Orthodox Church celebrates the Day of the Saints - the Great Martyrs Faith, Hope, Love and their mother Sophia on September 30 (September 17, old style).
For many centuries, for the entire Orthodox world, this story has been a symbol of true faith, an example of spiritual fortitude and genuine courage of this Christian family, and to this day admires and inspires people.
These holy women are highly revered in Rus'; in honor of their memory, girls are named after them. Moreover, these words are symbolic for the soul of every Russian person and for the meaning that is inherent in each of these names - Faith, Hope, Love... and wisdom - Sophia.
In Rus', this day was also called “all-bright women’s name day.” According to tradition, on the day of remembrance of St. Sophia and her daughters, in Russian villages it was customary to honor women who were named after the holy martyrs.
The holy martyrs Faith, Hope and Love were born in Italy. Their mother, Saint Sophia, was a pious Christian widow. Having named her daughters after three Christian virtues, Sophia raised them in love for the Lord Jesus Christ.
Saint Sophia and her daughters did not hide their faith in Christ and openly confessed it. The governor Antiochus reported this to Emperor Hadrian (117 - 138), and he ordered them to be brought to Rome.
When the girls and their mother appeared before the emperor, all those present were amazed at their calmness: it seemed that they were invited to a bright celebration, and not to torture.
Calling his sisters one by one, Adrian convinced them to sacrifice to the goddess Artemis. The girls (Vera was 12, Nadezhda - 10 and Lyubov - 9 years old) remained adamant. Then the emperor ordered them to be brutally tortured. But enduring all the torment, the virgins glorified their Heavenly Bridegroom and remained steadfast in their faith.
Saint Sophia was subjected to another, most severe torture: the mother was forced to watch her daughters suffer. But she showed extraordinary courage and constantly convinced the girls to endure the torment. All three girls joyfully met their martyrdom. They were beheaded.
To prolong Saint Sophia’s mental suffering, the emperor allowed her to take the bodies of her daughters. Sophia put their remains in an ark and took them with honors in a chariot outside the city and buried them in a high place. For three days Saint Sophia, without leaving, sat at the grave of her daughters and, finally, there she gave up her soul to the Lord. The believers buried her body in the same place. The relics of the holy martyrs have rested in Alsace, in the church of Escho, since 777.
What to give for Angel's Day?
On Angel's Day, give a bouquet of flowers. Each name has its own special flower, so pay attention to this before purchasing.
The white aster is the flower of a girl named Vera. They will bring good luck, prosperity, happiness and health to the house. Decorate the bouquet with beautiful ribbons and give it as a gift, saying kind words from the bottom of your heart.
The Flower of Hope is calendula. Choose warm colors so that they look like radiant suns. Present the bouquet while reading poems with wishes.
Give your love beautiful orchids or roses. Try to choose flowers without thorns, preferably red. They will reflect strong love and will bring good luck to Lyubov.
If you don’t want to give ordinary flowers, then give a chocolate bouquet. It is best to buy flowers made from white and milk chocolate, since not everyone likes bitter chocolate. It is best that the buds are made of white airy chocolate, and the stems are made of milk chocolate.
Buy a basket to put chocolate flowers in. Don't forget to decorate the basket. Use real flowers, preferably several types, but in the same color scheme.
You can also give a cake. But unusual. You can place an angel figurine in the middle as a symbol of the holiday. A figurine of a guardian angel will also be an original gift.
If a girl with this name is Orthodox and believes in God, then give her beautiful icon with images of saints. It is not necessary to buy an icon in the church; you can embroider the image with a cross or using beads. Do-it-yourself works are much more appreciated today.
You can also give a porcelain doll. They happen different sizes, may vary in price. Try to choose a doll that will look like the girl for whom you are choosing a gift. It will be doubly pleasant.
You can give a box with a secret. For example, such original books are sold. When you open it, it turns out that it is not a book, but a box. You can put something nice in there. For example, original decoration, which will match the girl. If you congratulate your girlfriend, you can put small notes with pleasant words and confessions in the box.
If your girlfriend has a sweet tooth, but you didn’t like the option with chocolate flowers, then you can give... A portrait made of chocolate! To do this, you need to find a master; before placing an order, look at his previous work to be sure of the quality of the workmanship.
Bring a photograph where all facial features will be clearly visible and, after some time, you will get a job. It is best to give it in combination with a bouquet of flowers or a bottle of fine wine.
Another pleasant gift for your loved one will be a poem or song that you yourself composed. Don't forget to mention what a magical name the girl has and how beautiful she is. Perform your work for her on September 30th, her name day, she will be incredibly happy.
If you are planning to congratulate a young girl, then excellent option there will be a teddy bear. All girls love such delicate gifts. Choose toys light colors, for example, soft pink or sky blue.
Give your girl an original vase of flowers or fruit. Choose without sharp corners, best with wavy lines and delicate patterns.
A home flower is a great gift. Wish the girl to bloom like this one beautiful flower. Try to choose a plant that is easy to care for. If a girl has never worked with flowers, she will not be able to handle them.
On this wonderful day, wish Faith, Hope and Love happy life, strong love and health. Girls who bear these names are already unique. After all, they carry great meaning and set an example for others. Try to make them happy not only on this day, but throughout life.
Gifts for Faith, Hope, Love and Sofia
On September 30, Orthodox Christians celebrate the day of the holy martyrs Faith, Hope, Love and their mother Sophia. According to legend, this family, even being doomed to bodily torment, did not renounce their faith in God, for which they were numbered among the saints by the church.
These three Russians female names are at the same time three virtues. Regardless of your faith, September 30 is an occasion to congratulate a woman, if she is the owner of one of these names, on Angel Day.
What to give for Angel Day?
Angel Day does not require choosing a specific gift. Since this is not such a significant holiday as a birthday, many make do with only verbal congratulations.
A pleasant sign of attention will be with warm wishes or a poem, each line of which begins with the letter of the person’s name - in such a way that the name itself is read vertically.
Some people prefer small souvenirs also associated with a person’s name: amulets and talismans with the first letter indicated on them. Some people like little angels from various materials: glass, wood, metal.
But it seems to us that the answer to the question of what to give a woman on Angel Day is obvious: flowers, of course!
Choosing a flower: Faith, Hope, Love
Receiving gifts is always nice, and gifts with special meaning are even more so. A bouquet of flowers chosen according to the name - how can such a gift not please?
Faith
According to some statements, the flower of Faith is the white aster. According to others - heather. Finding asters, of course, is much easier; at this time they are sold in almost all flower shops.
Searching for heather is a more difficult task, but nevertheless offers several other interesting options gift:
If you are preparing for Angel Day in advance and have time, you can grow heather yourself. Such a gift will be especially precious - after all, you not only presented the person with flowers, but also looked after him for a long time. Also in garden center You can purchase already strong heather seedlings. Lush inflorescences, as well as their sweet aroma, will cheer up any woman.
It will look good decorative heather- made from polymer clay or other materials. Such a gift will delight you for more than one day. You can give preference to stabilized colors: processed special solution, they will keep beautiful appearance for several years. Today, decorations using flowers are very common. By choosing this option, you will give not just a flower - but a real talisman.
Hope
Flower of hope - calendula. It is believed that the owner of this name is an incorrigible optimist, and what color suits optimists better than orange? Bright, warm and sunny, it improves your mood in itself - what can we say about orange flowers?
As with heather, you can find decorations with marigold flowers or purchase preserved flowers.
Since calendula is widely used in cosmetology, you can please Nadezhda with a cream with an extract of this plant, soap or massage oil.
Love
The Flower of Love is called Lyubka - a plant of the Orchidaceae family with a sweet aroma. On Latin the name of the plant is Platanthera, and the Russian version of the name, Lyubka, is associated with ancient legends that the tubers have magical properties, being a love potion, a love potion.
According to another version, roses are considered the flowers of Love. Royal flowers, the red buds of which symbolize a passionate, uncontrollable feeling. Even in the language of flowers, a red rose means true love.
Our florists took care of creating a wide variety of compositions from these majestic flowers. You can please Love on Angel Day either with one beautiful thing or with a whole one.
Orthodox holiday, the day of saints Hope, Faith, Sophia and Love is celebrated in Russia on September 30. The history of the holiday is difficult and sad. Even during the reign of Hadrian, mother Sophia lived with her three daughters in the Roman Empire. The woman and girls did not hide their faith in Christ. Following a denunciation, the emperor ordered them to be taken to Rome. Saint Sophia and the girls, realizing what followed, prayed and asked the Lord Jesus Christ to give them strength, courage, and to accept all the torments with dignity.
At first, they tried to force all four to renounce the Orthodox faith, then the young virgins were subjected to terrible, painful torture in turn, and this despite the fact that the girls were 9-12 years old. Sofia was forced to watch everything that was happening. It is difficult to imagine how the woman felt as she watched her daughters being tormented. But despite all the suffering, not one of the daughters renounced their faith in God. After the mother was allowed to bury the bodies of her girls, after spending three days over their graves, she died. The Church canonized them as holy martyrs, whose relics have been in Alsace since 777. On this day, all girls and women who bear the names of these saints are congratulated. What can you wish for on this day other than patience, perseverance, and courage? Of course, hope, faith and love.
May they always help you
Hope, Faith and Love,
They protect from evil and troubles,
Giving you joy again and again!
May Faith strengthen your heart,
Hope will illuminate the soul,
Well, Love won't let you get burned
And he will thank you with happiness!
Three names. Beautiful, simple.
Words that help people live.
Once upon a time she named her children Sofia,
We should thank her!
For giving Faith to people.
And that everyone always lives with Hope.
And if there is Love, then there will be happiness!
And let it come to every home!
From the bottom of my heart I congratulate you on the great and bright Day of Faith, Hope, Love and their mother Sophia. I would like to wish you to greet a new day with joy and spiritual light, always strive for good goals and good ideas, achieve sincere happiness and absolute success in life, keep love in your heart, strong faith in your soul and bright hope for the best.
When the rains knock on your doors,
There is no strength to gather and move forward,
May the angel of Faith dwell nearby,
Doesn't hurt your soul,
When phrases and clothes do not warm,
There is a cold in the heart - like in February,
May the Angel of Hope warm you,
Will put you to sleep on a gentle wing,
When, tired, you get angry at everything in the world
And anger rages like a flame in the blood,
Take your time - pray to God,
The angel of holy love will come to you,
May they protect you from any element
Three angels and their mother - Sophia!
To all the Verunks and Nadyunks,
Love, Sonya-laughing
We want to be in the openwork,
With money and figure,
With decent men
And in fraying stockings.
With the most prestigious job,
Surrounded by care
And with hair and makeup,
Every year so that voyages
For fashionable outfits
And not a bit of resentment.
May you be wise forever
And impeccably beautiful
To believe in yourself,
All hoping and loving.
I wish you not to lose faith,
Let hope be near
Don't you dare betray love
And everything will be as it should be.
Let Sofia send wisdom,
And let sadness not disturb your heart.
The bad will go away forever
And the angel will help you with everything.
In life you bear the name of a holy virgin,
One of the trinity of holy sisters.
She endured terrible torment,
But she firmly stood her ground.
Be proud of the name you were given
And don’t renounce your words.
Let them help you throughout your life
All three: Hope, Faith and Love.
May the angels, three good sisters,
They protect you with an invisible force,
All your cherished dreams will come true,
Your home is showered with goodness and happiness.
Sofia mother will take away all troubles,
Hope, Faith and Love from now on
They will give you an unprecedented rise in life
And they will protect you like a shrine!
Since your name is Sofia,
Vera, Nadya or Lyubov,
Today is for congratulations
Prepare your ears.
On your birthday I wish you
Happiness gentle rays,
Kindness, human warmth
And pleasant little things.
Even though it's autumn
Let spring live in your heart,
And let the angel guard
Your journey has been for many years.
May the angels be with you
They will ward off bad weather.
Good health,
Friends, smiles, happiness!
Let them bring joy again,
Angelic holiness
Faith, Hope, Sofia, Love -
They are unbiased.
Swim in the sea of kindness,
To experience all the joy of life,
Smiling at everyone, shining!
Congratulations on this bright day,
Let us remind you of faith again,
Let's light candles in the soul with fire
Goodness, hope and love -
We all live for love
And we keep faith in our hearts.
Hoping for better things to come,
We sincerely dream about bright things,
To Saint Sophia and the Three Sisters
Pay speeches of prayer,
Learn and grow from them.
Today is the name day of amazing women - Vera, Nadezhda, Lyubov and Sofia. You are like a symbol of chastity, warmth and femininity. May your patron saints always protect you from adversity and deprivation. Faith in miracles illuminates your path with good deeds, hope in your heart does not dim for a moment, and love will be a devoted companion throughout your life.
Faith, Hope, Love
And Sofia is their eternal mother!
Faith, Hope, Love -
Balm for the human soul!
Faith, Love and Hope,
And Sofia is an eternal jerk!
All Faith, Love, Hope,
And our congratulations to Sophia!
Let them not know sadness
May they always inspire
So that people don't stop
Hope, believe, love!
Who gives us hope
Who sings to us about God?
This is faith and love
We are excited again and again!
We can't live without hope,
And without faith there is no love,
These three are doctors
They give us a lot of good things!
Congratulations to everyone who believes
Who entrusts himself to love,
Who is inspired by hope,
He will be happy forever!
Hope, Faith and Love
It always shines in our souls,
And warms with bright light,
And peace gives us again and again.
May there be joy on this day,
And he will whisper congratulations again,
What is most important in our lives?
Hope, Faith and Love!
September. Thirtieth number.
The heart is joyful, light, -
It is warmed by the news:
Hope, Faith and Love,
We glorify their mother Sofia again!
Let's celebrate the holiday with honor!
And now God is with us again!
He is in the midst of doubts and worries
Gives people hope!
He teaches you to believe and love,
Live wisely and happily!
And let us be with God!
I wish you faith, hope, love
I am on this day, the day of the saints, three sisters and their mother.
And let them help fate every day
Lead you further, passing ravines and holes.
Let faith, hope, love illuminate your thoughts
And they will bring clarity to the understanding of the whole world.
Let the realization of the meaning come to you quickly
And life, and peace, and also your path.
Once upon a time, in the second century, Sophia the Wise lived.
She named her children: Love, Nadezhda, Vera.
Centuries have passed since then, but time apparently has no power here:
Many more human children will be named after virtues!
And every year, when we see the thirtieth in the calendar, September
We congratulate the birthday girls, giving them a lot of good words and gifts!
On a bright, wonderful and beautiful day,
On the day of the whole four saints
We want to wish you happiness,
Hope, faith and love.
So that the saints protect you,
So that you always bring joy to life,
Let the days go well,
And life was cloudless.
So that summer never stops in my soul
It rang joyfully and loudly,
So that life may seem strange,
But it should be bright and light.
With faith we will go around the whole world,
Without love there is no life,
And always hope
It is very important if there is trouble.
Let's celebrate Holy Day today,
We will celebrate a big holiday
Daughters of Saint Sophia,
Wisdom, mental strength.
Wrote congratulations
He helped me talk about the day!
Four names - four angels,
Pleasant words to all birthday girls
We will say joyfully and all with a smile -
We wish you to meet the fish,
That golden and very affectionate one,
And everything in life will turn into your fairy tale,
And what you dream about will come true,
What will be remembered is what is forgotten,
Like in a famous fairy tale scarlet flower -
We give you all our heartfelt congratulations!
The story that formed the basis of the holiday took place many centuries ago - in the second century after the Nativity of Christ, when Emperor Hadrian ruled in Rome. In the capital of the Roman Empire lived the pious widow Sophia (the name Sophia means wisdom). She had three daughters who bore the names of the main Christian virtues: Faith, Hope and Love. Being a deeply religious Christian, Sophia raised her daughters in the love of God, teaching them not to become attached to earthly goods.
It must be said that the Christian faith was not welcomed in Rome and rumors about a family of Christians reached the emperor. First, with persuasion, and then with threats, he tried to force Sophia and her daughters to renounce their faith in Jesus Christ. But the Christian faith in the girls and their mother was unshakable.
The emperor, who was not used to commoners disobeying his orders, ordered the children to be subjected to severe torture. However, the power of faith in the Lord was such that neither fire nor boiling tar could harm the holy family. And then Adrian angrily condemned the girls to death.
Their mother, Sophia, was forced to watch her daughters suffer. She buried the honest remains of Faith, Hope and Love according to Christian custom. On the third day after the burial, the Lord sent Sophia a quiet death and accepted her long-suffering soul into the heavenly abodes.
Faith, Hope, Love and their mother Sophia are included Christian Church to the saints. The mother and her daughters performed a feat in the name of faith, which showed that for people with true faith in Jesus Christ, lack of physical strength does not in the least serve as an obstacle to the manifestation of spiritual strength and courage.
Traditions and customs of the holiday Vera Nadezhda Love
In folk traditions, September 30 is also called “universal women’s name day” or “women’s holiday.” Only according to tradition, it began with crying - beliefs say that all women should begin the morning of this day with loud crying, which serves as a kind of amulet. Indeed, according to custom, even those to whom it was a sin to complain about their fate were supposed to cry. They cried, if not about their own fate, then about the fate of their relatives and friends, because “a woman’s fate does not exist alone.”
The tradition of such crying did not appear by chance, because on September 30 they remembered not only Faith, Hope and Love, but also their mother Sophia, who suffered and cried for her daughters. In general, tears in folk tradition is not only an expression of natural grief or sadness, but also a form of ritual behavior. For example, the bride always “cryed” before the wedding, saying goodbye to her home.
People believe that if you mourn all your loved ones and your own share on September 30, then nothing bad will happen during the year. That is, on the one hand, the crying was reminiscent of the suffering of Sophia, who lost three daughters, but on the other hand, this ritual also had its own subtle calculation. In Russia, Christian customs are often intertwined with pagan ones, so even from the act of commemorating the holy martyrs, a unique ritual was born.
According to traditions preserved from pre-Christian times, on September 30, “village calendars” were held in villages. Young people gathered for “parties,” cherishing the hope of “showing themselves and seeing who will fall on their minds and souls.” And those girls, in whose hearts the fire of love was already burning, wailed so that the reciprocal feeling of their betrothed “will never end,” so that love “does not burn in fire, does not drown in water, so that the cold winter does not chill it.” And they kept the faith in themselves that everything would come true.
Married women on this day, in order to ensure calm atmosphere in the house, they bought three candles from the church, two of which were placed there, in the temple, in front of the face of Christ, and one was saved for the house. At midnight, it had to be placed in the middle of a loaf of bread, placed on the table especially for this purpose, lit and the cherished words uttered as many as 40 times in a row so that all evil would disappear and peace would come to the family. In the morning, feed your household with that bread (only them and no strangers, even guests) and under no circumstances throw away a crumb.
Name days of Vera, Nadezhda, Lyubov and Sophia
Also on September 30, all women with the names Vera, Nadezhda, Lyubov and Sophia celebrate their name days. On this day, it was customary to treat birthday girls with pies. Birthday girls celebrated Angel Day for three whole days, glorifying maternal wisdom and feminine virtues. It was believed that a girl born on this day had considerable wisdom and was able to create comfort in the house and bring prosperity.
On this day, it was customary for birthday girls to give incense and icons depicting Faith, Hope, Love or Sophia, and sweets. They, in turn, were rewarded with pies. Of course, they did not organize festive feasts, but they also did not refuse treats to those who congratulated women with the names Vera, Nadezhda, Lyubov and Sophia.
Conspiracies for Faith, Hope, Love
Plot for marriage on the holiday of Faith, Hope, Love
On September 30, the day of remembrance of the holy martyrs, go to church and buy twelve candles there. Place four candles near the icon of Faith, Hope, Love and their mother Sophia. Three candles - at the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, light three candles at the icon of the Mother of God, and bring two home. After sunset, light the candles and read the following plot over them twelve times in a row:
"Have mercy, Lord,
Have mercy, Mother of God,
Tell God's servant (name) to marry.
How these two candles burn,
So that a man's heart
According to God's servant (name), it caught fire,
He would like to marry her.
He would go to her porch,
He would bring her to God's crown.
Key, lock, tongue.
Amen. Amen. Amen".
Conspiracy for family discord
On the day of remembrance of the holy martyrs Faith, Nadezhda, Lyubov and their mother Sophia, you can protect your family from damage to quarrels and scandals. This protective spell is read once in the morning and once in the evening, standing at the family icon “Faith, Hope, Love.” The words of the conspiracy are:
"In the sea-in the ocean
There is a white fish fish.
Like that fish sick without water on a dry shore,
So let my enemy be sickened.
So that my family is strong and strong,
Intact.
Who will eat that whitefish?
He won’t sleep for an hour, he won’t live a day.
In the name of God Christ,
No one will break up my family.
How scales attach to fish
From head to tail,
So my family may be strong and whole.
Amen".
Amulet for a soldier
On September 30, you can protect a soldier from death in war strong conspiracy. To ensure that nothing bad happens to a soldier during military service, he must read a security plot over the water on the day of Faith, Hope and Love:
"Lord, support me,
God bless!
A white stone lies on the mountain,
That the horse will not hit the stone.
That's how it would be in me,
Servant of God (name),
And in my comrades, and in my horse
The arrow and the bullet did not go.
Like a hammer bounces off a sledgehammer,
That way the bullet would fly away from me.
Like the millstones turning,
So the arrow would never come to me,
She would spin around.
The sun and the month are bright,
So would I, servant of God (name).
The castle fortified behind the mountain is closed,
That lock and keys in the blue sea.
The Mother of God watches these keys,
Protects me from needless death.
In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Now and ever and unto ages of ages.
Amen".
Then he must drink half of the charmed water, and wash his face and hands with the other half.
Signs for Faith, Hope, Love
- September 30 is considered a dangerous and unlucky day.
- On this day, a woman should cry in the morning about herself, about her female lot, about her family and friends, about her home to ease her soul.
- Weddings, engagements and marriages are not held on September 30 - this is a bad omen.
- Women should not do household chores today.
- Folk omens say that this day is always cold and rainy.
- After Faith, Hope, Love, the first frosts begin.
- If the cranes fly on this day, then there will be frost on Pokrov, but if not, then winter will be later. Usually they shouted after the cranes: “the road is like a wheel,” so that in the spring they would return to their native places.
- If it rains on this day, it will be early spring.
- They marry on Vera, Nadezhda, and Love, and they hold a wedding on the Intercession.
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