Every year on September 1st, the Orthodox Church, led by the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, festively celebrates the ecclesiastical New Year. According to Holy Tradition, Jesus entered the Synagogue in September to announce His mission to mankind.
Quoting from Isaiah 61 verses 1-2, the Saviour said, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed me to preach the Gospel to the poor…to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord”. Tradition tells us the Hebrews entered the Promised Land on September 1st. Scripture tells that this is the day of the Hebrew Feast of the Blowing of the Trumpets with hymns of praise and Thanksgiving.
Let us not confuse the civil New Year on January 1, because that is the celebration of the Feast of the Circumcision and does not in its hymnography mention anything about New Year.
So let us celebrate this Ecclesiastical New Year and entreat God to bless us and grant us peace, health and prosperity.
