The Annunciation is a special holiday.Although he, unlike Christmas, Easter and Pentecost, and is not honored as a holiday of the Lord (that is, dedicated to the Lord Jesus Christ), but nevertheless the Christian theologian John Chrysostom revered him as "the first festival" and "the root of the holidays" Since if there was no Annunciation, then there would be no Christmas, and Easter, and Pentecost. That is why in the Orthodox tradition this day is a twelve-day uninterrupted holiday (that is, one of the 12 major holidays in the church calendar, which falls on the same day of the year). Congratulations on the Annunciation are pronounced on March 25th according to the Gregorian calendar and on April 7th on the Julian calendar.
The foundation of this feast is contained in the Gospelfrom Luke, in the first chapter. The evangelist narrates that the Virgin Gabriel appeared to the Virgin Mary and announced to her that she would conceive in a bosom and give birth to the Redeemer of mankind. This is the Good News, which has been celebrated for more than two thousand years by the followers of the Christian religion. Therefore, congratulations on the Annunciation, first of all, concern the promised arrival of the Savior into the world. People congratulate each other with the imminent arrival of the Soul Redeemer for original sin and wish to do glorious deeds.
As this holiday falls on the springtime, it coincides with the awakening of nature. The miracle of the awakening of nature from winter itself was associated with the miracle of the Immaculate Conception. It was believed that the Ancients awake and crawl out of the holes of animals falling into hibernation: frogs, lizards, bees, ants, etc. Also on the day of the Annunciation predicted the weather for Easter, determined with a greater or lesser probability of future views of the crop. Therefore, congratulations with the Announcement mainly concerned the arrival of spring and the wishes of a good harvest and every kind of contentment.
In the Middle Ages there were many dissidentChristian beliefs, and some of them placed their whole hope on the Heavenly Father, who created another world, which has nothing in common with this visible and material world, in which wilts, deaths, hail and frosts, crop failures and famine. These Christians in those years dominated the church and burned at the stake, and to destroy all memory of them, slandered their teaching, and even gave them the nickname: "Cathars." But they themselves called themselves just Good Christians, and their believers called them Good Men and Kind Women. What did the Annunciation mean for these Kind Christians? Congratulations with this holiday were slightly different from Catholic or Orthodox. Jesus Christ was for them an angel who descended from heaven and accepted the image of man. He was never born the usual way, as children are born. On the contrary, he came into the world in a body that was never subject to material evil.
Therefore, good people instead of congratulations onAnnouncing told their faithful "The Legend of the Pelican". There was once a Pelican bird shining like the sun. She had nestlings in the nest, but when she retired, a wicked dragon came and tortured and wounded the chicks. Then the Pelican hid his glow. Seeing that the light faded, the dragon appeared to the nest and again began to torment the cubs. Then the Pelican revealed himself in his glory and killed the dragon. Good Christians revealed the meaning of this legend: the chicks are the souls of God, tormented in this world by the "prince of this world." Christ came into the world, "conceited", hiding his divine radiance under the image of a simple man. Then the devil thought that he could easily kill him. But by his resurrection, Christ confounded the devil, and opened the door to salvation.
Because Christ "was taking" in Mary - HisThe Church shining in the darkness of this world like a guiding star, then the congratulation with the Annunciation came to the following: if a person hears the voice of God calling him to "take the cross of good deeds and follow him," then man will not be able to stand. Then let the soul that the Lord called for service, say, as it is written in the Evangelist Luke: "Behold, the servant of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. " Because every word that comes from God is the Good News and will be fulfilled.
