Annunciation 2024: signs and prohibitions of the holiday

The Feast of the Annunciation among Orthodox Christians is among the twelfth, that is, the twelve most important after Easter.

With the transition of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine to the New Julian calendar, all dates of non-transitional holidays have shifted.

We tell you which number of the Annunciation we celebrate this year according to the old and new style, about the traditions of the day and what not to do.

What is the Annunciation – the essence of the holiday

The Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary is one of the Orthodox holidays dedicated to the events of the earthly life of Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary. It began to be celebrated in the 3rd century, and at first it was called “Annunciation”, “Hail Mary”, “Conception of Christ”.

Annunciation is “good news”. According to legend, on this day the Archangel Gabriel appeared to the Virgin Mary and brought the good news that she would soon give birth to the Savior: “Rejoice, Gracious! The Lord is with you! Blessed are you among women!” It is from this moment that the implementation of God’s plan begins – to open the way to the Kingdom of God for believers.

The episode when the Archangel Gabriel announced the news to the Most Holy Mary is a frequent subject on church frescoes. The oldest in Ukraine are the depictions of the Annunciation on frescoes and mosaics in Sophia of Kyiv, which date back to the 11th century.

When will the Annunciation be in 2024 according to the old and new calendar

The Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary is celebrated 9 months before Christmas. After the transition of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine to a new calendar, the date of the holiday shifted – in 2024 it was celebrated on March 25. According to the former Julian calendar, the Annunciation is celebrated on April 7.

What can be done on the Annunciation

Since this is a major church holiday, it is good to attend the liturgy in the church and pray on the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Special requests are made to the Virgin Mary – they ask for health, protection, help in difficult situations, forgiveness of sins, and also thanks for the benefits received. It doesn’t matter what prayer to read to the Mother of God or address in your own words – the main thing is that the prayer be sincere.

The holiday falls on the period of Great Lent, but on this day it is not so strict: you can eat a little fish, add oil to dishes, drink church red wine.

The people have a tradition of washing themselves with melt water on this day – it is believed that this strengthens health. Housewives stock up on gospel salt – they believe that it saves from all diseases.

What can not be done on the Annunciation

The Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos is a time when you need to dedicate yourself to the spiritual, not the worldly. Therefore, on the holiday, they try not to engage in hard physical work and even household chores.

Also, on this day you should not:

• sew, wash, knit, cook;
• offend others, quarrel, sin;
• go on a long journey;
• to lend or take something out of the house to avoid future loss.

There is a belief that it is on the Annunciation that the Lord and the Mother of God bless all plants, therefore, on the holiday you cannot work on the land or cut trees. There is also a saying: “On the Annunciation, a bird does not build a nest, a girl does not weave a braid.” What does this mean and is it possible to wash your head on the Annunciation? This means that you should not cut and dye your hair on the big holiday, but the church does not forbid washing, in particular washing your hair.

Signs of the Annunciation

On the holiday, the weather was monitored:

• if “the sun is playing”, then the year will be prosperous, and the harvest will be rich;
• the rain of this day – will give birth to rye;
• the snow has not yet melted – there will be no good stairs;
• Migratory birds have returned – to a quick summer.

Thunder on the Annunciation together with a thunderstorm promise a rich harvest of nuts.

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