The '''Menaion''' is ([[Greek language|Greek]]: Μηναίον; [[Church Slavonic language|Slavonic]] ''Минея/Minéya''; "of the month") refers to the collection annual fixed cycle of service books services in the Orthodox Church. Commemorations in the Menaion are tied to the day of the calendar year.  Since 1921, there have been two calendars in use within the Orthodox Church : the [[Julian Calendar]] and the [[Gregorian Calendar]]. At the current time there is a thirteen day difference between the two caldendars. This means that provides those churches which use the [[Revised Julian Calendar|New Calendar]] (Gregorian) will celebrate the feasts on the fixed cycle thirteen days before those who follow the [[Old Calendar]]. The other major annual cycle, the [[Paschal cycle|moveable cycle]] is the same for both Old and New Calendar Churches, so all will celebrate [[Pascha]] (Easter) on the same day. == The Full Menaion == The liturgical texts for celebrations on the moveable portions of Menaion are contained in twelve volumes called ''menaia''. Each menaion will contain the divine services corresponding to for an entire month. The liturgical year for Eastern Orthodox Christians begins in September, so the Menaion for September is the daily commemorations first volume of the Church yearset.  The Menaion menaion contains the largest collection of liturgical texts that are used in the Eastern Church, and is usually divided into twelve volumesa very imporatant component of the liturgical book owned by a parish. Outside of the Sundays of[[Great Lent]], [[Holy Week]], [[Bright Week]], and the Sundays of the [[Pentecostarion]], texts from the menaion are used in every one of the Divine Services —one with the exception of the [[Midnight Office]]. == General Menaion== There is another volume called the '''General Menaion''' which contains services for each month type of celebration ([[Apostles]], [[Martyrs]], etc.) with blank spaces for the name of the year[[saint]] being celebrated. Each volume When a parish is further divided by day not able to afford a complet set of menaia (as often happens in mision situations), or if they do not have the month and texts for a particular saint they wish to commemorate, it is normal to use the General Menaion to fill in for those services which are missing.  == Festal Menaion ==  There is also what is called the '''Festal Menaion''' which contains the texts for those [[Great Feasts]] of the dayLord or the [[Theotokos]] which fall on the fixed cycle.