What does the feast of the Annunciation mean? Traditions and rituals of the holiday

Annunciation is one of the most important and joyful holidays in Orthodox calendar. This year, the day of the good news falls on the Week - the 4th week of Lent. We talk about the history of the holiday and how to celebrate it.

Celebration date

The date of the Annunciation is considered to be March 25th. Gregorian calendar and April 7 - Julian. From December 25 (January 7), which since the 4th century has been considered the day of the Nativity of Christ, this date is separated by exactly nine months.

In Orthodoxy, the Annunciation is included in the list of twelve most important holidays after Easter. It is celebrated every year on the same day. In the Orthodox Church, which uses the Julian calendar, this is April 7th. This year the Annunciation falls on Lent and coincides with Holy Saturday. This means that you will not be able to eat fish on the holiday. According to the monastery charter, during Lent, fish is allowed only twice - on the Annunciation and on Palm Sunday. But the meaning Good Friday, as every day of Holy Week, cancels these relaxations.

Meaning and history

The events of the Annunciation are described by only one evangelist - Luke, and are also found in some apocrypha.

Archangel Gabriel appeared to the Virgin Mary and announced: “Rejoice, full of grace! The Lord is with you! Blessed are You among women,” saying that She has acquired the greatest grace from God - to be the Matter of the Son of God. In the Christian tradition, it is believed that this news was the first good news that humanity received since the fall of Adam and Eve.

Name of the holiday

The very name “Annunciation” (“Evangelismos” in Greek) comes from the word “Gospel”. “Gospel” means “good news”, “good news”.

The name of the holiday came into use only from the 7th century. Before this, in the works of the authors of those years there were titles: “Day of Greeting”, “Annunciation”, “Greeting to Mary”, “Conception of Christ”, “Beginning of Redemption”, etc. The full name of the holiday in Orthodoxy is: “Annunciation of our Most Holy Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary.”

Although the holiday itself appeared earlier: most historians believe that the tradition of celebrating the Annunciation was established no earlier than the 4th century.

Who celebrates the Annunciation on April 7

The Jerusalem, Russian, Georgian, Serbian Orthodox Churches, the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (within Ukraine), as well as Old Believers celebrate the Annunciation according to the Julian calendar - April 7.

Holiday traditions

According to tradition, after the Liturgy, white birds are released in many churches. This custom goes back to the folk tradition of welcoming spring. Like many others, this pagan custom was adapted to Christian values with the advent of Christianity. From the Gospel we learn that the Holy Spirit descended on the Lord during his baptism in the Jordan River in the form of a dove. Archangel Gabriel also explains the Immaculate Conception of Jesus Christ by the Virgin Mary through the action of the Holy Spirit : The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you (Luke 1:35). From the merger folk custom, the image of the Holy Spirit and the words of the Gospel and this tradition appeared.

The Church says that on the day of the Annunciation, as on other major church holidays, every Christian believer should try to put aside their affairs for the sake of being present in church and praying.

Not performed on this day funeral services and prayers, the church also does not hold weddings on this day. Those who want to get married without conflicting with Orthodox traditions can do so starting from the first Sunday after Easter.

Orthodox Christians celebrate the Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary on April 7. This year it coincided with another church holiday– Great (Holy) Saturday, which precedes Easter.

Such coincidences will occur only a few times in this century: according to the church calendar, these are 2007, 2018 and 2029, and then only 2091, RIA Novosti writes.

On the day of the Annunciation Holy Mother of God Believers remember the appearance of the Archangel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary, who announced that she would give birth to a son who would become the Savior.

Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus', after the liturgy in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, will release doves according to ancient custom in memory of the gospel event. There, in accordance with the tradition of Holy Saturday, the primate will bless Easter cakes, Easter cakes and colored eggs.

On April 7, believers celebrate one of the main and joyful holidays in the Orthodox calendar - the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In 2018 it falls during Lent and coincides with Passion, or Holy Saturday, especially during the day strict fasting, sadness and silence. What does this holiday mean for believers and how to properly celebrate the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary?

Origin of the holiday

The name "Annunciation" (in Greek "Evangelismos") is translated as "good news" or "good news". In Orthodoxy, this day is fully called the Annunciation of our Most Holy Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, which partially reveals the meaning of the holiday.

According to the description of the Apostle Luke, on this day the Archangel Gabriel announced to the young Virgin Mary about the future birth according to the flesh from her of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the World. “The angel came to Her and said: Rejoice, full of grace! You have found grace from God and behold, you will conceive in your womb and give birth to a Son, and you will call His name Jesus,” these events are described in the canonical Gospel.

Celebration date

The Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary is always celebrated on the same day - March 25 according to the Gregorian calendar and April 7 according to the Julian calendar. Unlike Easter, this day does not have a moving date and is counted exactly nine months after the feast of the Nativity of Christ.

On early Easter, that is, from April 4 to April 13, the Annunciation can fall either on the day a week before the celebration of Easter, or on the week after the Bright Resurrection of Christ.

The joyful holiday of April 7 according to the Julian calendar is being prepared to be celebrated by the Jerusalem, Serbian, Georgian Orthodox churches, the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church on the territory of Ukraine, as well as the Old Believers. The Roman Catholic, Romanian, Bulgarian, Polish churches celebrate this day on March 25th.

What not to do on this day

They say about the Feast of the Annunciation that on this day “the maiden does not braid her hair, and the bird does not curl her nest.”

The Church classifies the holiday as one of the twelve, that is, the twelve most important holidays in Orthodoxy after Easter, along with Epiphany, Candlemas, Christmas, Ascension of the Lord, Dormition of the Virgin Mary and Trinity Day. Most of them also have a fixed date.

According to the tradition of theologians, on the day of the Annunciation, every believer must put aside all worldly affairs, and especially work, for the sake of prayer and presence in church.

In 2018, the celebration of the Annunciation coincides with Holy Saturday of Lent, which means: on this day you cannot eat fish and vegetable oil. According to the monastic charter, fish food is allowed twice during Lent - on Palm Sunday and the Annunciation, but the significance of the days of Holy Week cancels such indulgences.

Traditions of the Annunciation

Not performed on this holiday funeral prayers, services and weddings are not held. After the Liturgy, most churches release white birds into the sky. The symbol of this day is considered to be a white dove, in the form of which the Holy Spirit descended on the Lord during his baptism in the sacred Jordan River.

In honor of this day, the day before, believers bake Lenten cookies in the shape of birds and treat each other with them after the morning liturgy and communion.

Many believers believe that on this day the power doubles medicinal plants. Today, the Annunciation is also considered the day that announces spring and freedom to the world. By the way, in Rus', from ancient times, migratory birds caught in snares - lark, pigeons and tits - were released at this time. On the same day, it was customary to “call on spring,” that is, to gather together and ask nature’s favor and a good harvest in the future with “spring songs.”

Annunciation means “good” or “good” news. On this day, the Archangel Gabriel appeared to the Virgin Mary and announced to Her about the coming birth of Jesus Christ - the Son of God and the Savior of the world.

Until the age of 14, the Blessed Virgin was raised in the temple, and then, according to the law, she had to leave the temple as having reached adulthood and either return to her parents or get married. The priests wanted to marry Her off, but Mary announced to them her promise to God - to remain a Virgin forever. Then the priests betrothed Her to a distant relative, the eighty-year-old elder Joseph, so that he would take care of Her and protect Her virginity. Living in the Galilean city of Nazareth, in the house of Joseph, the Blessed Virgin Mary led the same modest and solitary life as at the temple.

Four months after their betrothal, an angel appeared to Mary while she was reading Holy Bible and, entering to Her, he said: “Rejoice, Blessed One! (that is, filled with the grace of God - the gifts of the Holy Spirit). The Lord is with you! Blessed are You among women." Archangel Gabriel announced to Her that She had acquired the greatest grace from God - to be the Matter of the Son of God.

Mary, in bewilderment, asked the Angel how a son could be born to someone who does not know her husband. And then the Archangel revealed to Her the truth that he brought from Almighty God: “The Holy Spirit will come upon You, and the power of the Most High will overshadow You; therefore the Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.” Having comprehended the will of God and completely surrendering herself to it, the Most Holy Virgin answered: “Behold, the servant of the Lord; let it be done to me according to your word.”

“The event called the Annunciation means the conception of Jesus Christ,” reminds theology professor Deacon Andrei Kuraev. – Through the action of God’s grace in the womb of Mary, the development of a new human life. Mary did not conceive from God the Father, not from the Archangel Gabriel, and not from her betrothed husband Joseph. It is better to keep cynical “physiological” arguments to yourself - Christians know the laws of biology no worse than skeptics, and that is why they talk about the Miracle. And the miracle is not so much that the Virgin, who did not know her husband, began to bear a child, but that God identified Himself with this child and with everything that would happen in His life. God doesn't just inhabit the Virgin. Through the Archangel Gabriel, He (the Almighty, the Master and the Lord) humbly asks for the consent of the young woman. And only when He hears human consent. Let it be done to me according to Your word,” - only then does the Word become flesh.

This is how the gospel story begins. Ahead are Christmas and the flight to Egypt, temptations in the desert and healing of the possessed, the Last Supper and arrest, the Crucifixion and Resurrection...”

History of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The date of the Annunciation in both the West and the East is considered to be March 25. This date is exactly 9 months away from December 25, which since the 4th century, first in the West and then in the East, has been considered the day of the Nativity of Christ. In addition, this number is consistent with the ideas of ancient church historians that the Annunciation and Easter, like historical events happened on the same day of the year.

For the first time, this date appears in the writings of Western authors of the 3rd century Tertullian and the Hieromartyr Hippolytus of Rome as the day of the Crucifixion of the Savior according to the Roman calendar (back in the 6th century, St. Martin of Braga wrote that many Gallic bishops considered Easter a fixed holiday). At the same time, Hippolytus, based on a comparison of a number of biblical verses and their literal interpretation, argued that the Nativity of Christ occurred 5500 years after the creation of the world.

The belief about the 5500-year age of creation at the time of the coming of the Savior into the world and about the coincidence of the dates of the creation of the world and the coming of Christ in the flesh passed into the Alexandrian tradition, but here the decisive date was not the Nativity of Christ, but the Annunciation: St. Athanasius the Great wrote that Christ was incarnated in the womb of the Virgin on the 25th day of March, because on this day God originally created man.

Since the 5th century, the place of the date of the Crucifixion was taken by the date of the Resurrection, and the time of the earthly ministry of the Savior from the Incarnation to the Resurrection began to be considered a multiple of an integer number of years.
In the Byzantine tradition, the date March 25 is of great importance - it is the day not only of the Annunciation, but also of the creation of the world, and the Resurrection of Christ; the dates of other holidays are counted from it: the Nativity of Christ, the Conception and the Nativity of St. John the Baptist.

The Day of the Annunciation was often considered the day of the beginning of the church or even civil year both in the East and in the West. Coincidence Belief historical date The Resurrection of Christ on March 25 led to the fact that this day received the name “Kyriopaskha” (Kyriopaskha - Lord’s (i.e., real, normal) Easter; sometimes there is an incorrect etymology - the Lord’s Easter). Nowadays, Kyriopascha is the coincidence of the holidays of Easter and Annunciation that occurs every few years.
In Russia, due to the Church's use of the Julian calendar, March 25 falls on April 7. according to the Gregorian (“civil”) calendar).

Images of the Annunciation are already present among the paintings of the catacombs of the 2nd half of the 2nd - 1st half. III centuries, however, it can be said with a high degree of probability that the establishment of a special holiday of the Annunciation occurred no earlier than the IV century.

Discovery of St. Equal to the Apostles Helen at the beginning of the 4th century. holy places of the earthly life of the Lord Jesus Christ and the construction of temples she began at these places (in particular, in Nazareth) caused an increase in interest in the event of the Nativity of Christ and the mystery of the Incarnation; Perhaps the establishment of the Annunciation as a separate holiday is connected with this. At the beginning of the 8th century. Armenian author Grigor Asharuni wrote that the feast of the Annunciation was established by St. Cyril of Jerusalem, that is, in the 3rd quarter of the 4th century.

Since information about the Constantinople worship of the V-VI centuries. are few in number, nothing definite can be stated about the celebration of the Annunciation during this period in Constantinople, but by the end of the 7th century. This is one of the most revered holidays here. All Byzantine monuments of the 8th and subsequent centuries name the Annunciation among the most important holidays; The service of the Annunciation is invariably celebrated on March 25.

In the West, information about the Feast of the Annunciation dates back to approximately the same time as in the East. From the writings of Western Church Fathers and writers, the words for the Annunciation are known, attributed to Latin authors of the 5th century. Blessed Augustine, Saints Peter Chrysologos and Leo I the Great. The liturgical veneration of the day of the Annunciation is clearly stated in the Liber Pontificalis of the times of Pope Sergius I (687-701), where the Annunciation is one of the 3 holidays dedicated to Mother of God, when a solemn procession took place in Rome.

The name of the holiday was not stable in ancient times; the modern Greek name “evangelismos” appears only in the 7th century. In the works of ancient authors there are names: Greek. “day of greeting”, “annunciation” or “day/holiday of the Annunciation”; lat. “annuntiatio angeli ad beatam Mariam Virginem” (Annunciation of an angel to the blessed Virgin Mary), “Mariae salutatio” (greeting to Mary) and a number of other names with similar meaning. The Annunciation was perceived both as the Lord's and as the Feast of the Theotokos. Unlike the Orthodox Church, where the Annunciation is considered one of the most important holidays (the full name is the Annunciation of our Most Holy Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary), in Catholicism it is a second-class holiday (the full name is Annuntiatio beatae Mariae Virginis - the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary).

The meaning of the feast of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh:

“The Annunciation is the day of good news that a Virgin has been found throughout the human world, so believing in God, so deeply capable of obedience and trust, that the Son of God can be born from Her. The incarnation of the Son of God, on the one hand, is a matter God's love– the godmother, affectionate, saving – and God’s power; but at the same time, the incarnation of the Son of God is a matter of human freedom. St. Gregory Palamas says that the Incarnation would have been just as impossible without the free human consent of the Mother of God as it would have been impossible without the creative will of God. And on this day of the Annunciation, we contemplate the Virgin in the Mother of God, who with all her heart, all her mind, all her soul, all her strength managed to trust God to the end.

And the good news was truly terrible: the appearance of an Angel, this greeting: Blessed are You among women, and blessed is the fruit of Your womb, could not but cause not only amazement, not only trepidation, but also fear in the soul of a virgin who did not know a husband - how is this could be?..

And here we grasp the difference between the wavering - albeit deep - faith of Zechariah, the father of the Forerunner, and the faith of the Mother of God. Zechariah is also told that his wife will have a son - naturally, despite her old age; and his answer to this message of God: How can this be? This can't happen! How can you prove this? What assurance can you give me?.. The Mother of God poses the question only this way: How can this happen to me - I’m a virgin?.. And to the Angel’s answer that this will happen, She responds only with words of complete surrender of Herself into the hands of God; Her words: Behold, the Servant of the Lord; wake me according to your word...

The word “slave” in our current usage speaks of enslavement; In the Slavic language, a person who gave his life and his will to another called himself a slave. And She really gave Her life, Her will, Her destiny to God, accepting with faith - that is, with incomprehensible trust - the news that She would be the Mother of the incarnate Son of God. About her righteous Elizabeth says: Blessed is she who believed, for that which was spoken to her by the Lord shall be...

In the Mother of God we find an amazing ability to trust God to the end; but this ability is not natural, not natural: such faith can be forged in oneself by the feat of purity of heart, by the feat of love for God. A feat, for the fathers say: Shed blood and you will receive the Spirit... One of the Western writers says that the Incarnation became possible when the Virgin of Israel was found, Who with all her thought, with all her heart, with all Her life was able to pronounce the Name of God so that It became flesh in Her.

This is the gospel that we have now heard in the Gospel: the human race gave birth, brought God as a gift to the Virgin, who was able in Her royal human freedom to become the Mother of the Son of God, who freely gave Himself for the salvation of the world. Amen".

Prayers of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Troparion to the Forefeast Day

Troparion

Kontakion

Greatness

Choruses

Irmos of the 9th song

Quotes about the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

“A worthy admirer of the Annunciation must from time to time immerse himself in reading the Word of God and concentrate on what he read, as the Blessed One among Women was in the habit of doing.

One of the goals of a devotee of the Mother of God should be the desire for a life that is quiet and removed from the bustle, but at the same time internally rich and deep.

Conditions of existence may not give a person such a gift, and he himself may be incapable of long-term concentrated living. But every person who raises his eyes to heaven and repeats Gabriel’s words: “Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with you,” is obliged to strive for silence and prayer, to sigh from time to time about their absence.

“To the lie about man, to his reduction to the earth and to the belly, to the base and animal, to his subordination to the immutable and impersonal laws of nature, the Church responds with the image of Mary, the Most Pure Mother of God, She to Whom, in the words of the Russian poet, one always ascends “from the sweetest human tears are of great fullness.” The joy is, therefore, that here that untruth, that lie about man, with which the world is constantly filled, is being overcome. The joy of admiring, the joy of possessing - for this image is always with us, as consolation and encouragement, as inspiration and help.”

“And in the feast of the Annunciation of the Mother of God, these two moods are intertwined mysteriously and fearfully, fearfully and wonderfully. On the one hand, how not to rejoice, how not to be amazed and tremble at the thought that the voice of the Lord reached the Most Pure Virgin Mary and an angel announced to Her that God Himself through Her would become a man, would enter this world, and that with the coming of God the whole world would already be transformed, will no longer stand face to face with his Creator only in awe and reverence, but will rejoice that in him, in his core, is God Himself: not only that man is so great that God could unite with him, but all material, visible creation is united with Him mysteriously...”

Icons of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Poems about the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Valery Bryusov

Annunciation

You were one of us
During the day your dream was dominated by yarn,
But to You, Holy One, in the evening hour
The angelic guard has arrived.

O queen of all worldly queens,
The virgin foretold by the prophet.
Gabriel entered and bowed down
Before You in deep humility.

Hearing the incomprehensible to the mind,
You submissively lowered your eyes.
Be with me according to your word,
Holy! Holy! Holy! your voice, O prophet.

Marina Tsvetaeva

On the day of the Annunciation
Arms crossed
The withering flower is watered,
The windows are wide open, -
Annunciation, my holiday!

On the day of the Annunciation
I solemnly confirm:
I don’t need tame pigeons, swans, or eaglets!
- Fly wherever your eyes look

On the day of the Annunciation
I smile until the evening
Saying goodbye to the feathered guests.
- I don’t need anything for myself
On the Annunciation, my holiday!

Konstantin Balmont

Annunciation and light
The willows turned white.
Or there is definitely no grief,
Right, really?

Evangelism and laughter
The kidneys turned red.
And on the streets for everyone
Blue flowers.

How many blue flowers
Taken from the snow.
The world is fresh and new again,
And there is bliss everywhere.

I see old Moscow
In young attire.
I laugh and I live
The sun is in every gaze.

From the ancient Kremlin
The ringing floats like a wave.
And the earth lives in ditches
Young grass.

In the slightly broken grass
Dream of spring and summer.
Annunciation in Moscow,
It's a festival of light!

Archpriest Nikolai Guryanov

Holy Annunciation -
Great day in Rus',
With him you feel young
Resurrect in a hard heart;
Respond with your soul, like youth,
With your chest full
For shining joy,
To the smile of spring days.
Observing the holiday strictly,
On this day people say,
Even the little bird praises God
And he doesn’t build a nest for himself;
On this holiday, going out to the field
With a handful full of grain,
Good-natured birds released
Published by an old man.
Easter days are approaching
Clears up a frown
From alien sides
Swallows are flying to visit.
And instilling the thought of brotherhood,
About the gifts of good love,
It's like they're arguing about wealth
Heaven with sinful earth.
Everyone listens with sensitive ears
To the golden dawn hymn,
Puffed up with delicate fluff
Young willow branches.
And looks at us, beaming
The inaccessibility of miracles,
This eternity is blue
Triumphant skies.

Holy Fathers on the Annunciation

Saint Elijah Minyatiy. Word on the Annunciation of the Mother of God:

“How different are God and man! But God, having become man, did not abandon the nature of Divinity in the perception of the flesh. And how different are the Virgin and the Mother! But the Virgin, having become a Mother, did not lose the glory of virginity in maternal pregnancy. What a strange communion of two natures - Divine and human, seamlessly united into one hypostasis! The divine nature adopted the characteristics of the human, and God became perfect person; the human became involved in the properties of the Divine, and the same man became perfect God.

In the same way, what an extraordinary combination of girlish purity and maternal pregnancy, which were strangely combined in one Wife! Virginity gave the Mother the purity that the Mother of God should have had, all pure, all immaculate, beautiful as the sun, chosen as the moon, as the Holy Spirit calls Her (see: Cantos 6, 9). Wombbearing gave virginity the blessing that the Virgin should have had in accordance with how the archangel greeted Her: Blessed are You among women(Luke 1:28).

There this wonderful union was born - the God-Man; here another connection takes place, equally wonderful, the Virgin Mother. “Strange and wonderful and in many ways deviating from ordinary nature: one and the same Virgin and Mother, abiding in the sanctification of virginity and inheriting the blessing of childbearing,” proclaims the unappearing Basil. Such a Son, I repeat, must have such a Mother; the Son, who was born a man and did not cease to be God, has a Mother who gave birth to the Son and did not cease to be a Virgin.”

Saint Nicholas (Velimirović):

“Never has any spring water been such a pure mirror of the sun as the Most Pure Virgin Mary was a mirror of purity. (“O purity, creating joy in the heart and transforming the soul into heaven! O purity, good acquisition, not defiled by beasts! O purity, abiding in the souls of the meek and humble and creating these people of God! O purity, in the midst of the soul and body, like a flower that flourishes and filling the entire temple with incense!” St. Ephraim the Syrian. About cleanliness.)

AND morning dawn, who gives birth to the sun, would be ashamed before the purity of the Virgin Mary, who gave birth to the Immortal Sun, Christ our Savior. No knee will bow before Her, no mouth will cry out: “Rejoice, full of grace! Rejoice, Dawn of human salvation! Rejoice, Most Honest Cherub and Most Glorious Seraphim! Glory to Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, with the Father and the Holy Spirit - the Trinity, Consubstantial and Indivisible, now and ever, at all times and forever. Amen“.

Saint righteous John Kronstadt. “The Beginning of Salvation.” (Word on the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary):

“The sacrament that took place on this day amazes not only human, but also all angelic, high minds. They are also perplexed, how God, without beginning, immense, unapproachable, descended to the form of a slave and became a man, without ceasing to be God and without in the least diminishing the glory of the Divine? How could the Virgin contain the unbearable fire of the Divine in her most pure womb, and remain undamaged, and remain forever the Mother of God incarnate? So great, wonderful, such Divine wisdom is filled with this sacrament of the Annunciation by the Archangel to the Most Holy Virgin of the incarnation of the Son of God from Her! Rejoice, earthly beings, rejoice, especially faithful Christian souls, but rejoice with awe before the greatness of the sacrament, as if surrounded by the filth of sin; rejoice, but immediately with sincere and living, deep repentance, cleanse yourself with the grace of God from the filth of sin.

Magnify with pure hearts and lips the Mother of God, exalted and exalted above all creatures, Angels and men, exalted by God Himself, the Creator of every creature, and remember that the mystery of the incarnation and incarnation of the Son of God took place for our salvation from sin, the curse righteously pronounced upon us in the beginning from God for sins, and from death, temporal and eternal. With fear and joy accept the Lord, who is coming to us to establish on earth, in our hearts and souls the kingdom of heaven, the kingdom of truth, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, and hate God-hating sin, malice, impurity, intemperance, pride, hard-heartedness, unmercifulness, selfishness , carnal knowledge, all untruths. Christ came to earth for this purpose, in order to raise us to heaven.”

Sermons and articles about the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary - April 7, 2016

The great gift of freedom. . .

By word His Holiness Patriarch, this tradition, full of deep meaning, “symbolizing that the birds are no longer in a cage, but in freedom, reminds us that in our free will - searching for the Kingdom of God".

IN pre-revolutionary Russia Before the Annunciation, birds were bought on Okhotny Ryad. Now, on the day of the holiday, pigeons raised by the Federation of Sports Pigeon Breeding soar over the Kremlin cathedrals.

The starting speed of such a racing pigeon is 175 kilometers per hour. After circling a little over Cathedral Square, the flock of pigeons quickly dissolves in the sky. There, the birds are divided into groups, each of which returns to its own nursery located in Moscow or the Moscow region.

In addition to pigeons, Patriarch Alexy II also released seven of his own birds - titmice.

The national holiday of the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary is a significant Christian holiday. On this day, the heavenly messenger Gabriel informed Mary that she would be the Mother of the son of God. The angel greeted her with the phrase “Hail, Full of Grace,” after which he informed Mary that grace had descended on her from God and that she was called to give birth to the Son of the Most High. Theologians claim that this was 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 to the Most Pure Virgin, another, bright era began for humanity.

History of the Annunciation

To understand what the feast of the Annunciation means, you need to understand some historical facts. What does it mean that Mary agreed to give birth to Jesus? First of all, this was a manifestation of the gift of good will that God has endowed on people. According to theologians, moral freedom is a quality that elevates a person above soulless nature. Thus, the sincere consent of the Virgin Mary allowed the Holy Spirit to overshadow her, “without incinerating the virgin’s womb.” The development of the fetus took place according to all natural laws, and Mary obediently carried the Baby until the day of his birth.

On the day of Gabriel’s appearance to Saint Mary, the ancient prophecy of Isaiah came true that the woman would give birth to a son, whose name would be Emmanuel, which is interpreted as “God is with us.” On this day, the Holy Spirit entered the womb of Mary and conceived a son, whose calling was to free the world from the power of the devil and sin.

The very name of the celebration - the Annunciation - conveys the main meaning of the good news associated with it: Mary’s message about her conception of the Infant God. This holiday is one of twelve historically important Orthodox holiday after Easter. All the “twelve feasts” are dedicated to important events in the earthly life of the Mother of God and Jesus.

When is the Annunciation celebrated?

Catholics and Orthodox Christians use different dates for the Feast of the Annunciation. Protestants and Catholics celebrate the holiday on March 25th. There are several interpretations of the origin of this particular date:

Direct connection with the day. December 25 is the date of birth of Jesus. If you subtract exactly nine months from this date, you get the date March 25th.
Date of creation of man. Many church authors believe that the conception of Jesus and the appearance of Mary and Gabriel took place on March 25, since on this day the Almighty created man. This day was supposed to be the beginning of man's redemption from original sin.
Equinox day. Such a day is traditionally considered the day of the creation of the world, therefore, redemption should begin precisely at the moment of the vernal equinox.

The Orthodox Church of Russia took as a basis Julian calendar with a different time calculation, so they celebrate the Annunciation on April 7.

Celebration of the Annunciation

This holiday falls on the week of Easter celebrations, or on the days of Lent. This determines the type of liturgy. If the Annunciation falls on Lent, then its rules are slightly relaxed and you can eat fish on this day. If the holiday falls during Holy Week, then fasting is observed as strictly as before. If the Annunciation is celebrated on the day (this conjunction is called “Kyriopascha”), then along with Easter hymns the Annunciation is sung.

On this day there are also many folk traditions. People light fires - “burn the winter” and “warm the spring.” Rags, garbage, manure, and straw are burned in bonfires. People believed that on the Annunciation the sky was open for requests and prayers, so in the evening people peered into the sky in search of big stars. When the star was visible, one had to shout out: “God, give me glory!”

On April 7 the Church celebrates the day Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary- one of the 12 main (twelfth) holidays in the Orthodox calendar.

Four months after the betrothal, an Angel appeared to Mary while She was reading the Holy Scriptures and, entering Her, said: “Rejoice, full of grace! (that is, filled with the grace of God - the gifts of the Holy Spirit). The Lord is with you! Blessed are You among women." Archangel Gabriel announced to Her that She had acquired the greatest grace from God - to be the Matter of the Son of God.

“The event called the Annunciation means the conception of Jesus Christ,” reminds theology professor Deacon Andrei Kuraev. – Through the action of God’s grace, the development of a new human life began in the womb of Mary. Mary did not conceive from God the Father, not from the Archangel Gabriel, and not from her betrothed husband Joseph. It is better to keep cynical “physiological” arguments to yourself - Christians know the laws of biology no worse than skeptics, and that is why they talk about the Miracle. And the miracle is not so much that the Virgin, who did not know her husband, began to bear a child, but that God himself identified Himself with this child and with everything that would happen in His life. God doesn't just inhabit the Virgin. Through the Archangel Gabriel, He (the Almighty, the Master and the Lord) humbly asks for the consent of the young woman. And only when He hears human consent. Let it be done to me according to Your word,” - only then does the Word become flesh.

The Annunciation is the day of good news that a Virgin has been found throughout the human world, so believing in God, so deeply capable of obedience and trust, that the Son of God can be born from Her. The incarnation of the Son of God, on the one hand, is a matter of God’s love - the cross, affectionate, saving - and God’s power; but at the same time, the incarnation of the Son of God is a matter of human freedom. Saint Gregory Palamas says that the Incarnation would have been just as impossible without the free human consent of the Mother of God as it would have been impossible without the creative will of God. And on this day of the Annunciation, we contemplate the Virgin in the Mother of God, who with all her heart, all her mind, all her soul, all her strength managed to trust God to the end.

And the good news was truly terrible: the appearance of an angel, this greeting: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb” could not but cause not only amazement, not only awe, but also fear in the soul of a virgin who did not know a husband - how is this could be?..

And here we grasp the difference between the wavering - albeit deep - faith of Zechariah, the father of the Forerunner, and the faith of the Mother of God. Zechariah is also told that his wife will give birth to a son - naturally, despite her old age; and his answer to this message of God: How can this be? This can't happen! How can you prove this? What assurance can you give me?.. The Mother of God poses the question only this way: How can this happen to me - I’m a virgin?.. And to the angel’s answer that this will happen, She responds only with words of complete surrender of Herself into the hands of God; Her words: Behold, the Servant of the Lord; wake me according to your word...

The word “slave” in our current usage speaks of enslavement; In the Slavic language, a person who gave his life and his will to another called himself a slave. And She really gave Her life, Her will, Her destiny to God, accepting with faith - that is, with incomprehensible trust - the news that She would be the Mother of the incarnate Son of God. Righteous Elizabeth says about Her: Blessed is she who believed, for that which was spoken to Her by the Lord shall be done...

In the Mother of God we find an amazing ability to trust God to the end; but this ability is not natural, not natural: such faith can be dug out in oneself through the feat of love for God. A feat, for the fathers say: Shed blood and you will receive spirit... One of the Western writers says that the incarnation became possible when the Virgin of Israel was found, Who with all her thought, with all her heart, with all her life was able to pronounce the Name of God so that It became flesh in Her.

From this holiday, “the main thing of our salvation,” begins that spring of “living water,” which later turns into a wide river and, finally, into a boundless sea of New Testament miracles, sacraments and the Grace of the Holy Spirit, with which the Lord, “who gives the Spirit without measure, "so generously gave drink to those thirsty for truth! The Annunciation is the holiday of the Marriage of Heaven and Earth, when the blue sky descends to earth and combines with it. Annunciation is a “blue” holiday! In the eyes of a believer, on this day everything turns blue, everything becomes cleaner and more transparent. The sky becomes even bluer, deeper. The air and waters turn blue, reflecting the cloudless sky; the first flowers turn blue - snowdrops and violets; at night the stars turn blue. Turn blue and human souls, becoming capable of perceiving the heavenly music of this wondrous holiday.

The proverb, which states that even a bird does not make a nest on the Annunciation, allegorically calls us on this day to put aside everyday vanity and direct our thoughts to Heaven, to joyful communication with God.

According to a long tradition, on the Annunciation in many churches, announcing one of the greatest Christian holidays- Annunciation, after the Liturgy, from the steps Orthodox churches flocks of doves will fly into the sky, reminiscent of the mysterious, gracious action of the Holy Spirit. Snow-white wings are at the same time a symbol of the purity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. That is why the earth “brings Her a gift” of gentle, defenseless birds, which since ancient times have personified peace and good news. It has been noticed that Annunciation pigeons are reluctant to leave the church fence and circle over the holy place for a long time.

Nazareth: City of Good News

Nazareth is located among the low (up to 500 m) mountains of Galilee. It is located in a hollow between two mountain ranges, below the level of the Mediterranean Sea, so the climate there is warm. Its population is mainly Arab. Jews have their own quarter on one of the mountain peaks (the so-called Upper Nazareth)... more

History of the holiday

The bright feast of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary has been celebrated by the church, presumably since the 4th century. It may have originally originated in Asia Minor or Constantinople and then spread throughout the Christian world. The establishment of the holiday was facilitated by the discovery by Saint Equal-to-the-Apostles Helen of the holy places of the Savior’s earthly life at the beginning of the 4th century and the construction of churches in these places, including the basilica in Nazareth, on the site of the appearance of the Archangel Gabriel to the Virgin. Determining the time of celebration depended on the day of the Savior's Nativity - between March 25 and December 25, exactly nine months pass, the allotted period for bearing a baby in the womb.

The source near which the Annunciation took place

Among ancient Christians, this holiday had different names: the Conception of Christ, the Annunciation of Christ, the Beginning of Redemption, the Annunciation of the Angel to Mary, and only in the 7th century in the East and West was it given the name ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE HOLY MOTHER OFK.

This holiday was established in ancient times. Its celebration was known already in the 3rd century (see the words of St. Gregory the Wonderworker on this day). In his conversations, St. John Chrysostom and Blessed. Augustine mentions this holiday as an ancient and common church celebration. During the V-VIII centuries, as a result of heresies that humiliated the Face of the Mother of God, the holiday was especially exalted in the Church. In the 8th century St. John of Damascus and Theophan, Metropolitan of Nicaea, compiled festive canons, which are still sung by the Church.

Video story by Ivan Dyachenko:

The meaning of the holiday

Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh:“The Annunciation is the day of good news that a Virgin has been found throughout the human world, so believing in God, so deeply capable of obedience and trust, that the Son of God can be born from Her. The incarnation of the Son of God, on the one hand, is a matter of God’s love - the cross, affectionate, saving - and God’s power; but at the same time, the incarnation of the Son of God is a matter of human freedom. St. Gregory Palamas says that the Incarnation would have been just as impossible without the free human consent of the Mother of God as it would have been impossible without the creative will of God. And on this day of the Annunciation, we contemplate the Virgin in the Mother of God, who with all her heart, all her mind, all her soul, all her strength managed to trust God to the end.

The word “slave” in our current usage speaks of enslavement; In the Slavic language, a person who gave his life and his will to another called himself a slave. And She really gave Her life, Her will, Her destiny to God, accepting with faith - that is, with incomprehensible trust - the news that She would be the Mother of the incarnate Son of God. Righteous Elizabeth says about Her: Blessed is she who believed, for that which was spoken to Her by the Lord shall be done...

Prayer to the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Troparion for the Forefeast
On this day of universal joy, the first fruits of the pre-feast command to be sung: behold, Gabriel comes, bringing good news to the Virgin, and cries out to Her: Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with you.

Today, the beginning of worldwide joy, they are ordered to sing hymns before the holiday, for behold, Gabriel brings the good news to the Virgin, and exclaims: Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with you!

Troparion, tone 4
The day of our salvation is the main thing, and since the beginning of time the mystery has been revealed, the Son of God, the Son of the Virgin, is born, and Gabriel preaches the good news, and we also cry out to the Mother of God with him: Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with you.

Now is the beginning of our salvation and the discovery of the mystery that was presented before all ages: the Son of God is the Son of the Virgin, and Gabriel preaches grace. Therefore, we too will exclaim to the Mother of God: Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with you!”

Kontakion, tone 8
To the chosen victorious governor, as if we were delivered from the evil ones, let us write thanks to Thy servants, the Mother of God, but as having an invincible power, free us from all troubles, let us call Thee: Rejoice, Unmarried Bride.

Having been delivered from troubles, we, Your unworthy servants, Mother of God, sing a victorious and grateful song to You, the Supreme Military Leader. You, as having invincible power, free us from all troubles, so that we cry to You: Rejoice, Bride, who has not entered into marriage!

Greatness
The Archangel's voice cries out to You, Pure One: Rejoice, O Gracious One, the Lord is with You.

In the words of the Archangel we cry to You, O Pure One: “Rejoice, O Gracious One, the Lord is with You

Choruses
Bring, O earth, great joy; praise, O heavens, God's glory.

Earth, proclaim great joy, heavens, praise the glory of God!

Irmos of the 9th song
Like the animate ark of God, / let the hand of the wicked never touch it. / The mouth of the faithful, O Mother of God, is silent, / the voice of the Angel is chanting, / let them cry out with joy: / Rejoice, O full of grace, / The Lord is with Thee.

Let the animate Ark of God / not be touched by the hand of the uninitiated, / but the lips of the faithful without stopping, / chanting the cry of the Angel, / let the Mother of God cry out in joy: / “Rejoice, full of grace, / the Lord is with you!”

Holy Fathers on the Annunciation

Saint Elijah Minyatiy. Word on the Annunciation of the Mother of God:

“How different are God and man! But God, having become man, did not abandon the nature of Divinity in the perception of the flesh. And how different are the Virgin and the Mother! But the Virgin, having become a Mother, did not lose the glory of virginity in maternal pregnancy. What a strange communion of two natures - Divine and human, seamlessly united into one hypostasis! The divine nature adopted human characteristics, and God became a perfect man; the human became involved in the properties of the Divine, and the same man became perfect God.

There this wonderful union was born - the God-man; here another connection takes place, equally wonderful, the Virgin Mother. “Strange and wonderful and in many ways deviating from ordinary nature: one and the same Virgin and Mother, abiding in the sanctification of virginity and inheriting the blessing of childbearing,” proclaims the unappearing Basil. Such a Son, I repeat, must have such a Mother; the Son, who was born a man and did not cease to be God, has a Mother who gave birth to the Son and did not cease to be a Virgin.”

Saint Nicholas (Velimirović):

And the morning dawn, giving birth to the sun, would be ashamed before the purity of the Virgin Mary, who gave birth to the Immortal Sun, Christ our Savior. No knee will bow before Her, no mouth will cry out: “Rejoice, full of grace! Rejoice, Dawn of human salvation! Rejoice, Most Honest Cherub and Most Glorious Seraphim! Glory to Thy Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, with the Father and the Holy Spirit - the Trinity, Consubstantial and Indivisible, now and ever, at all times and unto ages of ages. Amen ».

Holy Righteous John of Kronstadt. "The Beginning of Salvation." (Word on the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary):

Among the twelve main holidays, immutably revered by every Orthodox person, the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary stands out. IN church calendar, which the Russian adheres to Orthodox Church, this date falls on April 7th. The Annunciation is also called the event itself that gave rise to this important holiday.

This event has deep symbolism in canonical texts. The conception of Jesus Christ is inextricably linked with the expulsion of Adam and Eve from Paradise after their Fall. Since Jesus Christ is the Savior of the human race from the consequences of the sin of the first people, his conception is considered the beginning new era development of humanity.

According to legend, the Archangel Gabriel appeared to virgin Mary with good news and rewarded her with gifts from the Holy Spirit. Remarkable important point- Mary's reaction to the good news. When Gabriel said that the power of the Most High would overshadow Mary and new life will begin to develop inside her body, she answered, “I shall be according to Your word.” Thus, the girl agreed with God's will and accepted it. Without Mary's direct consent, this significant event would not have happened. But the holy virgin remained faithful to the vows that she made while still a student at the monastery, and remained faithful to God.

According to the old style, the Annunciation was celebrated on March 25. Since the third century of our faith, this day has been one of the central and most important holidays for all Christian denominations, but it received a special tradition in Orthodoxy.

Background and history of the holiday

Everyone without exception knows about the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary. The Apostle Luke is the only one of the authors of the evangelical texts who described this event. His interpretation is replete with details and even refers to the exact time when this happened. Gabriel appeared to Mary in the sixth month from the day John the Baptist was conceived. His good news that thanks to Mary the Savior will be born is a blessing not only for the girl, but for the entire human race. As you know, Eve was cursed for original sin and all her daughters were doomed to the painful birth of descendants. But Mary, thanks to her integrity and sincere love for God, was blessed.

The moment of Mary's voluntariness and consent to the birth of the Son of God within her is a very important symbol. After all, it was important not only the incarnation of the future Savior of the human people, but also the fact that Mary, by free will and her decision, accepted this grace of God. Submission to Mary is one of the most important symbols of the Christian faith.

The Annunciation is inseparably connected with another important holiday celebrated in honor of the Mother of God - the Assumption. According to church tradition, shortly before her death, the Archangel Gabriel again appeared to Mary, but with a completely different purpose and other news. On ancient icons these events are depicted very similarly: Mary is sitting with an open book when an Angel appears in front of her.

The Annunciation symbolically carries within itself one of the central motives of the Christian faith - the atonement of original sin. The Immaculate Conception made Jesus Christ free from the sins of the first people, and Mary, with her humility and willingness to accept the will of God, is the antipode of Eve, who violated His prohibition.

Until the 7th century, this holiday did not have a familiar name. In the Greek tradition it was called “the day of greeting”, “the day of good news”. From this, later, during the widespread spread of Christianity according to the Greek rite, the modern name was derived. The date did not immediately appear - March 25. According to the new style, we celebrate this day on April 7th.

Traditionally, there are two theories about the connection of this number with other important ones for Christian history events. Firstly, it is not difficult to understand the connection with the Nativity of Christ. After all, it is known that a woman is pregnant for exactly 9 months, and this is exactly what happened with Maria. 9 months passed from the day of conception to the day when the Savior was born.

The second theory connects the event with the creation of humanity. Man, who eternally bears his original sin, was created by God on this very day. This is what medieval theologians and preachers thought. Having created man, God on the same day, but five and a half thousand years later, created His Son, capable of atonement for the sin of Adam and Eve.

Biblical historians were also convinced of the connection between the Annunciation and the day of the Resurrection of Christ. It was believed that it was on the twenty-fifth day of March in 31 AD that Jesus Christ resurrected after his crucifixion. It is very rare in the church calendar for these holidays to coincide. If this happens (and such an event occurs no more than 1-2 times a century), then this day is called the Lord's Easter. This exceptional event is associated in the minds of the people with historical changes that radically change the fate of humanity. So, according to one theory, the decay Soviet Union in 1991 is connected precisely with the fact that Kyriopascha fell that year.

The Annunciation acquired a permanent and calendar basis closer to the 6th century. Although even before this time Christians revered important date, calling it the first holiday. In honor of the Annunciation, churches were built and church services. Thus, the history of this date goes deep into the past and does not stop to this day.

Orthodox traditions of celebrating the Annunciation

Orthodox tradition defines the Annunciation as the twelfth holiday, but it is also primarily a memorable day in honor of the Mother of God. This leaves a special imprint on the rituals performed and the atmosphere of worship. The all-night service is always held first. Priests and church ministers wear blue robes. This color is in Orthodox tradition is inextricably linked with the purity that the Virgin Mary possessed and means the purity of Her soul and body.

Since 1995, an innovation has appeared in the traditions of the Russian Orthodox Church, directly related to this holiday. According to custom, on this day after the service, priests release white doves. They symbolize free will Orthodox man seeking God's Kingdom. But the roots of this ritual go back to imperial Russia. Doves are released not only in large cathedrals, but also in small churches.

In addition to the festivities and solemn services on April 7th itself, the Annunciation also has additional celebrations the day before and the next day. However, these additional services are canceled when the Annunciation falls in the week before and after Easter. And, although this holiday always falls during Lent, the full Divine Liturgy is always held, even if others church customs these days it is prohibited. This emphasizes the special status of the oldest Orthodox holiday.

The influence of the Annunciation on the cultural and secular life of Russia for many centuries was great. Thanks to the holiday they got their name a large number of settlements throughout the Russian land. Particularly honorable was the seminary surname, which was in tune with the holiday, and was borne by prominent representatives of Russian theology. The divine legend of the Immaculate Conception became the plot basis for the work of many Russian poets. Starting from Alexander Pushkin to Marina Tsvetaeva, poetic classics sang of God's grace that descended on Mary in their poems. Orthodox poets are still inspired by this story today.