This Is the Day That the Lord Has Made: The Liturgical Year in Orthodoxy - Paperback

by Nicholas Denysenko (Author)

How do Orthodox Christians celebrate Pascha (Easter) and Christmas? What is the purpose of the blessing of waters? How does the Orthodox liturgical year compare with Western Christianity? This book explores the meaning of the Orthodox liturgical year by analyzing the rituals, Bible readings, and hymns of the feasts. In addition to the main seasons and feasts--Lent, Holy Week, Pascha, Christmas, and feasts of Mary--the book discusses other feasts particular to Orthodox Christianity. Readers will learn about special themes on occasions like the Exaltation of the Cross and the Baptism of Rus', and will discover the importance of domestic traditions like the Vasilopita and the Sviata Vechera (Holy Supper). This new book is an ideal guide for college-level readers and above seeking to understand the meaning of Orthodox liturgy.

Author Biography

Nicholas Denysenko is Emil and Elfriede Jochum University Professor and Chair at Valparaiso University in Valparaiso, Indiana. He is the author of The Orthodox Church in Ukraine: A Century of Separation (2018).