With the beginning of autumn, more and more Orthodox Christians of the Eastern Rite are interested in the date of the feast of the Protection of the Mother of God, or as it is also called the Cossack Protection. We will analyze why this is so and when to celebrate it in this article below.
When is the feast of the Protection of the Virgin according to the new and old style?
Since the Orthodox Church of Ukraine and the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church switched to the new Julian calendar, the date of the celebration of the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos has moved 13 days earlier and is celebrated on October 1 according to the new style .
For those who continue to celebrate according to the old Julian calendar (out of habit, because their family celebrates, or because the parish decided not to switch to the new style), the holiday falls on the old traditional date of October 14 .
Why is Pokrova called “Cossack”?
The name “Cossack Intercession” was engraved in history due to her special veneration by the Cossacks, who considered her their patroness. The warriors of the Zaporozhian Sich thanked the Virgin Mary for a successful campaign and asked for strength and “intercession” for protection in new affairs.
Also, our Cossack ancestors considered the Virgin Mary not only their main heavenly patroness, but also named the central temples in each sich in her honor.
It was on Pokrova that the Cossacks convened general councils (the highest-level meetings), where they elected kosh atamans and decided the fate of the Cossack republic.
During this period, a special canon of Ukrainian icon painting was formed – “Cossack Protection”, where under the protection omophorion, alongside the saints, real hetmans, foremen, and ordinary Cossacks were painted, which gives us the opportunity to learn more about their appearance, weapons, and customs today.
Present
In modern Ukraine, they are trying to maintain this historical connection between Cossack patronage, the struggle of the UPA soldiers, and the victory of the modern Armed Forces of Ukraine by establishing October 1 as the official national holiday of the Day of Defenders of Ukraine at the state level.
Previously, we also wrote: Orthodox calendar for October 2026 (new style) , as well as Orthodox church calendar for October 2026, old style.
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