Photo Hunters: 12

I have played hooky from Photo Hunters for a week or two; time to begin again! And then I realized that I misread the List, thinking today was “12.” OOOPS! This was AFTER I had written this entire post, taking me almost an hour!! Today’s theme is “bulky.” Oh well… I think I’ll leave up 12 for now. Ironically, today’s post is about a holiday celebrated on a “mixed up” calendar! Sheesh!

I hope your holidays were wonderful and you’re off to a good start with the New Year!

Twelve is an appropriate number for this week. The Russian Orthodox Church is celebrating their 12 days of Christmas (their Christmas, called the Orthodox Christmas, begins 13 days after the Catholic Christmas on December 25th). Why? The Orthodox Church follows the Julian calendar, while the Catholic Church follows the Gregorian calendar.

This is a beautiful mosaic above the doors to a Russian Orthodox monastery church in Jordanville, NY. There are 12 apostles in the mosaic. If you click the photo and choose to enlarge, you can see the beautiful detail of it. I love the colors.

Did you know that when Russia was Soviet, under Communist rule starting in 1917, Christmas was banned? The state religion of the Soviet Union was atheism; and evolution was mandated in the schools. I give a lot of credit to the Russian people, though– they maintained their faith and tradition despite enormous persecution. In 1992, the holiday was again openly celebrated; the people hadn’t forgotten how to celebrate, and why.

The Orthodox Christmas is much more religious than the Catholic Christmas. It begins with a fast on Christmas Eve Day. People attend mass, and then families feast on a solemn but joyous meal– it’s a Lenten fast, with no meat, and Russians call it the “Holy Supper.” On the table is a tall white candle, symbolizing Jesus Christ as the Light of the World. And a loaf of Lenten bread next to the candle symbolizes Christ as the Bread of Life.

Traditionally, the Holy Supper has 12 different foods, for the 12 apostles.

1) Mushroom soup or Sauerkraut soup
2) Lenten bread
3) Grated garlic
4) Bowl of honey
5) Baked cod
6) Fresh Apricots, Oranges, Figs and Dates
7) Nuts
Kidney beans with shredded potatoes
9) Peas
10) Parsley Potatoes (boiled new potatoes with chopped parsley and margarine)
11) Bobal’ki (small biscuits combined with sauerkraut or poppyseed with honey)
12) Red Wine

There is a thriving Russian Orthodox community in Central New York. Most of the emigration occurred by people fleeing the Communist takeover of Russia. The Jordanville Monastery was founded in 1928. You can read more about our visit here.

The Russian Orthodox Monastery in Jordanville, NY

Jordanville, NY, is in the middle of nowhere. Really. I think it is nothing more than a four-corner settlement with a library. But it does have two interesting landmarks that dot the rolling hillsides: a castle and a monastery. We went to see the monastery in the early spring of 2006.

This area of the Mohawk Valley is home to a large number of Russian immigrants, most of whom emigrated to America during times of religious persecution under Joseph Stalin (hiss, hiss). My stepfather was Russian Jewish, so I have a natural interest in Russian history. (My step-dad also said Russian monks made the best wines, and I think he was in part of some kind of Russian wine of the month club, lol).

The monastery was founded in 1928. You can read more of its history and view some gorgeous aerial pictures here.

We had hoped to be able to enter the church and look inside. But a sign at the gate forbad women wearing pants to enter. Nuts. We drove around the front and snapped a few pictures. I got a shot of a beautiful mosaic over the doors. The halos above the apostles’ heads are made of gold mosaic tile. Click the photo to see a larger one with more detail.

More colorful mosaics were to be found beyond this exquisite gate. I was not bold enough to enter through the gate, but I took this picture.

I also took a quick snapshot of the glorious golden onion dome, so typical of the orthodox style.

It was a nice visit, even though we did not get to go in the buildings. The kids and I are currently studying ancient world cultures and Church History. We have just finished reading about the fall of the Roman Empire and the invasion of the Northern tribes, and started learning about the formation of the Catholic and Orthodox Churches. It is good to see their artwork and religious style first-hand, rather than relying only on pictures in books.

We drove further down the road and came to the monastery’s cemetery. I took a few pictures. The cemetery chapel reminded me of Taj Mahal.

On our way back to the main thoroughfare (i.e., Jordanville Rd.) we spotted a swath of signs denouncing the Iraq War. All along his property, a farmer had large signs such as the one below, protesting the war as a “blood for oil” contest.

Not all appreciated the farmer’s signs, and defaced the property with spray paint.

Who knew tiny Jordanville was a hotbed of seething political passions? Then again, this is America.