/ world today news/ The Orthodox Church celebrates the conception of St. Anna on December 9. In the calendar of the Orthodox Church, this holiday is closely related to the feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
On December 9, the conception of St. Anna – mother of the Virgin is celebrated. Saint Anna is considered the patroness of marriage, family, motherhood, protector of virgins, widows and pregnant women. According to the non-canonical Protogospel of James, Anna and her husband Joachim were visited by an angel who informed them that they would have a child.
Anna promised to devote her child to the service of God, and at the age of three, Mary was taken to the Second Temple. The story is similar to that of Samuel, whose mother was also childless for a long time and was called Hannah. The Eastern Orthodox Church has accepted St. Anna since the 6th century, and she and Joachim are called the Holy and Righteous Fathers of God. The account of the Proto-Gospel of James was not accepted by the Roman Catholic Church until the 13th century, with Anna officially canonized in 1854.
The Bulgarian Orthodox Church celebrates the conception of Saint Anna on December 9, and her death on July 25.
The people also honor this day as a holiday of witches. The night before the holiday is a time of incantations, spells and spells. Through it, sorcerers, witches and soothsayers most easily establish a connection with the devil, the dead and demons. They appear around the fire like midges. That is why the farmers light a fire with manure in front of each door, sprinkle ashes and millet around the farm buildings. The maidens plant wheat in a pot and melt sprigs of sour cherry or apple in water and leave them by the hearth. If by the New Year the wheat sprouts and the branches leaf out, the girl will marry in the next year, and to a good guy.
Superstitions say that on this night the black magic “catch”. Therefore, various prohibitions are strictly observed: women do not work, they should not touch wool, so that the children and livestock do not get sick; men should not go out of the village, because wild animals play in the meadows and if they see a man, they kidnap him.
Name day is celebrated by Anna, Anna, Anka, Ani, Yanko, Yanka.
#Orthodox #Church #celebrates #Saint #Anna #congratulations #namesakes