Today is the feast day of St. Jonah, the prophet who tried to run away from God and was swallowed by a fish.
But why? Why today?
Feast days are usually set on the date of the saint’s death. Sometimes they’re on the date a major church was commemorated to them, or on the date their relics were translated from one place to another. But nowhere have I been able to find any reason for setting Jonah’s feast day on September 21.
It’s always seemed to me that his feast day should be Holy Saturday, when we read the entire Book of Jonah in the Liturgy. Or perhaps on one of the days of Bright Week. We see his three days in the belly of the fish as a foreshadowing of our Lord’s three days in the tomb, so it would seem fitting to celebrate him during Pascha.
But we celebrate him in September.
I adore St. Jonah, and the book that bears his name is my favorite in the Old Testament. I know that scholars and historians consider the book to be a legend or a folk tale. And maybe it is. But, even if the story seems fantastical, Jonah himself seems so very, very real.
No matter where I’ve looked, though, I haven’t been able to find out why we celebrate his feast day in late September.
The Prophet Jonah and Yom Kippur
This week, though, I might have found a clue. In Orthodox churches, on Holy Saturday, we read the book of Jonah. In Jewish synagogues, on Yom Kippur, they read the book of Jonah. And Yom Kippur, of course, falls in late September or early October. This year (2018), it was the day before yesterday. So, just two days before we celebrate the prophet Jonah, his book was being read in Jewish prayer services around the world.
For some reason, that makes me happy. And it makes me wonder: when the Old Testament saints were added to the liturgical calendar, was Jonah placed in late September because the date was near Yom Kippur? Did someone remember that the Jews read his story then?
Or is it just a coincidence?
If you know, I’d love to learn more!
A note on the date
Churches in the Greek tradition celebrate the Prophet Jonah today, on September 21. Churches in the Slavic tradition will celebrate him tomorrow, on September 22. Unless you’re on the Old Calendar, in which case it’s the September 22 that falls on October 3 on the civil calendar (if I did the math correctly). I don’t know why the Greeks and the Slavs ended up with different dates for the prophet, but they did.
Kontakion
Enlightened by the Spirit, your pure heart became the dwelling place of most splendid prophecy;
for you saw things far off as if they were near.
Therefore, we honor you, blessed and glorious Prophet Jonah.
Read More
Why is Transfiguration in August? It seems like it would make more sense to celebrate it before Pascha. But that’s not what we do.
It’s the Synaxis of the Archangel Gabriel — but why? We celebrate the Synaxis of Gabriel on the day after the Annunciation, as we should. But then we do it again in July. Why?
Like Jonah on the Third Day: Some thoughts on Jonah and Holy Saturday.
Buy the Books!
These delightfully diverse books provide disability representation (Elizabeth, one of the main characters, is an ambulatory wheelchair user). They also give Orthodox Christian children the rare opportunity to see themselves in books, and children who are not Orthodox the chance to see cultural practices they may not be familiar with.
Catherine’s Pascha
FINALIST IN THE 2015 USA BEST BOOK AWARDS
Catherine doesn’t like vegetables. She doesn’t like naps, and she doesn’t like it when her mom combs her hair. She loves hot dogs, chocolate cake, and her best friend, Elizabeth. Most of all, she loves Pascha! Pascha, the Orthodox Christian Easter, is celebrated in the middle of the night, with processions and candles and bells and singing. And Catherine insists that she’s not a bit sleepy.
Celebrate the joy of Pascha through the magic of a book: Catherine’s Pascha. Available on Amazon, Bookshop.org, and my webstore.
The Saint Nicholas Day Snow
Shoes or stockings? Horse or sleigh? Does St. Nicholas visit on December 6 or on Christmas Eve? Will a little girl’s prayer be answered? When Elizabeth has to stay at Catherine’s house, she’s worried about her grandmother, and worried that St. Nicholas won’t find her. The grownups, though, are worried about snow.
Celebrate the wonder of St. Nicholas Day through the magic of a book: The Saint Nicholas Day Snow. Available on Amazon, Bookshop.org, or my webstore.
