“The New
Year in Greece falls on the day of St Basil the Great [1]. This is why the cake
that is traditionally served during the festive New Year meal is called
Vasilopita. Families come together on that day to cut the Vasilopita cake. A
baker puts a coin into the dough before baking the cake. The person who finds
that coin in his or her piece of Vasilopita cake receives a gift from the host
of the house. The Vasilopita tradition has its roots in the life of St Basil
the Great.” (Fragment of the book “Monastic Pastry and Other Recipes” written
by Archimandrite Demetrios Kavvadias).
St Basil
is known to have been elected by local bishops as the Archbishop of Caesarea
and Cappadocia by God’s will, which was revealed to his predecessor Eusebius,
and according to the general consent of the laity. He was a worthy pastor of
his flock, notable for his preaching, writing, charity, and missionary work.
This is why he bears the honorary title “the Great”.
His old
friend from Athens University, Emperor Julian the Apostate, visited him during
his archpastoral ministry. The emperor was at war with Persians at the time.
The holy hierarch deemed it appropriate to greet the great ruler at the city
gates. He did not have anything but three loaves of barley bread — his regular
food — so he gave them to the money-loving king. When the emperor saw the bread,
he laughed and ordered his soldiers to collect some hay in the fields and bring
it to the archbishop.
Saint
Basil humbly remarked that each person gives to the other what he eats. The
infuriated king promised that he would return to the city on his way back from
Persia to punish the archbishop, hold all residents of the city captive, and
burn the city down.
Saint
Basil immediately left the city to pray fervently, having asked his flock to
collect all gold and jewellery in anticipation of the king’s return: as soon as
they would learn that the king was near, they would throw that gold under his
feet to soothe his anger and rescue their lives.
All
residents of the city, led by St Basil, climbed a mountain called Twins
Mountain (it had received this name because it had two tops) near Caesarea.
There was a church in honour of the Most Holy Theotokos. The faithful started
praying with tears.
It was
then that the Queen of Heaven appeared to St Basil. She sat on a golden throne
with hosts of Angels around her. He heard Her command the Angels, “Tell
Mercurius to go and kill Julian, my enemy.” Great Martyr Mercurius, wearing
armour and carrying a sword and a spear, appeared, received the order from the
Theotokos, and quickly disappeared.
When St
Basil came round after this unusual apparition, he went down to the city,
accompanied by his clergy, to visit the church in honour of St Mercurius and to
venerate his relics. St Mercurius had been martyred on that place one hundred
years before, during Emperor Valerian's reign. His relics and his armour,
venerated by Christians, were on display in that church. When St Basil entered
the church to venerate the relics, he saw that the reliquary was empty. Only
then did he realise that the vision had been authentic and praised the Lord.
The news from the battlefield were encouraging, too: the impious king was
killed on that very night.
Saint
Basil climbed the mountain in a hurry to inform his flock about the news. He
ordered the city dwellers to return to their houses fearlessly and to take back
the gold and the jewellery that they had donated. However, the locals refused
to take back their donations and insisted that St Basil dispose of the wealth
as he pleased. Upon contemplation, the saint ordered each person to take back ?
of their donations, and used the remaining money to build almshouses,
hospitals, orphanages, and homes for the elderly.
How could
he figure out how much money he had to give back to whom? St Basil ordered his
deacons to make some dough and put some things of his choosing inside.
After the
Sunday Divine Liturgy, St Basil distributed the loaves of bread, and everyone
was happy thanks to his blessing [2] because they found precious gifts inside
the loaves as the antidoron of their donations that they made for the sake of
God's love.
***
[1] The
Greek Orthodox Church follows New Julian Calendar. (Translator's Note).
[2]
According to the Greek tradition, the faithful receive antidoron (the remaining
part of the Lamb) after a Divine Liturgy. (Translator's Note).
Translated
from: http://www.pemptousia.gr/2016/12/giati-ftiachnoume-ti-vasilopitta/
CONVERSATION