Antipascha — Fomino Sunday (01/05)

The first Sunday after Easter in the church calendar is called Antipascha or Thomas Sunday. People call this day Red Hill. The name Antipascha means «instead of Easter» or «opposite Easter» — but this is not a contrast, but an appeal to the past holiday, repeating it on the eighth day after Easter.

Since ancient times, the end of Bright Week has been celebrated especially, constituting, as it were, a replacement for Easter. This day is also called Thomas Week, in memory of the miracle of the assurance of the Apostle Thomas.

Christ's death on the cross made an incredibly depressing impression on the Apostle Thomas: it was as if he had established himself in the conviction that His loss was irrevocable. To the assurances of the disciples about the resurrection of Christ, he replies: «If I do not see wounds from nails on His hands and put my hand into His ribs, I will not believe» (John. 20, 25).

On the eighth day after the Resurrection, the Lord appeared to the Apostle Thomas and, testifying that he had been with the disciples all the time on the resurrection, did not wait for Thomas’ questions, showing him His wounds, answering his unspoken request. The Gospel does not say whether Thomas really felt the plagues of the Lord, but so faith was kindled in him with a bright flame, and he exclaimed: «My Lord and my God!». With these words, Thomas professed not only faith in the Resurrection of Christ, but also faith in His Deity.

According to Church Tradition, Saint Thomas the Apostle founded Christian Churches in Palestine, Mesopotamia, Parthia, Ethiopia and India, capturing the preaching of the Gospel with martyrdom. For the conversion to Christ of the son and wife of the ruler of the Indian city of Meliapora (Melipura), he was imprisoned, tortured and, finally, pierced with five spears, went to the Lord.

Starting from Thomas Sunday in the Orthodox Church, after a long Lenten break, the celebration of the sacrament of wedding resumes. In Rus', it was on this day, Krasnaya Gorka, that the most weddings took place, festivities and matchmaking took place.

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