The holiday of the Holy Resurrection of Christ, Easter, is the main event of the year for Orthodox Christians and the largest Orthodox holiday. Celebrated on the first Sunday after the first spring full moon (between March 22/April 4 and April 25/May 8). In 2011, Easter is celebrated on April 24 (April 11, old style).

This is the oldest holiday of the Christian Church, which was established and celebrated already in apostolic times. The ancient church, under the name of Easter, combined two memories - of suffering and of the Resurrection of Christ and dedicated the days preceding and following the Resurrection to its celebration. To designate both parts of the holiday, special names were used - Easter of Suffering, or Easter of the Cross and Easter of the Resurrection.

The word "Easter" comes from Greek language and means “passing”, “deliverance”, that is, the holiday of the Resurrection of Christ means passing from death to life and from earth to heaven.

In the first centuries of Christianity, Easter was celebrated in different churches at different times. In the East, in the churches of Asia Minor, it was celebrated on the 14th day of Nisan (according to our account, March - April), no matter what day of the week this date fell on. The Western Church celebrated it on the first Sunday after the spring full moon. An attempt to establish agreement between the churches on this issue was made under Saint Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna, in the middle of the 2nd century. The First Ecumenical Council of 325 determined that Easter should be celebrated everywhere at the same time. The council's definition of Easter has not reached us.

Since apostolic times, the church has celebrated Easter services at night. Like the ancient chosen people, who were awake on the night of their deliverance from Egyptian slavery, Christians are awake on the sacred, pre-festive and saving night of the Bright Resurrection of Christ. Shortly before midnight on Holy Saturday, the Midnight Office is served. The priest removes the Shroud from the coffin, brings it into the altar through the Royal Doors and places it on the throne, where it remains for forty days, until the Ascension of the Lord.

The procession of the cross, which takes place on Easter night, is a procession of the Church towards the risen Savior. The procession of the cross takes place three times around the temple with the continuous ringing of bells and the singing of “Thy Resurrection, O Christ the Savior, the angels sing in heaven, and grant us on earth with a pure heart to glorify Thee.” Having walked around the temple, the procession stops in front of closed doors the altar as if at the entrance to the Holy Sepulcher. And the joyful news is heard: “Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death and giving life to those in the tombs.” The doors open and the entire sacred host solemnly enters the shining temple. The singing of the Easter canon begins.

At the end of Matins, the priest reads the famous “Word of St. John Chrysostom,” which describes the celebration and meaning of Easter. After the service, all those praying come up to the priest, who is holding a cross in his hands, kiss the cross and make Christ with him, and then with each other.

In some churches, immediately after Matins, the Bright Easter Liturgy is served, during which the worshipers who fasted confessed and received communion during Holy Week, can receive communion again without confession, if no major sins have been committed during the intervening time.

After the service, since the fast is over, the worshipers usually break their fast (eat a modest meal - not a fast meal) at the temple or in their homes.

Easter is celebrated for seven days, that is, the whole week, and therefore this week is called Bright Easter Week. Each day of the week is also called light; Bright Monday, Bright Tuesday, etc., and the last day, Bright Saturday. Divine services are held daily. The Royal Doors are open all week.

The entire period before the Ascension (40 days after Easter) is considered the Easter period and Orthodox Christians greet each other with the greeting “Christ is Risen!” and the answer “Truly He is Risen!”

The most common and integral symbols of Easter are colored eggs, Easter and Easter cake.

It has long been accepted that the first meal after forty days of fasting should be a colored egg blessed in the church. The tradition of dyeing eggs appeared a long time ago: boiled eggs They are painted in a wide variety of colors and their combinations; some masters paint them by hand, depicting on them the faces of saints, churches and other attributes of this wonderful holiday. This is where the name “krashenka” or “pysanka” came from. It is customary to exchange them when meeting everyone you know.

Sweet cottage cheese Easter is always prepared for Easter. It is prepared on Thursday before the holiday, and consecrated on Sunday night.

Easter cake symbolizes how Christ ate bread with his disciples so that they would believe in his resurrection. Easter cake is baked from yeast dough in cylindrical shapes.

All Orthodox people They sincerely believe in the special properties of Easter symbols and from year to year, adhering to the traditions of their ancestors, they decorate festive table exactly these dishes.

The material was prepared based on information from open sources

Believers associate spring not only with budding buds, weather changes and rarely peeking out from behind the clouds, but with the long-awaited sun. People all over the world celebrate at this time of year one of the greatest church holidays. Everywhere you can hear: “Christ is Risen!” and “Truly He is Risen” - in response. Happy and carefree people begin to prepare for the celebrations in advance. They clean their homes, paint eggs or in a modern way with a church theme. In addition, Easter cake is an equally important attribute holiday. Easter, where did the holiday come from?

Unfortunately, the history of Easter is an unknown mystery for many, and that is why people make a lot of mistakes. As a result, instead of unity with God, they commit sin. To bring knowledge to the masses and help correct the most common mistakes in the celebration, we will tell you about the history of the origin of the Easter holiday. You will find out where it came from, why it is called that and what attributes are required, as well as a lot of other interesting and useful information.

History of the holiday

Slavery of the Israelite people

In order to find out about the origin of the holiday, you will need to open the Bible to the part called “Exodus”. To put it briefly and in understandable language, Jews throughout long centuries were enslaved by the Egyptians and humbly endured humiliation, suffering, pain and other torments. They believed that this was how it should be, and therefore they did not complain about fate, but silently, submissively, endured all the trials and hardships. At the center of the events described in the Bible are the prophet Moses and his brother Aaron. It is believed that God, through these people, performed miracles and disasters on Egyptian soil.

Fact or fiction, it’s not up to us to decide

The Pharaoh of Egypt did not want to free the Jewish people from centuries of slavery and became more and more cruel and demanding. Then God, taking pity on the Jews, decided to help the slaves escape to freedom. Each family was ordered to slaughter one male lamb in the evening. At night it had to be eaten without breaking bones, and its blood had to be smeared front door to the family home. It was a kind of mark.

That night, according to legend, an angel of God descended to earth and killed all the firstborn of Egypt, but the houses of the Jews remained untouched. Pharaoh became frightened when he saw that his nation was in danger, and drove the Jews out of his country. However, after some time, he decided to catch up with them. And again God's providence happened. The sea, located on the way of the slaves, opened up, and the fugitives were able to calmly leave by land, and when the pharaoh stepped on this place, the water closed, and he and his retinue drowned. The people of Israel were liberated, and so Jews around the world began to celebrate Passover, a holiday in honor of their deliverance from centuries of slavery.

A brief history of Easter, passed down from generation to generation

The history of the holiday does not end here, but only begins. After the events described, Jesus Christ is born in the Holy Land. At the age of 30, he begins to preach God’s commandments to the people, and three years later he was crucified on the cross for the sins of mankind. Moreover, this happened immediately after the Passover holiday. It was while celebrating it at the Last Supper that he presented the wine and bread as his own blood and body. He, like the lamb, was killed for the sins of other people and his bones were not broken either. Therefore, the believing people believe that the soul is immortal and rejoices in this, as well as in the resurrection of Christ.

Removing discrepancies

For those who read the article carefully, a question arises quite logically. What does Passover and Easter have to do with it? Yes, the names are similar, but the execution of Christ took place after Passover, and Easter is considered the very day when his resurrection took place... Let's explain. The fact is that Passover is a holiday that is much older, not even years, but centuries, than Easter itself, and in principle, the interpretation that is inherent in the holiday today has nothing to do with the day of liberation of the Jews. However, it was Passover that was celebrated from year to year in full accordance with the lunar calendar according to which people then lived, and Easter could be at least every Sunday. It was only in the fourth century that the decision was made to single out the day on which Jesus was resurrected and make it a universal holiday. It was then that the concepts of “”, meaning “God’s day”, and directly appeared.

Easter traditions

In Rus', Easter was the most important holiday of the year. The people rejoiced at the resurrection of Christ, churches were decorated with attributes corresponding to the holiday, and people carried with them all day long so that when meeting another person they could exclaim: “Christ is risen!” and give him a colored chicken egg. To this they answered him, “Truly he is risen!” The people who met kissed, exchanged joyful speeches and dispersed. In the houses they baked Easter cakes, ate eggs and other delicious food prepared especially for the celebration. Housewives began to clean their house and yard within a week in order to celebrate the joyful holiday in cleanliness and comfort. Round dances were held in the streets, games were played, fairs and fun were held.

Required attribute

Painting the eggs was prerequisite. Boiled colored eggs were illuminated in the church, carried with them, exchanged them, ate them and hit each other when they met. All these traditions have passed through the centuries to the present day. There is a whole story connected with eggs for Easter, but we will tell you about it next time.

Most main holiday in Orthodox church calendar- This is Bright Sunday of Christ, also called Easter. This day is the center of the entire tradition, history and philosophy of Orthodoxy. Symbolizes the victory of life over death in the broadest sense.

The date of celebration is calculated every year according to lunar calendar. There are Gregorian and Alexandrian Paschals - complex astronomical calculation systems exact date. The Russian Orthodox Church adheres to the Alexandrian Paschal and uses Julian calendar. Sometimes these systems give one date, then Catholics celebrate Easter together with Orthodox Christians. In all calendars and traditions, the date of Easter always falls on Sunday. This day of the week got its name from the holiday.

Name of the holiday

According to the four Gospels, the Resurrection of Jesus Christ occurred on the Jewish holiday of Passover. On this day, the Jews celebrated the exodus from Egypt. IN Old Testament it is said that the last “Egyptian execution”, which finally persuaded the pharaoh to decide to release the Jews, was the killing of all the firstborn by an angel. The angel did not touch only those who slain the lamb and smeared its blood on their doors. Thus, the blood of the lamb saved people from death. In the New Testament, Christ played the role of the Lamb who saves people.

Gradually, the Hebrew word “Pesach” was transformed into the Russian “Easter”. And people began to use the abbreviated name of the holiday more often instead of the full name.

History of Easter celebration

The first Christians believed that they were living at the end of time and expected the Second Coming every year. In memory of the sacrifice of Jesus, they began to celebrate the liturgy, remembering all the events - from the Last Supper to the Resurrection. Every Friday turned into a day of mourning, and Sunday into a day of joy. This bitterness and joy reached their climax on the day Jewish Passover. This is how Easter was born in our modern understanding.

Easter in Rus'

The holiday came to our region along with Christianity. After Saint Prince Vladimir baptized Rus', Easter became the most important state event. Celebrations have since lasted for at least three days. Sometimes Russian princes, after successful campaigns or the birth of an heir, extended the celebration for a whole week.

Resurrection Day preceded Lent lasting at least forty days. Our ancestors used this period of time for spiritual cleansing. Pilgrimage to monasteries was very popular. Simple peasants set out on foot many kilometers to arrive at the monastery during Lent. There they confessed and celebrated Easter already cleansed.

Celebrations in New Times

At all times, right up to the end of the first quarter of the 20th century, Easter remained not only the main spring holiday, but also the most central event in the calendar. This was the case until the early twenties, when atheism became government policy. The authorities banned Easter liturgies, contrasting the Resurrection of Christ with its counterpart - Workers' Solidarity Day.

But already in the early nineties of the last century, all prohibitions were lifted and several red days in the spring again appeared on the calendar. As in the old days, Easter occupies a dominant place among all religious events. Even the head of state attends a service on this day in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow.

Folk customs and traditions

Since until Easter Christians long time They abstain from fast food; many Easter traditions are of a culinary nature.

Kulich or Paska

The main dish of the holiday is butter cake, which is now commonly called “paska”. Easter cakes are baked in advance and illuminated in the church the day before the holiday. Our ancestors called paska a completely different dish - cheese baba. To prepare it, we used a lot of chicken eggs and selected cottage cheese. Easter cakes were baked separately. The paska had the shape of a pyramid, which symbolized Mount Golgotha, where Jesus Christ was buried. Eating Easter symbolized Christ's victory over death.

It is customary to carry Easter cakes to church in wicker baskets, made of wicker or other material. In some parishes, paskas are blessed in the evening before Easter, in others - already on Sunday.

A separate tradition is decorating baskets. Now we have come to many Western attributes that were previously unusual Orthodox tradition. These symbols include rabbits, yellow flowers and confectionery products made in the shape of a heart.

Painted eggs

Along with Easter cakes, it is customary to put eggs in the basket, painted bright red or covered with an intricate pattern. They are also intended to symbolize the victory of life over death. There is a version that this tradition is dictated by the shape of the egg - there is life under the dead shell.

After the Easter meal begins, the children take the eggs in their hands and try to break their friend's egg. This game was called “Christification”, since when the egg was hit, the Easter greeting was usually pronounced: “Christ is Risen.”

Church service - Easter Liturgy

Worship in Orthodox churches begins in the evening of the previous day and continues throughout the night. Although most believers come only in the morning to get to the main part of the action - the Holy Liturgy. In ancient times, it was customary to baptize catechumens on this day. Then, in order to become a Christian, it was necessary to prove one’s piety over a long period. Such candidates were called catechumens and were not allowed to be present in the church during the celebration of the sacraments.

During Lent, priests wear either passion vestments in red or mourning vestments in purple. In such clothes they begin the Easter service. But as soon as the joyful “Christ is Risen” sounds, they dress in the most beautiful outfits, made of white fabric with an abundance of gold.

Immediately after the end of the festive liturgy, festivities begin. On this day, it is customary to wear your best clothes and not restrain yourself in showing joy. Young guys explode crackers and set off fireworks, large fairs open where not only goods are sold, but also various competitions are held. For example, a pole is placed in the main square, with a valuable object tied to the top. To win the competition, you need to reach the top of the pillar and remove this item, receiving it as a prize.

From time immemorial, artisans have used folk festivals to show off their best products. For example, on this day bakers baked a gigantic Easter cake right on the square and divided it among everyone.

The Sunday of Christ was also considered an excellent occasion for charity. On this day, the imperial couple could visit a shelter for orphans or the poor. Poor people were received in the houses of rich people or food was taken out to them on the street.

In the evening, towards the end of the festivities, it is customary to light the Easter fire. On the main square settlement They built a fairly large fire and lit it at nightfall. Now, for obvious reasons, this tradition has been forgotten. Although in some villages bonfires are lit, not in the main square, but near the church.

Easter in Russia, as in other countries, is a holiday of holidays, a celebration of celebrations. But today the world is changing rapidly, and most importantly, what remains unchanged is fading into the background. Rarely today, young people, especially in megacities, understand the meaning of Easter, go to confession and sincerely support centuries-old traditions. But Easter is the main Orthodox holiday, bringing light and joy to entire nations, to the families and soul of every believer.

What is "Easter"?

Christians understand the word “Easter” as “the passage from death to life, from earth to heaven.” Believers observe strict fasting for forty days and celebrate Easter in honor of Jesus' victory over death.

Pronounced "Pesach" (Hebrew word) and means "passed by, passed by." The roots of this word go back to the history of the liberation of the Jewish people from Egyptian slavery.

The New Testament says that the destroyer will pass by from those who accept Jesus.

In some languages ​​the word is pronounced like this - “Piskha”. This is an Aramaic name that spread to some European languages ​​and is still preserved today.

No matter how the word is pronounced, the essence of Easter does not change; for all believers this is the most important celebration. A bright holiday that brings joy and hope to the hearts of believers all over the Earth.

The history of the holiday before the birth of Christ, or Old Testament Easter

The holiday originated long before the birth of Christ, but the significance of the Passover holiday in those days was very great for the Jewish people.

History says that the Jews were once held captive by the Egyptians. Slaves suffered a lot of bullying, misfortune and oppression from their masters. But faith in God, hope for salvation and the mercy of God always lived in their hearts.

One day a man named Moses came to them, who and his brother were sent to their salvation. The Lord chose Moses to enlighten the Egyptian Pharaoh and deliver the Jewish people from slavery.

But no matter how hard Moses tried to convince Pharaoh to let the people go, they were not given freedom. The Egyptian pharaoh and his people did not believe in God, worshiping only their own deities and relying on the help of sorcerers. To prove the existence and power of God, nine terrible plagues were visited on the Egyptian people. No bloody rivers, no toads, no midges, no flies, no darkness, no thunder - none of this could have happened if the ruler had let the people and their cattle go.

The last, tenth plague, like the previous ones, punished Pharaoh and his people, but did not affect the Jews. Moses warned that each family should kill a one-year-old, virgin male lamb. Smear the doors of your houses with the blood of the animal, bake a lamb and eat it with the whole family.

At night, all the first-born males in houses among people and animals were killed. Only the houses of the Jews, where there was a blood mark, were not affected by the disaster. Since then, “Easter” means past, past.

This execution greatly frightened the pharaoh, and he released the slaves with all their herds. The Jews went to the sea, where the water opened up, and they calmly walked along the bottom. Pharaoh wanted to break his promise again and rushed after them, but the water swallowed him up.

Jews began to celebrate the liberation from slavery and the passage of executions by their families, calling the holiday Easter. The history and significance of Easter are captured in the Bible's book of Exodus.

Easter according to the New Testament

On Israeli soil, Jesus Christ was born to the Virgin Mary, who was destined to save human souls from the slavery of hell. At the age of thirty, Jesus began preaching, telling people about the laws of God. But three years later he was crucified along with others disliked by the authorities on a cross that was installed on Mount Golgotha. This happened after the Jewish Passover, on Friday, which was later dubbed Passion. This event adds new meaning, traditions and attributes to the meaning of the Easter holiday.

Christ, like a lamb, was slain, but his bones remained intact, and this became His sacrifice for the sins of all mankind.

A little more history

The day before the crucifixion, on Thursday, took place where Jesus presented the bread as his body and the wine as his blood. Since then, the meaning of Easter has not changed, but the Eucharist has become the new Easter meal.

At first the holiday was weekly. Friday was a day of sorrow and Sunday was a day of joy.

In 325, at the First Ecumenical Council, the date for the celebration of Easter was determined - on the first Sunday after the spring full moon. Russian Orthodox Church uses To figure out what day Easter falls on in a particular year, you need to do a fairly complex calculation. But for ordinary lay people, a calendar of holiday dates has been compiled for decades in advance.

Over the long period of existence of the holiday, it has acquired traditions, which are still followed in families, and signs.

Lent

Easter in Russia is one of the main holidays, even for those people who very rarely go to church. Today, in the era high technology and urbanization, among generations who prefer a computer to live communication, the church is slowly losing its power over the hearts and souls of people. But almost everyone, regardless of age and strength of faith, knows what Lent is.

Older generations in families pass on traditions. Rarely does anyone decide to adhere to the entire fast; more often than not, only in the last week do people somehow follow the rules.

For 40 days, believers must eat without eating animal products (and on some days the fast is stricter), not drink alcohol, pray, confess, take communion, do good, and not slander.

Lent ends. The Easter service has a special meaning and scope. IN modern Russia Services are broadcast live on central channels. In every church, even the smallest village, candles are lit all night and chants are sung. Millions of parishioners across the country stay up all night, pray, attend services, light candles, and bless food and water. And fasting ends on Sunday, after all church rituals have been completed. Those who fast sit down at the table and celebrate Easter.

Easter greeting

From childhood, we teach children that when greeting a person on this holiday, you need to say: “Christ is Risen!” And answer these words: “Truly He is Risen!” To find out more about what this is connected with, you need to turn to the Bible.

The essence of Easter is the passage of Jesus to his Father. The story goes that Jesus was crucified and his body was taken down from the cross and buried. The coffin is a cave carved out of the rock, closed with a huge stone. The bodies of the dead (there were also victims) were wrapped in fabrics and rubbed with incense. But they did not have time to perform the ritual with the body of Jesus, since according to Jewish laws, working on the Sabbath is strictly prohibited.

Women - followers of Christ - on Sunday morning went to his tomb to perform the ritual themselves. An angel came down to them and told them that Christ had risen. Easter from now on will be the third day - the day of the resurrection of Christ.

Entering the tomb, the women were convinced of the words of the angel and conveyed this message to the apostles. And they told this good news to everyone. All believers and non-believers had to know that the impossible had happened, what Jesus said had happened - Christ had risen.

Easter: traditions of different countries

In many countries around the world, believers paint eggs and bake Easter cakes. Easter cake recipes great multitude, and in different countries they also differ in shape. Of course, this is not the essence of Easter, but these are traditions that have accompanied the holiday for many centuries.

In Russia, Bulgaria and Ukraine they “fight” with colored eggs.

In Greece, on the Friday before Easter, working with a hammer and nails is considered a great sin. At midnight from Saturday to Sunday, after the solemn service, when the priest proclaims “Christ is Risen!”, the night sky is illuminated by a grandiose fireworks display.

In the Czech Republic, on the Monday following Easter Sunday, girls are whipped as a compliment. And they can pour young man water.

Australians make chocolate Easter eggs and figurines of various animals.

Ukrainian Easter eggs are called "pysanky". Children are given clean white eggs as a symbol of their long and fair life path. And for the elderly - dark eggs with a complex pattern, as a sign that there were many difficulties in their lives.

Easter in Russia brings light and miracles to the homes of believers. Blessed Easter eggs are often credited with miraculous powers. On Sunday morning, when washing, a consecrated egg is placed in a basin of water, and each family member should wash with it, rubbing their cheeks and forehead.

The red Easter egg has a special symbolism. In Greece, red is the color of sorrow. The red eggs symbolize the tomb of Jesus, while the broken ones represent open tombs and the Resurrection.

Signs for Easter

Each nation has its own unique signs associated with this day. doesn’t always believe in them, but it’s interesting to know about it.

Some peoples consider it a good omen to swim in a spring on Easter night and bring this water into the house.

On the eve of Easter, people clean up their homes, cook and bake, but in many countries it is considered a sin to work on Saturday. In Poland, Easter omens prohibit housewives from working on Friday, otherwise the entire village will be left without a harvest.

Pre-Christian Passover was considered a family Jewish holiday for nomadic pastoralists. On this day, a lamb was sacrificed to the Jewish God Yahweh, whose blood was smeared on the doors, and the meat was baked over a fire and quickly eaten with unleavened bread. Participants in the meal had to wear traveling clothes.

Later, Easter began to be associated with the events set out in the Old Testament, the exodus of the Jews from Egypt. It is believed that the name of the holiday comes from the Hebrew verb “passover,” meaning “to pass.” The ritual of hastily eating meat began to symbolize readiness to escape. During the holiday, which was celebrated for 7 days, only unleavened bread was baked - this was due to the fact that before the exodus from Egypt, the Jews ate bread baked without the use of Egyptian leaven for 7 days.

The Last Supper took place precisely on the day of the Old Testament Passover, which Christ celebrated together with the apostles. However, he brought new meaning to the ancient ritual. Instead of a lamb, the Lord sacrificed himself, turning into the Divine Lamb. His subsequent death symbolized the atoning sacrifice at Passover. During the rite of the Eucharist introduced at the Last Supper, Christ invited believers to eat his body (bread) and drink his blood (wine).

In the first centuries of Christianity, a tradition arose to celebrate 2 Easters, symbolizing the death and resurrection of Christ. The first was spent in deep sorrow and strict fasting, and the second - in rejoicing and with a rich meal. Only later was it decided to celebrate one Passover, separating it from the Jewish one.

Celebrating Easter today

The modern Christian holiday of Easter is based on the story of the resurrection of Jesus Christ on the third day after the crucifixion. Now Easter has become a day that Christians devote to remembering the life, death and resurrection of the Savior. Initially, in different places it was celebrated in different times. In 325, a decision was made by the First Ecumenical Council The Christian Church celebrates Easter on the Sunday that comes after the first full moon of spring. This day falls between April 4 and May 8. However, the calculation of Easter dates in the Orthodox and Catholic Church happens in different ways. Therefore, Easter is often celebrated on different days in the Catholic calendar.

Most of the Easter rituals have survived to this day, including the all-night vigil, procession of the cross, christening, dyeing eggs, preparing Easter cakes and Easter. Christening is an exchange of kisses, which is accompanied by the recitation of the traditional Easter greeting: “Christ is risen!” - “Truly risen!” At the same time, an exchange of colored eggs took place.

There are different versions of the origin of the tradition of dyeing eggs. According to one of them, chicken eggs Having fallen to the ground, they turned into drops of the blood of the crucified Christ. The tears of the Mother of God, sobbing at the foot of the cross, fell on these blood-red eggs, leaving beautiful patterns on them. When Christ was taken down from the cross, believers collected and divided these eggs among themselves, and upon hearing the joyful news of the Resurrection, they began to pass them on to each other.

Traditional Easter table dishes are Easter cake and cottage cheese. It is believed that before the crucifixion, Christ and his disciples ate unleavened bread, and after the Resurrection - leavened bread, i.e. yeast. It is symbolized by the Easter cake. Easter is made from pureed cottage cheese in the shape of a tetrahedral pyramid, personifying Golgotha ​​- the mountain on which Jesus Christ was crucified.