On March 14, Russia celebrates Orthodox Book Day. Involvement in spiritual foundations and strengthening morality were put at the forefront when considering the issue of developing the influence of Christian preaching through a book at a meeting of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, held on December 25, 2009. As a result, it was decided to establish Orthodox Book Day.
The initiators of the creation of the holiday were the Belgorod and Staroskol diocese, in which the holiday was celebrated even before the official approval of the Day, because the role of the Orthodox book in the education of spiritual and moral foundations is very important. In April 2009, the diocese took the initiative to coincide with Orthodox Book Day with the celebration of World Book and Copyright Day, which is celebrated on April 23.
But as the date of the holiday, March 14 was chosen as the – day of publication in 1564 of the first Russian printed book «Apostol» by Ivan Fedorov. According to the old style – is March 1, according to the new – on March 10. At the same time, the discrepancy between the dates of the Orthodox calendar and the secular calendar is due to the fact that according to church chronology, when transferring dates from the old style to the new one, 13 days are always added, regardless of the century when the event occurred.
Be that as it may, since 2010, the Russian Orthodox Church officially celebrates Orthodox Book Day on March 14. Traditionally, this day is timed to coincide with exhibitions and readings of spiritual literature, lectures on Orthodox culture, conferences dedicated to the history of printing in Rus', and issues of dissemination of Orthodox literature in society.
Book fairs, evenings of meetings with writers and representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church, concerts of sacred music, events for the collection and transfer of Orthodox literature to city and regional libraries, social and educational institutions are also organized. The organization of events is carried out by local dioceses, with the support of federal and regional authorities, both in Russia and abroad for the Orthodox flock.
The tasks of holding the Day are multifaceted. In addition to attracting attention to Orthodox literature as such, other significant issues are being resolved that are both religious and socio-state in nature. We are talking about the role of religion, and primarily – of Orthodox Christianity, in the formation of basic social norms in society. Many today have forgotten about the true concept of «Christian morality», but its role in the formation of statehood is important.
The celebration of the Day is designed to resolve not only issues of a religious nature. On this day, picking up a book, people turn to the history of their state, to the history and role of the church in its formation and development, to the awareness of the role of the Faith as the core spiritual basis of an individual and the entire people. And the task is even deeper – to turn your face to your soul, to the souls of family and friends, to the souls of ancestors and to the soul of your people, to feel involvement and understand the true and pure meaning of the word «Love».
The role assigned to the book to achieve these goals is high. It becomes a tradition among Orthodox people to donate Orthodox literature to each other on this day.
• Infographics – poster «March 14 — Orthodox Book Day»