Christian feast day: Abai (Syriac Orthodox Church)

Abai was a martyr in Syria. He was killed during the reign of Shapur II. He is a saint in the Syriac Orthodox Church and his feast day is October 1. He is included in Kalendarium Manuale Utriusque Ecclesiae Orientalis et Occidentalis. He had been killed by his father Adorpirozgerd who later became a Christian. He was killed together with other 5000 martyrs including his mother Astina (Hwarta). He was mentioned in the legend of Sābā Pirgushnasp, a child martyr, who had been a son of the governor of Beth ʿArabaye and had been killed under the Shapur II. Approximately the years of his life are 335-385 AD.

The Syriac Orthodox Church, also informally known as the Jacobite Church, is an Oriental Orthodox denomination that originated from the Church of Antioch. The church currently has around 1.5 million followers worldwide. The church upholds the Miaphysite doctrine in Christology and employs the Liturgy of Saint James, associated with James the Just. Classical Syriac is the official and liturgical language of the church.