Today is a special day in: the feast of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. In the people this holiday is called Nikolay Summer. By tradition, the editors of I WANT to publish information about the signs of the day, as well as what not to do on St. Nicholas on May 22. Details later in the material.

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While everyone is preparing for, studying traditions and, as well, we have no less important information about another religious holiday.

May 22 is the feast of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. People have long believed that he takes care of and helps all wanderers, those who are far from home, and, of course, children. Therefore, the feast of the saint is celebrated 2 times a year: in winter, on December 19, and in summer, on May 22. The spring holiday has many names: Nicholas the Wonderworker, Nikola summer, Nikola spring, Nikola with warmth, Grass Day, merciful Nikola, sea.

Traditions and signs on St. Nicholas May 22

On May 22, people have always looked at nature to predict the future, and also spent the day in a special way.

1. On the holiday of summer Nicholas, everyone tried to dress in new festive clothes in order to respect Nicholas the Pleasant. They knew that this saint was closest to the Lord and could fulfill people's requests.
2. On this religious holiday, you can work: around the house, around the house, in the garden and in the garden. Therefore, the hostesses on this day tried to put things in order in the house, since the saint does not like disorder.
3. If it rains on Nicholas, there will be a good harvest.
4. Morning dew on Nicholas is considered healing, they try to wash themselves with it for beauty and health, to walk barefoot on the grass.
5. It has long been believed that St. Nicholas patronizes lovers, so the newlyweds and those who were going to play the wedding asked for protection and help from the saint.

What not to do on Nicholas the Wonderworker: bans on Nicholas the Wonderworker on May 22

But also on the feast of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker on May 22, some prohibitions work that all believers need to know.

1. You can’t refuse Nikolai to anyone who asks you for help, otherwise the family will endure poverty and disaster for 7 years for refusing to help those in need.
2. By the day of St. Nicholas, you cannot keep a debt, otherwise there will be no financial luck all year. It is better to pay off debts before the holiday.
3. On this day, it was forbidden to pick up scissors.
4. It is also impossible not to get a haircut on Nicholas the Wonderworker.

The days of memory of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in the folk calendar were called Nikola summer, or spring (May 22) and).

According to legend, Saint Nicholas was born in the 3rd century in the city of Patara, located on the southern coast of Asia Minor. Was the only child in the family. His parents, Feofan and Nonna, had no children for a long time. When the mother became pregnant, she promised that she would dedicate her unborn child to the service of God.

Nikolai was devout from childhood. During the day he visited the temple, and at night he studied the Holy Scriptures and prayed. After the death of his parents, he sold their estate, distributed the proceeds to the poor, and became a priest himself. After a while, he was appointed bishop of the city of Mira (Antalya). Thanks to the developed maritime trade, this ancient city was one of the centers of Christianity.

Saint Nicholas helped those in need, but he always tried to do it unnoticed by others. Before Christmas, he delivered gifts to people, and for a long time no one guessed who was doing it. Once Nikolai was caught by one of the inhabitants of the city, thinking that he was a thief. It was then that everything cleared up and people recognized the name of the benefactor, and the tradition of giving gifts for Christmas soon gained great popularity.

During his life, the saint performed many good deeds and many miracles. His fame spread throughout the world. Saint Nicholas began to be considered their patron by monks, priests, travelers, sailors, writers, people entering into marriage. He was credited with the ability to instantly appear near the patient in order to heal; near a drowning man to save; he could put out the fire, calm the sea, came to the rescue not only to people, but also to animals. Most of all, the saint loved children, helped them, comforted and saved them.

Nicholas the Pleasant died on December 6, 343 in the city of Mira, where in his honor a church in the form of a cross was erected on the site of the destroyed temple of Artemis. The body of the miracle worker was placed in a white marble sarcophagus. In the VII-IX centuries. the Arabs destroyed the tomb. In the 11th century, the remains of the saint were stolen and taken to Italy. What was left after the robbery is now in the museums of Antalya.

Nikola is a favorite holiday for adults and children

The Orthodox Church honors the memory of St. Nicholas twice a year: on May 22 and December 19. In folk tradition, these holidays are called "Spring Nicholas" and "Winter Nicholas". On Nikola summer, or spring (Nikolshchina), they prepared scrambled eggs (ritual dish) and dyed eggs (krasnki). Women took scrambled eggs and carried them to the forest, where they ate them in honor of St. Nicholas, and they took the eggs to the church.

On this day, for the first time since the beginning of the year, horses were driven out to night pastures. In honor of the saint, men brewed beer together and arranged men's meals - brothers. They didn’t swim before St. Nicholas of the Spring, but on the holiday itself they blessed the water for bathing.

On Winter Nikola in the northern regions of Russia, there was a custom to slaughter a sacrificial bull " mycolts", which was fattened by the whole village. Peasants gave part of the meat to the church, and part of it was eaten during a common meal. On the eve of Winter Nicholas, fishermen and seafarers tried to propitiate the saint. They made a straw effigy, put it in a leaky boat and sent it on a voyage, asking Saint Nicholas to take the effigy for himself, who had no family or children, and not to touch the fishermen and sailors, protect them from death and give them good luck.

In Ukraine, the day of Nicholas the Confessor has been honored for a long time. Children ask the saint for protection and gifts, write letters to him. On the morning of the holiday, under the pillow, the children find delicious gifts. For the holiday, it was customary to make honey cookies - nikolaychiki distributed to adults and children.

Nikola (Saint Nicholas in Christian mythology) comes from a character of the pagan era, who was considered a forest spirit. Among the southern Slavs, this forest spirit made riddles for those who got lost. If a person guesses the riddle, the forest spirit will let him go and help him find his way home, if not, he will take his soul. In the mythology of the Eastern Slavs, Nikola Duplyansky is known, who lives in a hollow. In terms of signs and functions, it is similar to the goblin. According to legend, he is blind in one eye or crooked.

Saint Nicholas(Nicholas Ugodnik; Nicholas the Wonderworker; OK. 270 - approx. 345) is a Christian saint, Archbishop of the World of Lycia (Byzantium). Saint Nicholas is revered as a miracle worker, is considered patron of travelers, sailors, merchants and children. In European folklore, the prototype of Santa Claus.

Saint Nicholas, Archbishop of the World of Lycia, a miracle worker, became famous as a great saint of God. He was born into a wealthy aristocratic family 250 years after the birth of Jesus Christ on the outskirts of the Byzantine Empire, in the seaside city of Patara in Lycia (today it is the territory of Turkey). His parents, Feofan and Nonna, were pious, noble and rich people. Then his family moved to the port city of Mira. Here the Saint spent his whole life.

From birth, he surprised his pious parents: at baptism, he stood in the font for 3 hours, thereby paying honor to the Most Holy Trinity; On Wednesdays and Fridays, he refused mother's milk for the sake of fasting days. Growing up, he aspired more and more to God, spending a long time in prayer.

After the death of his parents, Nicholas received a large inheritance and began to distribute it to the poor. But he helped people secretly, so that they would not know who gave them, and would not thank him.

From childhood, Nicholas excelled in the study of Divine Scripture. During the day he did not leave the church, but at night he prayed and read books. In matters of faith, he was like an old man. Such service to God could not go unnoticed. After the death of the archbishop of the Church of Myra, John, the question arose: who would take his place? And one of the bishops saw in a dream that a young man should be chosen as bishop, who would be the first to enter the church in the morning - his name should be Nikolai. At dawn, the first to open the doors of the temple was the Blessed Nicholas, who later became known as the Miracle Worker of Mirliki.

Making a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, Nicholas the Wonderworker, at the request of desperate travelers, calmed the raging sea with a prayer. Holding the sword of the executioner, Saint Nicholas saved from death three husbands who had been innocently condemned by the greedy mayor.

Christians believe that even today he performs many miracles to help people who pray to him.

Not only believers turned to him, but also pagans, and the saint responded with his unfailing miraculous help to all who sought it. In those saved by him from bodily troubles, he aroused repentance for sins and a desire to improve their lives.

During his earthly life, he did so many good deeds for the glory of God that they cannot be listed, but among them there is one that belongs to the number of virtues and to that which served as the basis for their performance, which moved the saint to a feat - his faith, amazing, strong, zealous.

Saint Nicholas died in the middle of the 4th century at a ripe old age. According to church tradition, the relics of the saint were preserved incorruptible and exuded a wonderful myrrh, from which many people were healed. In 1087 relics of St. Nicholas were moved in the Italian city of Bar (Bari), where they are to this day, in the crypt of the Basilica of St. Nicholas. Part of the relics of St. Nicholas is kept in Venice(Lido Island) and in the archaeological museum of the city of Antalya.

The folk calendar distinguishes two days dedicated to Nikolai Ugodnik: winter Nikola - December 19, and spring (summer) Nikola - May 22.

Nicholas the Wonderworker is revered by both the Western Church and the Orthodox world. But it is in Russia that even people far from the church know Nikolai Ugodnik as the most revered saint by the Russian people. In addition to the special holidays dedicated to him, the Church celebrates the memory of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker every Thursday. St. Nicholas is often commemorated at divine services and on other days of the week.

Saint Nicholas showed mercy even to a person who committed a terrible sin, if he deeply and sincerely obeyed. So, he forgave the ruler of the city, who condemned the innocent for a bribe, and did not complain about him to the emperor. And he could be unexpectedly harsh: at the Ecumenical Council in Nicaea (325), indignant at the stubbornness of the heretic Arius, he hit him on the cheek, for which the assembled bishops decided to deprive Saint Nicholas of the hierarchal (episcopal) dignity. According to legend, he was even imprisoned. But the sign that the bishops received in a dream convinced them to return the saint's freedom. The meaning of his act for believers is by no means in permissiveness, but in active rejection of any untruth: the sharpness of the saint was caused by the same feeling that once prompted him to snatch the sword from the hands of the executioner.

Saint Nicholas is also glorified as a miracle worker: through his prayers, miraculous healings and even resurrections from the dead took place, storms at sea subsided, and the wind carried the ship to where the saint needed. The Church also knows many cases when prayers of believers to St. Nicholas turned into miracles even after his death.

A quick and merciful helper to the afflicted, unmercenary and philanthropist, sensitively responding to the misfortune and pain of people; a strict pastor-mentor, acutely experiencing any untruth and resolutely rebelling against it - in these features of St. Nicholas, Orthodox see not a contradictory nature, but evidence of the living fullness of his holiness.

The miraculous image of St. Nicholas is in the Epiphany Cathedral in Yelokhov (metro station "Baumanskaya").

magnificence

We magnify you, Saint Father Nicholas, and honor your holy memory, for you pray for us Christ our God.

Prayer to Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker

O all-holy Nicholas, the Lord's most beautiful servant, our warm intercessor, and everywhere in sorrow a quick helper! Help me, a sinner and a dull one, in this present life, beg the Lord God to grant me the remission of all my sins, having sinned from my youth, in all my life, deed, word, thought and all my feelings; and at the end of my soul, help me, the damned one, implore the Lord God, all creatures of the Creator, to deliver me from air ordeals and eternal torment, may I always glorify the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit and your merciful intercession, now and ever and forever and ever. Amen.

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From year to year, this holiday is celebrated on the same day - May 22 according to the new style (May 9 according to the Julian calendar). The name "Nikola Summer" is the most common. However, the celebration has many other names: Nikola Veshny, Nikola Saint, Summer Day, Saint Nicholas, Nikola with Warmth, Herbal Day, Nicholas the Wonderworker, Warm Day.

Also read: December 19 - Winter Nicholas Day

Feast of Nicholas of Summer in Christianity

What is the meaning of the holiday of Summer Nikola?

Since ancient times, it was believed that on Grassy Day, spring, finally losing ground, meets with summer. The sun no longer warms gently, its rays become truly burning. After Nikolin's day, a hot time usually set in. In Russia, this holiday was very much expected, it was of great importance for the Orthodox. Saint Nicholas was close to God and was considered one of his favorites.

In some villages, people even created special prayers in honor of Nicholas. In their prayers, they directly addressed the Saint, asking him for protection and patronage. By and large, the prayers addressed to Nicholas of Summer were practically no different from the prayers that were said in honor of the Lord. However, these prayers were never approved by the church canon.

The origins of the holiday

Honoring the memory of St. Nicholas of Summer began at the beginning of the 11th century, literally a few decades after the emergence of the Orthodox religion. The Greeks did not attach much importance to this holiday. For them, it was a reminder of negative events, since their country had lost the holy relics of Nikola.

At first, the memory of Nicholas the Wonderworker was honored only by the inhabitants of Italy. This is due to the transfer of the relics of the Saint at the end of the 11th century from Lycia to the church of St. Stephen, located in the Italian city of Bari. Adherents of the Christian faith living in other countries, Nikola Summer was not accepted and was not considered as a grandiose celebration because all the attention and respect of the people was directed to the local Shrines.

Childhood of Saint Nicholas. In one of the colonies of Lycia (now the territory of Turkey), a boy was born into a wealthy peasant family, who was named Nicholas. This event dates back to around 270 AD. From early childhood, his parents taught Nicholas to the Orthodox faith. The boy attended every liturgy, often prayed, studied Divine books and Holy Scriptures.

Youth and youth of Nicholas the Wonderworker. Nicholas' uncle served as a bishop. It was he who contributed to the fact that the young man received the priesthood, whose duties included communication with the flock. Nikolay perfectly coped with his duties, taught and instructed believers, taught to pray, gave advice. In a short period of time, Nikolai won the love and respect of the parishioners. The young Saint possessed such qualities as mercy, openness, kindness, generosity, the ability to sincerely sympathize with people.

A few years later, Nikolai's parents left the mortal world. After that, Nikola, having entered into an inheritance, distributed all the valuables to needy people: the poor, the poor, the sick, the disabled. Saint Nicholas had modesty and meekness, so he did not advertise his good deeds, did not try to tell others about them. However, the rumor about the blessings of the Saint spread quickly. Nicholas became even more loved and respected.

Mature years of Nikolai Ugodnik. St. Being a priest, Nicholas became a pilgrim. For several years, he was able to visit almost all the places where the Savior's foot had set foot. When the Saint returned to his native Lycia, the leadership of the church and the parishioners unanimously elected him Bishop. Having taken the rank of bishop, Nikolai Ugodnik did not change his inner convictions, remaining the same ascetic, meek, generous and kind. Despite his modesty, Nicholas was an ardent opponent of heresy and paganism, he fought mercilessly for the Christian religion.

Throughout his life, Nikolai managed to perform many miracles, which were witnessed by the parishioners. Nikolai always extended a helping hand to people in need, healed the sick (sick), saved those who were in trouble, exposed injustice and even resurrected those who had departed to another world. For such good deeds, people called the Saint the Great Wonderworker.

The venerable age of Nicholas. Until very old age, Nicholas preached Christianity, instructed the laity on the true path, helped everyone who turned to him. The Pleasant said goodbye to the world of the living, having reached old age. Historians call such dates of the death of the Saint: 342, 346, 351. The imperishable relics of the Wonderworker were preserved for a long time in the local cathedral church until they were transferred to the city of Bari. From those ancient times to this day, it is believed that the ashes of Nicholas exude a healing myrrh that cures all ailments.

Signs and rituals on the day of St. Nicholas the Summer

Folk signs on Nikola Summer

• If during the period of the forerunner (22.05-10.06) the weather was damp and windy with showers and thunderstorms, it means that Nikola Summer is favorable, and at the end of summer it will be possible to harvest a rich harvest. Such weather was a particularly favorable sign for the wheat harvest.
• If the croaking of frogs was heard on Nikola Veshny, it means that Mother Earth will bring generous gifts to people. Cereal and vegetable crops, fruits and berries will be born well.
• “The Grace of God” and “Heaven pours rain on the earth, raises rich bread” - this is what they said if it rains on St. Nicholas of the Veshny. And this weather promised a happy life this year.
• It was believed that shearing sheep, planting potatoes and buckwheat on the day of St. Nicholas of Summer would bring good luck in all matters, a rich harvest, and getting rid of troubles.
• According to one of the old signs, prayers addressed to the Lord and the Saints on May 22 have great power. People can ask for healing from ailments, an addition to the family, a meeting with a soul mate, forgiveness of sins. Saint Nicholas, who was close to God, will definitely help!
• In order not to get sick all year, in the morning on Nikola Summer, people with all their families went out into the field and washed themselves with dew. Then health will be strong and no illness will cling. Some stripped down to their underwear and rolled on the grass, which was covered with dew. Thus, the whole body was washed with fertile moisture.
• If Alder begins to bloom on May 22, then expect financial well-being soon. It was believed that the family, in whose yard the buds on this tree blossomed, would not experience material difficulties all year. There are cases when people after that found treasures, unexpectedly received an inheritance, won a large sum of money.

Traditions on the feast of Nikola the Summer

Since Nicholas the Wonderworker is the patron and protector of couples in love, young girls at dawn on May 22 prayed to the Saint that he would grant them a meeting with their soulmate. Unmarried girls asked Nikolai to send them a good husband, generous, handsome, hardworking, brave, kind.

Saint Nicholas also patronizes animals, including sheep and horses. By the day of St. Nicholas the Summer, fresh grass in the fields had already grown enough. Therefore, on the night of May 22, all owners of horses and sheep drove their cattle into the fields. Animals frolicked all night, ran, nibbling grass. In Russia, this ceremony was turned into a real spectacular show. And even today in some villages you can observe such an action. So that the horses and sheep would not run away, shepherds were assigned to them - young and physically strong men.

In the evening, before the start of the pasture of animals, a special dinner was prepared for the shepherds, consisting of their porridge and pies. Then bonfires were kindled around the perimeter of the large field. Few of the villagers went to bed early, because everyone wanted to watch the pasture of animals. Even small children were allowed to walk until midnight that day. A little later, when the villagers dispersed to their huts, girls, unmarried residents of the village, joined the shepherds. Then the real festivities began with dancing, songs and fun games. It was believed that on this night, boys and girls entered adulthood, so older relatives did not particularly control "hot young hearts."

In order for the harvest to be rich and the land to be fertile, at dawn people went out into the fields and gardens, stood facing the rising sun and performed a special ceremony. They read prayers addressed to Nicholas the Wonderworker, asking him to protect their lands, for generous gifts, for a well-fed existence.

How to behave correctly and what to do on the holiday of St. Nicholas of Summer?

In order for happiness to smile throughout the year, May 22 must be spent in prayers and caring for the family, home, and cattle. It is desirable that all household members, young and old, be busy with useful things.

In the morning and evening, it is advisable to pray to Nicholas Veshny and the Lord. You can ask God and the Saint for everything you need. If your prayers are sincere, and you really deserve what you ask for, you will definitely be rewarded.

On this day, you need to start sowing some crops. As a rule, buckwheat and potatoes were planted. It was believed that after the day of Nikola the Summer, it was pointless to engage in their landing. Firstly, there will be no decent harvest, and secondly, crops will not have time to spoil.

In the morning, after going to church and prayers, it is advisable to go to the bathhouse, take a good bath and change into clean or even new underwear. Outerwear should also be washed and ironed. In the process of bathing, you can read a prayer.

From the very morning, the housewives began to clean up the house, backyard territory, non-residential outbuildings where cattle were kept. Animals were intensively fed various delicacies. Artiodactyls and ruminants were grazed, the rest of the pets were walked.

Unmarried girls and unmarried guys changed into beautiful outfits after the bath. The guys put on shirts embroidered with gold, wide light-colored linen trousers, tied with satin belts. The girls dressed up in long sundresses, and multi-colored scarves were tied on their heads or wreaths with ribbons were put on.

After working in the field and having fun, all family members were supposed to gather at the table to enjoy a festive dinner. There are no special recommendations regarding the dishes on the table. They ate everything that God sent. Usually it was an unpretentious food: milk, pancakes, chicken eggs, cheese, porridge, boiled potatoes, lard and all kinds of dishes prepared from the listed products.

What can not be done on Nikola Summer?

On May 22, it was not worth it to be sad, to indulge in memories of past negative events, to be lazy. The only thing that should be abandoned regarding housework is knitting and sewing.

It is undesirable to use scissors and other piercing and cutting objects (kitchen utensils and garden tools do not count).

It was believed that if a person refuses to help the one who turned to him, he and his family will feel the need and fail for 7 years in a row. Remember, helping the poor, orphans and all those who ask is one of the life rules that St. Nicholas always adhered to during his lifetime.

On a Warm Day, it is also undesirable to refuse anything (of course, within reasonable limits) to children. Nikolai Ugodnik is their patron, so all the kids need to make gifts. It is not necessary to buy something expensive, let it be simple gifts, such as souvenirs, toys, or their favorite treats. By tradition, gifts were always placed under the pillow for children or hidden in socks, which were then hung on a rope above the stove (fireplace).

On Grass Day, it is inappropriate to indulge in violent revelry. Dancing until you drop, strong alcohol intoxication and loud chants are unacceptable. It is also not welcome to clarify personal relationships, and even more so quarrels, scandals, fights. Swearing on May 22 means incurring failure.

Nikola Summer is a holiday loved by many, especially kids. This is a celebration dedicated to the end of spring and the beginning of the summer season. It is important to spend this holiday correctly so that St. Nicholas fulfills all your desires, becomes a patron and reliable protector for you and your family!

Great holiday for all Orthodox. However, Nikolin's day is celebrated not only by the Orthodox, but also by people who are far from. The holiday of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker is also called St. Nicholas Day and the holiday of St. Nicholas the Pleasant.

Church holiday May 22, 2014 - Nikolin's day, the day of St. Nicholas the Pleasant. The folk calendar reminds us that, according to tradition, two days are celebrated in honor of St. Nicholas: the first - in winter, on December 19 (this day is called the holiday of St. Nicholas of Winter) and in the spring - St. Nicholas of Spring, on May 22.

Nicholas the Wonderworker is a great saint. He is known and revered not only in Russia, but also in Western Europe. There is an opinion that Nicholas the Wonderworker is the most revered saint in Russia. It is no coincidence that the memory of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker is honored by the Russian Orthodox Church every Thursday.

Nikolai Ugodnik (Wonderworker) famous for his great mercy. He forgave even those people who committed a terrible sin. The main thing is that a person deeply repents of a perfect deed. St. Nicholas did not accidentally receive the name of the Wonderworker. The thing is that he became famous as a miracle worker. What miracles did he perform? Saint Nicholas gave prayers and miraculous healings from the most terrible diseases took place through his prayers. Orthodox, who are well acquainted with the history of the life of Nicholas the Wonderworker, claim that he was able to revive the dead.

As various scriptures say, Nikolai Ugodnik was able to pacify a storm at sea. And the sailors who read the prayers of Nikolai Ugodnik were saved from a shipwreck. And even when Saint Nicholas died, prayers to him were addressed to those who prayed for miracles.

Here are the brightest epithets that the Orthodox in Russia use when talking about Nikolai Ugodnik: a quick and merciful helper to the afflicted, an unmercenary and a philanthropist. Nicholas the Pleasant not only forgave everyone, thereby showing his boundless mercy, but also stood up for the offended and oppressed, rebelled against injustice.

If it rains today, it's good luck. There is such a sign in the folk calendar associated with St. Nicholas Day. It often comes true. It is believed that Nikolin's day on May 22 is, although it is also a calendar spring, but a symbol of the onset of summer.

On Nikolin's Day May 22 It is customary to cook special food: bake pancakes and cook duck soup. Be sure to leave a piece of pancake and throw it out the window to the birds. Birds should peck crumbs, then luck will definitely come to you.

If on Nikolin's day May 22 If it rains, the summer in the city will be warm. Divine services will be held in all Orthodox churches in your city on St. Nicholas Day.

Nicholas was born in the second half of the 3rd century in the city of Patara, a region of Lycia in Asia Minor. His parents Theophan and Nonna were from a noble family and very prosperous, which did not prevent them from being pious Christians, merciful to the poor and zealous to God.

Until a very old age, they did not have; in unceasing fervent prayer they asked the Almighty to give them a son, promising to dedicate him to the service of God. Their prayer was heard: the Lord gave them a son, who at holy baptism received the name Nicholas, which means in Greek - "the conquering people."

Already in the first days of his infancy, Saint Nicholas showed that he was destined for a special service to the Lord. There is a legend that during baptism, when the rite was very long, he, supported by no one, stood in the font for three hours. From the very first days, Saint Nicholas began a strict ascetic life, to which he remained faithful to the grave.

Upon entering the administration of the Myrliki diocese, St. Nicholas said to himself: “Now, Nicholas, your dignity and your position require you to live entirely not for yourself, but for others!”

Caring for the spiritual needs of his flock, Saint Nicholas did not neglect to satisfy their bodily needs. When a great famine came to Lycia, the good shepherd, in order to save the starving, created a new miracle: one merchant loaded a large ship with bread and, on the eve of sailing somewhere to the west, saw in a dream St. Nicholas, who ordered him to deliver all the bread to Lycia, for he buys he has all the cargo and gives him three gold coins as a deposit. Waking up, the merchant was very surprised to find three gold coins clutched in his hand. He realized that this was a command from above, brought bread to Lycia, and the starving were saved. Here he spoke of the vision, and the citizens recognized their archbishop from his description.

Not only believers turned to him, but also pagans, and the saint responded with his unfailing miraculous help to all who sought it. In those saved by him from bodily troubles, he aroused repentance for sins and a desire to improve their lives.

According to St. Andrew of Crete, St. Nicholas appeared to people burdened with various disasters, gave them help and saved them from death: “With his deeds and virtuous life, St. Nicholas shone in the Worlds, like a morning star among the clouds, like a beautiful month in his full moon. For the Church of Christ, he was a brightly shining sun, adorned Her, like a lily at the source, was for Her a fragrant world! The Lord vouchsafed His great Saint to live to a ripe old age. But the time came when he, too, had to repay the common debt of human nature. After a short illness, he died peacefully on December 6, 342, and was buried in the cathedral church of the city of Mira.

During his lifetime, St. Nicholas was a benefactor of the human race; he did not cease to be them even after his death. The Lord vouchsafed his honest body of incorruption and special miraculous power. His relics began - and continue to this day - to exude a fragrant myrrh, which has the gift of miracles.

The service to the saint, performed on the day of the transfer of his relics from the World of Lycia to Bargrad - May 22 - was compiled in 1097 by the Russian Orthodox monk of the Caves monastery Gregory and the Russian Metropolitan Ephraim.

The Holy Orthodox Church honors the memory of St. Nicholas not only on December 19 and May 22, but also weekly, every Thursday, with special hymns.

This great saint did many great and glorious miracles on earth and on the sea. He helped those in trouble, saved them from drowning and carried them out to dry land from the depths of the sea, freed them from captivity and brought the liberated home, delivered them from bonds and dungeons, protected them from being cut with a sword, freed them from death and gave various healings to many, the blind - insight, the lame - walking, deaf - hearing, dumb - the gift of words. He enriched many who were in squalor and extreme poverty, gave food to the hungry, and was a ready helper in every need, a warm intercessor and a quick intercessor and protector. And now he also helps those who call on him and saves them from troubles. It is impossible to enumerate his miracles, just as it is impossible to describe all of them in detail. East and West know this great miracle worker, and his miracle works are known in all ends of the earth. May the Triune God, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit be glorified in him, and may his holy name be praised by the lips forever. Amen.

Nicholas the Wonderworker is addressed with a variety of requests:

* about healing
* about the patronage of the family hearth
*for children
*about help in poverty and need
*about help in all difficult circumstances
* about the most cherished hopes

Even the prayers addressed to Nikolai Ugodnik themselves sound kind of warm and kind.

They have their own special inner structure, soft and insinuating.

Magnificence. We magnify you, Saint Father Nicholas, and honor your holy memory: for you pray for us Christ our God.

Troparion for the Nativity of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker.

Troparion, tone 4.

Your miraculous and glorious Christmas, St. Nicholas, the Orthodox Church today celebrates brightly, for by standing your foot, the Lord will reveal you and proclaim to be a lamp and a teacher to the laity, enriching and enlightening miracles the whole world. We cry to you: pray to Christ God that our souls be saved.

Troparion for the transfer of the relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, Archbishop of Myra of Lycia.

Troparion, tone 4.

Have a day of bright celebration, the city of Barsky rejoices, and with it the whole universe rejoices with spiritual songs and stumps: today is a sacred celebration, in the transfer of the honest and multi-healing relics of St. crying rightly: save us as our representative, the great Nicholas.

Prayer to Saint Nicholas.

O all-holy Nicholas, the servant of the Lord, our warm intercessor, and everywhere in sorrow a quick helper, help me, a sinner and a dull one, in this life, implore the Lord God to grant me the remission of all my sins, who have sinned from my youth, in all my life my, deed, word, thought and all my feelings; and at the end of my soul, help me to the accursed one, implore the Lord God of all creatures, the Creator, deliver me from air ordeals and eternal torment, may I always glorify the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and your merciful intercession, now and ever, and forever and ever. Amen.

Prayer to Saint Nicholas of Myra.

Oh, Saint Nicholas of Christ! Hear us, the sinful servant of God (names), praying to you, and pray for us, the unworthy, our Sovereign and Master, be merciful to us, create our God in this life and in the future, may he not repay us according to our deeds, but according to His will give us goodness. Deliver us, saint of Christ, from the evils that are upon us, and tame the waves of passions and troubles that rise upon us, so that for the sake of your holy prayers, we will not be attacked and we will not be mired in the abyss of sin and in the mud of our passions. Moth, Saint Nicholas, Christ our God, give us a peaceful life and the remission of sins, but salvation and great mercy to our souls, now and forever, and forever and ever. Amen.

Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker continues to help people with prayer and miracles.

The priest Dimitri Arzumanov tells.

Not having the audacity to retell to you the well-known and literary miracles that have already been described more than once, I want to tell you about a miracle that happened to my family through the prayers of St. Nicholas, as quick and bright as all the miracles performed by him. Some people close to me know about this miracle, and last winter I spoke about it on the day of the remembrance of the Saint, at a sermon, in the Church of the Three Hierarchs on Kulishki, which is dear to my heart. I hope you will read about it with interest and benefit.
This was in 1993. Difficult and impoverished time of perestroika and unaccelerated acceleration. My wife and I rented a dacha in Ilyinka for the fall-winter. It was much cheaper than even the most seedy housing in Moscow, I was not yet a priest and served as a sexton and reader in one of the newly opened monasteries. We lived more than modestly, and the pollock breadwinner was our exquisite festive meal. Our second child was born, there was a catastrophic lack of money, and we also did not want to return to secular work and leave the temple. Once in confession I complained to the confessor about life and he said to me:
- Pray to St. Nicholas, read the akathist, everything will be fine.
I came home and told my wife about this, and we began to read the akathist.
On the third day, an old friend calls me and says:
- Dimitri, listen, how are you, still working in the church?
- In the church - I say.
And of course you don't have any money.
- Of course not.
- Listen, here's the thing, a friend, the chief accountant of the bank, was balancing the balance, and somehow 40 thousand hung from her, neither here nor there, no matter how superfluous they are, can you take it? She wanted to donate to one of the believers to pray.
- I'll take it, - I say, - of course I'll take it, I'll take it with great joy.
And took. And brought home. Forty thousand rubles was a lot of money in those days. My wife and I were shocked. Incredible, unimaginable! Saint Nicholas of Christ, the great Pleasure of God, glory to you, kind and quick helper. We decided to give half of the money to help one Nikolsky monastery in the Kaluga region, and on the other half we lived comfortably, I don’t remember how much, but for a long time. However, money tends to run out, and we were discouraged again, but decided to take up the akathist again. And on the second day, my friend calls again:
- Dimitri, how are you, still in the church?
- In the church.
- Listen, again the same story, only this time 50 thousand, will you take it?
About our experiences with my wife, feelings, I probably can not write. You need to think about this for a long time, like over poetry. We again halved the money in the same directions and lived comfortably for a considerable period of time, and there I became a deacon, then a priest, and life took a completely different turn. But to this day and, I hope, until death, my mother and I treat the great and most holy name of Nicholas the Wonderworker with love, fear, awe and delight. With his prayers, I wish you all on the day of his holy memory and all the days - salvation and help from God, intercession and consolation in all sorrows, sorrows and hardships. I believe that the Great Hierarch will wipe with his omophorion every tear you shed, support with his right hand everyone who lifts his foot over the perilous abyss, warm with the fire of his heart our sinful, weak, but faithful souls that have caught cold in the cold winds of this age.

Saint Nicholas saves the geologist.

On the Solovetsky Islands, in late autumn, the sea is already covered with ice floes.
The geologist, the girl E., as part of a geological expedition that explored the islands, was carried away by wind and ice floes at night on a boat and washed up on an unfamiliar shore.
She was a believer from childhood and all the time she prayed to St. Nicholas for salvation.

She decided to walk along the coast until she met someone's housing.
She goes, she meets an old man, asks:
- Where are you going, girl?
- I'm walking along the coast to find someone's home.
- Do not go. You will not find anyone here for hundreds of miles. And you see a hill over there in the distance ... go there, climb it and then you will see where you need to go next.
She looked at the hill, and then turned to the old man. But he was no longer in front of her. She realized that St. Nicholas himself showed her the way, and went to the hill. From it, she noticed a house in the distance and went to it. There was a hut of a fisherman and his family. The fisherman was very surprised at her appearance in this completely deserted place. He confirmed that, indeed, for hundreds of kilometers along the coast, she would not have found housing and would certainly have died of hunger and cold.
So St. Nicholas saved the careless geologist from death. Was he saved because she was pious? But many cases are known when the Lord also saves the ungodly, therefore the Lord is called and is the Lover of mankind, loving the righteous and merciful to sinners.

The saint healed the soldier, and he remained in the monastery.

St. Nicholas of Christ sometimes appears not alone, but together with another saint or saints. We give one of such cases when the saint appeared together with the Mother of God.
4 days before the Nativity of Christ in 1887, a peasant of the Kostroma province of the Buysky district, a retired private Filimon Vasilyevich Otvagin, came to the Nikolo-Babaevsky Monastery, suffering from relaxation of the entire right side of the body, and could not control his right hand and dragged his right leg - he walked with someone else's help. The certificate issued to him from the Vologda zemstvo hospital indicated that he was being treated there from "semi-paralysis of the right half of the body, which occurred from an embolism of the cerebral vessels, a disease that is completely incurable and prevents him from doing personal physical labor." On the night of December 25-26, Otvagin reports, in a dream he saw St. Nicholas the Wonderworker standing at his head, and to the right the Queen of Heaven, the Most Holy Theotokos. The saint said to him:
- Work hard and pray with me, the Lord will grant you healing.
The Queen of Heaven told him the same thing.
When he woke up, he began to feel strength in his previously unpossessed limbs, and he brought his right hand to his head, which he could not do before, and made the sign of the cross with his left hand. Arriving on the 26th in the morning at the early liturgy, he was already able to freely overshadow himself with the sign of the cross with his right hand. Now he feels healed, and wished to stay forever in the monastery.

Salvation of the Patriarch.

During the reign of the Greek Tsar Leo and Patriarch Athanasius, once at midnight Saint Nicholas appeared in a vision to a certain pious elder named Theophanes and commanded him to immediately go to the icon painter Haggai and ask him to paint three icons: the Lord Jesus Christ, the Most Pure Lady of the Theotokos, and Nicholas, the Archbishop of Mir. After writing the images, Theophanes will have to show them to the patriarch.
When the icons were ready and brought to Theophan's house, the owner prepared a meal and invited the patriarch and the whole cathedral to his house. Seeing the sacred images, the patriarch praised the images of the Savior and the Mother of God, and about the icon of the saint said that the image of the saint should not have been placed next to the other two, since he came from the villagers, was the son of ordinary people Theophan and Nonna. Obeying the patriarch with sadness, Theophan carried the image of the saint out of the chamber, placed it in a place of honor, and asked one clergyman to stand in front of the icon during the entire meal of the patriarch and prayerfully glorify the saint. There was no wine during the meal. Fearing disgrace, Theophan fell on his knees before the icon and asked the Wonderworker Nicholas for help. Then, going to the place where the empty vessels stood, he was surprised to find them filled with fine wine.
The next morning, a certain nobleman begged the patriarch to come to him in order to read the Holy Gospel over his demon-possessed daughter. When they sailed in the open sea, a terrible storm began, the ship capsized and everyone ended up in the water, praying for the salvation of God, the Most Pure Mother of God and St. Nicholas. Suddenly Saint Nicholas appeared. Walking on the sea, as if on land, he approached the patriarch and took him by the hand with the words: "Athanasius, or did you need help from me, who comes from ordinary people?" Having pulled everyone out of the water and put them on the ship, the saint became invisible. The ship quickly sailed to Constantinople, the patriarch, having gone ashore, immediately went to the Church of St. Sophia and sent for Feofan, ordering him to bring him the icon of St. Nicholas. When the icon was brought, he fell on his knees before it and said with tears: "I have sinned, forgive me, Saint Nicholas, a sinner." Kissing the honest image, the patriarch and all the councilors solemnly carried her to the Church of St. Sophia. The next day they founded a new temple in Constantinople in honor of St. Nicholas. When it was built, it was consecrated on the very day of the feast of the memory of the saint. That day St. Nicholas healed 40 sick men and women. After that, many came here: the blind, the lame, the lepers, and, touching the icon of the saint, left healthy, glorifying God and His miracle worker.

Rescue of a drowned baby.

Lived in Kyiv, a husband and wife, who had an only son - still a baby. These pious people had a special faith in St. Nicholas and the martyrs Boris and Gleb. Once they were returning after a feast from Vyshgorod, where the holy relics of the holy martyrs were kept. When they sailed along the Dnieper in a boat, the wife, holding the baby in her arms, dozed off and dropped the child into the water. It is impossible to imagine the grief of poor parents. In their lamentations, they especially addressed St. Nicholas with complaint and reproach. Soon, the unfortunate people changed their minds and, deciding that they had apparently angered God in some way, they turned to the Wonderworker with fervent prayer, asking for forgiveness and consolation in the grief that had befallen them.
The next morning, the sexton of St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv, having come to the temple, heard a child crying. Together with the watchman, he entered the choir. Here, in front of the image of St. Nicholas, they saw a lying baby, all wet, as if just taken from the water. The news of the found baby quickly reached the parents. They immediately ran to the church and there they really recognized in the child their drowned child. Joyful, they returned home, thanking God and His great Wonderworker. The image of the saint, in front of whom the drowned baby was found, is still called "Wet Nicholas".

Saved… Nicholas the Wonderworker.

“In January 1996, having nothing to do, I undertook to go through the old papers and photographs that were stored in the box. I took my Komsomol card in my hands. All of a sudden, memories of my youth came flooding back. In January 1956 they changed tickets for new ones, and it was on the day of the Nativity of Christ. I lived then in the Tula region, and I was only 14 years old.
The district committee of the Komsomol was located 17 kilometers from our village. Early in the morning we, schoolchildren, were brought to the district center by bus. My friend and I got the new tickets first. I did not really want to wait until the tickets were exchanged for everyone, and I suggested that Luce (that was my friend's name) go to my relative, who lived 4 kilometers from the town. We got to it very quickly. She fed us, and Lucy and I literally "stuck" into the books. My aunt had a complete collection of World History and the Great Soviet Encyclopedia. At that time - a huge rarity.

While reading, we did not notice how the day flew by. We quickly got dressed and went to the bus stop on the edge of the village. It was getting dark. We missed the bus; it is very cold to wait for the next one, and it is cold to go on foot, and it is already very far, more than 12 kilometers. It was possible to shorten the path three times if we crossed the reservoir. I do not remember who came up with this idea, but we turned onto the path leading to it. I noticed that no one passed along the path that day - the tracks were powdered with snow. Lyusya reassured me: they say, the path is visible, and it will be the same on the reservoir.

But when we got closer, we were seized with horror: the ice was bare, with dark patterns of cracks, glittering ominously under the Christmas sky, there were no traces of the path. We stood in silence and did not know what to do. The bus left, on foot - and far and cold, through the ice - it's scary, you can end up in a hole.

What Lucy was thinking, I don't know. And I stood and tried to remember at least some prayer that my grandmother taught me. I couldn’t remember anything, except: “Satisfied Nikolai, save and save us.” I repeated and repeated these saving words. Meanwhile, it became quite dark.

And suddenly, 20-30 meters away from us on the ice, we saw a man of advanced years, in an old-fashioned short coat, with a staff. He waved to us: what, they say, stand, because you need to go to the other side. Go! And we followed him, shivering with fear and cold, clinging to each other. Our guide walked ahead, preventing us from approaching him, dispersing us to the sides, saying that if we walk in a bunch, we will definitely fall under the ice. So we went, trembling like aspen leaves, jumping over cracks. And the guide led us only on the path he knew, in complete darkness, bypassing the polynyas. The width of the reservoir in that place is more than 2 kilometers!

When there were 50 meters left to the shore, we rushed to run, overtaking our guide. Jumping ashore, I stopped to thank the one who saved us from certain death. But ... he was not on the ice or on the shore. We are numb with fear. After standing still for some time, they rushed to flee to the village. Silently they dispersed to their homes. When the next day we were asked how we got home, Lyusya and I answered without saying a word - by bus. We did not tell a word about this story at home or to friends. Remembering 40 years later, I have no doubt that Nicholas the Wonderworker gave us salvation. Thank you for saving our souls."

Galina Martynova.

Instead of you, Saint Nicholas is standing.

These were the difficult years of the civil war. V.P. - then a young girl - stood in the garden near her house, and a peasant was aiming at her from a gun (then, all over Russia, peasants cracked down on landowners). The girl tremblingly pressed her hands to her chest and with great faith and hope fervently repeated:

Father, Saint Nicholas of Christ, help, protect.

And what? The peasant throws his gun aside and says:
“Now go wherever you want and don’t get caught in the eye.”

The girl ran home, took something, ran to the station and left for Moscow. There, her relatives gave her a job.

Several years have passed.

One day, the doorbell rings. Neighbors open - there is a thin, ragged country man, all shaking. He asks if V.P. lives here. They answer him that he is here. They invite you to enter. Follow her.

When she came out, this man fell at her feet and began to cry and ask for forgiveness. She was confused, did not know what to do, began to pick him up, saying that she did not know him.

Matushka V.P., don't you recognize me? I'm the one who wanted to kill you. He raised his gun, took aim and just wanted to shoot - I see that St. Nicholas is standing instead of you. I couldn't shoot him.

And again he fell at her feet.
- That's how long I was sick and decided to find you. Came on foot from the village.
She took him into her room, reassured him, said that she forgave everything. I fed him and changed into clean clothes.

He said he would die in peace now.

He immediately weakened and took to his bed. She called the priest. The peasant confessed and took communion. A few days later he peacefully departed to the Lord.

How she cried over him.

Are you an angel of God?

Parishioner of our church Ekaterina story