The public holiday of the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary is a significant Christian holiday. On this day, the heavenly messenger Gabriel told Mary that she would be the mother of the son of God. The angel greeted her with the phrase "Rejoice Blessed", after which he informed Mary that grace had come upon her from God and she was called to give birth to the Son of the Most High. Theologians argue that this became the first good news for humanity after the severance of communication with the Almighty due to the fall. After the appearance of the archangel Gabriel, the Blessed Virgin became another, bright epoch.
The History of the Annunciation
To understand what the Feast of the Annunciation means, it is necessary to understand some historical facts. What does Mary's consent to give birth to Jesus? First and foremost, it was a manifestation of the gift of goodwill that God gave people. According to theologians, moral freedom is a quality that elevates a person over soulless nature. Thus, the sincere consent of the Virgin Mary allowed the Holy Spirit to dawn on her, "not at the same time maiming the maiden's womb." Development of the fetus took place according to all natural laws, and Mary obediently nurtured the Child until the day of his birth.
On the day of the appearance of Gabriel St. Mary, the ancient prophecy of Isaiah came true that a woman will have a son, whose name will be Emmanuel, which is interpreted as "God with us." On that day, the Holy Spirit dwelt in Mary's womb and conceived a son whose vocation was to free the world from the power of the devil and sin.
Already the very name of the celebration - the Annunciation - conveys the main meaning of the good news associated with it: a message from Mary about the conception of her God-to-be. This holiday belongs to the twelve historically important Orthodox holiday after Easter. All the "Twelve Feasts" are dedicated to the important events of the earthly life of the Theotokos and Jesus.
When is the Annunciation celebrated?
Catholics and Orthodox use different dates for the feast of the Annunciation. Protestants and Catholics celebrate the holiday on March 25. There are several interpretations of the appearance of this particular date:
- Direct connection with the day of the Nativity of Christ . December 25 is the date of Jesus' birth. If you take exactly nine months from this date, the date will be 25 March.
- Date of creation of the person. Many church authors believe that the conception of Jesus and the appearance of Mary Gabriel was March 25, because on that day the Almighty created man. This day was to be the beginning of the redemption of man from original sin.
- The day of the equinox. Such a day is traditionally considered the day of the creation of the world, therefore, the redemption must begin at the time of the vernal equinox.
The Orthodox Church of Russia took as its basis the Julian calendar with another time, so they celebrate the Annunciation on April 7.
Celebration of the Annunciation
This holiday falls on a week of Easter celebrations, or on the days of Lent. This determines the type of liturgy. If the Annunciation fell on the Post, then its rules are slightly weakened and on this day you can eat fish.
On this day there are also many folk traditions. People kindle bonfires - "burn winter" and "warm the spring". In fires burn rags, garbage, manure, straw. People believed that the sky was open to the Annunciation for prayers and requests, so in the evening people looked at the sky in search of a big star. When the star was visible, it was necessary to cry out: "God, give me glory!"