The Annunciation is one of the 12 most important Orthodox holidays that relate to the earthly life of Jesus Christ, which is why special attention is paid to it. What is the meaning of this holiday, when and how to celebrate it, what you can and cannot do, and also what you can eat on this day of Lent – in the material 78.ru.
The Annunciation is an enduring holiday, that is, it is celebrated every year on the same date. Catholics and Protestants celebrate the Annunciation on March 25, as was established back in the 6th century.
However, the Russian Orthodox Church celebrates the Annunciation almost two weeks later – on April 7. This is due to the fact that Catholics and Orthodox Christians live and celebrate holidays according to different calendars: in the West the Gregorian is used, and in Russia and other Orthodox countries the Julian is used. The difference between these calendars is 13 days.
The Annunciation is celebrated exactly 9 months before the Nativity of Christ on January 7th. As a rule (but not always) it falls on the days of Lent, and in 2024 it coincides with its third Week (that is, Sunday) – the Worship of the Cross.
The Annunciation is one of the most important church holidays; they are also called the Twelve. These holidays refer to the earthly life of Jesus Christ, and the Annunciation also belongs to this period.
Photo: wikimedia.org
On this day, Orthodox Christians celebrate the event described in the Gospel of Luke – the appearance of the Archangel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary, the future Mother of God, with the news that she is destined to become the mother of the Savior.
“In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee, called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a husband named Joseph, from the house of David; The name of the Virgin is: Mary. The angel, coming to Her, said: Rejoice, full of grace! The Lord is with You; Blessed are You among women. When she saw him, she was embarrassed by his words and wondered what kind of greeting this would be. And the Angel said to Her: Do not be afraid, Mary, for You have found favor with God; and behold, you will conceive in your womb and give birth to a Son, and you will call His name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end. Mary said to the Angel: How will this be when I don’t know my husband? The angel answered Her: 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. Here is Elizabeth, Your relative, who is called barren, and she conceived a son in her old age, and she is already in her sixth month, for with God no word will remain powerless. Then Mary said: Behold, the Servant of the Lord; let it be done to me according to your word. And the Angel departed from Her,” says the Gospel (Luke 1:26-38).
It is interesting that in ancient Greek the Annunciation – that is, “good news” – sounds like the Gospel, and this is what the first four books of the New Testament are called. This shows how important this holiday really is and what place it occupies in the overall sequence.
Oddly enough, the Annunciation began to be celebrated quite late – it began to be mentioned only in the 3rd century AD, while theologians argued for a long time about the date when this should be done. Thus, until the 6th century, some churches celebrated the Annunciation even two or three weeks before Christmas, that is, they did not tie it to a real period of time. Only in the 6th century was the date of March 25 finally established, which remained with Catholics and was transformed into April 7 in Orthodoxy.
Leonardo da Vinci. Annunciation. 1472-1475/ Photo: public domain
Also, for quite a long time the name of the holiday could not be settled: it was called “Greeting to Mary”, “The Beginning of Redemption”, “Conception of Christ”, “day of greeting”, “annunciation”. The current name began to be used everywhere only from the 7th century.
Despite this, Orthodox Christians attach great importance to the Feast of the Annunciation. The Annunciation is a harbinger of the fulfillment of the prophecies of the Old Testament about the birth of the Savior from an immaculate virgin and that He will destroy the serpent that deceived Adam and Eve. This event is considered central in the entire history of mankind; it divides time into the Old Testament and the New Testament, that is, it becomes the watershed between the Old and New Testaments. The parallels in them are noteworthy: the Old Testament also begins with the story of Sarah, the future ancestress of God’s chosen people, and her doubts that she is capable of becoming a mother at her age.
In addition, the Annunciation is a symbol of the unity of the Divine and human, which was ultimately expressed through the Incarnation. It became a kind of conclusion of a new union of humanity with God, while the old union – the Old Testament – ended its existence.
One of the most famous traditions at the Annunciation is the release of white doves. This is not exactly a church tradition; it came to Orthodoxy from the folk custom of welcoming spring. It was customary to release forest birds, including those that were being nursed back from injuries. With the advent of Christianity, this custom organically merged into church traditions, only now they began to release white doves, which are a symbol of the Holy Spirit: it was in the form of a dove that the Holy Spirit descended on Christ during baptism in the Jordan River. In addition, such a custom symbolizes freedom for each of God’s creations.
Today, during the celebration of the Annunciation, white doves are also released into the wild by the patriarch.
Photo: vk.com/Kazan Cathedral
In addition, on the Annunciation, as well as on other twelve holidays, special services are held in churches, which believers are recommended to visit. The day before, Great Compline is celebrated, then an all-night vigil is held, during which the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom. The priests leading the service are dressed in blue clothes, which is considered a symbol of the Virgin Mary.
There are also folk customs associated with the Feast of the Annunciation. In the popular consciousness, it still remained a spring holiday, so on this day it was necessary to wear the best clothes and sing special songs – to “call out” spring so that it would be warm. In addition, they blessed the previously prepared grain and prayed for the granting of the harvest. It was also considered right to give food to those in need on this day.
The Annunciation almost always falls during Lent, the strictest period of the year. However, this is one of the few days when it is allowed to indulge in food: on this day you can eat not only hot food with vegetable oil, but also fish.
The Annunciation is an enduring holiday and is always celebrated on April 7, but Lent depends on the date of Easter. Sometimes it happens that the Annunciation falls on Holy Week, that is, the week before Easter – then the relaxations do not apply, because on these days believers remember the most difficult time in the earthly life of Christ.
Photo: freepik.com/
Sometimes it happens that the Annunciation coincides with Easter or falls on Bright Week – the week after Easter, and then, on the contrary, there are no restrictions on food.
In 2024, April 7 coincides with the third Sunday of Lent – the Week of the Veneration of the Cross – so those who are fasting are allowed to eat hot food with vegetable oil and fish, as well as drink a little wine.
On the Annunciation, as on any other church holiday, it is advisable to visit the temple and also help the poor. In addition, you can consecrate traditional Lenten bread – prosphora – during the liturgy.
There are more prohibitions on this day, and the main one is that you cannot work. However, the priests clarify that it is impossible to engage in heavy physical labor, and there is no prohibition on performing household duties. It is not recommended to do dirty work, work on the land, do handicrafts and cook food. In addition, it is advisable not to leave home – at least to earn money.
People also considered it forbidden to wear new clothes on this day, and for women to braid their hair.
Signs for the Annunciation are associated with the arrival of spring. It was sometimes called “half-Easter,” because it was believed that whatever the weather would be like on the Annunciation, it would be like that on Easter, and even throughout Bright Week.
In addition, the weather on Annunciation predicted what the summer would be like – so, it was believed that clear weather foreshadows a warm summer and a good harvest, and if there is still snow on that day, a rich harvest may not be expected.
Фото: Alexander Sayganov/globallookpress.com
It was also believed that new clothes worn on this day would not be worn and would soon tear. It was considered a bad omen to lend money – this promises losses in the future. But if you wash your face with melt water on the Annunciation Day, it will bring you health for the whole year.
On the Annunciation, it is customary to wish for strong faith and, of course, good news – congratulations usually contain a direct reference to the name of the holiday. They also wish harmony, happiness and God’s attention to prayers.
Congratulations come in both prose and poetry. For example, in poetry you can congratulate like this:
I wish you good news
And strong faith, pure thoughts.
So that the angel protects everyone’s relatives
From any and all unclean troubles.
May the house be filled with prosperity,
Love and happiness reign in him,
Everything will go smoothly in your family
Year after year and day after day.
And on the Annunciation it will happen
What you asked from the heart
What did you pray to the Almighty for?
Peace, happiness and love to you!
And in prose you can congratulate him like this:
“Congratulations on the great Christian holiday – the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary! May everything in life bring spiritual satisfaction, tranquility, peace and harmony. Let your home be filled with comfort and prosperity. Let your thoughts and actions be pure. I wish you happiness, good news, goodness and love. May your faith be strong and unshakable!”
Photo: social networks
Photo: social networks
Photo: social networks
Photo: social networks
It is customary to depict the Mother of God, white doves, temples and other church symbols on postcards. The biblical plot of the appearance of the Archangel Gabriel to the Mother of God is also often depicted – usually in such pictures the traditions of iconography are used: the archangel stands and holds lilies in one hand (a symbol of blessing), and the Virgin Mary sits with yarn or the Bible in her hands.
