Few people know that on February 1, specialists celebrate their professional holiday in Russia, without whom the life of city residents of high-rise buildings would become many times more difficult. Who are these professionals? We are talking about elevator workers or, to put it more simply, about elevator operators. For more than 70 years, all those involved in the maintenance of existing elevators, in the production and installation of lifting mechanisms have been celebrating February 1 - Elevator Day.

Americans love sweets and eating on the go. One of the most popular desserts is cake pop - a sponge cake or mini-cake in chocolate glaze on a stick. Cake pop, stylized as a lollipop, was invented in 2008 by Atlanta confectioner Angie Dudley. On a stick for a quick snack, under a layer of chocolate, there can be hidden not only a sponge cake, but also airy meringue, caramel canelés, almond-melon calissons, delicate tiramisu, panna cotta, classic charlotte and other delicacies. February 1 marks International Dessert Day, established in honor of the first case pops going on sale. An inventive pastry chef realized the genius of the cake-on-a-stick idea, despite its simplicity. Angie Dudley began actively blogging, organizing dessert-making master classes, and even published a book, “Cake Pops: Hints, Tips and Recipes.” Long before her first post about sponge cake on a stick, similar products were produced and sold in pastry shops around the world. Dessert makers who made cakes and pastries rolled the dough into balls and mixed them with icing to get rid of any leftover icing. However, it was thanks to the know-how of using a lollipop stick that Angie Dudley is credited with inventing cake pops. There are many types of this simple, like all ingenious, dessert. These include Traditional Cake Pops made from a mixture of sponge crumbs with cream, Cereal Treat Pops made from puffed rice with marshmallows, and Brownie Pops with the famous Brownie cake. The shape of the dessert can be different - a ball, a cube, animal figures. When hot, the cake pop is placed on a wooden or plastic stick, and after cooling, it is decorated with icing, melted chocolate, confectionery powder and other decor. Despite the fact that February 1 is the day on which Angie Dudley came up with cake pop, over time the holiday has become a celebration for all types of desserts. It is celebrated not only in the USA, but also in other countries. The holiday is unofficial and owes its spread to fans of blogger and cook Angie Dudley and the Internet. In honor of Dessert Day, courses on making cakes on a stick, tastings, presentations by pastry chefs of their own masterpieces and other events are held. On February 1, people with a sweet tooth are invited to visit, treating them to homemade mini-cakes on sticks. Competitions are held on social networks to evaluate the flight of creative thought of culinary experts - the originality of their design of cake cops. Anyone who is ready to experiment and create real confectionery masterpieces can prove themselves on International Dessert Day. A book with recipes from the inventor of cake cops, as well as your own imagination and creative approach, can help with this.

Imbolc is one of the ancient pagan holidays of the Irish Wheel of the Year. Its date is associated with the lunar calendar and is not strictly fixed, but traditionally the holiday is celebrated on February 1. Imbolc stands on the border between the harsh winter cold and the approaching warmth; for farmers it is the arrival of an agricultural spring. It was February that was the time of preparation for future sowing. Hence the custom of putting homes and households in order, inspecting and shaking out all household utensils, and washing pets. Candles were always lit for the holiday. The more candles the better, and they could burn all night. Another custom associated with fire was coming to snowy fields with lit torches. The area was illuminated, going around from all sides, indicating the imminent sunny days and melting of the snow cover. The name of the holiday Imbolc is of Celtic origin and means "sheep's milk". Livestock (and in Ireland these are mainly sheep) by this time had offspring, and milk became the most accessible raw material from which a variety of dishes were prepared. The festive treat consisted mainly of baked milk, milk porridge, young cheeses, and herbal drinks with added milk. Also on the holiday it was necessary to bake bread and churn butter. Many holidays of the Irish wheel of the year were associated with the goddess Brigid, who was either a young girl, or a mature woman, or an ancient old woman. Her symbol for Imbolc was a woven straw cross with three or four arms. Brigid was responsible for many functions; she patronized storytellers and bards, crafts and household chores, and was involved in medicine. At Imbolc, Brigid was a young maiden, ready to fall in love and conceive a new life. There was a custom of weaving a figurine of a goddess and a crib for her out of straw. In some villages, they chose the most beautiful girl for the role of the goddess, dressed her up and took her from house to house, and then laid out a symbolic marriage bed for her in the largest house. In Christianity and some pagan traditions there are holidays similar to Imbolc. It can be compared to the Orthodox Meeting or Maslenitsa. There is no direct evidence, but most likely the custom of predicting the weather by the behavior of a groundhog on February 2nd also has roots in an ancient Irish holiday.

At the age of 59 in 1719, the already quite famous British writer Daniel Defoe published his debut novel under the incredibly long title “The Life and Amazing Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, a sailor from York, who lived twenty-eight years all alone on a desert island off the coast of America near the mouth of the river.” Orinoco, where he was thrown into a shipwreck, during which the entire crew of the ship died except him; with an account of his unexpected liberation by the pirates, written by himself." Subsequently, it became popularly known under the shorter name “Robinson Crusoe”. This book brought the author world fame. It became one of the brightest examples of adventure literature, which was read not only by children, but also by adults. Defoe was born into the family of an English meat merchant. He received a good spiritual education and was supposed to become a pastor, but it didn’t work out. The young man preferred commercial activity to the clergy, although he managed to combine it with a wonderful hobby - poetry. At that time, Defoe wrote exclusively on religious topics. He was terribly ashamed of his bourgeois origin, so at the first opportunity he changed his surname Fo, given from birth, to the more euphonious Defoe. Subsequently, the writer introduced himself as a new acquaintance of a nobleman. He repeatedly developed his business and became bankrupt, wrote political pamphlets and essays, traveled to European countries, studied languages, even sat in prison and stood in the pillory, was pardoned and participated in a conspiracy. Daniel Defoe managed to constantly find himself in the thick of things, and his life was incredibly eventful. He became the author of more than 500 works and the founder of economic journalism. Today, various sources contain rather contradictory information that the creator of Robinson Crusoe worked in British intelligence, but it is not possible to find information about the details of this cooperation. Some believe that Defoe was a kind of eminence grise who led this service and influenced not only the king, but also the entire political situation in the country. Be that as it may, throughout his life the writer created many articles, essays, pamphlets, stories and novels. "Robinson Crusoe" became his only book that could be given to children. Defoe's remaining works were devoted mainly to biographies of swindlers, courtesans and thieves. Daniel Defoe had an amazing imagination, which helped him tell an incredible story. Robinson Crusoe is a man who spent 28 long years on a desert island, managed to improve his life and not lose his mind from loneliness. The well-known story has two sequels, which the author wrote under pressure from readers eager for a continuation. Unfortunately, they did not gain such fame as the first part. Defoe was inspired to write his book by the story of Alexander Selkirk. He served as a boatswain and during the next voyage he quarreled so strongly with the captain that he demanded to land him on a desert island. The captain, driven into a frenzy, immediately agreed to fulfill his request and got rid of the quarrelsome subordinate. Selkirk knew that there were supplies of fresh water in the island, so he did not plan to stay there for long, since other ships often dropped anchor to replenish their supplies. The boatswain miscalculated and was forced to spend almost five years on the island in splendid isolation. He was picked up by the crew of the British ship "Duchess". There was no Friday on the island, Selkirk did not meet cannibal savages and brave pirates - the main details of Crusoe's story, which made it so fascinating, were invented by Defoe himself. The idea of ​​celebrating Robinson Crusoe Day on February 1 belongs to an English publication, which put forward it in 1999. On this day you can go hiking and practice your survival skills in the wild. You can take your children with you to teach them how to light a fire, how to properly stack branches for a fire, and how to set up a tent. You can find adventures not only on a desert island, so any walk through the forest can become an exciting journey that is worthy of its own story.

Before its invention in the mid-19th century. Telegraph news spread much more slowly than it does today. The main source of information about domestic and international political events were newspapers and magazines. Muscovites learned about incidents in St. Petersburg after 4-5 days; Russian people learned about news from abroad after 2-4 weeks. The slow transmission of information messages was ended with the advent of the teletype, telephone and fax. In the Internet age, political news travels almost instantly. The rapid development of IT technologies is, on the one hand, a blessing for humanity, and on the other hand, a great misfortune. With the help of modern devices, people have the opportunity to monitor the latest news 24 hours a day and get acquainted with emotional reactions to the events of others, which often causes anxiety, fear and stress. Blocking the information flow coming from newspapers, magazines and Internet portals allows you to avoid psychological problems. Everyone who is concerned about their mental health and the state of the nervous system celebrates February 1 as Day Without Politics. The initiator of the No Politics Day celebration was American Bob Matthews. A resident of Rochester, New York, witnessed turmoil in the United States due to citizen protests after the inauguration of the 45th president. On February 1, 2017, another clash between supporters of Donald Trump and opponents of his policies took place in Berkeley, California. Representatives of the Antifa movement, anarchists, socialists, black bloc protesters, neo-Nazis and others took part in the conflict, which broke out on the territory of the university. The protest lasted several hours. The clash was accompanied by arson, pogroms of banks and shops in the city, damage to university property and attacks on police officers. In other American cities, at the beginning of February 2017, a series of protests and strikes took place after D. Trump signed a decree banning the entry into the country of refugees from Iraq, Syria, Sudan and 4 other countries in the Middle East. The cause of unrest and riots, as a result of which people suffered, were political events that took place in the United States. In order to reduce the intensity of passions and give rest to the nervous system, No Politics Day was established. Professor Preobrazhensky from "Heart of a Dog" by M.A. Bulgakov did not advise Dr. Bormental to read any newspapers. This recommendation also applies to political news, information about which is freely available. “Patients who do not read newspapers feel excellent. Those whom I specifically forced to read Pravda lost weight... Not only that. [They had] reduced knee reflexes, poor appetite, a depressed state of mind,” he explained college the advisability of following your advice Preobrazhensky. People need to learn to filter the news and take note of events that are directly relevant to their lives. A passenger bus accident in India, the depreciation of the securities of an Australian company, an airplane crash - these are local incidents, information about which should not be taken to heart and passed through. 24/7 access to political news thanks to mobile phones has not made people any more educated or healthier. On the contrary, it had a negative impact on their mental state. Scientists have come to the conclusion that it is necessary to study the discipline of “information ecology,” which will deal with the problems of protecting people from fake news and excess information. Political events in an ever-changing world underlie most articles, video reports and other media materials. The news excites, delights and saddens, instills anxiety and leads to nervous breakdowns. The Day Without Politics encourages you to take a break and distance yourself from the information flow for 24 hours.

One of the forms of avant-garde art, in which the human body becomes the canvas, appeared in the 60s of the last century. In the process of their work, body art masters go beyond traditional art forms and create something new at the intersection of painting, sculpture and drawing. Over the course of several hours, and sometimes even days, artists apply images to the skin of models based on a previously drawn up sketch. Body painting helps in creating amazing optical illusions and mysteries. February 1 is International Body Art Day. The culture of decorating the body with drawings did not appear in the middle of the twentieth century, but much earlier. Drawing color images helped primitive people become invisible to animals - to merge with the surrounding nature for a successful hunt. Shamans painted their faces and bodies before rituals to establish connections with spirits and gods, just like sorcerers in African tribes. The Indians painted themselves with paint before battle, demonstrating courage and bravery to the enemy. Ancient traditions still exist today. Residents of Arab countries, Indonesia and India today, like thousands of years ago, paint their bodies with henna. According to one version, the art of mehendi, painting of hands and feet, originated in Ancient Egypt, later spreading to other countries. In India, thin lines that create lace and floral patterns are drawn from the center of the back of the hand to the edges. The designs cover the hands, forearms and legs of the bride before the wedding ceremony. Face painting and decorative makeup at first glance seem to be types of body art, but this is not entirely true. When applying it, the master puts talent and creative intent into his work, which makes the drawing on the body a work of art. Temporary tattoos and children's face painting can be compared to artistic painting, while body art is like magic. Masters create illusions using the human body, turn people into animals, and introduce the created image into pictures of the surrounding reality, landscapes and still lifes. To convey an artistic idea to the viewer, not only images are used, but also facial expressions, poses and gestures of models. One of the forms of decorating the body with drawings is a tattoo. The ancient Chinese and Romans applied designs using pigments obtained from plants and flowers, and needles, traumatizing the skin and thereby fixing the dyes in the dermis. Tattoos were present in the culture of the ancient Sumerians and Celts, the Japanese and Indians, the Yakuts and the Chukchi. Today, tattoo belongs to the genre of fine art, the copyright in which belongs to the master who completed the sketch and applied the drawing to the body. International Body Art Day is a celebration of self-expression of people who master the skill of transformation and creating optical illusions. New Yorkers were the first to celebrate the occasion in 2014. The initiator of the celebration of Body Art Day is the American Andy Golub. The artist tried to organize holiday events in 2011, but was arrested by the police for displaying nudity in a public place. After 2 years, the legislative ban was lifted. Naked bodies have become permitted to be displayed at festivals and other art events. The riot of colors and emotions that reign on February 1 on the streets of cities in many countries around the world is amazing. The works of illusionists surprise and, at the same time, inspire to create such creations. In honor of the holiday, master classes and body painting are held for everyone who wants to become a model, contemporary art exhibitions and body art festivals are organized.

On February 1, 2013, World Hijab Day was celebrated for the first time, which later became an annual event. Although this holiday is not an official international holiday, more than sixty countries took part in it. And every year the number of countries participating in this celebration increases. For example, in 2015 there were already 115. Russia and Ukraine are also on the list of active participating countries. This holiday was started by Muslim Nazma Khan, who moved to the United States and was subjected to attacks from others there about constantly wearing a hijab. Then the girl decided to create a website where she could morally support persecuted Muslim women like her. Nazma and her like-minded women talked about the history of traditional Islamic clothing, examined styles, and shared wearing secrets. Then she came up with the idea of ​​organizing a one-day event where women of different religions try on hijabs. This would help them be more tolerant of women in burqas. Hijab means “veil” in Arabic. In the Islamic religion, this word means thick women's clothing that covers the entire body except the face and hands. However, some people call a regular women's headscarf a hijab. It is worth noting that this opinion is not wrong: it is a simplified version of the hijab. Sometimes such closed clothing is called a veil or burqa. There are many types of this attire: black and multi-colored, casual and festive, thick and mesh... The Koran (the holy book of Muslims) says that a woman should cover her beauty with a veil, and that exposing any part of her body anywhere other than her husband’s house is a sin and shame. However, the culture of wearing the hijab appeared long before the rise of Islam. Thus, Mesopotamian women wore a thick veil to confirm their high social status. Also in the early Christian period, representatives of the fairer sex covered their faces and heads. In some countries, such as Sudan, wearing the hijab is required by law. Otherwise, the woman may even be subject to public flogging and a fine. In the 70s of the 19th century in Egypt, under the influence of emancipation, the first calls were made to abandon wearing the hijab. In a modern democratized society, you can sometimes hear exclamations of dissatisfaction towards those who appear in public in this outfit. It is for the purpose of education that World Hijab Day was established. To take part in this event, you can read about the history of the outfit, look at its styles, and tell your friends about this day. If possible, you can even try on the robe yourself. In other words, on this day it is important to touch the traditions of ancient religion and understand that, regardless of clothing and religion, all people are equal.

Passwords are used when removing an alarm or logging into a computer, to save confidential information - bank card account balances, correspondence on social networks and other data. In order to protect yourself from novice and seasoned hackers, you periodically need to come up with a new secret combination of letters, numbers and other symbols. February 1 is “Change Your Password” Day, which reminds us to strengthen the protection of information from unauthorized access. Change Your Password Day encourages you to take a closer look at the PIN code that is used to unlock a gadget or open a safe. Evaluate whether the password used to enter the bank’s electronic account is too light? Hackers stalking a victim often have personal information that can help them crack a code and hack into a computer or other device. Therefore, it is not recommended to use the date of birth of yourself and your loved ones, the names and nicknames of pets, and other data that can be easily obtained by studying social network pages in a secret set of characters. To strengthen your password when creating a new one, consider advice from experienced programmers. So, never use only numbers or letters - create complex combinations of these graphic symbols. Use different cases, spaces or underscores, and add punctuation to your combinations. Computer scientists advise never to use your login as a password, and to set the same one for logging into your email, personal account of an online store, and cloud storage. Password, no matter how reliable it is, needs to be changed periodically. And February 1, like no other day, is suitable for this. Do not store passwords in folders with electronic documents. Along with hacking the operating system, the hacker also gains access to them. Even though we live in a partially digital world, people still use paper and pen, as well as planners. Take a little time and save your passwords, if you rarely use them or are afraid of forgetting them, in a notebook. By the way, from time to time it is recommended to enter the numbers of people from the “Contacts” section of the phone. You can also approach Change Your Password Day from an esoteric point of view. In everyday life, there are many symbols that help us create psychological protection: properly working gates at the entrance to a private house, doors to an apartment or garage, locks and hinges. Strengthening security of any kind - from household to energy - helps to have reliable barriers to intruders both into your home and into the sphere of personal data. Changing passwords helps a person who was previously frivolous and trusting to protect himself at all levels. Change Your Password Day is one of those holidays that is not difficult to celebrate. On February 1, you should find free time and devote it to protecting your own data. By doing this, you can honestly tell others that you are celebrating Change Your Password Day. But you should not notify your loved ones using modern means of communication - after all, hackers do not sleep and commit their dirty deeds even on Change Your Password Day...

The United States celebrates National Freedom Day on February 1st every year. In 1865, the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln, signed a congressional resolution that promised to end slavery, the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America. The meaning of the amendment was that from the moment it was signed on the territory of the United States, slavery as a phenomenon should have disappeared. The amendment itself was given legal force in December 1865, and National Freedom Day itself was celebrated for the first time in the United States on February 1, 1942. National Freedom Day was not officially declared until 1948 by President Truman. It is worth saying that during the vote against the slave laws, two-thirds of the Senate voted for their abolition, the rest chose to maintain old traditions and not abolish slavery. One of the important roles in this story was played by Richard R. Wright Sr., an officer, a defender of the rights of citizens, a former slave, who believed that it was necessary to set aside a day in the year on which Americans would honor freedom. It was he who proposed organizing a movement in support of the future holiday. The National Liberty Association, which eventually formed, proposed a single commemoration to bring public attention to the struggle for African American freedom that continues today. All 50 states, as well as the District of Columbia, celebrate National Freedom Day. The holiday is not a national holiday; there are no days off on this day. Americans have their own traditions, for example, on this day they place flowers with honor at the Liberty Bell, which is located in Philadelphia and is a symbol of independence and freedom in the United States. According to the stories of city residents, this bell was the first to announce certain important news with its ringing. Also on February 1, many events take place, such as exhibitions, concerts and film screenings on the theme of freedom.

February 1 (January 19, old style) is celebrated as Makaryev Day according to the folk calendar. This day is named according to the church date of honoring St. Macarius the Great, a priest of the 4th century. Macarius began serving the Lord and studying the Holy Scriptures after the death of his wife. When his parents died, he went to the desert, led a hermit's life, and then founded a monastery. His mentor was Anthony the Great. At the age of 40, Macarius received the priesthood, and in order to seclude himself from the parishioners, he dug a cell for prayer under his temple. He had the gift of healing serious illnesses and wrote many works useful to Christians. On Makaryev’s day the peasants rested from work and visited guests. Since the 19th century, the tradition of having a tea party has appeared. They ate sugar as a snack for tea, and in wealthy families they treated themselves to jam. Tea was poured from a samovar, fanning the heat in it with the help of a boot. It was believed that after swelling, such a boot would heal the legs from diseases. While lighting wood in the stove, the owners watched the fire. If the flame illuminated the firebox with golden light, it foreshadowed peace and prosperity for the family. The people tried to prepare firewood and splinters in advance - thin wooden chips, split them and dried them well so that they would immediately flare up. On Macarius Day they prayed to St. John Chrysostom, asking him for help in mastering knowledge or getting rid of sad thoughts. They also went to healers so that they could use spells to cure headaches and toothaches. The dream that occurred on Macarius was considered prophetic. Makaryev's day was often called a spring indicator, since the weather for the future was determined by its signs. The warming weather predicted that spring would arrive earlier than usual. The descending blizzard promised a long winter and snowy weather for Maslenitsa. The cold meant a sultry summer. How Makaryev's day went was how the whole month of February was expected to be.

Every year the first week of February, i.e. The period from February 1 to February 7 is considered to be the World Week of Harmonious Interfaith Relations. The main idea of ​​this event is to improve relations between different religious faiths in order to avoid conflicts and disagreements. There are dozens of religions and denominations in the world, millions of adherents of which often cannot find a common language with each other. Despite the fact that the goal of every religion is to create harmony and mental balance within a person, to find a common language with other people, disputes and disagreements often arise between adherents of different religions, which sometimes even lead to bloodshed. Wars occur on the basis of religion. Thus, while creating harmony within themselves, people are not always able to achieve it in small and large social groups, between people. Disputes and disagreements based on religion have always been a fairly frequent and painful phenomenon in the life of society. This is a very young holiday. Its appearance is due to the fact that in recent decades the number of armed and interethnic conflicts on religious grounds has increased. In October 2010, at the next meeting of the UN General Assembly, the need to draw attention to this problem was recognized. And not only politicians, leaders of religious denominations and top officials of states should have been involved. At the Assembly meeting, it was emphasized that it is necessary to involve as many people as possible in the dialogue. That is why special General Assembly resolution 65/5 was issued. It designated the period from February 1 to February 7, 2011 as the Week of Harmonious Interfaith Relations. The implementation of this Week was a real sensation and an action that had important historical significance. Therefore, it was decided to continue the tradition of holding such an event. Since then, the World Week of Harmonious Interfaith Relations has traditionally been held every year in the first week of February. Recently, the world community has become concerned about the creation of peaceful relations between representatives of different religions, and for this, the UN General Assembly proposed holding a World Week of Harmonious Interfaith Relations. During it, various forums, discussions and other events are organized, where representatives of different faiths strive to achieve understanding with each other, to find common aspirations in the development of the spiritual component of society. They talk and calmly listen to each other - which is already quite a big step for the development of world history. The first time such an event took place was in 2011, after which it was decided to hold a week of harmonious relations in the first days of February. Since then, the UN has issued a resolution that addresses the issue of good relations between various world faiths. The United Nations has assumed peacekeeping, friendly functions and encourages the maintenance of good relations, the basis of which is goodwill and tolerance, understanding and the desire to find a common language. The main purpose of this Week is to promote religious tolerance. During this week, representatives of different faiths meet with each other, hold various briefings, seminars, conferences, where they discuss pressing problems of religion and peaceful coexistence of representatives of different faiths. The direct ministers of the church on the ground do not remain uninvolved. These days, more sermons are held among parishioners, reminding them of what values ​​their religion actually brings and educates them, they talk about love for one’s neighbor and religious tolerance. Despite the fact that such an action has been carried out for a relatively short time, according to UN representatives, it has its own progressive effect. Many believers, after such conversations, will begin to look at other faiths a little differently, more loyally. Some representatives of faiths already agree to dialogue, which was not the case before. Thus, the attention of the whole world is drawn to the problems of achieving agreement in seemingly insoluble disputes. The UN appreciates the initiative in this direction and is ready to cooperate at regional and interregional levels - everything to achieve peace and harmony on our planet. The first week of February was called World Week, and the “Common Cause” project appeared. In a word, every year the matter of tolerant attitude towards supporters of other religions does not stand still, receiving new options and ways of development. Of course, truly harmonious interfaith relations are still far away, but practice shows that by devoting at least one week a year to this issue, humanity can peacefully solve the global problem of hostility and rejection of representatives of other religions.

Orthodox holidays on February 1:

February 1 is the Day of Enthronement of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus'; January 27, 2009, the Local Council of the Russian Orthodox Church elected him to the Moscow Patriarchal Throne. The ceremonial enthronement (enthronement) took place in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior on February 1, 2009. The Patriarch is the highest clergyman of the Russian Orthodox Church. The Charter allows for the election of the Patriarch from bishops with a higher theological education, over 40 years of age, and with experience in diocesan administration. The post is for life. 20 years before entering the patriarchal rank, the Primate headed the Department for External Church Relations and was widely known not only among Russian believers. Many unchurched citizens watched television programs with the participation of Metropolitan Kirill, listened to his philosophical speeches and heartfelt conversations, which continued after his elevation to the highest rank. The Patriarch actively uses modern communication technologies to communicate with the laity. On social networks on his personal pages, the Primate shares his thoughts, encouraging users of social accounts to engage in active dialogue about virtue and eternal human values. The Patriarch has many responsibilities and concerns. He is responsible for the well-being of the Russian Orthodox Church and represents it in relations with the State. Strengthening church-state relations, to which His Holiness pays great attention, allows us to successfully solve problems that are of paramount importance for the Church and the State. Among such tasks are mercy, charity, raising children, enlightenment, education, and the formation of family values. Under his leadership, parish educational work became more focused, as a result, parishioners and those who come to the Temple only to perform the ceremony, paying tribute to fashion, begin to understand the true meaning of Baptism and Wedding, and approach the ceremony thoughtfully and consciously. While engaged in the spiritual and moral education of the population, the Patriarch does not forget about pastoral ethics, reminding all church workers of the need for a friendly attitude towards all parishioners, towards those who cross the threshold of the Temple for the first time. The Lord is a true peacemaker. He seeks to establish connections between Christian organizations, organize Orthodox-Catholic cooperation in order to jointly resist violence and extremism, and together defend the Christian foundations of European culture. The many honorary titles and academic degrees received even before entering the rank, and then during the period of patriarchate, are evidence of his education, wisdom, and philanthropy. His service has been rewarded by the Russian Orthodox Church and various religious organizations. But what is surprising is that back in 1988 he was awarded the Order of Friendship of Peoples - the State Award of Russia, and was awarded His Holiness and other state orders of Russia and foreign countries. How not to be proud of such a Patriarch! God help us to hear, hear and heed the words of His Holiness.

On February 1, the Christian world honors St. Macarius the Great, who received the gift of a miracle worker. Macarius the Great, was born in Lower Egypt near the Nitrian desert in the village of Ptinapor around 300. Obeying the will of his parents, he got married. Soon widowed, Macarius confirmed his desire to take the path of a monk and immersed himself in the study of the Holy Scriptures. Fulfilling the commandment to honor parents, he did not leave his elderly parents. After the death of his parents, Macarius went to the nearest desert and became a novice under an old hermit. The elder instructed him in spiritual science and taught him handicrafts. The local bishop, having learned about the virtuous life of Macarius, ordained him as a junior cleric of the local church. Macarius was burdened by the dignity he had received and retired to the Paran desert. After living alone in the desert for several years, Macarius went to Saint Anthony the Great as a disciple. The Monk Abba Anthony received Macarius with love, who became his devoted follower. On the advice of Anthony, after living for a long time in the Thebad desert, Macarius went to the Skit desert (northwest of Egypt). At the age of thirty, Macarius showed himself to be a mature monk, for which he was called an “elder youth.” At the age of 40, Macarius was ordained a priest and made abbot of the monks living in the Skete desert. At the same time, Macarius received the gift of miracles. According to church tradition, the saint raised the dead to convince the heretic of the possibility of resurrection. Around 360, the monk became the founder of a monastery in the Nitrian desert, which was later called the monastery of Macarius the Great. Macarius the Great and Macarius of Alexandria during the reign of the Arian emperor Valens were exiled to a deserted island inhabited by pagans. According to legend, having healed the priest’s daughter, Macarius converted the local residents to the Christian faith, and the Arian Bishop Luke allowed the monks to return to their deserts. The Monk Macarius the Great died in 391 in the monastery he founded. Before moving to the heavenly monasteries, the Monk Macarius gave instructions to his disciples and plunged into peace, saying, “Into Thy hands, Lord, I commend my spirit.” Theological writings are a precious inheritance of the wisdom of the Monk Macarius. The clear and intelligible instructions and messages of St. Macarius are close to the heart and mind.

Memorial Day of St. Savva of Storozhevsky, Zvenigorod

Memorial Day of St. Mark of Ephesus