I wanted to create an overview of the various Feast Days or special Liturgical Days coming up this month. My intention is to take the overwhelm out of planning by providing a simple overview of the day, fun ways to participate using what you have at home, or what you can easily gather, sample discussions, and book recommendations- along with links to various resources! I hope to share ideas on how you can more easily engage/connect our Liturgical lives not only with our participation in the life of the church but in our homes as well; and our Little Church.

Check out this one page February Liturgical Printable

February 1st - St. Brigid of Ireland/Kildare

St Brigid of Ireland - was born around 450 AD in Ireland. According to Tradition, her father was a pagan named Dubthach, and her mother was one of his slaves. As a slave’s daughter, one of her responsibilities was the tending to the cows and working on the dairy. She often gave away stores of milk and butter to the poor, much to her father’s annoyance. He threatened that if she gave away anymore, she’d be punished. She, however, continued to give away the butter through her Christian charity, and each time it was miraculously replenished so she wouldn’t get in trouble.

In 470, St. Brigid founded the first monastery for women in Ireland, in Kildare, just as Christianity was new and spreading in Ireland. Kildare Monastery became the spiritual, cultural, and learning center. She was held in great esteem for her compassionate heart and her abundance of love in showing hospitality to all who came to her monastery. She was known as someone who worked wonders through her prayers. God was well pleased with her loving and charitable heart, because she gave herself completely to her holy calling. She fell asleep in the Lord peacefully in 523 AD. The tradition of making Saint Brigid’s crosses from rushes and hanging them in the home is still followed in Ireland.

Activity Ideas :

• Make your own St. Brigid's Crosses - You can easily make your own St Brigid’s crosses out of pipe cleaners (tutorial HERE) or watch this YouTube Video.

• Make butter - There are many different stories of St. Brigid and butter, so making butter is another fun activity for this feast day! If you have a stand mixer, watch this video on YouTube how to make butter from heavy whipping cream in 10 minutes!  You can also make butter using a Kilner Butter Churn or hand mixer.

• Have a pre-potato Irish dinner - Ireland, before the introduction of the potato, was heavily dependent on dairy as well as seafood and oats (i.e. butter, cream, oats, fish, etc). Have a pre-potato Irish meal with your family! You can read more about the history of what the Irish ate before potatoes in this article HERE.

• Listen to the Podcast by Tending the Garden of our Hearts on AFR about St Brigid

Book Recommendations:

• Women of Faith by Calee M. Lee

• Brother Wolf Sister Sparrow Stories about the Saints and Animals by Eric A. Kimmel (check with your local library for this title)

• The Life of Saint Brigid of Kildare by Jane G Meyer (ebook version HERE)

• Brigid and the Butter by Pamela Love (out of print but available as a kindle edition HERE)

• Brigid's Cloak by Bryce Milligan

• Saint Brigid the Fearless by Ann Carroll

February 2nd - The Presentation of our Lord into the Temple (one of the 12 Great Feasts)

The Presentation of our Lord into the Temple- is one of the 12 Great Feast Days in the Orthodox Church. Another name for the feast is The Meeting of our Lord, and in some Western traditions you may hear it referred to as Candlemas. The story of the Presentation is told in Luke 2:22-29. Mary (Theotokos) and Joseph were faithful Jews and observed their religious customs. An important custom was for the couple to take their first-born son to the Temple 40 days after his birth and dedicate him to God. In addition, if the parents were wealthy, they were to bring a lamb and a young pigeon or a turtle dove to be offered as a sacrifice at the Temple. The custom provided that if the parents were poor, they were to offer two pigeons or two turtle doves for the sacrifice.

When Jesus was 40 days old, Mary and Joseph took Him to the Temple in Jerusalem. They were not wealthy, so they took two turtle doves with them to offer as a sacrifice at the Temple. As they arrived at the Temple, Mary and Joseph were met by a very old man named Simeon. He was a holy man and was noted as a very intelligent scholar. Simeon spent much time studying about the prophets of Israel. It was during his studies that he learned of the coming of the Messiah. The Jewish people were waiting for the Messiah to come and deliver Israel from their conquerors. From that time on, Simeon spent his time praying for the Messiah to come. He spent many years in prayer. Finally, while St Simeon was praying he heard the voice of God. God promised St Simeon that he would not die until he had seen the Messiah. When St Simeon saw Jesus, he took the baby in his arms and blessed the Lord and said:

"Lord, now let Your servant go in peace according to Your promise, because my eyes have seen Your salvation which you have prepared before the face of all peoples, a light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory to your people Israel.”

Additional Liturgical Significance: The words St Simeon spoke when he saw the Christ Child are known as "St. Simeon's Prayer." This prayer is sung daily at the evening Vespers services of the Orthodox Church. Also, in the Orthodox Church, both baby boys and baby girls are taken to the Church on the 40th day after their birth and prayers are said for both the mother and child, and the child is dedicated to God. This is done in remembrance of the Theotokos and Joseph taking the infant Jesus to the Temple.

Activity Ideas:

• Make your Own Candles! About 450 AD in Jerusalem, people began the custom of holding lighted candles during the Divine Liturgy of this feast day. Making candles is a fun way to connect with this long standing tradition and have fun while doing it! You can make candles using a rolled beeswax candle kit like THIS or by melting pellets of beeswax - see THIS tutorial.

• Bring Candles to the Church to be Blessed - In some churches there is a tradition to bring their candles to their local church where they are blessed and then used for the rest of the year. For Christians, these blessed candles serve as a symbol of Jesus Christ, who referred to Himself as the Light of the World

• Lesson Plan and Paper Puppets by Orthodox Pebbles - Once again, Orthodox Pebbles knocks it out of the park with a brand new lesson/set on the Meeting of our Lord!

• Orthodox Pebbles Fabric Learning Set - One of my favorite resources to teach a Biblical Story is through the Fabric learning sets produced through Orthodox Pebbles. This fabric learning set includes both the story of the Meeting of our Lord and the Annunciation. It is hands-on, Orthodox-focused, interactive, and helps children better remember the story and meaning of these two Great Feast days. You can purchase the DIY fabric soon HERE

• Create an Atmosphere in Your Home - Set out an Icon of the Presentation, eat dinner by candle light, add a vase of flowers to your icon corner

• Color an Icon of the Feast - Draw Near Designs sells a printable coloring book for the 12 Great Feasts for $5! Perfect for all year long!

• Create a Feast Day Banner - Draw Near Designs also created a FREE printable feast day pennant banner illustrating the 12 Great Feasts of the Orthodox Church

• Listen to the Song for Kids about the Feast - Check out this song by Gigi Baba Shadid (track 6) called “Baby Christ in the Temple”

Book Recommendations:

• The Meeting of Our Lord (Twelve Great Feasts for Children Series) *FREE e-version download for a limited time! Offer expires February 9, 2021. Click here

• The Great Feasts by Exaltation Press

• The Story of You by Orthodox Children’s Press - shares about churchings from the perspective of parents!

• In the Candle's Glow by Elizabeth Crispina Johnson is about how candles are made at the monastery and how we use candles for prayer at church!

• For Biblical Stories, we love to read them directly from the source! In The Children’s Reader Bible, this story is on page 173

February 5th - Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee

Pre-Lenten Preparation Triodion- The Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee is the first Sunday of the Triodion. You may have heard of the Triodion before, but what is it? The Triodion is a liturgical book containing the Church services and hymns to be read for a period that precedes Holy Pascha; the word “Triodion” also describes the preparatory period before Pascha during which the Triodion book is used. It lasts for 70 days, or 10 weeks. In Greek, the word Triodion (Τριώδιον) means ‘three odes’, the three sets of hymns that are chanted in this period during the Orthros service, instead of the eight-set hymns chanted the rest of the liturgical year.

Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee (Sample Discussion): After reading the story directly from the scriptures in Luke 18:10-14 : In this story, we have 2 different men with rather big names, don’t we? Let’s start with the Publican. That’s another name for a tax collector, and in those days tax collectors took extra money from people and kept it for themselves. He stole from people and lied to people. He was a man nobody liked because he wasn’t honest or a good friend. The Pharisee was very different sort of man. He was like a man who took care of the Temple. He knew all about God and how to follow Him. He knew all the rules about fasting and giving money to God, and knew we should go to church and say many prayers.

The Pharisee sounds like a better man than the Publican, doesn’t he? But do you know what? The story Jesus told about them has a big surprise in it. The better man is not the man who cared for the Temple (the Pharisee), but the better man is the tax collector, the Publican. Even though the Pharisee knew all about God, he did not really know God Himself very well at all. Do you remember what he said to God in the Gospel reading? The Pharisee said, “Thank you, God, that I am not like that Publican. I am a much better man”. When we come to God, we want to be like the Publican. We want to copy him in the way he cried out to God for help and mercy. He prayed “Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner!” We want to love God more than anything else. We want our love for Him to be the first thing before our eyes instead of looking at other people and thinking we are better than they are. Remember the sin of pride that the Pharisee had; it made him forget about God. Let us try to be like the Publican instead and pray as he did: Lord, have mercy on me a sinner!

Source: derived from the Garden of the Theotokos Curriculum

Lord, Have mercy on me, a sinner

Activity Ideas:

• Lesson Plan and Paper Puppets by Orthodox Pebbles - Once again, Orthodox Pebbles knocks it out of the park with their lesson on the Publican and the Pharisee! In this lesson you will find an icon worksheet, a cut-and-glue-craft, worksheets to help with the details of the story, and activities to practice being humble in real life, which you can find through this link HERE.

  *If you enjoy these materials, please consider making a donation in support of the hard working Orthodox moms behind these incredible materials or become a Patreon

• Orthodox Pebbles Fabric Learning Set - One of my favorite resources to teach a Biblical Story is through the Fabric learning sets produced through Orthodox Pebbles. This Triodion set includes both the story of the Publican and the Pharisee and the Prodigal Son. It is hands-on, Orthodox-focused, interactive, and helps children better remember the story and meaning of these two parables of the Triodion period. You can purchase the DIY fabric HERE

• Printable Triodion Coloring/Story Book by Presvytera and Missionary Alexandria Ritsi - This free resources includes the instructions on how to fold/create a little book for kids that can be folded into a tiny booklet, colored, and explains more about the Triodion to kids. Click HERE to download and print!

• Memorize a Prayer - Lord, Have mercy on me, a sinner! (or for older kids: “Lord Jesus Christ, son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner")

• Listen to the Podcast Tending to the Garden of our Hearts on the Publican and the Pharisee HERE. It’s a podcast for the whole family!

• Color an Icon of the Story of the Publican and the Pharisee by The Meek Sparrow

Book Recommendations:

• Pascha Passport and Sticker Sheet by St Spyridon Greek Orthodox Church - Much like a real passport, this small booklet has many spaces for stamps that correspond to each service attended during the Triodion season, Lent, Holy Week, and other Special “Destinations” (such as Confession, the Jesus Prayer, etc). The passport “stamps” (sold separately) are icons stickers! We’ve used these for the past few years and my girls LOVE that they get to put a sticker in their passport after each service they attend, and it is a wonderful way to encourage participation and excitement for young children. Not only are these a unique resource, but all of the money raised from this booklets goes toward funding of the Church’s Youth Program. These Pascha Passports are $2 and the sticker sheets are $1 so buy a BUNCH and give them to all your friends! Bulk orders are also an option!

• Read the Parable of the Publican and the Pharisee directly from the source: Luke 18:10-14

February 12th - Sunday of the Prodigal Son

Pre-Lenten Preparation - The Sunday of the the Prodigal Son is the 2nd Sunday of the Triodion.

Sunday of the Prodigal Son - The story is about a father and his two sons. The younger son asks his father for his share of the inheritance and takes it. He goes in a far away place and lives wastefully, until there is nothing left from his inheritance. When he finds himself broke, alone, miserable and in need, he goes to work for a man who raises swine; he is so hungry that he even craves the pig food. At some point he comes to his senses. He realizes what he lost at his father’s house, his pitiful situation and cries in repentance. Then he decides to return home to his father, asking him for forgiveness in the hopes that he will get a job as a servant.

He begins the long way back home. His father, who has been waiting for him, sees him from afar, runs to him, embraces and kisses him. He throws a big party to celebrate the return of his lost, and now found, son. When the older brother, upon returning from the fields, finds out what is happening, he becomes envious and angrily reproaches his father. The father emphasizes that the older brother has always been enjoying what the paternal home has to offer, and, instead of being jealous, he should also celebrate for the return of his lost younger brother.

Source: Orthodox Pebbles Lesson

Sample Discussion - Do you know why God gives us this story at the beginning of Lent? It is to remind us that we must turn and run back to God, just like the Prodigal Son did. God is always like this Father in the story: always loving, always waiting for us, always ready to give a great feast when we come back to Him. Sometimes we are like the son who goes very far away from his Father. This is what “prodigal” means; it means that a person has gone away from what is right and good. Do you ever do that? Let’s think of some ways that we might go away from God sometimes…. All these things are ways we can become like the Prodigal Son. As lent begins this year, let’s try to remember the ways that we have gone away from God this year. Then we think about the Father in this story and how good and generous he was. He was not angry with his son for going away. Instead of being angry, he forgave his son and made a big feast for him. This is how God is with us every time we come back to him. How do we come back to God when we have gone away from Him? We go to confession with our Priest. We tell him and God what we have done and we tell him that we want to come back. God always meets us with His arms outstretched, ready to forgive us and welcome us back to Him. Let’s pray that God will help us to come back to Him when we have gone away.

Activity Ideas:

• Lesson Plan and Paper Puppets by Orthodox Pebbles - Everything you need to share the story of the Publican and the Pharisee is in this free printable packet! In this lesson you will find an icon worksheet, a cut-and-glue-craft, worksheets to help with the details of the story, symbolism and activities which you can find through this link HERE.

  *If you enjoy these materials, please consider making a donation in support of the hard working Orthodox moms behind these incredible materials or become a Patreon

• Orthodox Pebbles Fabric Learning Set - As mentioned in the previous week, one of my favorite resources to teach a Biblical Story is through the fabric learning sets produced through Orthodox Pebbles. This Triodion set includes both the story of the Publican and the Pharisee and the Prodigal Son. It is hands-on, Orthodox-focused, interactive, and helps children better remember the story and meaning of these two parables of the Triodion period. You can purchase the DIY fabric HERE

• Memorize a Prayer - O Lord, help me to be like the Prodigal Son. Help me to return to You when I have gone away. Amen

• Listen to the Podcast Tending to the Garden of our Hearts on the Prodigal Son HERE. It’s a podcast for the whole family!

• Listen to a Recording of the Story of the Prodigal Son told for Children on the Podcast Let us Attend HERE which is 4 minutes long

• Color an Icon of the Story of the Prodigal Son

Book Recommendations:

• For Biblical Stories, we prefer to read them directly from the source! Two of our favorite children’s Bibles are The Children’s Reader Bible (this story is on page 207) and The Picture Bible (page 623) which is illustrated much like a comic book

• The Prodigal Son: Level 1 (I Can Read Series)

February 19th - Judgement Sunday: Meatfare

Judgement Sunday is the 3rd Sunday of the Pre-Lenten preparation period known as Triodion. It is also referred to as Meatfare because during the week following it a limited fasting from meat is prescribed by the Church. The Church offers us the chance to “adjust” to the great effort which will be expected of us just a week later. We are gradually taken into that effort, knowing our frailty, foreseeing our spiritual weakness.

The parable of the Last Judgment that is read on this Sunday is from Matthew 25:31-46 when Christ comes to judge us. At His coming, “He will sit on the throne of His glory,” and all of the nations will be gathered before Him. He will separate them “as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats.” The sheep will be placed on His right hand, and the goats on the left. To the sheep, He will say “Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” This kingdom is offered to the sheep because of their compassion and service to those in need. Jesus says, “…for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.” Jesus teaches us that “Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to the least of these My brethren, you did it to me.”

Source: Great Lent by Alexander Schmemann

Activity Ideas :

• Find Ways to Serve Christ - one very tangible way to remember this passage is to do what Christ is asking of us - If we want to love Christ, we need to love people - in a tangible way! Feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit the sick and imprisioned. This will look differently depending on the ages of your children and your ability, but let’s especially remember our Christian duty to love today!

• Listen to a Podcast about The Last Judgement Tending to the Garden of our Hearts HERE. It’s a podcast for the whole family!

• For younger children - check out these cute sheep crafts : Cotton Ball Sheep Craft, Popcorn Bag Sheep, Paper Plate Cotton Ball Sheep

• Read the Parable of the Last Judgment directly from the source: Matthew 25: 31-46

February 26th - Forgiveness Sunday : Cheesefare

Forgiveness Sunday - We have officially reached the last day before Lent begins! Are you ready? The last of the Lenten preparation is usually called “Forgiveness Sunday” but it is also known liturgically as the “expulsion of Paradise” referencing the story of Adam and Eve being banished from Paradise because of their sin. This story can easily summarize the entire preparation for Lent. By now we know we were created for paradise, for knowledge of God and communion with Him. Our sin has deprived us of that blessed life and existence on earth is in exile. Christ, the Savior of the world, opens the doors to paradise to everyone who follows Him, and the Church, by revealing to us the beauty of the Kingdom, makes our life a pilgrimage toward our heavenly home.

Forgiveness Vespers - Lent actually begins at Vespers this evening. This unique service, so deep and beautiful, reveals better the “tonality” of Great Lent in the Orthodox Church. The service begins as solemn with the Clergy wearing bright vestments. During the service, the Clergy set aside their bright vestments, the lights are turned low and dark vestment are worn. We have officially entered into Lent! At the end of the service, we hear the prayer of St Ephrem is prayed, and the faithful approach the priest and one another asking for mutual forgiveness. Thus our Lenten journey begins with forgiveness and humility. Cheesefare is the term we used to mean we say goodbye to cheese (aka dairy), as Orthodox Christians fast from meat and dairy during Lent.

Source: Great Lent by Alexander Schmemann

Activity Ideas :

• Practice Forgiveness - I usually coach my children by practicing what we say during the rite of forgiveness during Forgiveness Vespers. Each parish has variance on the phrases used during this service. One simple one to practice with your children is “Will you forgive me?” and we reply “I forgive you” and we embrace one another. This is also a wonderful time to ask for forgiveness for those we have conflict with. Let’s begin Lent with a repentance heart and reconciliation!

• Learn the Prayer of St Ephrem - This prayer is said often during Lent. We say the prayer, and as we begin we do a full prostration. This is another thing that can be prayed together as a family in addition to your daily prayers.

O Lord and Master of my life, take from me the spirit of sloth, despair, lust of power, and idle talk. 

But give rather the spirit of chastity, humility, patience, and love to Thy servant. 

Yea, O Lord and King, grant me to see my own transgressions, and not to judge my brother, for blessed art Thou, unto ages of ages. Amen.

• Listen to a Podcast about Forgiveness Sunday by Tending to the Garden of our Hearts HERE. It’s a podcast for the whole family!

• Lesson on Great Lent for Kids by Orthodox Pebbles - help your children prepare for the weeks ahead with this simple to understand lesson for kids about the meaning of lent, create a “Lady Lent” craft/countdown for the weeks of Lent, and a Great Lent song!

Recommendations:

• Tending the Garden of our Hearts: Daily Lenten Meditations for Families by Elissa Bjeletich and Kristina Wenger. Are you looking for a way to keep your family engaged in the spiritual nourishment Lent has to offer? Tending the Garden of Our Hearts offers family devotions based on the scriptures for each day of Great Lent, including questions to discuss and ponder and an appendix full of hands-on activities to bring the lessons of the season to life. Whether you use it every day or dip into it occasionally as time permits, this book will help the whole family get more out of this season of the Orthodox year.

• The Lenten Prayer of St. Ephrem - We have this print by Emilia’s Post on our prayer corner each year for lent. It’s one of my favorites! You can purchase it HERE.

Final Thoughts

It can be easy to feel overwhelmed with the amount of feast days and special days that are acknowledged and celebrated in the Orthodox Church. My intention in sharing these guides is to offer resources, book recommendations and ideas on how to celebrate a particular feast or Liturgical season with your family. Admittedly, we do not do all of these things, or even most of them! My hope with my own family is to create a rhythm in which we live liturgically - attending services regularly, praying together, and serving others  - and when energy/time permits, we can add additional fun activities!  We prioritize the 12 Major Feast days of the church. Beyond that, we have a handful of special Saints to our family that we celebrate year after year, including our own patron saints. These resources are for YOU and I certainly do not want to give the impression that these ideas “should” be implemented. Far from it! I hope to share ideas on how you can more easily engage with our liturgical life in our homes, and our little church.

A little backstory: I didn’t grow up in an Orthodox Church. As my husband and I considered joining, one of my fears was knowing that my children would grow up with differently than my own religious upbringing. I was intimidated by what I didn’t know. What I didn’t realize then was I had the opportunity to learn and grow along side my children. At first, the church calendar seemed daunting. There were SO many feasts, saint days, traditions, services, constantly rotating between feasting and fasting, and a daily rhythm of prayer and readings that were unfamiliar. It was a LOT! The first few years I soaked it all in but I certainly didn’t have a grasp for what was ahead.

I suppose those fears of the unknown of raising kids in the Orthodox Church slowly went away and was replaced with excitement and a new sense of purpose. Although these practices and traditions felt new to me, they were also new to my kids, and we got to experience them together. Our home has become a place of prayer, love and growth. Every person we meet, and every community we’ve been a part of has shaped us. So although I didn’t grow up with these rich traditions of our faith, they are slowly becoming a part of our family. God-willing one day my children will pass them on to their kids, and their kids will pass them to their children, and so on. I pray my children will continue to be deeply rooted in their faith and our family tree will forever be planted in Christ.

Special Thanks - This guide was not a solo effort. Many hands make for light work! I wanted to give a special acknowledgement to Abigail Burke (@bandofburke) for helping me outline activities and book recommendations for these feast and many other feasts throughout the year. Her organization was the springboard to these monthly feast day guides I will be putting together. Another special thanks to Natalia (@natalie_from_berlin) for sharing various resources shared with me, and Orthodox Pebbles (@orthodoxpebbles) for their incredible lessons and information!

Be sure to check out my Preparing for Lent Blogpost for more resources for Orthodox Families

Follow along with me on Instagram for more Feast Day resources and monthly guides in the coming year!

Thank you for all your support and for checking out my latest Feast Day guide. Good strength, dear friends!

-Khouria Destinie