Editing John the Baptist (section)

====Eastern Christianity==== <!-- a number of articles redirect here -->
[[File:Meister von Gracanica (I) 001.jpg|thumb|[[Serbo-Byzantine architecture|Serbo-Byzantine]] fresco from [[Gračanica Monastery]], [[Kosovo]], {{c.|1235}}]]

The [[Eastern Catholic Churches]] and [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Eastern Orthodox]] faith believe that John was the last of the [[Old Testament]] [[prophet]]s, thus serving as a bridge between that period of [[revelation]] and the [[New Covenant]]. They also teach that, following his death, John descended into [[Christian views on Hades|Hades]] and there once more preached that Jesus the Messiah was coming, so he was the Forerunner of Christ in death as he had been in life. Eastern Catholic and Orthodox churches will often have an [[icon]] of Saint John the Baptist in a place of honor on the [[iconostasis]], and he is frequently mentioned during the [[Divine Services]]. Every Tuesday throughout the year is dedicated to his memory.

The Eastern Orthodox Church remembers Saint John the Forerunner on six separate feast days, listed here in order in which they occur during the [[Eastern Orthodox liturgical calendar|church year]] (which begins on 1 September):
* 23 September – {{interlanguage link|Conception of the Honorable Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John|ru|Зачатие Иоанна Предтечи}}<ref>In late antiquity this feast in some churches marked the beginning of the [[Ecclesiastical Year]]; see Archbishop Peter (L'Huiller) of New York and New Jersey, "[http://www.orthodoxresearchinstitute.org/articles/liturgics/peter_archbishop_liturgical_matters.htm Liturgical Matters: "The Lukan Jump"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170630055836/http://www.orthodoxresearchinstitute.org/articles/liturgics/peter_archbishop_liturgical_matters.htm |date=30 June 2017 }}", in: ''Newspaper of the Diocese of New York and New Jersey'', Fall 1992.</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Conception of the Honorable Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John |url=https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2024/09/23/102703-conception-of-the-honorable-glorious-prophet-forerunner-and-bapt |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240809150014/https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2024/09/23/102703-conception-of-the-honorable-glorious-prophet-forerunner-and-bapt |archive-date=9 August 2024 |access-date=7 September 2024 |website=[[Orthodox Church in America|OCA]]}}</ref>
* 12 October – [[Translation]] from [[Sovereign Military Order of Malta|Malta]] to [[Gatchina]]: of [[True Cross|a Particle of the Life Giving Cross]], [[Our Lady of Philermos|the Filersk Icon of the Mother of God]], and the [[relic]] of the {{Interlanguage link|Right Hand of John the Baptist|ru|Десница Иоанна Крестителя}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=Translation from Malta to Gatchina: of a Particle of the Life Giving Cross, the Filersk Icon of the Mother of God, and the relic of the Right Hand of John the Baptist |url=https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2024/10/12/102950-translation-from-malta-to-gatchina-of-a-particle-of-the-life-giv |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240809150011/https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2024/10/12/102950-translation-from-malta-to-gatchina-of-a-particle-of-the-life-giv |archive-date=9 August 2024 |access-date=7 September 2024 |website=[[Orthodox Church in America|OCA]]}}</ref>
* 7 January – {{Interlanguage link|Synaxis of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John|ru|Собор Иоанна Предтечи}}. This is John the Baptist's main feast day, immediately after [[Epiphany (feast)|Theophany]] on 6 January (7 January also commemorates the transfer of the relic of the right hand of John the Baptist from [[Antioch]] to [[Constantinople]] in 956)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Synaxis of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John |url=https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2024/01/07/100109-synaxis-of-the-holy-glorious-prophet-forerunner-and-baptist-john |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240806164422/https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2024/01/07/100109-synaxis-of-the-holy-glorious-prophet-forerunner-and-baptist-john |archive-date=6 August 2024 |access-date=7 September 2024 |website=[[Orthodox Church in America|OCA]]}}</ref>
January 20  In the Serbian Orthodox Church, the feast day of Saint John the Baptist is called "Jovanjdan" and is celebrated on January 20 (according to the Gregorian calendar). 
Key points about Jovanjdan:
Name: "Jovanjdan" directly translates to "John's Day" in Serbian.
Significance: This is a major feast day for Serbian Orthodox Christians, often considered a family "Slava" (patron saint day) where families celebrate with a special feast.
Calendar note: While the Gregorian calendar date is January 20, the Serbian Orthodox Church uses the Julian calendar, which can result in a slightly different date. 
* 24 February – {{Interlanguage link|First and second finding of the Honorable Head of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist of the Lord, John|ru|Обретение главы Иоанна Предтечи}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=First and second finding of the Honorable Head of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist of the Lord, John |url=https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2024/02/24/100603-first-and-second-finding-of-the-honorable-head-of-the-holy-glori |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240809150013/https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2024/02/24/100603-first-and-second-finding-of-the-honorable-head-of-the-holy-glori |archive-date=9 August 2024 |access-date=7 September 2024 |website=[[Orthodox Church in America|OCA]]}}</ref>
* 25 May – {{Interlanguage link|Third Finding of the Honorable Head of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John|ru|Обретение главы Иоанна Предтечи}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=Third Finding of the Honorable Head of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John |url=https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2024/05/25/101531-third-finding-of-the-honorable-head-of-the-holy-glorious-prophet |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240809150014/https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2024/05/25/101531-third-finding-of-the-honorable-head-of-the-holy-glorious-prophet |archive-date=9 August 2024 |access-date=7 September 2024 |website=[[Orthodox Church in America|OCA]]}}</ref>
* 24 June – [[Nativity of Saint John the Baptist#In Eastern Christianity|Nativity of Saint John the Forerunner]]<!--- Adapt if & when separate article is created ---><ref>{{Cite web |title=Nativity of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist, John |url=https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2024/06/24/101800-nativity-of-the-holy-glorious-prophet-forerunner-and-baptist-joh |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240809150014/https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2024/06/24/101800-nativity-of-the-holy-glorious-prophet-forerunner-and-baptist-joh |archive-date=9 August 2024 |access-date=7 September 2024 |website=[[Orthodox Church in America|OCA]]}}</ref>
* 29 August – The [[Beheading of John the Baptist|Beheading of Saint John the Forerunner]]<!--- Adapt if & when separate article is created --->, a day of strict fast and abstinence from meat and dairy products and foods containing meat or dairy products.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Beheading of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist John |url=https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2024/08/29/102419-the-beheading-of-the-holy-glorious-prophet-forerunner-and-baptis |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240809150014/https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2024/08/29/102419-the-beheading-of-the-holy-glorious-prophet-forerunner-and-baptis |archive-date=9 August 2024 |access-date=7 September 2024 |website=[[Orthodox Church in America|OCA]]}}</ref>

In addition to the above, 5 September is the commemoration of [[Zechariah (New Testament figure)|Zacharias]] and [[Elizabeth (Biblical person)|Elizabeth]], Saint John's parents.

The [[Russian Orthodox Church]] observes 12 October as the Transfer of the Right Hand of the Forerunner from [[Malta]] to [[Gatchina]] (1799).