Life
Saint Basil the Great, Archbishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia, is one of the greatest theologians and Church Fathers of Christianity. He was born in 330 in Caesarea (the Cappadocia region, present-day central Turkey) in an exceptionally devout family. His grandmother Macrina the Elder, his mother Emmelia, his brother Gregory of Nyssa, and his sister Macrina the Younger were all proclaimed saints — which is one of the rare instances in history of an entire family bearing the epithet of holiness.
Basil received his education first in Caesarea, then in Constantinople, and finally in Athens — then the center of philosophy and oratory. In Athens he became friends with Gregory the Theologian, and this friendship remained lifelong and fruitful for the entire Church. Basil was distinguished by a sharp mind, comprehensive knowledge, and an unusual discipline of spirit.
On returning from Athens he set out on the path of monastic life: he visited ascetic communities in Syria, Palestine, and Egypt, and then withdrew to the banks of the river Iris in Pontus where he lived with Gregory the Theologian in strict asceticism, prayer, and study of Holy Scripture. There he composed numerous monastic rules that remain to this day the foundation of monastic life in the Orthodox tradition.
When the Arian heresy seriously threatened Orthodoxy, the people and clergy recognized in Basil precisely the man who could defend the Nicene faith. In 370 he was elected Archbishop of Caesarea — the most important episcopal see in Asia Minor. From that position he led an unwavering struggle against Arianism which was supported even by emperors themselves. Before the threats of Emperor Valens who offered him the choice between renunciation or exile, Basil calmly replied that he did not know the word “exile” where everywhere is God’s earth.
His works are inestimable: he composed the Liturgy that bears his name and is celebrated ten times a year in the Orthodox Church; he produced theological commentaries on the Holy Trinity that became a pillar of Orthodox dogmatics; he founded a hospital and hospice near Caesarea — one of the first institutions of social welfare in the history of the Church, which the people called “the Basiliad.” He cared for the poor, widows, and refugees in times of famine and crisis.
He reposed on January 1, 379, exhausted in health from strict asceticism. He was only forty-nine years old. The Church celebrates him together with Gregory the Theologian and John Chrysostom as one of the Three Hierarchs (January 30).
Tropar (Tone 1)
Thy voice has gone out into all the earth, which hath received thy word, whereby thou hast divinely taught the nature of created things, hast ordered human ways, O venerable man, royal priesthood, O our father Basil, intercede with Christ God that our souls be saved.
Kontakion (Tone 4)
Thou wast shown to be the firm foundation of the Church, dispensing to all men an inviolable lordship, sealing it with thy teachings, O Basil, revealer of heavenly things.
About the Feast
Vasiljevdan falls on January 14 by the New (Gregorian) calendar, corresponding to January 1 by the Old (Julian) calendar. That date is at the same time the Orthodox New Year — for the Serbian Orthodox Church still follows the Julian calendar, according to which the new year begins precisely on January 14 by the civil reckoning.
For this reason Vasiljevdan is also known by the folk names “Little Christmas” and “Old New Year.” In Serbia it is counted among the special holidays that unite a church feast with the folk tradition of New Year’s celebration. Families who celebrate Basil prepare both the patron feast meal and the New Year festivities in the same breath.
On Vasiljevdan the Church celebrates not only Saint Basil but also the Circumcision of Christ — for according to the Gospel Christ was circumcised on the eighth day after His birth, which by the Julian calendar falls precisely on January 1. This is a “double blessing” which the Orthodox have received as a special blessing for the beginning of the new year.
The feast table is rich and non-fasting — January is a winter month, the fast has ended (Christmas was on January 7). On the table are the slava bread, wheat, lamb or pork, winter salads and cooked dishes. Guests stay late into the night, for Vasiljevdan is both New Year and the celebration of one of the greatest theologians in the history of the Church. It is said that a Serb who celebrates Basil welcomes the year under a double blessing — of the Church and of ancestral tradition.