Orthodox Christians who observe the Julian calendar celebrate today, December 13, the feast of Saint Andrew the Apostle, also known as the First-Called. Those who observe the Revised Julian calendar have celebrated the feast on November 30.
Eugen Railean, parson of the Saint Andrew the Apostle Church in Chisinau, recalls that Saint Andrew was the apostle who brought Christianity to this region.
St. Andrew is one of the 12 apostles of Jesus Christ. He was the first to preach Christianity to the Geto-Dacians and died as a martyr at Patras, being crucified on an X-shaped cross with his head down, which was later called St. Andrew's Cross.
On St. Andrew's Day, Orthodox Christians attend church service in order to pray and get closer to God. Those who fast are allowed to eat fish and drink wine. The priest said that during the current fast, believers are allowed to eat fish only on Saturdays, Sundays and feast days.
The parson remarked that there are a lot of superstitions and traditions regarding this feast, which combine pagan and Christian elements. The Church is against any witchcraft-related traditions and urges believers to attend the Holy Liturgy and to commune.
According to national registry of names, there are over 100,000 people in Moldova named Andrei, Andrian, Adrian, Andreea, Adriana and even one called Andrusa, the Russian diminutive of the name.
