Tomorrow, September 21.The Orthodox world will celebrate one of the main holidays of the calendar — the Nativity of the Most Holy Mother of God and the Virgin Mary. Today, on Sunday, September 20, a pre-holiday is held: believers are already preparing for the celebration, and special prayers are heard in churches.
The event for which everything happened
In short, the holiday is dedicated to the birth of the Virgin Mary, the future mother of Jesus Christ. She was born into the family of righteous Joachim and Anna, an elderly couple who remained childless for many years. In the Jewish tradition of the time, infertility was considered a punishment for sins, and the couple suffered hard. Joachim even offered a sacrifice in the temple, which was not accepted, precisely because of the absence of children.
According to legend, an angel appeared to Anna and informed her that she would have a child who would become famous all over the world. The husband vowed that if the child appeared, dedicate it to God. It happened. Mary was born in Nazareth, and when the girl was three years old, her parents brought her to the Jerusalem temple – this event is also marked by a separate holiday, the Introduction to the Church of the Most Holy Theotokos, which will be on December 4.
Why is it important?
The Nativity of the Virgin is called “the beginning of our salvation.” The logic is simple: without Mary there would be no incarnation of Christ, and without the incarnation there would be no Christianity as we know it. Therefore, the holiday is on a par with Easter and Christmas in importance, albeit inferior to them in “status” in the hierarchy.
This is one of the Twelve Feasts – that is, it is among the twelve most important days of the church year (excluding Easter). Date non-transitory: always September 21 in the new style. From the same day begins a new liturgical year — a kind of starting point of the church calendar.
As noted
The holiday is preceded by a pre-holiday on September 20 and ends with a holiday — from September 22 to September 25. On the day of September 21, festive liturgy is served in churches. In the evening, there will be an all-night vigil.
In Russia for this holiday traditionally completed field work. Harvested crops, closed agricultural seasons — all this created a mood of thanksgiving. In folk tradition, the day is sometimes called the «second meeting of autumn» (the first fell on Semyonov day on September 14). Women on this day usually baked bread — round, symbolizing the sun — and prayed for the health and well-being of the family.
What can I do?
If you want to participate, there are several options. The most obvious is to come to the Liturgy at the nearest church tomorrow morning. If for some reason it does not work, you can read a prayer at home. The prayer for the Nativity of the Virgin is short and clear, it is easy to find in any prayer book.
There is also a good tradition on this day to help those in need — give alms or make a donation. It is believed that helping your neighbor on the feast of the Virgin is especially pleasing, because Mary in the Christian tradition acts as an intercessor and intercessor for people.
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