Day of Holy Women Myrrhbearers in Orthodoxy. Icon "Wife-bearers at the Holy Sepulcher"

On the third week after Easter, a feast is celebrated in memory of women who, during the earthly life of the Savior, followed Him unceasingly, having entrusted all of His worldly cares, and after the funeral, on the first day after the end of the Sabbath, in the early morning they came to where he was The coffin of the Lord, in order to refine the body of the Savior according to the Jewish tradition by the fragrant world. Here they were waited with the happy news of His resurrection. It is these servants of God that show us the icon of the "Myrrh-Bearing Wife".

Names of the Myrrh-Bearing Wives

Who are these women who forever left their memory in history, and in honor of whom the Day of the Myrrh-Bearing Women was established? Evangelists call different names, but on the basis of analysis of the texts they left and taking into account the Holy Tradition, also narrating about this event, it is customary to include the following names among them: Mary Magdalene, Maria Cleopova, Salomia, John, Marfa, Maria and Susanna. Let us dwell in more detail on each of the names. The icon "The Myrrh-Bearing Wife" presents us only a plot composition, compiled on the basis of the evangelical event. For more detailed details, let us turn to Holy Scripture and Sacred Tradition.

Mary Magdalene, Martha and Mary

There is no consensus about Mary Magdalene. Some identify her with a well-known biblical harlot who has embarked on the path of repentance, while others tend to regard her as an ordinary woman, from whom Jesus Christ cast out demons with his divine power. It is known about her that, after the Ascension of the Lord, she, contrary to the tradition forbidding women to preach, traveled through the cities, carrying the word of God to people. Life, compiled after many years, contradictory accounts of her death.

About Martha and Mary, the sisters of the resurrected Jesus Lazarus, the information is also quite limited. From the Gospel texts it is known that the Savior visited their house more than once, loved their family and spoke with sisters about the Kingdom of God. From the further fate of these women it is only known that they followed their brother Lazarus to Cyprus, where he was carrying an episcopal ministry.

Joanna and Maria Kleopova

Somewhat more extensive information is available about John. It is known that she was married to one of the approximate king Herod and was a very rich woman. It is commonly believed that during the preaching of Christ, she took on the bulk of the costs associated with His life and work. In addition, she belongs and one more important merit. It was John secretly buried on the Mount of Olives, the head of John the Baptist, thrown out by Herodias after the mockery of a dump.

From the few information about Mary Kleopova, another glorious follower of Christ, who was included among the Myrrh-Bearing Women, it is known that she was a relative of Jesus, but here about the degree of kinship of the opinion of the researchers diverge. According to one version, she was the wife of Cleopas, the brother of Joseph the Betrothed, and on the other, though less likely, the sister of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Maria Iakovleva and Susanna

In the case of a woman who is referred to in the Gospel as Mary Iakovlev, there is an opinion that she was the youngest daughter of Joseph the Betrothed. It is also known from the Sacred Tradition that, being with the Virgin in the most warm relations, she was for many years Her closest friend. It is named after Jacob in honor of his son the Apostle James - the closest disciple and companion of Christ.

The least information is about the Myrrh-Bearing God named Susanna. In the text of the Gospel, only the fact that she served Christ "from her own estate", that is, the material means she possessed, is spoken of. This makes it possible to conclude that she was a secured woman.

Calling these seven names, we act only in accordance with the Orthodox tradition, but not established by the canon, because the researchers have other points of view, also worthy of attention. Often, but not always, the holy Myrrh-bearers are depicted on icons in this composition - seven humble figures.

Theotokion - first received the message of the Resurrection of the Son

And, finally, speaking of the Myrrh-bearers, it is impossible not to mention the mother of Jesus Christ - the Blessed Virgin Mary. Despite the fact that formally She is not among them, according to many researchers, there are reasons to believe that the names of Mary Iakovleva and "the other Mary" are the mother of Jesus Christ.

The reason for this can be the fact that after the death of Joseph the Betrothed Mary took over the care of his children from the first marriage, and was rightfully considered the mother of his son Jacob. However, even if these assumptions are not true, the Most-Holy Theotokos was the first to receive news of the resurrection of Her Son. This good news, according to the Sacred Tradition, she received from the mouth of an angel.

Orthodox Women's Day

In memory of these women, the church established a holiday - the Day of Wife-Myrrh-Bearers. It is a holiday of all Orthodox women, a kind of analogue of the generally accepted Women's Day - the Eighth of March. The only difference is that Clara Zetkin, in whose memory the official Women's Day is established, confessed the very questionable principles of the revolutionary rebel and reckless feminist, whereas those who saw the open coffin of the Lord in the early morning carried a living faith and love - the very same ones Feelings that only women are capable of. It is here that the principle "in weakness - strength" is visually manifested. The symbol of the holiday is the icon "Myrrh-Bearing Wives".

The Feast of the Myrrh-Bearers in Iconography

This theme has found the widest reflection in the Byzantine, and later in the Russian fine arts. Almost all the most famous icon-painting schools left the works performed on this biblical subject. However, compositionally, many of them differ from each other. So, for example, the icon "Myrrh-Bearing Wives", the photo of which is presented at the beginning of the article, depicts seven female figures, and the next after it - three. This is explained by the fact that in different texts their number is indicated in different ways, which was noted above.

Folk Traditions

The Feast of the Myrrh-Bearing Wives was always loved in Russia. On this day, in addition to all the services of the Church Canon, events related to folk customs were widely practiced. There were some kind of hen parties, in which married women also took part. By tradition, the main treat for them was fried eggs. In the villages this day was revered as a women's holiday and all women were considered to be birthday girls.