Every day millions of believers ask an important question: what holiday is today in the Church calendar, what are the folk signs and customs, what is strictly forbidden on this day, whose name day is celebrated, and how to call down God’s blessing on the family through a strong prayer. September 5 is a special day in the Orthodox calendar (new calendar / Revised Julian): the Church commemorates Saint Zechariah the Prophet and the Righteous Elizabeth — the parents of John the Baptist, who after decades of barrenness and waiting received from God a son who became the greatest of the prophets. In the Catholic Church September 5 is the feast of Saint Teresa of Calcutta, and the world observes the International Day of Charity. This guide explores the lives of Zechariah and Elizabeth, the meaning of their story for everyone who waits and prays, the folk traditions of the day, and offers the canonical prayers.
1. The Orthodox Feast — Zechariah the Prophet and the Righteous Elizabeth
Saint Zechariah the Prophet (1st century BC) was a priest of the Temple of Jerusalem, of the lineage of Aaron, and served God all his life together with his wife the Righteous Elizabeth, also of priestly descent. Both were righteous before God, walking in all the commandments blamelessly — but they had one deep wound: they had no children, for Elizabeth was barren, and both were already advanced in years (Lk. 1:6-7). In those times barrenness was considered a sign of God’s disfavor, so the couple bore their pain silently for decades, never ceasing to pray.
Once, when Zechariah according to his course was offering incense in the temple, the Archangel Gabriel appeared to him and announced: “Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John; and you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth” (Lk. 1:13-14). Zechariah, exhausted by long years of vain waiting, doubted: “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years” (Lk. 1:18). And for this doubt he was punished with muteness — until the day when the angel’s words would be fulfilled. When nine months later the son was born and all wanted to name him after his father, Elizabeth said: “No! He shall be called John” — and Zechariah, asked by signs, wrote on a tablet: “His name is John” — and in that same hour his mouth was opened, and he began to speak, blessing God (Lk. 1:63-64). His canticle “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel” is read in the Church to this day. The Fathers call Zechariah a prophet, because his words about his son became a prophecy of the Forerunner, and the family itself — a school of how God answers prayer in His time, not in ours.
2. The Catholic Feast — Saint Teresa of Calcutta and the Day of Charity
In the Roman Catholic Church, September 5 honors Saint Teresa of Calcutta (1910–1997), founder of the Missionaries of Charity, which cares for the poorest of the poor in more than a hundred countries. The Nobel Peace Prize, the world’s recognition, canonization in 2016 — all this came to a nun who for decades lived with a feeling of inner darkness and God’s silence, yet every day went out to the dying, the lepers and the abandoned. “We cannot all do great things,” she said, “but we can all do small things with great love.” Mother Teresa died on September 5, 1997, and on this day the Church commemorates her, while the United Nations established September 5 as the International Day of Charity in her honor. Thus one day unites two saints who lived in different ages but with one calling: to wait for God like Zechariah, and to serve Him in one’s neighbors like Teresa.
3. What Is Forbidden on September 5 — Folk Signs and Customs
In the folk calendar September 5 is Zechariah’s Day. Because of the story of Zechariah’s muteness, the day was considered a warning against vain and evil words: the ancestors advised on this day to speak less and think more, not to gossip, not to make hasty promises and not to doubt good news. The day was special for married couples waiting for children: Zechariah and Elizabeth were prayed to for the gift of a child, and it was believed that the sincere prayer of a barren couple on this day has special power. Folk signs for September 5: morning fog that quickly disperses — clear weather; leaves beginning to yellow from the top of the trees — an early autumn; many nuts on the hazel — a cold winter; birds gathering in flocks — they will soon fly away, the autumn will be short.
What is forbidden on September 5: one must not swear, gossip or make empty promises — the day of the memory of him who lost his speech through disbelief teaches to value one’s word; one should not doubt when good news is announced, nor refuse help to those who ask; quarreling and wishing evil on one’s neighbor are forbidden; one must not devalue another’s waiting and another’s pain, especially the pain of childless families. Instead, the day is best given to prayer for children and the childless, for expecting mothers, and to works of charity — for the world today observes the Day of Charity.
4. The Spiritual Laws of Life: the Law of Thanksgiving and the Commandment of Love
The prayer life of a Christian obeys unshakable spiritual laws. The first is the law of thanksgiving and spiritual abundance. The Apostle Paul teaches: “In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thess. 5:18). The story of Zechariah reveals another law — the law of God’s time: the answer to the couple’s prayer came not after a year or ten, but after decades, and yet it came fuller than they could have asked — their son became the Forerunner of Christ Himself. When we sincerely thank God for the years lived and continue to ask with trust, we release the power of His grace, which acts in His time. The second is the fulfilment of the Commandments of Love for God and neighbour (Mt. 22:37-39): Saint Teresa of Calcutta showed that love is not a feeling but daily service. Let us care this day for those who wait — the childless, the lonely and the sick — and our prayer will become a work of love.
5. Hesychast Watchfulness (Nepsis) and Prayer on the Rope
In Orthodox hesychasm and the Athonite tradition, spiritual watchfulness (nepsis) is the foundation of the soul’s salvation. Zechariah lost his speech through doubt but regained it in prayer and praise — so our mind too, bound by anxious thoughts, is freed when it returns to God. When our mind is attacked by thoughts of despair — “it is too late”, “nothing will change”, “God does not hear” — the hesychasts advise immediately cutting them off with the short, rhythmic prayer on the rope (komboskini). A short prayer for the day:
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, by the prayers of the righteous Zechariah and Elizabeth, strengthen my faith in waiting, teach me to wait with thanksgiving, and have mercy on me, a sinner.
6. The Power of Communal Prayer
Communal prayer has the promise of extraordinary power from the Lord Himself: “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them” (Mt. 18:20). Dear brothers and sisters! We invite you to join the prayer circle on Pray.ee. If you and your family are expecting a child, if you have been praying for years for the gift of parenthood, if you are expecting or your children need protection, or if you yourself are going through illness, hardship or danger, write the names (for health and God’s protection) and your needs in the comments below. Our great Christian family will remember them daily in prayers before the Throne of God, asking the intercession of the righteous Zechariah and Elizabeth, the gift of children to those who wait, peace for families and a good year.
7. A Living Testimony: the Prayer of Zechariah and Elizabeth
Parish chronicles and home testimonies preserve many stories of the intercession of the righteous Zechariah and Elizabeth for couples waiting for children. Iryna from Vinnytsia tells one of them. She and her husband tried for seven years to have a child: examinations, treatments, disappointments, silent tears at holidays when everyone congratulated others on their children. Once a priest advised them to pray to the righteous Zechariah and Elizabeth — “for they waited longer than you and know how waiting hurts.” The couple began to read the akathist to the righteous every day and to come to church every Saturday, and, in Iryna’s words, the main change was in themselves: “We stopped demanding a child from God as a debt and began to ask for him as a gift.” In the eighth year of waiting Iryna became pregnant, and her health was enough to give birth to a healthy son, whom they named Ivan — after the son of Zechariah. “Our Ivan was born nine months after the day when, for the first time in many years, we prayed not with tears but with thanksgiving,” says Iryna. “I do not know whether it is coincidence or answer. But I know that Zechariah and Elizabeth taught us the most important thing: waiting with God is not emptiness but the time when a gift is being prepared.”
8. The Strongest Canonical Prayers of the Day
Troparion of the Righteous Zechariah and Elizabeth, Tone 4:
Clothed in the robe of priesthood, according to the law of God you offered sacrifices, O Zechariah, and were a lamp and witness of truth, and were shown to be a prophet of the Forerunner of grace; rejoicing now with him on high, pray for our souls.
Prayer to the Righteous Zechariah and Elizabeth for the Gift of Children (home prayer of the day)
O righteous Zechariah and Elizabeth, well-pleasing servants of God! For long years you waited for the promised son and, having waited, received him with joy and thanksgiving. Hear our prayer: intercede for the couples waiting for the gift of parenthood, ask for them from the Lord patience in waiting, faith without doubt and hope without despair; and for those whom He blesses with a child — health for mother and child and wisdom to raise the child in the faith. Pray also for all who wait for their good news, so that they too, like you, may wait for it with thanksgiving and glorify the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
9. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Who were Zechariah and Elizabeth, and why are they commemorated on September 5?
The righteous Zechariah and Elizabeth were a couple of priestly descent, the parents of Saint John the Baptist. After decades of barrenness the Archangel Gabriel announced to them the birth of a son; Zechariah for his doubt temporarily lost his speech and regained it when he wrote the name “John”. The Church commemorates them on September 5 by the new calendar as a model of righteousness, patience and prayerful waiting.
What is prayed for to the righteous Zechariah and Elizabeth?
They are prayed to above all for the gift of children to barren couples, for a happy pregnancy and the health of mother and child, and also for patience in every long waiting and for the strengthening of faith in times of doubt.
Whose name day is September 5?
Zechariah and Elizabeth celebrate their name days, as well as all whose saints are commemorated on this day.
Why is the International Day of Charity observed on September 5?
On this day in 1997 Saint Teresa of Calcutta, founder of the Missionaries of Charity and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, died. The United Nations established September 5 as the International Day of Charity in her honor, and the Catholic Church commemorates her memory on this very day.
10. Sources
1. Zechariah, father of John the Baptist: the Gospel story and veneration — Wikipedia article: en.wikipedia.org (Zechariah).
2. Saint Teresa of Calcutta: life and ministry — Wikipedia article: en.wikipedia.org (Mother Teresa).
3. International Day of Charity (September 5) — Wikipedia article: en.wikipedia.org (International Day of Charity).
4. 5 вересня: пророк Захарія та праведна Єлисавета — Ukrainian-language version of this article: pray.ee (5 вересня).