ינהאַלט
The Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin in the Orthodox calendar is one of the main holidays. On this day, the Archangel Gabriel appeared to the Virgin Mary and told her the good news – that she would become the mother of the son of God, Jesus Christ. The appearance of an angel to Mary is described by the Evangelist Luke: “Rejoice, full of grace! Gabriel said. – The Lord is with you! Blessed are You among women.” “Servant of the Lord; let it be done to me according to your word,” was Mary’s answer.
When is the Annunciation celebrated in 2023
The Annunciation in Orthodoxy is included in the list of the twelve holidays, that is, the twelve main ones. It is celebrated every year on the same day, in Orthodoxy it is קסנומקס אפריל. If we count from this date, it turns out that between the Annunciation and Christmas (which, recall, January 7) is exactly nine months – that is, the period that a woman bears a child. For Catholics, respectively, March 25 is considered the day of the good news.
The coincidence of the Annunciation and Easter is called Kyriopaskha, but this is extremely rare. The last time this happened was in 1991, and the next Kyriopaskha will happen only in 2075.
In a number of countries – both in the West and in the East – from the day of the Annunciation they counted the new year. Such a calendar was, for example, adopted in England until the middle of the XNUMXth century.
History and name of the holiday
Actually, the name of the holiday – the Annunciation – comes into use only from the XNUMXth century (whereas the holiday itself is already celebrated four centuries earlier). Prior to this, the church designated it as “the day of greeting”, “announcement”, “Greeting of Mary”, “Conception of Christ”, “Beginning of redemption”, etc. And the full name of the holiday in Orthodoxy sounds like this: the Annunciation of the Most Holy Lady of Our Lady, and Ever-Virgin Mary.
יום טוּב טראדיציעס
church celebration
On the Annunciation, an all-night vigil is held in churches, which begins with Great Compline, and the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom. The clergy wear blue vestments on the feast – it is this shade that is the symbol of the Virgin.
During the service, everyone who came to the temple that day is told about the essence of the holiday and the appearance of an angel to Mary. By the way, the church holiday canons, which are still performed on the Annunciation, were compiled as early as the XNUMXth century.
If the holiday does not fall on Holy Week before Easter, fasting may be relaxed on it. Yes, you can eat fish. Believers bake prosphora at home – unleavened small breads – and then illuminate them in the temple during the liturgy. Prosphora are made for each member of the family, and they must be eaten on an empty stomach. In the old days, crumbs from consecrated bread were also added to livestock feed and mixed with grain – it was believed that for a better harvest.
And on the Annunciation in cathedrals and churches, after the service, birds are released from cages – as a reminder of freedom for every creation of God. This custom existed in Our Country for hundreds of years until the revolution and was revived in the 90s of the last century. In the Annunciation Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin, the Patriarch releases a flock of pigeons.
folk customs
Among the people, the holiday of the Annunciation was perceived, among other things, as a symbol of the arrival of spring. Therefore, traditions on this day are associated with future crops. The peasants illuminated the cooked grain: they placed an icon next to the tub in which it was stored, and said a special prayer for the bestowal of the harvest.
It was impossible to work or do housework. “The bird does not nest, the maiden does not braid her braids,” – the saying is about the Annunciation. Even leaving on the road to work was considered a sin. Instead, the day should have been devoted to good deeds – for example, there was a custom to treat the needy on a holiday.
וואונדער פֿאַר די אַננונסייישאַן
Clear weather on the Annunciation portends a rich harvest and a warm summer. If there is still snow on this day, do not expect good shoots. And the rain promised good fishing and mushroom autumn.
It is impossible to put on new clothes for the Annunciation – it will not be worn, it will quickly tear.
To be healthy, you need to wash yourself with melt water on the Annunciation.
It is not worth lending to someone on this day and generally giving something from home, it was believed that this would result in losses in the future.
But if you make a wish in the Annunciation, it will certainly come true.
City named after the temple
Many churches and monasteries were built in Our Country in honor of the Annunciation. The most famous, of course, is the Annunciation Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin. And the oldest, according to legend, was erected in Vitebsk on the territory of modern Belarus by Princess Olga in the 60th century. The church was rebuilt many times, it was badly damaged during the Great Patriotic War, and in the XNUMXs it was blown up. Thirty years later, the temple was restored in the form of the XII century.
The most ancient monasteries dedicated to the Annunciation are located in Nizhny Novgorod, in Kirzhach, Vladimir Region, and in Murom.
Throughout the country, there are many settlements named after the holiday. The largest is the city of Blagoveshchensk in the Amur Region. At the same time, it was named after the first church founded in these places – the Church of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos in the middle of the XNUMXth century.