Religious calendar updates for July 31 and August 1

On July 31, the Orthodox Church observed the feast of Saint Joseph of Arimathea and Saint Eudokimus. According to tradition, Joseph of Arimathea was a member of the Jerusalem Sanhedrin and a secret follower of Jesus, noted for requesting permission from Pontius Pilate to bury Christ after the crucifixion. He is said to have prepared the body with spices and placed it in a tomb, eventually passing away in England.

On August 1, the liturgical calendar shifted to the feast of the Procession of the Honorable and Life-Giving Cross and the commemoration of the Seven Holy Maccabean Martyrs, their mother Solomonia, and the teacher Eleazar. This date marks the beginning of the Dormition Fast, a significant period of spiritual preparation in the Orthodox Church. The fast lasts until August 14, the eve of the Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos, and is characterized by daily services of supplication, known as Paraklesis, alternating between the Small and Great versions until the feast day.