On January 30 we celebrated a special religious day with our students: \u039f\u03b9 \u03a4\u03c1\u03b5\u03b9\u03c2 \u0399\u03b5\u03c1\u03ac\u03c1\u03c7\u03b5\u03c2 (the “Three Holy Hierarchs”). It is the celebration of\u00a0 \u0399\u03c9\u03ac\u03bd\u03bd\u03b7\u03c2 \u03bf \u03a7\u03c1\u03c5\u03c3\u03cc\u03c3\u03c4\u03bf\u03bc\u03bf\u03c2 (John Chrysostom), \u0392\u03b1\u03c3\u03af\u03bb\u03b5\u03b9\u03bf\u03c2 \u03bf \u039c\u03ad\u03b3\u03b1\u03c2 (Basil the Great) and\u00a0 \u0393\u03c1\u03b7\u03b3\u03cc\u03c1\u03b9\u03bf\u03c2 \u03bf \u0398\u03b5\u03bf\u03bb\u03cc\u03b3\u03bf\u03c2 (Gregory the Theologian). They were bishops of the early church and played important parts. They are also known as teachers and therefore January 30 is especially celebrated in schools.<\/p>\n
In the 11th century there were disagreements in Constantinople which of those three hierarchs was the greatest. They all had separate feast days in January. Finally, in 1084 the bishop of Euchaita had a vision which showed him that all three hierarchs were equal before God. Therefore, they decided to honor them on one day, January 30.<\/p>\n
The day at our school began with a brief history lesson about the origin of this celebration. As we watched a video, it was easy and interesting for us to follow the explanations. Later all the children went to church together, led by some older children who carried the Greek flag. It was a nice opportunity for us to experience a Greek Orthodox mass in a pleasant setting. The children also participated in the celebration and read a prayer and distributed the bread. All in all, it was a small but nice celebration.<\/p>\n
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