On ThursdayApril 7, 2022, Orthodox Christians will celebrateAnnunciation, the church feast of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos, the date of which never changes, neither in Russia nor in other countries who adhere to this calculation. The Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos is a Christian twelveth holiday, which is a significant event for all Christians - the announcement of the Virgin Mary by the Archangel Gabriel about her imminent birth of Jesus Christ. It is from here that the name of this holiday, significant for the entire believing population of our planet, is the Annunciation (Good News) of the imminent birth of the Messiah, or the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos.
About the holiday
The Feast of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos has long been one of the favorite holidays of the Russian people. Even “a bird does not make a nest on this day” - our pious ancestors used to say. On this day, the Virgin Mary heard the joyful news of the heavenly messenger that She was chosen to become the Mother of the Savior of the world."Rejoice, Blessed One" - the Angel greeted Her, and these words were in essence the first good, "good" news for mankind after it broke its connection with God as a result of the Fall. From the moment the Angel appears to the Most Pure Virgin, a new, bright page begins in the life of mankind.
The Annunciation is considered to be a day not only of the good news, but also of freedom and peace - it is on this bright and blessed day that true grace comes for people. On this Orthodox holiday, April 7, one cannot do anything that can distract from receiving spiritual grace, people usually stop all work around the house and in the garden, especially since it was always considered an unsuccessful day to start new business.
One of the twelve main (twelve) Orthodox church holidays is the day of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos. This significant holiday is dedicated to the event, which is described in detail in the Gospel of Luke. On this April day, the 7th (according to the old calendar, March 25), the archangel Gabriel came to the Virgin Mary to tell her about the imminent birth of Jesus Christ.
The Annunciation holiday belongs to the category of non-rolling holidays, that is, it has a constant number (date) of celebration - April 7 (or, according to the old style, March 25).
This date was finally established in the middle of the seventh century.
The Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos separates exactly nine months from the day of the celebration of the Nativity of Christ, which, as we know, also falls on a constant number - January 7th.
From which it follows that in the current year 2022 the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos will be celebrated by Orthodox Christians, believers of Russia - on the 7th of the spring of April.
Celebration symbol
The main icon of the holiday can be considered a masterpiece by Andrei Rublev: an angel descends to the Virgin to announce the Good News to her. Archangel Gabriel brought the Virgin Mary the greatest news - the Son of God becomes the Son of man. Isaiah's prophecy is being fulfilled, the Mother of God answers with consent to the angel's message:"Let it be to me according to your word"… Without this free consent, God could not have become human. He could not be incarnated, since God does not act by force, does not force us to anything. Man has been given complete freedom to respond to God with consent and love.
Church Tradition says that at the moment when the Archangel Gabriel appeared to the Virgin Mary, she was reading the book of the prophet Isaiah, just those words about the birth of the Messiah."I am ready to become the last maidservant of the one who will be worthy to give birth to the Messiah."she thought.
Some ancient customs are associated with the Annunciation among the people. They say that in the Annunciation "the bird does not build a nest, the maiden does not weave braids," that is, any work is considered a sin.
Traditions and customs for the Annunciation
Traditions of the Annunciation In Russia, this holiday was considered a holiday of freedom and tranquility. It was not celebrated with a feast, on the contrary, people indulged in prayers and meditations. Sometimes figurines of birds in the form of larks were baked for the holiday.
According to legend, one of the strictest prohibitions on this day was on knitting, sewing and weaving. This tradition is connected with the fact that our ancestors believed that the threads are the fates of people that can be confused and attracted to the house of parting, quarrels and strife.
On the Annunciation, birds were given special importance. The ritual of releasing birds, often pigeons, was also associated with them. For this, there were special catchers, who then sold birds to carry out the ceremony. There was a belief that pigeons would convey the message of man's good deeds to the angels, who would later reward him for this.
On the night of April 6-7, it used to be customary to "warm the spring", so at this time they organized a holiday with bonfires, where they burned garbage, old shoes, straw and rags. For the last time they called for spring, danced and sang songs.
As already mentioned, it was impossible to work on this day, but it was possible to consecrate seeds and seedlings for the harvest. Indeed, according to legend, God himself opens the sky to bless the earth for a good harvest.
One of the most interesting traditions on this day is the preparation of the Annunciation salt. This was done in order to take advantage of it in the event of any illness. All family members took a pinch of salt and placed it in a bag, which the hostess subsequently calcined over the fire.
If during the whole year this salt was not needed, then at the Annunciation it was burned, believing that all troubles and misfortunes would disappear with it. The same was done with the consecrated water and prosphora, which the hostess kept throughout the year.
Separately, it should be noted that many Orthodox Christians after the service tried to acquire as much prosphora as possible, but if they did not succeed, they baked it themselves. Then a festive dinner was held, where the hostesses grinded this consecrated loaf and gave it to all family members, some of the woman was saved in order to add crumbs to livestock feed.
Also, many believed that if you make a lot of noise on this day, rumble with pots, ring bells, then this will scare away predatory animals and save livestock.
And in order to preserve the harvest from diseases and other misfortunes, women collected the Annunciation ash, when any plant in the garden fell ill, the hostesses sprinkled it on the harvest.
Read also
- Trinity Festival 2022
- Lent in 2022
- Easter in 2022
