Orthodox Christians who observe church holidays according to the old calendar on November 21 celebrate the Feast of the Holy Archangels Michael and Gabriel. This is the last great feast before the Nativity Fast, which begins on November 28. On this day, parishioners are expected to go to church for prayer, especially those who bear the names of the Holy Archangels and those who celebrate the patron saint of the house on this day, IPN reports.
The Church says that Archangels Michael and Gabriel are part of the group of angels who serve the people and are close to them. The Archangel Michael is known as the chief of the angels and archangels. He is the first of the guardian angels who fought for the truth. The Archangel Gabriel is considered the messenger of God, who announced the birth of a savior to the virgin Mary.
From Slavonic, Michael means "he is like God", and Gabriel means "the power of God”. Archangel means an angel of the highest rank.
It is believed that the origin of the feast, which dates back to the 5th century, was the consecration of a church dedicated to St. Michael the Archangel by the Roman emperor Arcadius of Constantinople (395-408). Later, St. Gabriel the Archangel was also mentioned in the calendars and the feast was extended to cover the entire group of angels.
