Christmas It is impossible to understand a country and its people without understanding their religious beliefs. Many customs and cultural traditions are associated with religion, which for centuries has determined historical destinies and types of thinking, moral concepts and the calendar circle. Let's try to trace the annual cycle of the church's most significant Christian holidays based on the work of I. S. Shmelev (1873-1950) "The Summer of the Lord". In literary studies and linguoculturology, the following definitions have recently been applied to Ivan Shmelev's works: Orthodox-colored texts and religiously oriented texts. The theme of historical and ancestral memory largely unites these authors. page 85 Whatever the plot of the later works of I. S. Shmelev, he evaluated all the events and actions of the characters from the Christian point of view, from the position of an Orthodox person. His "Summer of the Lord" and "Pilgrimage" transport the reader to the atmosphere of Orthodox Moscow at the end of the XIX century. Let's go on a journey through the Orthodox calendar, but breaking the sequence of the festive cycle proposed by the writer, we will start with Christmas: "Our Christmas is coming from afar, quietly. Deeper snows, stronger frosts. When you see the frozen pigs being delivered, Christmas is coming soon... And the frost is so cold that the air freezes. Frost stands, foggy, smoky. And the wagons are pulling - for Christmas... Frosty Russia, a ... it's warm!.. It smells of polished floors, mastic, and Christmas trees. The lamps are not lit, but all the lamps are. The stoves crackle and burn. Quiet light, holy... Shelter the Magi, Holy strechayte, Christmas has come, Let's start the celebration! A star is coming with us, He sings a prayer..." Christmas is one of the main Christian holidays and is considered the second most important holiday after Easter. Even in the second century, Christians did not know the feast of the Nativity of Christ, they celebrat ... Read more