Sections: Russian language
The purpose of the lesson-seminar:
- To bring into the system the theoretical information, practical skills and abilities received by students during the school year.
- Teach children to independently summarize the knowledge gained.
Equipment: "Explanatory Dictionary of the Russian Language" (edited by Ozhegov), multimedia projector, screen, table cards with materials on punctuation in a simple sentence, grammatical analysis schemes.
Seminar Plan Recording:
I. Opening remarks.
Vocabulary work.
II. Seminar session.
1. Dash in a simple sentence.
2. A comma with homogeneous members, introductory words, appeal, with direct speech.
3. Comma with isolated members of the sentence.
4. Colon in a simple sentence.
III. Lesson conclusion.
5. In the pockets for dictionary work, the words "seminar", "seminar".
Leading tasks: collect material and make a presentation or a table-table on a computer (cases of punctuation, examples from a work of art) on the topics:
- "Dash in a Simple Sentence"
- "Comma in a simple sentence" (except when setting a comma with separate members of the sentence)
- "Colon in a simple sentence"
- "Cases of separation of definitions"
- "Standalone Applications"
- "Comma in Special Circumstances"
- "Clarifying sentence members"
The course of the lesson-seminar
I. Introduction by the teacher. Organizational moment.
Guys, we have finished studying the syntax of a simple sentence. Today we have the last, final lesson of the Russian language in this academic year, in which we will have to remember, restore in memory the basic rules for punctuation in a simple sentence.
Pay attention to the words of K. G. Paustovsky, written on the board. Who would like to read them?
"Pushkin also spoke about punctuation marks: they exist to highlight a thought, bring words into the correct ratio and give the phrase lightness and correct sound"
"Punctuation marks are like music marks. They hold the text firmly and do not allow it to crumble"
How do you understand these words? What is the main conclusion you can draw from what you read?
(In written speech, various punctuation marks are used to accurately convey the meaning. They, in the words of the writer, "firmly hold the text, do not allow it to crumble." Therefore, you need to know the rules for punctuation marks and use them skillfully)
Our lesson today will be held as a lesson-seminar, lesson-workshop.
What is a seminar? The word is, guys, of Latin origin. Write down: seminar, seminary. Open explanatory dictionaries, find the interpretation of the word.
(One of the students reads the dictionary entry aloud)
Tasks for students:
1) to make a word-formation analysis of the word "seminar",
2) make up different types of phrases
(seminar< семинар (суффиксальный способ); семинарское занятие(согласование), провести семинар(управление), его семинар (примыкание)
In what sense do we use this word today - a lesson-seminar?
That's right, the first one.
II. Work on the topic.
1. -Pay attention, guys, to the plan of the seminar.
Let's start by repeating all the cases of setting dash in a simple sentence.
A) The student introduces the class to the table compiled at home on this topic. Then the guys analyze the answer: is this question fully reflected in the table, are the examples well chosen.
B) - Now let's write down the sentences, explain to which item in the table each of them corresponds:
Modesty is one of the greatest traits of the Russian people. (K. Paustovsky)
Evening Dawns - morning I never see- covered in gold horizon. (Goncharov)
Tasks for proposals:
In the course of work - an explanation of the spelling of the underlined words.
Does the number of sounds and letters in the word match? "evening"? (letters 8, sounds 9)
Name the soft consonants in the word. ([v`, h`, p`, n`, d`])
2. And now let's recall the cases of staging comma in simple sentence(except for the comma with separate members).
a) The student speaks according to the table.
B) Let's write a sentence for syntactic analysis:
I love the sandy slope, in front of the hut there are two mountain ash, a gate, a broken fence, gray clouds in the sky: (A.S. Pushkin)
Tasks for the proposal:
- syntactic analysis of the sentence; understands from the spot by the method of commented reading by one student, the rest, if necessary, correct, supplement his answer;
- spelling explanation "sandy", "broken"
- derivational analysis of the word "slope"
C) Two students work at the board on cards (prepare for answers)
Card 1.
Card 2.
Write the words by opening the brackets.
D) Assignment to the rest of the students:
Remember the role played by appeals in poetic speech? (Appeals expressed by inanimate nouns serve as one of the methods of personification)
Recall from famous works 2 appeals - personifications, write down these sentences. (For example: Wind, wind! You are powerful, you drive flocks of clouds: (Pushkin). Do not make noise, rye, with a ripe ear (A. Koltsov)
While the class is doing this task, students' answers are heard at the blackboard, then examples of impersonation appeals are read.
3. It's your turn to listen to your classmates about the cases isolation of definitions, applications, circumstances, clarifying the members of the proposal.
A) Prepared students present their messages. Answers are commented.
B) Explanatory dictation
It was May, glorious, merry May, fresh, bright green foliage, born of him, passed. Already crawled high into the mountains and lay down there in a damp gorge, curled up in a knot and looking at the sea. (M. Gorky)
Tasks for the dictation:
Explanation of the spelling of words "bright green", "born"
At the blackboard, the student makes a morphological analysis of the word " in the gorge"
Orally identify parts of speech in 2 sentences.
Underline the words with a zero ending in the 2nd sentence ( crawled, Already, lay down, knot).
The answer is heard - morphological analysis of the noun " in the gorge"
C) Working with a multimedia projector (orally).
Task: find and correct errors in the use of adverbial and participial constructions.
Reading the story of A.S. Pushkin "The Captain's Daughter", we are faced with a vivid image of the leader of the popular uprising E. Pugachev. Having left for the open steppe, Grinev and Savelich were caught by a snowstorm. Representatives of many countries that came to Moscow took part in the conference. The sown grain did not sprout in dry land for a long time.
4. -Now let's listen to the last group of students who will tell us about the cases of staging colons in a simple sentence.
A) Listening and commenting on student responses
B) Write a miniature essay, if possible using sentences with a colon, on one of the topics:
"I love the storm in early May"
"Thunder Rumbles"
"The sky is clear:"
Topics are projected through a computer onto a screen.
For example,
The sky is clear:
May morning. The sun shines brightly. I shout to him: "Hello, sun!" The sky is clear. Dewdrop pearls are everywhere: on the grass, on the flowers, and on the leaves of the trees.
2-3 works are heard.
Guys, now it's time to test your knowledge in practice on your own. You will be doing a test.
Test sheets are distributed to students.
1 option.
After completing this task,
a) Pay attention to the following.
B) move on to the next one.
C) you need to be careful.
D) homework is over.
A) The greatest wealth of a people is its language. (M.A. Sholokhov)
B) The heart is not a stone.
C) The climate in this area is mild and extremely beneficial for the human body.
D) Snow outside the window is like a duvet.
Ahead (1) behind the road (2) glittering small ants (3) thick rye (4) leaned in the bright evening light (5) glittered against the sun (6) going into the sky. (I.A. Bunin.)
Option 2.
1. Indicate the grammatically correct continuation of the sentence.
Returning home from vacation
A) I was upset.
b) I was sad.
C) I remembered the trip to the mountains and felt sad.
D) Wonderful memories came flooding back.
2. Indicate the sentence in which a dash must be placed at the gap.
A) The time is now _ unclear and restless.
B) The trees outside the window are like mysterious strangers.
C) He is a skilled performer of folk songs.
D) Green's father is a participant in the Polish uprising.
3. In which answer option are all the numbers correctly indicated, in the place of which commas should be in the sentence?
There is nothing more beautiful than (1) an endless wide sea (2) flooded with light (3) and (4) a blue sky (5) full of quiet shining stars. (V.K. Arseniev)
Students work for several minutes, the teacher walks through the rows, monitors their work.
The correct answers are shown on the screen. Mutual verification. Students exchange notebooks, check each other's work and give points.
III. Lesson conclusion. Grades for students for preparing homework, work in the classroom.
a). Many sounds flow into the night bird choir.
b). I was already starting to worry.
in). I was ready to agree.
G). He would be glad to leave.
a). He stood up and immediately sat down.
b). And three palm trees began to grumble at God.
in). Soon it began to rain heavily.
G). Lisa decided to do it.
a). Word is silver, silence is gold.
b). Peter decided to help his brother.
in). Andrei was ready to dispose of even Kyiv.
G). He stopped and thought a little.
a). His face was sour (compound nominal).
b). Silence is gold (compound nominal).
in). We would like to compete (compound verb)
G). He sat down and wrote down the old woman's story (compound verb/
a). The approaches to the barriers and trenches are mined. (A. Ananiev)
b). Krutikov heatedly began to explain what had happened. (N.Gorbachev)
in). Liverovsky's assumptions turned out to be correct. (A.N. Tolstoy)
G). The air smelled of tar. (V. Bykov)
a). Before the snowfall, the tree began to drop its leaves. (E.Nosov)
b). Squirrels will have many worries in the summer. (I.Sokolov-Mikitov)
in). The car had to pass half a meter behind Serezha. (V.Tokareva)
G). The whole village was visible from the hill. (A. Kuprin)
a). The city is stretched out in a long strip along the railroad on one side of it. (B.Vetokhin)
b). After yesterday's small storm, the water was especially muddy today. (G. Golubev)
in). Pausing, Pinchuk decided to mend a hole in his tunic. (M. Alekseev)
G). Landing on that site was in danger of being disfigured. (D. Medve
a). Let the enemy discover the crossing as late as possible! (E.Vorobiev)
b). The boat station was clearly visible from here. (A. Rybakov)
in). After dinner, Anfisa silently began to clear the table. (A. Ivanov)
G). At the edge of the moss swamp, I ordered everyone to stop. (I.Sokolov-Mikitov)
a). Every talent is inexplicable.
b). Since then, I stopped interfering in his economic orders.
in). Dim, sun of Austerlitz! Blaze, great Moscow!
G). The feeling of recovery is one of the sweetest.
a). Chichikov had to close his eyes for a minute.
b). Our generals became cheerful, loose, well-fed, white.
in). I'm afraid it's too late for me to dream of happiness.
G). I won't be young anymore.
c I was ready to agree.
D/ He would be glad to leave.
2. Specify a sentence with a compound verb predicate.
a/He stood up and immediately sat down.
d/ Lisa decided on this.
3. Specify a sentence with a compound nominal predicate.
b/ Peter decided to help his brother.
d/ He stopped and thought a little
.
4. Indicate an example with an error in determining the type of predicate.
5. Indicate the sentence with a simple verb predicate:
6. Indicate a sentence with a compound nominal predicate:
7. Indicate the sentence with a simple verb predicate:
8. Indicate a sentence with a compound nominal predicate:
9. Indicate sentences with a simple verb predicate.
a) Every talent is inexplicable.
10. Indicate a sentence with a compound verb predicate.
d/ I won't be young anymore.
b/ I was already starting to worry.
c I was ready to agree.
D/ He would be glad to leave.
2. Specify a sentence with a compound verb predicate.
a/He stood up and immediately sat down.
b/ And three palm trees began to grumble at God.
B / Soon it began to rain heavily.
d/ Lisa decided on this.
3. Specify a sentence with a compound nominal predicate.
a/ Word is silver, silence is gold.
b/ Peter decided to help his brother.
c/ Andrei was ready to dispose of even Kyiv.
d/ He stopped and thought a little.
4. Indicate an example with an error in determining the type of predicate.
a/ His face was sour (compound nominal).
b / Silence is gold (compound nominal).
c/ We would like to compete (compound verb)
d/ He sat down and wrote down the story of the old woman (compound verb/
5. Indicate the sentence with a simple verb predicate:
a) Approaches to barriers and trenches are mined. (A. Ananiev)
b) Krutikov excitedly began to explain what had happened. (N.Gorbachev)
c) Liverovsky's assumptions turned out to be correct. (A.N. Tolstoy)
d) There was a strong smell of tar in the air. (V. Bykov)
6. Indicate a sentence with a compound nominal predicate:
a) Before the snowfall, the tree began to drop its leaves. (E.Nosov)
b) Squirrels will have many worries in the summer. (I.Sokolov-Mikitov)
c) The car had to pass half a meter behind Serezha. (V.Tokareva)
d) The whole village was visible from the hillock. (A. Kuprin)
7. Indicate the sentence with a simple verb predicate:
a) The city is stretched out in a long strip along the railway on one side of it. (B.Vetokhin)
b) After yesterday's small storm, the water was especially muddy today. (G. Golubev)
c) Silenced, Pinchuk decided to mend a hole in his tunic. (M. Alekseev)
d) Landing on that site was in danger of being disfigured. (D. Medve
8. Indicate a sentence with a compound nominal predicate:
a) Let the enemy discover the crossing as late as possible! (E.Vorobiev)
b) The boat station was clearly visible from here. (A. Rybakov)
c) After dinner, Anfisa silently began to clear the table. (A. Ivanov)
d) At the edge of the moss swamp, I ordered everyone to stop. (I.Sokolov-Mikitov)
9. Indicate sentences with a simple verb predicate.
a) Every talent is inexplicable.
b) Since then, I have ceased to interfere in his economic orders.
c) Dim, the sun of Austerlitz! Blaze, great Moscow!
d) The feeling of recovery is one of the sweetest.
10. Indicate a sentence with a compound verb predicate.
a / Chichikov had to close his eyes for a minute.
b / Our generals have become cheerful, loose, well-fed, white.
c / I'm afraid that it was too late for me to dream of happiness.
d/ I won't be young anymore.
everyone's favorite. d) We need to redo the main part of the report. 2. mark the sentence with a compound verbal predicate. a) Every drop of rain reflects the cold sky. b) The son has become an adult. c) A person must be responsible for his actions. d) I will compete. 3. Indicate the sentences in which a dash is required at the release point. a) Kalinich is a kind man, diligent and helpful husband. b) Pushkin is an extraordinary phenomenon and perhaps the only manifestation of the Russian spirit. c) Needless to say_ only harm the cause. d) Flowers in the clearing_ like little sparkling stars. e) I am a beginner athlete, so I need daily training.
Indicate the sentences: with a simple verb predicate a) The guys continued to argue about the match. b) Every person hasc) I will play football.
d) remember our warning.
e) Simplicity is a necessary condition for beauty.
with a compound verb predicate
a) She turned out to be an interesting person.
b) The night is dark.
c) We had to cross the meadow island.
d) The time was unclear and restless.
e) We could not imagine such a denouement of events.
with a compound predicate
a) It is useful to engage in visual culture.
b) The air is transparent, fresh and warm.
c) To generalize means to single out the most essential.
d) We look forward to meeting you.
e Learning is light, ignorance is darkness.
The union of all peoples under the rule of Rome was at that time a special sign from the Providence of God. If the rulers of these peoples could not all, like Cyrus, confess that the kingdoms of the earth were given to them by the Lord God of Heaven, and even less understand that this amazing union of peoples into one kingdom was a preparation and transition to the formation of a “one flock” in the spiritual kingdom of the world and love, “even if it does not crumble forever,” they nevertheless clearly saw that events were leading the world to some kind of unity and that the greatness of Rome was arranged according to the determination of the inscrutable destinies of God. The unity of command of Augustus - according to the remark of the Holy Church - all the more contributed to the abolition of the polytheism of idols and to the establishment of the unified dominion of the Deity.
In vain did the man-pleasing sages and flatterers try to apply the traditions and prophecies about the appearance of the Redeemer to various kings and nobles of Rome; the eyes of all were turned to Judea, whence they expected the King who had to take possession of the world. In Rome itself, a certain Marath, shortly before the birth of Christ, said that "nature gives rise to a king, to whom the people of Rome must submit." The Roman Senate, horrified by this announcement, forbade the education of all children born that year.
Even in ancient times, it was impossible to determine the year of the Nativity of Christ in a completely accurate way, due to various changes in the calculation of time. At present, the year 1904 is considered from the birth of Christ. This chronology, accepted by all Christian nations, owes its origin to the Roman monk of the 6th century, Dionysius the Small. He calculated that the Nativity of Christ took place in 754. from the founding of Rome. But in later times, according to the most thorough study of the German astronomer Ideler († 1846), it is believed that the Nativity of Christ took place in 747 from the building of Rome. Thus, in order to correct Dionisiev's account, one would have to add seven years to the current year and now count not 1904 AD, but 1911.
The month and date of the Nativity of the Lord Jesus Christ are determined by the following considerations. Evangelist Luke says that when the Savior was baptized, He was about 30 years old. An ancient tradition says that His baptism took place on January 6 [in the 2nd century, the baptism of the Lord was celebrated on January 6]. So, if Jesus Christ had 30 years in January, at baptism, then His birthday could not be far from this number. This day can be determined even closer from another indication of the Evangelist Luke, and which shows that Jesus Christ was 6 months younger in humanity than John the Baptist; and the time of the birth of John stands in connection with the time of the appearance of the Archangel Gabriel Zacharias in the temple. Exact calculations show that Zechariah's line in the temple was between October 2 and 9, 746 from the building of Rome; On October 10, Saint Zacharias could already return to his home. If from this time we consider the non-idleness of Elizabeth: then the time of conception by the Most Holy Virgin Mary of the Lord, which took place in the sixth month after this event, must be assumed after March 10, namely, on the basis of an ancient tradition, March 25, 747. from the building of Rome. If we continue the calculation of this day forward, then December 25, 747. From the building of Rome is the day of the Nativity of Christ. And according to Jewish tradition, the Messiah should be born in the month of Kislev, the ninth year in the Jewish reckoning, and according to ours - in December.
Bethlehem, get ready for the meeting of the Virgin Mary and the Mother of God: behold, it is coming to you, the baby of us Christ, who has no beginning with the Father and the Spirit, everlasting: he will give birth to the nativity scene and after Christmas the Virgin will appear again.(December service 21 sedals on the second kathisma)
The gospel narrative of St. Luke says that before the Nativity of Christ, an imperial decree was issued on a nationwide census and that this census was the first under Augustus, during the reign of Quirinius in Syria. Without a doubt, the ruler of Rome was guided in this case by motives based on political calculations, financial needs, and so on; but one cannot help wondering how these impulses contributed to the fact that the ancient prophecy about the birth of the Savior in Bethlehem was fulfilled in all its strength, without the slightest violation of human freedom. Reverent before the inscrutable ways of God's Providence, it is impossible, at the same time, not to recognize the great self-abasement of the incarnated Redeemer, to which He had to undergo as a result of this census. The name of Jesus, the sweetest and most venerable name, before whose majesty, according to the Apostle, every knee in heaven, earth and hell bows, from birth should have been inscribed in the number of subjects of the pagan ruler, along with the names of the last of the sons of Israel.
Proud Caesar, who involuntarily contributed to the fulfillment of God-inspired prophecy and did not know that, having entered the number of his subjects, had to inscribe all believers in the book of eternal life, perhaps he did not even deign to look at the lists of names sent from Judea; but those who were entrusted with the work of the census, of course, more than once read among the names of the descendants of David the glorious name of Jesus. This is the first title of “servant and slave”, which God was pleased to take upon Himself, by birth, the Son of God in order to make us, slaves of sin, free!
Since it was the custom of the Jews to conduct national censuses according to tribes, tribes and clans, and each tribe, tribe and clan had its own specific cities and ancestral places: then the command of Caesar set all Judea in motion: "ideahu" says the Evangelist "all write, each to your own city". Bethlehem, which was in the tribe of Judah, and therefore called (unlike Zebulun) Judah, was the birthplace of David, and was revered as the family city of his descendants: Joseph was supposed to go here for the census, as a descendant of David. Maria, as a woman who was not subject to the national census, could, apparently, stay at home, which was required even by her position. But She, according to legend, was the only one of her kind and had neither brothers nor sisters, and such women, as the heirs of the name and all family property, were subject to census on an equal basis with men. And therefore, the grace-filled Virgin, as also descended from the lineage of David, despite the last days of gestation, had to leave a peaceful home shelter and go to Her ancestral Bethlehem in order to enter Her name on the list of Caesar's subjects. “Joseph ascended from Galilee from the city of Nazareth to Judea, to the city of David, who is called Bethlehem, for he was not from the house and fatherland of David, write with Mary, his betrothed wife, who is not idle”.
With these last words, the Evangelist, as it were, says that the Most Holy Mary, although she was “not idle” (why it would be better for Her to stay at home, especially since traveling to Bethlehem, for several days, could be fraught with extreme inconvenience and difficulties for Her) , but She went, obeying the decree of the Roman ruler, for "there is no power, but not from God." The holy betrothed probably consoled himself with the thought that their stay in Bethlehem would not continue, and that he, having rendered "Caesar's to Caesar," would still have time to return to the house to recompense the "God of God." But how soon could the turn reach the poor woodworker of Nazareth, who, although, together with his betrothed wife, descended in a straight line from King David, now had no other differences, except for senile hair, whitened with gray hair and inner purity of the soul, known only to God ?
More than three days is also required for the ordinary journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem; and under the indicated circumstances of the holy couple, she could make this path much more slowly. And therefore, it is not surprising that at the end of such a long journey through mountainous terrain, and in the position in which the Holy Virgin was, She got tired and, approaching Bethlehem, felt the need for rest. Tradition says that not far from Bethlehem, weary of the road, the Most Blessed One descended from the donkey, on which she sat only in extreme fatigue, and, seeing a large stone on the side of the road, lay down on it and rested, and after resting again walked to Bethlehem [Travelers notice that this stone is still preserved in its original form, although it lies at a crossroads; and this is one of the proofs of the respect that the inhabitants of Palestine have for objects with which sacred traditions are at least somewhat connected].
“Be, when there was a tamo, the days of giving birth to Her were fulfilled”. As soon as the holy couple reached the city, the time came for Mary to give birth; Joseph carefully searched the city for a convenient place and could not find any shelter. The city was small; and the multitude of people who came for the census filled all the houses to such an extent that there was no free corner in them for holy travelers. All public hotels, no matter how noisy and restless the premises in them, were also bypassed by the holy elder: but in none of them was a shelter found. And who of the city dwellers, under such circumstances, could cordially take under the roof of his poor old man and the Virgin? “There is no place for them in the monastery”. There was only one thing left: to look for some kind of shelter in the urban environs. Not far from the gates of Bethlehem, east of the city, near the spring of David, there was a cave in a rocky mountain. Cattle were driven into this cave during a storm, and shepherds, during the hours of heat and bad weather, could find refuge in it; fields adjoined it; and inside it, in the wall, a depression was cut, which served instead of a manger for animals. The Holy Virgin and Joseph were compelled, out of necessity, to use this cave and there to seek shelter and refuge from the winter cold for themselves and the expected Baby.
But the providence of the Heavenly Father was visible over the fate of His beloved Son, because if for the holy couple, before the time of the birth of Jesus Christ, some free place was found in one of the monasteries of Bethlehem; then, in return for this benefit, how many troubles would there be from the noise of the people, from the curiosity of idle people, from rumors and spying! Meanwhile, here, in this den, outside the city, the Holy Virgin and Joseph were alone, in the midst of complete silence and freedom, far from the fussy community of people and only in the invisible presence of God and holy angels.
In this cave, on December 25, the Blessed Ever-Virgin, alone, without outside help and painlessly, gave birth to the Incarnate Word - our Lord Jesus Christ. The saint testifies about the painless birth of the Most Holy Virgin of the Lord in this way: “The mother did not know the birth diseases inherent in those who give birth ... The Virgin, having given birth to the seedless conceived, remained an immaculate Virgin and kept the keys of virginity intact.” In accordance with this, the saint also remarks: “Christ is born at an ordinary time, after the completion of nine months, at the beginning of the tenth, according to the ordinary law of natural gestation, but painlessly, above the law of birth ... and no illnesses followed the birth.” Our saint also speaks beautifully about the Most Pure Mother: “Even if you conceive without a husband and sweetness, she will give birth without illness and without damage to her virginal purity ... Christ was born from Her, like a fruit from a tree, ... Christ passes from Her, like a ray of solar glass or a crystal passes; the passing ray does not crush or defile the glass and crystal, but rather it enlightens it purely: Christ the Sun of Truth did not harm the virginity of His Most Pure Mother ... but rather aggravated Her purity, illuminating You with His passage.. [Lives of the Saints, February 2]. At the birth of the Savior, as well as before His birth, the Most Holy Mother of God remained a Virgin, why the Saint confesses Her Everlasting
The Evangelist says that the Blessed Virgin "beget thy firstborn Son, and give him a drink, and lay him in the manger". This means that the Holy Virgin herself received the Divine Infant into Her pure hands. She herself wrapped Him in swaddling clothes and laid Him in a manger, and She herself, without a doubt, was the first to kneel before Him Who honored Her to be His Mother. The saint, discussing the above words of the Evangelist, says: “Look how mysteriously the Virgin gives birth: She gives birth herself - She swaddles it herself! Ordinary wives do it differently: they give birth with the help of others and their babies are swaddled by others; not so with the Blessed Virgin: She is the Mother - without labor and without torment; She is a grandmother to herself, taught by no one; She did not allow anyone to touch with unclean hands the Most Pure Infant born by Her, but She Herself serves the One born of Her and who surpasses Her; She swaddles Him and puts Him in the manger.
The church hymn, recalling the event in the den, expresses the feelings of the Mother of God in this way: “Holding the incarnated and clothed in the human image of the Lord in her arms and kissing Him like a Mother, She said to Him: Sweetest child! how I hold you in my hands, you who hold all creation with your hand.”? With trembling and reverent silence, Joseph bowed before the Most Pure Mother and Her Divine Son, and contemplating the supernatural miracle in sweet amazement, he knew immutably that what had been born was truly from the Holy Spirit. “I see a strange sacrament and glorious! The sky is a den; the cherubic throne - the Virgin; the manger is a receptacle, in them the incongruous Christ God is reclining": such are the reverent thoughts of a believing soul, at the sight of the Bethlehem event! “Joseph still imperfectly knew the Most Holy Virgin,” remarks St. Athanasius, “until She gave birth to Her Firstborn Son. When She gave birth, then Joseph knew what She was and what she was worthy to be. He knew when he saw the Virgin, nourishing with milk, and at the same time preserving the color of her virginity incorruptible: he saw the Virgin who gave birth, but did not experience ordinary birth diseases. Then he understood that it was about this Virgin that Isaiah wrote: "behold the Virgin in the womb will receive"!
"Angels- sings the Saint - they surrounded the manger, like a cherubic throne, and, looking at the Lord lying in them, they saw the sky in the den.. Explaining the thought of the Holy Church, the saint says: “The one who fulfilled in all accuracy the sacred Divine advice laid down in heaven, lay down in the den, in the mother's couch and in the manger; hosts of angels surrounded Him... He sat in heaven at the right hand of the Father and at the same time rested in the manger, as it were, above the cherubim... one, glorious on earth, the most holy throne, because Christ our God rested on it..
But what did the rest of the earth, radiant with the glory of God, do at that time? What did the rest of the children of Israel, Jerusalem and the Gentile world do? All of them were immersed in a deep sleep - in the moral and physical. No one knew that the greatest and most joyful event had taken place, no one was in a hurry to bow to the born Savior! The Jews, with their scribes and Pharisees, resting on the law, were waiting for the Messiah surrounded by glory; and the pagan world was buried in vices at the foot of their imaginary gods.
In Bethlehem and its environs, they also slept, but not everyone slept: in the Bethlehem valley, surrounded on all sides by mountains and located at a distance of half an hour's walk from the cave, there was a pillar where, as was the custom of that time, shepherds stopped for the night with their flocks. Here at this time the shepherds kept watch over their flocks by night.
"And behold the angel of the Lord was a hundred in them, and the glory of the Lord was their axis". The appearance of an Angel shining with radiant light, amid the midnight darkness that covers the neighborhood of Bethlehem, should have presented the most majestic spectacle. At the sight of such a wondrous event, the shepherds "be afraid" says the Evangelist "great fear". They had long been accustomed to earthly, noisy natural phenomena and even to dangers: but what presented itself to them now clearly went beyond the limits of everything earthly; Their simple soul was close to heavenly things, but their feeble flesh trembled, and therefore their fear had to be destroyed before the glad tidings. “And the angel said to them: Do not be afraid! Behold, I proclaim to you great joy, even if it will be for all the people ”. Do not be afraid! I am not a messenger of anger and sorrow, but of gladness and joy, such joy, which is now proclaimed only to you alone, and in time should fill everyone and everyone with joy. “For you have been born today the Savior, who is Christ the Lord, in the city of David”: That promised Messiah, whom everyone was waiting for, and whose name alone is able to calm and rejoice every true Israelite, has already been born in Bethlehem, so glorious in the memory of David. “But where can we find one who is born and has given birth in a city filled with many people”? thought the astonished and overjoyed shepherds. An angel warned them, saying: “And this is a sign for you: you will find a baby, wrapped, lying in a manger!” As soon as the heavenly messenger finished his gospel, “Suddenly, there was a multitude of heavenly howls with the Angel, praising God and saying: glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill towards men!”
An amazing spectacle! Thanksgiving song! But why are they before the shepherds? Why such a multitude of heavenly armies, when even one peaceful herald was enough? The celestials appeared here, because even the sky itself could not contain the delight about what had happened. They saw the Head of the world descending to earth to establish peace. Before Him, there was no peace on earth either inside or outside of man, neither on the surface of the earth, nor in its relationship to heaven, everywhere there was only one enmity, and the human race was alienated from God. Clouds of God's wrath hung over him, and what then? , so much offended by people, suddenly he himself comes to them, bringing them peace and pouring out on them a stream of love and mercy! Angels see all this, marvel, rejoice - and exclaim with reverence: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will towards men!”
Thus, again, not to the teachers of the law and wise men, not to the nobles and mighty ones of Israel, the Lord revealed His saving secret: they were sleeping; but only simple shepherds kept watch. Shepherds become the first heralds of the Nativity of the Savior; and not in the temple of Jerusalem, not in the walls of the synagogues, this Christmas is celebrated, but under the open sky, as a sign that not only for the Jews, but for the whole universe, the joy of salvation has shone.
After the departure of the angels, the shepherds went to Bethlehem: “I came, hastening, and found Miriam and Joseph, and the Child lying in the manger”. As there, at the appearance of the angels, everything was majestic: so here, on the contrary, the shepherds met only simplicity and squalor. But after the vision and the gospel of the angel, the divine Otrocha, in the midst of the squalor that surrounded Him, seemed to them even holier and more venerable.
Bowing to their Savior and His Most Blessed Mother, the shepherds, as if to reward what the newborn King of Israel lacked in appearance, hastened to tell everything they had seen and heard from the Angels. These stories were a joy to the unmarried Mary and the holy elder, who at such important moments for them, apparently, were all left to chance. “Mariam,” the Evangelist remarks, “keeping all these words, composing in her heart,” i.e., she considered what she heard from the Angel during the annunciation with what happened now, and seeing that events confirm his words, she spiritually rejoiced. But even with this joy, She did not change her humility, and when listening to the stories of the shepherds, Her purest delight was imbued with the former deep feeling of Her devotion to the will of God.
Our travelers report enough information, both about the road from Jerusalem to Bethlehem, and about the most sacred place of the Nativity of Christ.
Rising from Jerusalem on the road to Bethlehem, the traveler sees before him the plain of Rephaim and in front of it - the heights of St. Elijah. In biblical times, the Rephaim valley was covered with terebinth trees, which is why it was also called terebinth; but now it is abandoned. Here and there along the way one can see the ancient ruins of fences, watchtowers, or pillars that belonged to the vineyards; the ruins of one of them are called the house of Simeon the God-bearer. Not far from the road, they show a sprout of a terebinth tree, under which, according to legend, the Most Holy Theotokos rested on her way from Bethlehem to Jerusalem.
Not far from the heights of St. Elijah, at their soles, on the right side of the road, a round well of ancient construction and a watering hole are visible. It is called the well of the "three wise men"; they say that the good-faith star that brought the magi to Jerusalem shone again for them at this place when they were going to Bethlehem. Judging by the debris that is visible around this source, it must be assumed that it was decorated with architecture, and they even say that it was here. Arabs always stop at this spring to drink the sacred water.
From the height of the mountain, in the distance, one can already see the monastery of St. Elijah; and behind the monastery there is a view of Bethlehem, spreading along a mountain range that slopes south into the valley. A large building, fortified with buttresses (supports) and dominating the surrounding area, covers that sacred point of the globe, over which the evangelical star of our redemption has stopped. Behind Bethlehem, a mountain is drawn on the horizon, having the form of a truncated cone; it is called the "mountain of the Franks" because the crusaders built a fortification here, which served them as a defense against the Muslims. To the left, behind a deep valley, the mountains of the Dead Sea are visible; to the right, Mount Bethlehem merges with the chain of mountains of Judea. When descending into the valley, there is a Muslim chapel that covers the tomb of Rachel, and immediately nearby they show the remains of the ruins of the house of Patriarch Jacob; behind the ravine you can see the ruins of ancient Rama, the birthplace and burial place of the Prophet Samuel.
The Temple of Bethlehem, erected over the den of the Nativity of Christ, is believed to belong to the time of Justinian. The first Christians had a small temple on this site; the first such monument is even attributed to the three wise men who came to bow to the Divine Infant. It is known that the Roman Emperor Hadrian built a temple here and forbade the Jews to live in Jerusalem and Bethlehem. But the holy Empress Helen overthrew the idols and erected them over the place of the Nativity of Christ.
The temple, erected over the den of the Nativity of Christ, is dedicated to the Most Holy Theotokos and built with a cross; the facade has narrow doors, converted from large ones, for more convenient protection from the attack of the Arabs and to prevent the introduction of animals into the temple by infidels. What, unfortunately, were examples. At the entrance to the temple, a vast porch opens, connected to a long gallery, on both sides of which marble columns rise in two rows. These columns were subsequently painted like our ancient cathedrals, and on some images of saints are still visible. The ceiling is made up of huge beams of cedar and cypress trees, from the peaks of Lebanon. The walls were first covered with marble and mosaics, the remains of which are still visible; but most of the marble was removed for the palaces of the caliphs in Cairo and for the Mosque of Omar in Jerusalem. The marble platform has been preserved in some places, but in some places it has been replaced by flagstone. The main altar, dedicated to the Nativity of Christ and belonging to the Greeks, forms the upper part of the cross, with rounded ends, and is elevated by several steps; on both sides of it, opposite the descents into the nativity scene, two thrones are arranged: the Circumcision of the Savior and the three wise men. The mosaics on the walls of this altar are still well preserved in many places, although they have existed for about 700 years.
From both sides of the main altar descend 15 marble steps to the underground, to the Nativity of Christ den. There, in a semicircular recess, in a marble platform, there is a silver star, illuminated by lamps, which means the birthplace of the Redeemer. Around it is the Latin inscription "Hic de Vergine Maria Christus natus est" - that is, "Christ was born from the Virgin Mary here." The platform of the den of the Nativity, also forming a semicircle, is hung with sixteen rich lamps, over which a marble plaque serves as an altar where the liturgy is performed. In the recess, which is above the throne, the Greeks put the image of the Nativity of Christ.
A few steps from the place of the Nativity of the Savior on its right side, there is a special cave "manger" in which the Pre-Eternal Infant rested, and where the shepherds bowed to Him for the first time; one descends here by two or three steps. The manger is carved in natural stone and, looking like an oblong box, lined with white marble. This holy place is consecrated in the same way as the Nativity scene, with precious lamps. Against the lullaby of the Savior's manger, an altar was set up in the same den, at the place where the Most Holy Theotokos, with the Infant Jesus in Her bosom, received the worship of peaceful shepherds. All the walls of the den, both here and at the sanctuaries of the Nativity, are covered with fabrics, and many silver and gilded lamps hang along the natural vault and on the sides. Previously, all the walls were decorated with Byzantine mosaics. The entire nativity scene is five fathoms long and one and a half fathoms wide.
According to the tradition of the Holy Fathers, the Blessed Virgin with the Divine Infant and Joseph spent 40 days in the Bethlehem cave; here, by virtue of the ancient covenant that God once concluded with Abraham, over the Infant, as descended in the flesh from the tribe of Abraham, on the eighth day after His birth, circumcision was performed, and He was called "Jesus" - the name about which the Archangel preached to the Blessed Virgin and which he announced to Joseph in a dream, while clarifying his anxious doubts.
This sacred rite consisted of circumcision with a stone, or a stone knife, of the foreskin of an infant, which was a sign of God's eternal covenant with the offspring of Abraham, similar to baptism in the Christian Church. According to its high significance, circumcision was made a duty for all those who entered the society of the people of God, not excluding slaves and household members. Every Jew could commit it, but mostly the head of the family; in case of need, even women. For non-compliance with it, it was threatened with deprivation of life. Circumcision was the hallmark of God's chosen people, separating them from all other nations, and was deeply respected by the Jews as a sign of national superiority. At the same time, this rite had a different, moral meaning, pointing to the inner need for spiritual purity and holiness, which should distinguish the chosen people from others. Having received its beginning in the person of Abraham, the law of circumcision was confirmed at Sinai; and Moses himself knew the need for him, because God threatened him too for the uncircumcision of his son.
The name taken by the Divine Infant at circumcision meant that the born one is the Savior or Redeemer of the sinful human race, as the Angel explained. Thus - as the Holy One sings - “The all-good God will not be ashamed to be circumcised by the flesh, but will give Himself an image and a mark to all for salvation: for the lawful Creator fulfills the law” and “The Lord endures circumcision of all, and circumcise human sins, as if they are good”.
At the onset of the fortieth day, the Blessed Virgin, accompanied by Joseph, set off with Her Divine Son from Bethlehem to Jerusalem, in order to fulfill everything prescribed by law in the temple. According to the law of Moses, a mother who was relieved of her burden by a male baby was considered unclean for 7 days and, in addition, for 33 days she could not come to the temple, participate in public worship and touch anything sacred; after the forty-day period of purification, she appeared in the temple and offered a cleansing sacrifice: a fairly wealthy woman - a one-year-old lamb for a burnt offering and a young dove or turtledove for a sin offering; and the poor woman two turtledoves or two pigeons. If the baby was a newborn, then, in addition to this rite of purification over the mother, the rite of presenting him to God was also performed on the baby. This commandment about the firstborn was given to the people of Judah in memory of the blessings of God revealed to them when they were brought out of Egypt, when the angel, having destroyed all the Egyptian firstborn in one night, did not touch the Jewish ones.
Consecrated in this way, the firstborn were assigned to God to serve Him in the temple, becoming, as it were, His property. But just as the Levites were intended to serve the tabernacle and the temple, whom the Lord received from the sons of Israel instead of the firstborn, then for the latter, brought from all other tribes, a ransom was determined, consisting of five sacred shekels of silver.
To perform these rituals, the Mother of God came to the Temple in Jerusalem, although, as an unsophisticated and Most Pure Virgin, according to the saint, “she was not guilty of the law of purification.” As the Lord Himself said that He did not come to destroy the law, but to fulfill and lead to a better understanding: so His Most Pure Mother deigned to submit Herself to the ritual prescriptions out of respect for the law. Not puffed up by Her purity, She, out of a feeling of high humility, included Herself among the ordinary wives and, having come to the gates of the temple, stood at the place appointed for those who gave birth. She brought with Her a sacrifice, but not such as was offered by rich people; Her sacrifice was that of the poor; and what was lacking in value for this humble sacrifice was rewarded in abundance by the feelings of the purest soul of the Mother of God. The Saint represents Her, on this occasion, addressing God the Father with the following words: “Behold, Thy Son, Holy Father! Behold your Son, whom you sent to be incarnated from me for the salvation of men! You gave birth to Him before the ages without a mother; and I, according to Your good pleasure, gave birth to Him without a husband! This is My only fruit, conceived in Me by Your Holy Spirit, and You alone know how He came from Me! He is my firstborn; He is your first, consubstantial and co-eternal with you, descended from you, but not departed from your divinity! Receive, then, Thy Firstborn, with whom Thou created the ages and commanded the light to shine! Receive Thy Word incarnate from Me, by which You established the heavens, set up the earth and gathered the waters of the seas! Accept Your Son from Me, His earthly Mother! Organize Him and Me according to Your will, Holy One, and may the whole human race be redeemed by His flesh and blood.!
At the time when the Most Pure Virgin Mother appeared in the temple to fulfill what followed according to the law of purification and redemption of the first-born, the gray-haired elder Simeon also came here, as if representing in his face, so ardently awaiting the coming of the Messiah.
The Gospel does not show what rank Simeon belonged to; but, based on the fact that he received the baby Jesus in his arms in the temple, and in doing so praised God and blessed Mary and Joseph, some believe that he was one of the priests of the Jerusalem temple. In church hymns, he is called "clergyman", "priest", and even "hierarch", "bringing legal sacrifices and purifying the people of Israel with blood sacrifices." But the Gospel, silent about the title of Simeon, depicts his moral qualities, saying that he was a “just and pious” person, fulfilled all duties in relation to God and neighbor, and had a living faith in the coming Savior, impatiently awaiting the day of His coming; why he became the chosen vessel of the Holy Spirit: "The Spirit be Holy in him". Like other Old Testament righteous people, Simeon prepared to die with faith in the immutable fulfillment of God's promises; but the Holy Spirit announced to him that he would receive a better lot and would not die without seeing the Lord's Christ. After such a revelation, he lived in the hope of seeing the Savior and joyfully contemplated the continuation of his long days.
On the day the Eternal Infant was brought to the temple, the Holy Spirit commanded Simeon to go there and made him understand the meaning of everything that was happening. Approaching the Blessed One, Simeon took the Newborn from Her hands and, having blessed God, exclaimed in sacred delight: “Now let your servant go, Master, according to your word in peace!” " For a long time I have been waiting for You - as if he said so - wanting to see Your coming; and now that blessed hour has come, about which You predicted to me, Lord of life and death! Now there is no more reason to keep me on earth; just as for me there are no more goals of life from now on, for the most important thing has already been achieved by me: I saw You, and now I can calm down! Overjoyed, I go to preach joy to the forefathers and my fathers, “For my eyes have seen your salvation!” I saw the One whom our patriarchs and kings so ardently desired to see, I saw - not an image and not a canopy, but Your very salvation, “Hedgehog prepared before the face of all people!” Your salvation is not for the Jews alone, but for the whole human race. Oh, all-good Father of Lights! Before the darkness of death that is coming to me, I see Your saving light: It has shone here, but it will spread throughout the world and will shine on all nations; this is “a light in the revelation of tongues”, having to disperse their pernicious darkness: he will reveal to them You, the true God and Savior, and, coming from the midst of the people You guarded, having served “for the glory of Your people - Israel!” From the east of the sun to the west, the peoples of all countries and tribes, from now on and forever, will please our patriarchs who believed in the coming Redeemer; glorify the Prophets who foretold of His coming; glorify and bless Your Most Holy Mother; Godly honor also Thy, O Father, Divine eternal glory! So, Lord God, I now see and feel the life and light of the whole world, the glory of Israel and the joy of all believers. I feel that, having applied this treasure to my heart, I have united with Him in spirit, and therefore there is no more earthly life for me, but a new, infinite life is open! Let go, Lord, Thy servant, according to Thy word, in peace!”
After that, Simeon, returning the Infant to the hands of the Mother and blessing Her and Joseph, foreseeing, by the power of the same all-illuminating Spirit of God, the sufferings of the God-man on the Cross and the tears, and the sorrow of His Most Pure Mother, predicted to Her the future, which closely touches Her: “Behold this lies for the fall and the rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is rebuked[subject of contention]; and a weapon will pierce through your very soul, as if the thoughts of many hearts will be opened”. “Not everyone will benefit from the salvation brought to earth by Thy Divine Son: for those who believe in Him and follow Him, He will be the rising from the fall; but for those who, out of stubbornness in evil, reject Him, He will serve as an occasion for their final fall and destruction. Throughout his life He will be the subject of controversy. Some will say about Him: “there are good things”; others "neither, but flatters the nations"(); others will object: "Food who from the prince of faith in Him, or from the Pharisees"?(). The unbelief of the latter will reach such a point that they put their Savior to death; You will be a mourning witness to this “and weapons will pierce your very soul”. The thorns of His crown, the nails, the spear that pierces Him, His wounds, His painful cry and dying gaze - will pierce Your motherly heart deeply. The countless and joyless thoughts that quickly change in the soul, dejected by grief, will hurt You no less strongly. “Simeon prophesies,” says the saint, “about Mary standing at the cross, seeing and hearing what is happening: after the words of Gabriel, after comprehending the mystery of the Divine Conception, after many miracles, some doubt will visit your soul.” "By a weapon or a sword passing through the soul- says Saint Amphilochius, Bishop of Iconium - countless and joyless thoughts are named here, cutting and striking the soul and heart, and changed into joy and fun after the Resurrection..
At that time, when Righteous Simeon was conversing with the Most Pure Virgin in this way, Saint Anna approached them and also began, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, to proclaim praise to the Infant and give thanks to God for Him on behalf of all those who were expecting His coming. The Evangelist says about her: Anna the Prophetess... "at that hour, standing up, confessing to the Lord and speaking about Him to all who expect deliverance in Jerusalem." Anna - according to the testimony of Holy Scripture - was the daughter of Phanuel, from the tribe of Asher, which was distinguished by wealth, strength and, at the same time, meekness and peacefulness. After seven years of marriage, having lost her husband, she devoted herself entirely to the service of God in the temple of Jerusalem and spent all her time there in fasting, prayer and work. Among these feats of piety, she reached the age of 84, and the Lord granted her great happiness to see and glorify His Divine incarnation.
Distant China, like other countries, also did not escape the general movement of minds, excited by the expectation of the coming of the Savior; they say that the then Chinese emperor Ming-Ti sent to India on purpose to find out if that Saint who, according to ancient legends, should appear in the West, had come.
The Nativity of Christ took place at night; at night the Lord loved to retire for a prayer conversation with God the Fathers; at night also took place the main resurrection of His from the dead. All this is not so that He wants to hide from us the works of His goodness; but on the contrary, in order to thereby show us that boundless love, which even in the night does not know rest for its beloved children, is awake over them, like a tender mother over the cradle of her child.
Some think that circumcision was borrowed by the Jews from the Egyptians; but this opinion has no basis. Jewish and Egyptian circumcision have nothing in common, like two rites of different religions. Among the Jews, circumcision was obligatory for all: among the Egyptians, it was intended for priests and for soldiers; among the Jews it took place on the eighth day after birth, while among the Egyptians much later. On this basis, it is more correct to assume that the Egyptian circumcision came from the Israelites, the descendants of Abraham. Jesus Christ about the beginning of circumcision among the Jews says that it is "from the father."
The Jewish sacred shekel (so-called in contrast to the civil one) included 20 copper coins or two drachmas and was equal to 35 kopecks. or even 50 kopecks. our coin.
It is believed that Simeon was the son of the famous Hillel and the father of Gamaliel, the teacher of the holy Apostle Paul. They say that he, being one of the most learned people of his time, was among the 72 interpreters, when translating the holy books, at the request of the Egyptian king Ptolemy, from Hebrew into Greek. About this time, in fact, it is narrated that Simeon, translating the book of the prophet Isaiah, stopped at the well-known prophecy "behold the Virgin in the womb will receive" and wanted to correct this place, because it seemed to him incredible and impossible the birth of a son from a virgin; but the Angel who appeared forbade correcting the prophecy and said that he himself would see the fulfillment of these prophetic words and until then he would not die. According to this tradition, Saint Simeon is given more than 300 years at the time of the Nativity of Christ. The name Simeon means hearing.
–In January 2017, a new meme appeared on the Russian Internet, which gained immense popularity: Zhdun. The basis of the meme was the sculpture of Homunculus loxodontus, created by the Dutch sculptor Margriet van Breefort in the spring of 2016. According to the artist, she was inspired by people sitting in waiting rooms and queues for doctors. However, when looking at Zhdun, it becomes clear that she was inspired not only by people. Zhdun's face is most similar to an animal that has no less strange appearance than himself: a sea elephant.
The elephant seal got its name from the thick trunk that adult males have. Females do not have a trunk, and in young males it initially resembles just a thick nose. With age, however, this nose gradually grows so much that it falls into the mouth when the male throws back his head. With this trunk, males emit a deafening roar, especially during the breeding season. It also serves as a kind of rebreather used in gas masks and diving equipment. Since during the breeding season, males spend several months on land, not going down into the water and not hunting, it is important for them to maintain moisture. The trunk, riddled with cavities, re-absorbs water that is released during respiration.
Elephant seals are huge: males of the largest of the two species, the southern elephant seal, reach 6 meters in length and weigh up to 4 tons. The males of the second species, the northern elephant seal, are slightly smaller, but still gigantic: up to 4–5 meters in length. Elephant seals are not only the largest seals, but also the largest predatory animals: they weigh several times more than the largest land predators: the polar bear and the kodiak.
Female elephant seals are several times smaller than males: they weigh only 400 to 900 kilograms. Such a huge difference in size leads to appalling gender inequality. During the breeding season, alpha males gather harems for themselves, which can consist of several dozen (up to a hundred!) Females. Reproduction takes place on land, on huge rookeries formed by hundreds of animals. This is a very difficult and turbulent time for both males and females. Males spend all their time and energy on forming harems and protecting them from competitors. This occupation absorbs them so much that there is no time left for food, and all three months, while the breeding season lasts, the males are starving. Often they do not even have enough time to mate without haste with a female from their harem: they have to constantly jump up and drive away competitors. Between the males, fights continuously break out, reminiscent of the wrestling of sumo wrestlers. Males try to crush each other with their huge weight, make a deafening roar with their trunks, and also use impressive fangs. Although fatal fights are quite rare, males often get seriously injured, and adult males who have had time to participate in many fights are easily distinguished by a pink, scarred "bib" formed by scar tissue.
If the life of alpha males - the owners of harems - is hectic, then for young males it is also rather unhappy. Although males can and want to mate from about the age of five or six, they manage to win alpha status at the age of eight years (and even then not all). Until then, they have to stay on the periphery of the colonies, where they can secretly mate with gaping females. However, they do not always succeed in this: alpha males jealously drive away low-ranking competitors from all females, and most of the males in the colony do not get a single female at all.
It is not easy for females either. Arriving at the rookery, they give birth to cubs conceived in the previous year (pregnancy lasts about 11 months), then they feed them for a month, after which they start mating again. Of course, they don’t talk about any freedom of choice: the males simply crush them with their weight, preventing them from escaping, and at best, the females can drive away only young, not yet very huge males. In addition, during the entire time of feeding and breeding, females, like males, starve and often lose almost half their weight. Large reserves of subcutaneous fat help them survive this time.
Even the cubs have a bad time: males very often crush them to death during fights and chasing females - or when they simply stop to lie down without noticing the children that have fallen under them. Mothers, having finished feeding, abandon their offspring and swim away to the sea. Abandoned cubs gather in groups and stay on the shore for several more months until they change their black baby skin, not adapted for life in water, to adult fur and learn to swim and hunt.
A normal quiet life begins with elephant seals only in the sea. But there they spend most of the year: apart from the breeding season, they go to rookeries, only to molt. In the sea, males and females live separately and even hunt differently. Males mainly prey on benthic (bottom) animals near the coasts, while females swim further into the open sea and hunt animals in the water column. Elephant seals like to eat squid, octopus, rays and big fish the most.
In search of prey, elephant seals dive very deep (the record is more than two kilometers) and for a long time, often remaining under water for several hours. They float to the surface for a very short time, and therefore it is quite difficult to see them at sea. Elephant seals can afford such a life due to a very large volume of blood (and, accordingly, a large volume of oxygen), which is additionally "stored" in the expansions of the veins in the abdominal region. Their blood has a very high content of red blood cells (oxygen-carrying cells), and their muscles have an increased concentration of the oxygen-binding protein myoglobin. In addition, the spleen of elephant seals stores oxygenated red blood cells, which are released into the bloodstream in small portions through a special sphincter shortly after the start of the dive.
Since elephant seals live in cold waters (southern ones in the Antarctic and Subantarctic, and northern ones in the eastern Pacific), they are also well adapted to the cold. They have a very thick layer of subcutaneous fat and dense fur, and all superficial arteries, especially in flippers, are braided with a layer of thin veins that prevent heat transfer.
It is because of this fat (or rather, the blubber that was rendered from it) that elephant seals almost died out recently. In the 19th century, they were hunted so recklessly, killing hundreds and thousands on rookeries, that just half a century after the start of large-scale commercial hunting, only a few dozen remained of several million northern elephant seals (the southern elephant seal was a little more fortunate, but it also almost disappeared) . In 1884, the northern elephant seal was declared extinct, and no one saw a single elephant until 1892, when a scientific expedition of the American Smithsonian Institution found 8 animals on an island off the Mexican coast. The expedition members immediately killed 7 out of 8 animals found to replenish the museum collections.
However, elephant seals still managed to survive due to the fact that they spend most of their lives in the open sea and not all return to their rookeries at the same time. Since the beginning of the 20th century, elephant seals have gradually acquired an increasingly protected status, and by 2010 their number has increased to 210-240 thousand. Today, the population continues to grow, and the rookeries of northern elephant seals can be viewed immediately on
