Editing Basil of Caesarea (section)

==Commemorations==
Basil was given the title [[Doctor of the Church]] in the Western Church for his contributions to the debate initiated by the Arian controversy regarding the nature of the Trinity, and especially the question of the divinity of the [[Holy Spirit in Christianity|Holy Spirit]]. Basil was responsible for defining the terms ''"[[ousia]]"'' (essence/substance) and ''"[[hypostasis (philosophy and religion)|hypostasis]]"'' (person/reality), and for defining the classic formulation of three Persons in one Nature. His single greatest contribution was his insistence on the divinity and consubstantiality of the Holy Spirit with the Father and the Son.{{sfn|Tan|2013}}

In [[Greeks|Greek]] tradition, Basil [[Christmas gift-bringers around the world|brings gifts to children]] every 1 January (St Basil's Day). It is traditional on St Basil's Day to serve ''[[vasilopita]]'', a rich bread baked with a coin inside. The tradition is attributed to St. Basil, who when a bishop, wanted to distribute money to the poor and commissioned some women to bake sweetened bread, in which he arranged to place gold coins. Thus the families in cutting the bread were pleasantly surprised to find the coins.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://stbasil.goarch.org/about/vasilopita |title="The Vasilopita (Saint Basil's Bread)", St. Basil's Academy, Garrison, New York |access-date=24 September 2021 |archive-date=24 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210924014225/https://stbasil.goarch.org/about/vasilopita |url-status=dead }}</ref>

It is customary on his feast day to visit the homes of friends and relatives, to sing [[New Year's Day|New Year's]] [[:Category:New Year songs|carols]], and to set an extra place at the table for Saint Basil. Basil, being born into a wealthy family, gave away all his possessions to the poor, the underprivileged, those in need, and children.<ref>{{cite web| title = Santa Claus| publisher = Eastern-Orthodoxy.com| url = http://www.eastern-orthodoxy.com/claus.htm| access-date = 2 January 2008| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080118170326/http://www.eastern-orthodoxy.com/claus.htm| archive-date = 18 January 2008| url-status = dead}}</ref>

According to some sources, Basil died on 1 January, and the [[Eastern Orthodox Church]] celebrates his [[feast day]] together with that of the [[Feast of the Circumcision]] on that day.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Lives of the Saints: Monday, January 1, 2024 |url=https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2024/01/01 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20241103103557/https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2024/01/01 |archive-date=3 November 2024 |access-date=3 November 2024 |website=[[Orthodox Church in America|OCA]]}}</ref> This was also the day on which the [[General Roman Calendar]] celebrated it at first; but in the 13th-century it was moved to 14 June, a date believed to be that of his [[ordination]] as [[bishop]], and it remained on that date until the [[Mysterii Paschalis|1969 revision]] of the calendar, which moved it to 2 January, rather than 1 January, because the latter date is occupied by the [[Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God]]. On 2 January Saint Basil is celebrated together with [[Gregory Nazianzen|Saint Gregory Nazianzen]].<ref>Calendarium Romanum, Libreria Editrice Vaticana 1969, p. 84</ref> Novus Ordo services use the revised calendar while [[traditionalist Catholic]] communities continue to observe pre-1970 calendars.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/motu_proprio/documents/hf_ben-xvi_motu-proprio_20070707_summorum-pontificum.html|title=Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum on the "Roman liturgy prior to the reform of 1970" (7 July 2007) &#124; BENEDICT XVI|website=www.vatican.va}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/letters/2007/documents/hf_ben-xvi_let_20070707_lettera-vescovi.html|title=Letter to the Bishops that accompanies the Apostolic Letter "Motu Proprio data" Summorum Pontificum on the Roman liturgy prior to the reform of 1970 (7 July 2007) &#124; BENEDICT XVI|website=www.vatican.va}}</ref>

The [[Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod]] commemorates Basil, along with [[Gregory of Nazianzus]] and [[Gregory of Nyssa]] on 10 January.<ref>{{cite web |title=Commemorations – Church Year – The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod |url=https://www.lcms.org/sslpage.aspx?pid=506 |website=www.lcms.org |publisher=Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod |access-date=24 December 2021}}</ref>

The [[Church of England]] celebrates Saint Basil's feast ([[Lesser Festival (Anglicanism)|Lesser Festival]]) on 2 January, but the [[Episcopal Church (United States)|Episcopal Church]] and the [[Anglican Church of Canada]] celebrate it on 14 June.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://prayerbook.ca/the-prayer-book-online/57-the-calendar-ix |title=The Calendar &#91;page ix&#93; |access-date=3 November 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131104172841/http://prayerbook.ca/the-prayer-book-online/57-the-calendar-ix |archive-date=4 November 2013 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bEq7DwAAQBAJ |title=Lesser Feasts and Fasts 2018 |date=17 December 2019 |publisher=Church Publishing, Inc. |isbn=978-1-64065-235-4 |language=en}}</ref>

In the [[Byzantine Rite]], 30 January is the [[Synaxis]] of the [[Three Holy Hierarchs]], in honor of Saint Basil, [[Gregory Nazianzen|Saint Gregory the Theologian]] and [[John Chrysostom|Saint John Chrysostom]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Synaxis of the Ecumenical Teachers and Hierarchs: Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, and John Chrysostom |url=https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2021/01/30/100350-synaxis-of-the-ecumenical-teachers-and-hierarchs-basil-the-great |website=www.oca.org |publisher=Orthodox Church in America |access-date=24 December 2021}}</ref> There is also a commemoration on 19 January for the [[miracle]] performed by Saint Basil in the city of [[Nicaea]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Commemoration of the miracle of Saint Basil the Great at Nicaea |url=https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2024/01/19/100204-commemoration-of-the-miracle-of-saint-basil-the-great-at-nicaea |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20241103104137/https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2024/01/19/100204-commemoration-of-the-miracle-of-saint-basil-the-great-at-nicaea |archive-date=3 November 2024 |access-date=3 November 2024 |website=[[Orthodox Church in America|OCA]]}}</ref>

The [[Coptic Orthodox Church]] of [[Alexandria]] celebrates the feast day of Saint Basil on the 6th of [[Month of Tobi|Tobi]]<ref>{{cite web |title=- 6 Tubah – Topa Month – Coptic Synaxarium {{!}} St-Takla.org |url=https://st-takla.org/books/en/church/synaxarium/05-topah/06-toba-basil.html |website=st-takla.org |publisher=St. Takla Haymanout Coptic Orthodox |access-date=24 December 2021}}</ref> (6th of Terr on the [[Ethiopian calendar]] of the [[Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church]]). At present, this corresponds to 14 January (15 January during [[leap year]].)<ref>{{citation |last=Gabra |first=Gawdat |title=The A to Z of the Coptic Church |contribution=Coptic Calendar |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UaYdpfAZDBMC |contribution-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UaYdpfAZDBMC&pg=PA70 |pages=[https://books.google.com/books?id=UaYdpfAZDBMC&pg=PA70 70–1] |series=''A to Z Guide Series'', No. 107 |date=2008 |publisher=The Scarecrow Press |location=[[Plymouth, England|Plymouth]] |isbn=9780810870574 }}.</ref>

There are numerous [[relic]]s of Basil throughout the world. One of the most important is his head, which is preserved to this day at the monastery of the [[Great Lavra]] on [[Mount Athos]] in Greece. The mythical sword [[Durandal]] is said to contain some of Basil's blood.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/outlinesprimiti01keargoog|page=[https://archive.org/details/outlinesprimiti01keargoog/page/n539 512]|quote=durendal basil.|title=Outlines of Primitive Belief Among the Indo-European Races|first=Charles Francis|last=Keary|date=1882|publisher=C. Scribner's Sons|via=Internet Archive}}</ref>