Forgiveness Day

Yesterday was Forgiveness Day here in Macedonia. It's the Sunday immediately before the beginning of Great Lent in the Orthodox church (the traditional fast from dairy and such until Easter). In preparation for the Lenten fast, the faithful are encouraged to seek forgiveness from those they have wronged as well as to forgive those who've wronged them. Church services will center on Jesus' teachings on forgiveness and fasting as found in Matt 6:14-18.

For a really good explanation of this day and the intent and meaning behind it, I highly recommend following this link to an article by Protopresbyter Alexander Schmemann. Here's an excerpt:

"Now, forgiveness stands at the very center of Christian faith and of Christian life because Christianity itself is, above all, the religion of forgiveness. God forgives us, and His forgiveness is in Christ, His Son, Whom He sends to us, so that by sharing in His humanity we may share in His love and be truly reconciled with God. Indeed, Christianity has no other content but love. And it is primarily the renewal of that love, a return to it, a growth in it, that we seek in Great Lent, in fasting and prayer, in the entire spirit and the entire effort of that season. Thus, truly forgiveness is both the beginning of, and the proper condition for the Lenten season."

This is also the time of Carnival celebrations and the best known in Macedonia are held in Strumica. Christopher Deliso, who is a travel writer and lives in Macedonia, wrote an interesting Lonely Planet article about those celebrations back in 2006, and again I highly recommend reading it for some insight into this cultural event and its origins. Here's an excerpt.

"The Strumica Carnival... [also] has pagan origins and, as can be attested to by some of the more titillating costumes, has not entirely lost its ancient associations with virility, fertility and ruddy bucolic health.

The five-day carnival coincides with the beginning of Orthodox Lent...It was originally associated with Trimeri, a three-day period of Christian fasting for engaged girls. Such piety has long gone out the window, but the tradition partially lives on: Costumed processions visit the homes of engaged women, where each must guess which ofthe masked men is hers..."

Now you may be wondering why I'm talking about Lent a week after everyone else started talking about it. Well, this is because Easter in Macedonia is celebrated according to the Julian calendar... that means that this year Orthodox Easter will be on April 19th, which is one week later than in "the West" on April 12th, which is according to the Gregorian calendar. Confused? Well, here's a link for those wanting to learn more about the Julian vs Gregorian calendar history.

The "Day of Forgiveness" as well as the many comments, posts and Facebook statuses regarding the season of Lent have got me doing some deeper ponderings of faith. If you're interested in these personal ponderings, I will be posting them soon to my new blog: TrstngHm. In the meantime, I hope you enjoyed reading and learning some more about life and culture here in the Balkans. =)