Festive Advice

Τοιγαροῦν ἑορτάζωμεν, μὴ πανηγυρικῶς, ἀλλὰ θεϊκῶς· μὴ κοσμικῶς, ἀλλ' ὑπερκοσμίως· μὴ τὰ ἡμέτερα, ἀλλὰ τὰ τοῦ ἡμετέρου, μᾶλλον δὲ τὰ τοῦ Δεσπότου· μὴ τὰ τῆς ἀσθενείας, ἀλλὰ τὰ τῆς ἰατρείας· μὴ τὰ τῆς πλάσεως, ἀλλὰ τὰ τῆς ἀναπλάσεως. Ἔσται δὲ τοῦτο πῶς;Μὴ πρόθυρα στεφανώ σωμεν, μὴ χοροὺς συστησώμεθα, μὴ κοσμήσωμεν ἀγυιὰς, μὴ ὀφθαλμὸν ἑστιάσωμεν, μὴ ἀκοὴν καταυ λήσωμεν, μὴ ὄσφρησιν ἐκθηλύνωμεν, μὴ γεῦσιν κα ταπορνεύσωμεν, μὴ ἁφῇ χαρισώμεθα, ταῖς προχεί τοις εἰς κακίαν ὁδοῖς, καὶ εἰσόδοις τῆς ἁμαρτίας, μὴ ἐσθῆτι μαλακισθῶμεν, ἁπαλῇ τε καὶ περιῤῥεούσῃ, καὶ ἧς τὸ κάλλιστον ἀχρηστία, μὴ λίθων διαυγείαις, μὴ χρυσοῦ περιλάμψεσι, μὴ χρωμάτων σοφίσμασι ψευδομένων τὸ φυσικὸν κάλλος, καὶ κατὰ τῆς εἰκόνος ἐξευρημένων· μὴ κώμοις καὶ μέθαις, οἷς κοίτας καὶ ἀσελγείας οἶδα συνεζευγμένας· ἐπειδὴ κακῶν διδασκάλων κακὰ τὰ μαθήματα, μᾶλλον δὲ πονηρῶν σπερμάτων πονηρὰ τὰ γεώργια. Μὴ στιβάδας ὑψηλὰς πηξώμεθα σκηνοποιοῦντες τῇ γαστρὶ τὰ τῆς θρύ ψεως. Μὴ τιμήσωμεν οἴνων τοὺς ἀνθοσμίας, ὀψο ποιῶν μαγγανείας, μύρων πολυτελείας. Μὴ γῆ καὶ θάλασσα τὴν τιμίαν ἡμῖν κόπρον δωροφορείτωσαν·οὕτω γὰρ ἐγὼ τιμᾷν οἶδα τρυφήν. Μὴ ἄλλος ἄλλον ἀκρασίᾳ νικᾷν σπουδάζωμεν. Ἀκρασία γὰρ ἐμοὶ, πᾶν τὸ περιττὸν καὶ ὑπὲρ τὴν χρείαν· καὶ ταῦτα πεινώντων ἄλλων καὶ δεομένων, τῶν ἐκ τοῦ αὐτοῦ πηλοῦ τε καὶ κράματος. Ἅγιος Γρηγόριος ὁ Ναζιανζηνός, Εἰς τὰ Θεοφάνια

Let us not keep the Feast raucously, but in a reverently, not as the world does, but like that which transcends the world, not as something that is ours but as a thing of Ours, a thing of the Master, not a thing of weakness, but of health; no of creation, but of re-creation. And how shall this be? Let us not garland porches, nor adorn squares, nor prepare dances; let us not feast the eye, nor beguile the ear with tunes, nor charm with perfumes, nor prostitute the taste, nor indulge the touch, those roads so prone to evil and gateways for sin; let us not be soft in delicate and flowing cloth, whose beauty is its uselessness, nor with glitter of gems, nor with sheen of gold, nor with cleverness of colour that belies nature's beauty, against its nature fashioned; not in wildness and drunkenness, with which are mixed, I know well, licentiousness and trysts, for of evil teachers so are the lessons, or rather bad seeds give bad harvests. Let us not set up high beds, making tabernacles for the belly of what belongs to debauchery. Let us not honour bouquets of wines, the tricks of meat dressers, the great expense of unguents. Let not sea and land bring us as a gift their worthy dung, for it is thus that I have learned to value luxury; and let us not strive to outdo each other in intemperance; for to my mind such is superfluity and all which is beyond need. And all this while others hunger and lack, those who are of the same clay and soil. Saint Gregory Nazianzus, On The Theophany