Holidays of Ukraine - Day of the Baptism of Kievan Rus-Ukraine

The day of the baptism of Kievan Rus - Ukraine in the country is celebrated annually on July 28Holidays of Ukraine - Day of the Baptism of Kievan Rus-Ukraine This date was not chosen by chance, because it is on this day that the Orthodox Church honors the memory of Grand Duke Vladimir The holiday was first celebrated in 2007, and the following year, President of Ukraine Viktor Yushchenko signed a decree on its official recognition In his congratulatory speech, the president said that this holiday carries several concepts, but the most important thing is the unity of the Ukrainian people around the idea of ​​a strong faith and a strong state Since that time, every year, despite the fact that the Day of the Baptism of Kievan Rus is a working day, the entire Ukrainian people remembers the origins of their faith Parishioners rush to church to pray to God for a happy future for their country, and in Kyiv they perform solemn liturgies and processions of the cross, in which the country's top officials take part Despite the fact that the holiday began to be celebrated not so long ago, its roots go back to ancient times The first to convert to Christianity was Prince Vladimir's grandmother, Princess Olga Back in 955, she was baptized in Constantinople However, the Christian faith was not widespread in Rus' at that time, and the people continued to worship pagan gods Only her grandson, Vladimir, confirmed the Orthodox faith By accepting Christianity, the prince cared not only about his soul, but also about political gain Having been baptized, Vladimir was able to marry Princess Anna, the sister of the Byzantine Emperor Basil Such kinship raised not only the political status of the prince, but also of all of Rus' It also opened up new prospects for further economic and military growth Being a Christian, Vladimir calls on all the people to follow his example Faith in God greatly changed the ruler Previously, he was a cruel and unforgiving warrior, pursuing victory by any means However, having accepted Christ into his heart, he seriously thought about the words of the Savior, calling to be merciful even towards enemies Vladimir actively calls on the people to stop worshiping pagan gods and embrace Christianity The ruler's sons were the first to be baptized, and later the boyars And at the end of the summer of 988, the prince gathers all the people of Kiev to the banks of the Dnieper and the Byzantine priests perform the baptismal ceremony From that time on, the Orthodox faith took firm roots in the lands of Rus' There were, of course, infighting and disobedience After all, before this, the people observed pagan traditions and not everyone wanted to accept Christianity However, Prince Vladimir, with his good example, instilled faith in God's love and justice in the hearts of the people The ruler contributed to the construction of hospitals and almshouses so that the sick could receive help, and the elderly and disabled had a roof over their heads He began the construction of churches and schools, and contributed to the training of the Russian clergy The prince also thought about abolishing the death penalty for robbers The baptism of Kievan Rus soon bore fruit; Christianity not only took firm root in the state, but also spread to other lands

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