Orthodox Forgiveness Sunday 2023: Date, History, Facts

This year, Forgiveness Sunday will be observed on February 26, the last Sunday before the start of Great Lent. The Triodion, a liturgical book containing services from the Sunday of the Publican and Pharisee (ten days before Easter) to Great and Holy Saturday, contains hymns from the Triodion from the pre-Lent period. The focus of the Sunday of Forgiveness is an occurrence that reveals how far we have sunk in sin and become estranged from God. This Sunday, which marks the beginning of Great Lent, reminds us of our need for God’s forgiveness and directs our minds, hearts, and spiritual endeavours towards repentance.

The background of Orthodox Forgiveness Sunday

The custom originated on Mount Athos and spread to other nations over time. Its origins can be traced to an ancient Egyptian custom in which monks separated in the desert prior to the beginning of Lent, just before Easter, in order to devote themselves solely to prayer. Due to the numerous dangers in the desert, the monks beseeched one another for forgiveness as if it were their last meeting before death.

Forgiveness Sunday is the final day of Maslyana, an Eastern Slavic religious and folk festival observed in the week preceding Great Lent, and thus the last Sunday before Great Lent. This day does not have a fixed date, as the beginning of Lent occurs on various dates in February and March, depending on the date of Easter. It is a time of spiritual purification and preparation for Lent, which begins the following day. The expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden is the focal point of the Sunday of Forgiveness, an event that illustrates how deeply we have sunk into sin and separated ourselves from God. This Sunday, which marks the beginning of Great Lent and a month of extreme fasting, focuses our hearts, minds, and spiritual energies on our need for God’s forgiveness.

According to tradition, Orthodox Christians seek forgiveness from one another on this day for all the hardships and sins they have committed throughout the years. It is believed that Lent loses its significance if it is reduced to simply abstaining from food without reciprocal forgiveness of sins. If someone apologises to you today, you should respond, “God forgives, and so do I.”

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5 IMPORTANT ORTHODOX FORGIVENESS SUNDAY WORDS

It is an evening prayer service held on the eve of Great Lent.
It is an alternative name for Forgiveness Sunday, the final day before Easter when dairy products may be consumed.
It is a bow used to request forgiveness from another person.
This is the most important fast on the Christian calendar.
The first day of Lent marks the beginning of a period of repentance and sin cleansing.

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