, spin around her axis so that suitors would come from all sides.

On Elijah's day they washed themselves with rainwater in order to live without disease and damage. This rain will cleanse even the evil eye if a person has it.

If you see a thunderstorm on August 2, then this is a sign that Ilya is angry: you need to cross yourself three times on all four sides.

The eldest woman in the house must consecrate all the corners of the house, then there will always be peace and tranquility in it.

If there was a single guy in the house, his mother had to bake cookies, which were supposed to add herbs collected that day. She treated women she knew who had daughters of marriageable age to these cookies. It was believed that the guy would find a worthy match.

On Elijah's Day, animals were not allowed outside, since the evil spirit walking around on August 2 could enter them and starve them to death.

On the occasion of Ilya's Day, infants were not washed either in a trough or in a basin, since it was believed that a child could drown even in a small container.

The couple tried not to quarrel on Elijah’s day, since the prophet believes that today only he has the right to be angry. He can punish with big family problems.

Today it was necessary to collect water from three reservoirs, mix it and wash the children with it so that they would not get sick. Use the same water to wash children when they are sick.

It was forbidden to sew, but it was permissible to “sew up” the negative message sent to the baby by the mother with red thread at the corners of the baby’s pillow, making three crosses. There was an interesting tradition: girls who wanted to get married as soon as possible had to stand in a row, and each single guy had to pinch them lightly, as if to mark them. It was believed that the more guys pinched, the greater the likelihood of finding a spouse this year. Therefore, the girls tried to go out early.

Thunderstorms at that time were dangerous, often starting fires. So on Ilya’s day it was possible to extinguish it only with the help of milk or whey, since water could not calm the raging fire.

Honey collected on this day was considered healing. It was hidden and given only in cases where a person fell ill with whooping cough, a cold or other respiratory tract ailment. On Elijah’s day, only the closest and dearest people were treated to such honey, so that they would live long and be healthy.

On August 2, Elijah’s Day is celebrated in the Orthodox calendar. In 2017, the holiday falls on Wednesday, but a weekday should in no way prevent believers from going to church to pray and setting a modest festive table in the evening. Prophet Elijah is one of the famous prophets who lived 900 years before the birth of Christ.

The prophet Elijah was famous for his zeal for God. At that time there was a king whose wife was a pagan. With caresses, persuasion, and sometimes even deception, she won the king over to the side of her faith, and he began to worship idols. Seeing that the most important dignitary worshiped idols, those around him began to worship them, and then the entire Israeli people. Prophet Elijah told people that they believe in the true God and that they should not worship idols, but they did not listen to him.

When it was not possible to explain his wrong path to the people of Israel, Elijah turned to the Lord and asked him to make sure that there would be no rain in their lands for three years. During these three years, the entire Israeli people experienced temptations and problems; people died from hunger and thirst. The Prophet lived in a cave at that time and every day a raven flew to him and brought him a piece of bread. There was a source of water near the cave, but it soon dried up. Then Elijah realized that the Lord was forcing Elijah to go to the people again and turn to them.

Seeing that for three years the people had not repented, Elijah said: let the priests who are seducing you make their altar, and I will make mine. We prayed and asked that the Lord himself choose the sacrifice that is more pleasing to him. The prophet Elijah succeeded the first time: as soon as he raised his hands to the sky, there was lightning and it began to rain. Everyone fell on their faces, repented and realized what they had done. Prophet Elijah raised his hands, prayed and a lot of rain began to fall, life got better. People saw that it was impossible to live without the Christian God.

Interesting! Among the people, the holiday of the Day of Prophet Elijah, which is celebrated annually on August 2, is associated with water. There are various superstitions about water on this day, but some priests emphasize that quite often the weather actually turns bad and the day turns out to be rainy. Perhaps the Lord sends rain precisely in honor of those ancient events.

What is also important to note is that in the Old Testament it was Elijah the prophet who was the first virgin: he preserved himself and did not waste himself on trifles. He is the only one of the Old Testament saints whom the Lord took alive. According to legend, when the time came to die, an angel appeared for him on a chariot of fire and took him away. The prophet Elisha, who was after Elijah, saw all this with his own eyes.

Interesting! It is precisely because of such a miraculous ascension to heaven that Prophet Elijah is today considered the patron saint of all who fly in the sky: pilots, paratroopers and representatives of other flying professions.

A reliable historical fact has been preserved that the first temple that was built in Rus' was built precisely in honor of the prophet Elijah. This is a very revered and respected saint in our lands. This temple was built by Prince Igor at the beginning of his baptism and his wife Princess Olga, even before the baptism of Rus' (in Kyiv).

Folk signs and beliefs on the day of the prophet Elijah

It is with the day of the Prophet Elijah that many popular beliefs and signs, as well as superstitions, are associated. Why is this so, should we take them seriously? The priests emphasize that every believer understands that superstition should not be trusted, but some signs really do exist. They were formed over the years, and the people in Rus' have always been creative and love to invent and invent.

Beautiful video greeting for August 2, Elijah’s Day

In the old days, people always asked Ilya for rain or sunny weather - depending on what was more needed. Through Elijah's prayers, rain always falls to the ground. Previously, small wooden temples in honor of the prophet Elijah were built in one day to bring rain in dry places. And it always started to rain, people miraculously found sources of water. The main signs on Elijah's Day are associated specifically with rains; August 2 is the border of the seasons and after this day the first signs of autumn begin.

Saint Elijah the Prophet is revered by Orthodox Christians and is known everywhere. There are many signs and beliefs on the day of his memory, the fulfillment of which promises a cloudless and joyful life.

Among the people, Saint Elijah is revered primarily as the lord of thunder and lightning. He is responsible for the fertility of the earth, and is also the patron of the military belonging to the airborne troops. The prophet was the first saint revered in ancient Rus': temples were built in his honor already in the tenth century, and after general baptism, the veneration of Elijah became widespread. This saint is a symbol of unshakable faith in the Lord, pious and righteous life.

Signs and traditions of the holiday

The Day of Remembrance of Elijah the Prophet gathers many Orthodox Christians within the walls of temples and churches. The festive service is accompanied by prayers, in which everyone can ask the saint for protection and patronage, open their souls to the Lord and take the path of correction and piety.

On the day of celebration, any work is prohibited. It is believed that labor not only will not bear fruit, but will also have a negative impact on future life in general.

In ancient times, our ancestors tried not to anger the stern Ilya on August 2 and did their best to protect their homes and crops from thunderstorms, hail and other manifestations of the elements.

On Elijah’s day, the bravest hunters went out into the forest and tried to catch a wolf. If it was possible to catch an animal, then good luck and prosperity awaited the successful hunter all year.

According to legend, on this day you need to wash your face with spring water in order to protect yourself from all kinds of diseases and the negativity of ill-wishers.

Based on natural phenomena on this day, our ancestors determined what weather to expect in the near future. If the thunder rumbled for a long time, it means that inclement weather is coming. Sharp and sonorous short peals promised clear, warm weather.

On this day they were afraid of a lack of rain and clear skies, which promised many fires and natural disasters.

On this holiday, everyone can pray not only in church, but also at the home iconostasis. It is believed that the day of remembrance of Elijah the Prophet is a key turning point not only for weather conditions, but also in a person’s life. The priests encourage you to spend this time in a friendly mood and without negative thoughts. We wish you good luck and don't forget to press the buttons and