On July 7, Christians of the Eastern Rite celebrate the feast dedicated to the Nativity of John the Baptist.. This is one of the few holidays when the birth of a famous Christian personality is celebrated.. There are three of them: the Nativity of Christ, the Nativity of the Virgin and the Nativity of John the Baptist.

[see_also ids\u003d"

Celebration traditions.

On the eve of the holiday, the All-Night Vigil is served in the churches. At the divine liturgy, stichera and canons are read, in which John the Baptist and the event of his birth are glorified.

After the morning service, water and herbs are traditionally blessed..

Believers also make pilgrimages to shrines associated with John the Baptist.

The holiday coincides with another holiday - Ivan Kupala.

What not to do on a holiday.

On this day, you can not have fun, make noise and arrange festivities. It is believed that John the Baptist was executed during the feast.

John is believed to have had his head cut off.. Related to this is the ban on the use of knives.. You can also not cut something round, such as bread.