Saint Theodore of Tirone! A big celebration for Muzaki – Happy Birthday everyone
On the first Saturday of Great Lent, our Church honors the Holy Great Martyr Theodore of Tiron. On this day, the town of Mouzaki celebrates and celebrates, since Saint Theodoros is its patron and patron and his feast has been established “as a day of official local religious celebration”.
Therefore, this year’s celebration of our Patron Saint took place on Friday 22 and Saturday 23 March 2024 according to the following schedule:
Friday, March 22, 2024
Time 07.00: Operation of the Consecrated Gifts.
Time 19.00: The bells of the Holy Churches of the city rang joyfully and then in the celebratory Holy Church of Agios Theodores the Sequence of the First Salutations to the Blessed Virgin Mary was held, presided over by our Reverend Metropolitan Mr. Timotheus.
Saturday, March 23, 2024
Time 7.30-10.00: Orthros and Solemn Divine Liturgy.
Time 10.00: Holy Litany of the Icon of the Patron Saint in the Center of the city.
Time 13.00: Holy Supplication to Saint Theodore of Tiron.
Saint Theodore of Tirone!
Great martyr of the Christian Church, whose memory is commemorated on February 17 and the Saturday of the first week of Lent (March 20, 2021), in memory of the miracle of the collyves, when those who bear the name Theodore and Theodora celebrate. The Catholic Church commemorates Saint Theodore of Tiron on November 9.
Theodore came from Amasia in Pontus and served in the Order of Therons (new recruits) of the Roman army, hence the nickname Tiron, which accompanies him to differentiate him from Saint Theodore the Soldier. He lived in the time of Diocletian (284-305) and was martyred after horrible tortures, because he had burned an idol and the temple of Rhea.
According to tradition, it is associated with many miracles, the most famous of which is the “miracle of the collyves”, which the church celebrates every year on the Saturday of the first week of Lent.
Saint Theodore of Tiron is the patron saint of Orestiada and Brindisi (Italian Brindisi).
Introit. Great feats of faith in the source of the fire, as on water of rest, the holy Martyr Theodore was glorified; for you were burnt up by fire, as the bread of Edys, the Trinity is offered. Through his prayers, O Christ God, save our souls.
Folklore. In many villages of the Peloponnese, on the eve of the feast of Saint Theodore, the girls used to go to the church in the sperna (collyva) for the celebrating Theodores.
On the day of the Saint’s feast, cemeteries are usually visited and relatives offer kollyva (vegetable pies in Milos) for the dead. In some parts of Greece, the church makes a disk with a kollyva for those who died without heirs.
In Antissa of Lesvos, the kollivas from the church were made into rosaries (threaded with a needle) and tied to the branches of trees in order to prevent baskania. In many parts of Greece (Macedonia, Kalamata, Chios, Amorgos, Milos, Tyrnavos, Samos), unmarried girls used to place St. Theodore’s hut under their headboard to dream of which man they would marry.