The Most Holy Theotokos enjoys special veneration in Orthodox Christianity. At this time, there are many versions of the icons of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, which depict the Virgin Mary in infancy and the pious Anna and Joachim. The celebration of the Nativity of the Mother of God is of significant importance; it is included in the twelfth holidays, because thanks to this event the Savior was able to incarnate on earth.
History of the Blessed Virgin Mary
For many years, the couple Joachim and Anna had no children. They lived in the relatively small city of Nazareth. In general, people did not speak particularly respectfully about this city, as it was believed that nothing good could come from Nazareth.
Joachim and Anna were pious people and quite wealthy, but at the same time they observed piety. Joachim was from the family of King David, and Anna belonged to the priestly family. They were respected by other people, but they lacked only one thing - a child.
In those distant times, a child was considered a blessing, and the absence of one, accordingly, was something like punishment. Therefore, some people considered the couple to be guilty of something before the Almighty. As a result, Joachim goes to the desert to fast for 40 days, Anna prays in the garden and both receive a sign from the Lord and go to Jerusalem, which is where they met as the sign said.
These godly people were chosen to help save humanity. Anna conceived and gave birth to the Virgin Mary. According to the current accepted position in Orthodoxy, Mary was born in Nazareth, and not in Bethlehem.
What does the icon “Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary” look like?
As a rule, on the Nativity icon Holy Mother of God The Virgin Mary herself is depicted in the form of a very small baby and Anna, who is reclining on a bed. Also often on the same icon there is a second plot, where Joachim and Anna sit close to each other and hold a baby in their arms - the newly born Mother of God.
An interesting aspect in almost every icon of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary is the ratio of the sizes of the figures. Anna and Joachim are almost always written in large letters; there are even options where Anna occupies most of canvas icons. Either way, these figures are given the most space, and the size of the figures emphasizes significance. The servants who bathe the newborn Mary and bring Anna food are of medium size.
On the other hand, we see the miniature figure of Mary, and this version of the image does not simply convey the image of a baby. Also at the symbolic level, one of the main virtues of the Mother of God is indicated - humility. There is also an analogy here with the icons of the birth of Christ, where the Savior is also depicted in small size.
The meaning of the icon of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary
A very interesting fact is the fact of what people refer to the icon of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Most often, prayers are offered before her in order to bring back those who have turned away from the faith or to enlighten lost souls.
It would seem, what could be the point here? However, the example of Anna and Joachim points to the power of strong faith. They had no children, but they firmly believed and eventually conceived not just a child, but a great maiden who gave hope to all humanity.
The faithful always trusted in the Lord and were rewarded for their own sincere prayers.
That is why this image can be a vivid example of how people should adhere to their own faith
By the way, it is worth noting an interesting fact about the conception of St. Mary, which indicates the difference between the two main Christian branches. The information about the birth of Mary is not contained in the Gospel, but is in the apocrypha from James. However, no information about the immaculate conception of the Virgin Mary is indicated anywhere.
However, in the mid-19th century, the Catholic Church recognized the virgin birth of Mary herself. The Orthodox tradition adheres to the original canons, that is, the conception of Mary is considered the simplest, although the virgin herself is sinless, her nature is created. Only Mary herself was able to conceive immaculately by the Holy Spirit.
A similar discrepancy also exists regarding the city of birth, because in other traditions the birth is often indicated in Jerusalem. Orthodoxy still points to birth in Nazareth, and there are also significant arguments for this.
Prayers to the Nativity Icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary
First prayer to the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Oh, Most Holy Lady, God-chosen Mother of Christ our Savior, asked of God by holy prayers, dedicated to God and beloved by God! Whoever does not please You or who does not sing Your glorious Nativity. Your Christmas was the beginning of the salvation of people, and we, sitting in the darkness of sins, see You, the dwelling of the Impregnable Light. For this reason, the florid tongue cannot sing songs about Thee according to its heritage. Thou art more exalted than the Seraphim, O Most Pure One. Otherwise, accept this present praise from Your unworthy servants and do not reject our prayer. We confess Your greatness, we bow down to You in tenderness, and we boldly ask Your child-loving and compassionate Mother, who is quick in intercession: pray to Your Son and our God to grant us, who have sinned a lot, sincere repentance and a pious life, so that we may be able to do everything that is pleasing to God and useful to our souls. Let us hate all evil, strengthened by Divine grace in our good will. You are our shameless hope in the hour of death, grant us a Christian death, a comfortable procession through the terrible ordeals of the air and the inheritance of the eternal and ineffable blessings of the Kingdom of Heaven, so that with all the saints we silently confess Your intercession for us and let us glorify the one True God, worshiped in the Holy Trinity, Father and Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.
Troparion to the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Troparion, tone 4
Thy Nativity, O Virgin Mother of God, is a joy to proclaim to the whole universe: from Thee has arisen the Sun of Truth, Christ our God, and having destroyed the oath, He has given the Blessing, and having abolished death, He has given us eternal life.
Kontakion, voice of the same
Joachim and Anna were reproached by childlessness, and Adam and Eve were freed from mortal aphids, O Most Pure One, in Thy holy Nativity. Then Thy people also celebrate, having freed themselves from the guilt of sins, and always call upon Thy: barrenness gives birth to the Mother of God and the Nourisher of our life.
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The Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary is a very important event in the Orthodox Church. We celebrated this holiday for a week. They prepared various dishes, cleaned the house, awaiting the arrival of dear guests. The work on the land plots was completed, so we could afford to have a good rest.
Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
IN Holy Scripture there is no mention of the birth and life of the Virgin Mary. We will find out about her life path from the words of believers, which were passed down from generation to generation. It is from sacred records that we discover the secrets of the birth of a woman who went through a lot of torment, devotedly served God and gave all of herself for the birth and upbringing of the son of God and the savior of all mankind.
The parents of the Virgin Mary were deeply religious, humble and merciful people. His father, Joachim, was of royal origin, and his mother, Anna, was raised in the family of a clergyman and deeply respected all religious traditions, customs and rituals. Parents strictly adhered to God's basic Commandments and often brought gifts to church.
Despite this, for a long time, they could not have children, which at that time was considered a huge sin, bearing their heavy cross of life to a respectable age, never tired of asking God for mercy on their sinful souls.
The father, once again, having come to the temple of God and made a sacrifice, was expelled by the clergyman as a childless man. He felt peace and a sincere desire to turn to God with a sincere prayer for a desired, long-awaited child.
Having retired, he tirelessly cried out to the Creator of the World, his prayers were so pure and intimate that they were immediately heard, and as a reward for his devoted service, he became chosen from all people living on Earth to give birth to a daughter who would save the whole world.
Joachim and Anna made a promise to fulfill the will of the Creator and raise the child in all the strictness of religious rites, knowing about her mission and purpose on Earth - to become the Mother of the Savior of mankind.
The Orthodox Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary marked the beginning of a new period in the life of all people on Earth.
Icon "Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary"
The life path of the Mother of God was not easy, she experienced a lot of grief, suffering and torment, seeing her only, beloved son, in whom she invested all her knowledge, soul and heart, die crucified on Christ. Not many people can stand this.
Having passed all life's trials with dignity, she did not regret for a minute that she had dedicated her entire life to God. She treated all people with love and always prayed for the remission of their sins and the granting of God's mercy and forgiveness. With her righteousness, life aspirations and wisdom, as well as her unshakable desire to devote herself entirely to serving God, this woman became the protector of all people living on Earth.
One of the basic truths of life for all humanity is the birth of healthy, happy children who continue the family line. But not every young family is given the opportunity to have children, so many turn to the icon of the Birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary with prayer, asking for the birth of a new life. After all, conception itself is a miracle that happened to the mother of the Virgin Mary.
The main thing is not to lose hope and believe in the miracles of the Lord. Exactly at this Great holiday young girls pray for the creation of a new family and the opportunity to have healthy children, mothers - for the health of their children, for the healing of relatives and friends from illness and disease.
The Icon of the Birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary depicts the moment of the birth of the future mother of Jesus Christ. All those who pray in front of this icon for the salvation of a sinful soul and repentance for violating the Commandments of God are granted forgiveness.
In Orthodoxy, in honor of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the following icons were created:
- The Glinsk Icon of the Birth of the Mother of God is known for its miraculous properties, having healed many lost souls. She helps women recover from gynecological diseases and infertility;
- Isaac's Icon of the Birth of the Mother of God was noticed by people between the branches of a weeping willow, on the bank of the river. Residents of a nearby village moved it to the temple, and over time, in the place where they found it, they built new temple, which still exists today. She was a protector of infants and young children;
- Lucian's Icon of the Birth of the Virgin Mary - named after the monk Lucian, who was the first to see it, built a new church on this site and created a monastery. It is famous for its miraculous, healing qualities and protects against infantile ailments.
We provide the text of the prayer:
“Hey, our Blessed Queen, our indestructible Hope and invincible Intercessor! Do not turn Your face away from us for our many sins; but extend to us the hand of Thy Motherly mercy, and do a sign for good with us. Show us Thy rich help and prosper in every good deed; Turn us away from every sinful undertaking and evil plan.”
Service to the Nativity of the Virgin Mary
September 21 The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary is a great Orthodox holiday for all believers. They prepare for it very carefully, adhering to all church rituals and canons.
The service in the church begins before sunrise, all the women light candles and write requests, placing them near the icon. During the service, they sincerely pray and ask for health for children and loved ones, harmony in family relationships, well-being in the family, healing from many ailments and giving the opportunity to give birth to a healthy child.
It was taken for granted that on this day to help vulnerable segments of the population by distributing food (bread and pastries baked in advance, different types self-grown cereals, vegetables and fruits).
There are many signs that are passed down from generation to generation:
- Before this holiday, on almost all plots of land they tried to harvest all the crops grown, thus ending the agricultural season;
- Our ancestors noted that if a woman manages to swim before the first rays of the sun, then her beauty will not leave her until old age;
- On the day of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary , girls were preparing for weddings, reading prayers for a happy future family life, about the birth of healthy firstborns and glorified the Most Holy Theotokos;
- The newlyweds met relatives: the young wife tried to show her best culinary dishes, and her husband showed animals raised throughout the year.
The Lord is always with you!
The event of the holiday and its eorthological dynamics
The Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos can, in the words of St. Andrew of Crete, be called “the beginning of the holidays,” although this permanent feast of the Mother of God is perhaps the last of the twelve in terms of its appearance in the Church.
From the point of view of doctrine, the birth of the Most Holy Theotokos, Mother of Jesus Christ, was not an accidental and ordinary event, for She was assigned important role in the implementation of the Divine plan for the salvation of mankind. About Her birth, long before this event, there were many predictions in Old Testament prophecies and prototypes (miraculous growth; the birth of Emmanuel (the God-man) from the Virgin; the gates through which the Lord will pass, but those gates will remain closed, etc. See: Isa. 7: 14; Ezek. 44: 1–3, etc.).
The New Testament contains extremely scant information about the earthly life of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Information about the event of the holiday can be found in the apocrypha of the 2nd century - the Proto-Gospel of James. It tells about the sorrow of the pious Jewish couple in Nazareth - Joachim and Anna, to whom the Lord did not give offspring. And infertility was considered a sign of God’s wrath (see, for example: Hos. 9: 14; Jer. 29: 32). Every Old Testament righteous man cherished in his soul the hope that if not from him, then from his descendants, the Messiah would come and that if not himself, then his descendants would be participants in the glorious messianic kingdom. Both Joachim and Anna often had to endure insults, neglect and reproaches from their compatriots.
During one of the great Jewish holidays, when Joachim came to the Temple of Jerusalem to offer the ultimate sacrifice to the Lord according to the law of Moses, the high priest Issachar rejected the gifts and said: “I should not accept gifts from you, because you have no children, and therefore blessings of God." Killed by shame and sadness, Joachim did not go home, but hid in the mountains, where shepherds were guarding his flock. Anna was left alone. She walked around the garden and cried.
And then the angel of the Lord appeared in the garden: “Anna! God has heard your prayer: you will conceive and give birth to the Most Blessed Daughter; through Her your family will be glorified throughout the world.” Joachim had the same vision. He hurried home, promising to sacrifice ten sheep, twelve bulls and one hundred goats. Anna was at the door of the house and saw Joachim walking with his flocks, and she ran and fell on his chest. After the meeting, the righteous Joachim and Anna made a vow that if the Lord gives them a child, they will dedicate him to God and, as was customary then, give him to the temple to serve until he comes of age. And indeed, in due time, on September 8, their Daughter was born. They named Her Mary, which in Hebrew means “lady and hope.”
When starting an analysis of the establishment of the celebration in question, it is necessary to remember that the Mother of God feasts appear later than the Lord's feasts.
The first mentions of the celebration of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary are found in the East in the 5th century - in the words of Proclus, Patriarch of Constantinople (439-446), and in the West - in the sacramentary of Pope Gelasius (492-496). But this evidence is not completely reliable. The authenticity of Proclus’s words is disputed, and the oldest copies of the specified missal appear late - no earlier than the 8th century.
In the Syriac monthbook of 412, not only the feast of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary is not recorded, but also none of the feasts of the Theotokos (of the Lord’s, only the Nativity of Christ and Epiphany are listed). Under the date September 8th there is the following memorial: “Presbyter Faustus and Ammonius and 20 other martyrs.”
The Feast of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary apparently originated in the Greek Church and soon after appeared in Rome, spreading to the daughter Churches.
It is significant that the celebration is celebrated by both the Jacobites and the Nestorians, who call it the Nativity of the Lady Mary. This usually happens on September 8, although in some ancient Coptic monthlies it is dated April 26. Such eortological parallelism serves as a sign that the holiday appeared in the Eastern Church before the separation of many heretical movements from it, that is, in the 5th century.
For Saint Andrew of Crete, who composed two words and a canon for the holiday (around 712), the Nativity of the Virgin Mary is a holiday of great solemnity. In the canon, he says that on this day “all creation should rejoice,” “heaven should rejoice and the earth rejoice,” “the childless and the barren should dare and play.”
The holiday is marked in the Jerusalem canon of the 7th century, according to the Georgian version - with obvious differences from other days. The holiday is named in the festive Gospel, which was presented to the Sinai monastery by Emperor Theodosius III (715–717).
In Western monthlies, the holiday was first mentioned in the Roman pseudo-Jerome martyrology of the 7th century.
In the West, it must have been around this time that a version was put forward related to the dating of the holiday in question - September 8th. One pious man, for several years in a row, heard the festive singing of angels from heaven the night before. When asked about the reason, it was revealed to him that the angels were having fun, since the Virgin Mary was born that night. Having learned about this, the pope immediately ordered that, following the example of the celestials, the birth of the Holy Virgin should be celebrated on earth.
Despite mentions of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary in Latin sources of the 7th century, the holiday was not widespread there and for a long time, until the 12th–13th centuries, did not have a solemn service. Only at the Council of Lyon in 1245 did Pope Innocent IV make the octave of the holiday mandatory for the entire Western Church, and Pope Gregory XI (1370–1378) established a vigil with fasting and a special liturgical service for the holiday.
Holiday in Orthodox worship
The source from which one can trace the history of the liturgical formula for the feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary should be recognized as the 7th century Jerusalem Canon. He establishes the troparion, tone 1 “Thy Nativity, O Virgin Mother of God”, prokeimenon (tone 1) “He has sanctified his village”, verse “God is our refuge and strength”, readings: Pres. 8:2–4; Is. 11:1; Heb. 8: 7–9, 10; Alleluia (voice 8 “Hear, daughters”); OK. 11:27–32. The Gospel begins with the words: “When these words came to pass,” that is, from the end of the passage, which is set in the present time. The canonar gives statutory recommendations only for the liturgy. Apparently, Vespers and Matins on this holiday did not have any serious differences from everyday ones, which in turn leads to the following conclusion: the status of the great holiday of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary has not yet been completely acquired.
The Sinai canon is important for historical liturgics in that it contains paremias, troparion, apostle, Gospel and communion for this celebration, identical to modern ones.
Analyzing individual editions of the Studite Typikon (Evergetida, Grottoferata monasteries and some others), which was used in monasteries and, possibly, in parish churches of Byzantium in the 9th–12th centuries and was adopted in Rus' in the 10th–14th centuries, one can discover the following features that distinguish them from the current charter: on “Lord, I cried” three modern stichera into six are codified; there is no lithium at Vespers; stichera on the stichera: the first is synchronous, the second is in the place of the modern third, and the third is in the place of the fourth; “Glory even now,” tone 2 is similar to “House of Euphraths.” At Matins after the Gospel, as on other holidays, the prokeimenon “In the night lift up your hands” is laid. The canons were sung like this: in the first canon, in the first, third, fourth and sixth songs, irmoses once, verses twice; in the fifth, seventh, eighth and ninth songs there are both irmos and verses twice, since the first songs had three verses, and the last ones two. In the second canon, irmos and verses are prescribed once. On Khvalitekh the current three stichera followed twice. At Matins, verse stichera were always relied upon: on this holiday, verse matins (voice 2) are similar to the “House of Euphraths.”
With a similar comparison of the synchronic position with the oldest lists of the Jerusalem Charter, which was adopted by the Greek in the XII-XIII centuries, in the XIV century - by the South Slavic ones, at the end of the XIV - beginning of the XV centuries - by the Russian Orthodox Church, the following diachronic changes can be found: on “Lord, I cried” the first two stichera are repeated; of the canons of the second, some manuscripts indicate singing six and only troparia (without irmos), others, mainly Slavic, prescribe singing its irmos and troparia once; exapostilary of the holiday - twice; At the liturgy for the Blessed, only songs from the first canon are relied upon.
Currently, the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which is still celebrated by the Church on September 8, has one day of pre-feast (September 7) and four days of post-feast, as well as giving away (September 12).
Patristic exegesis of the holiday
The event of the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary forced the holy fathers to ask the question: why was the Mother of God, the Root of Life, born from a barren woman?
The answer, which is given in numerous holiday homilies, striking, on the one hand, with the rigor of theological thought, and on the other, inspiring with their colorful descriptions, is completely clear: “Because by miracles the way was to be prepared for the only news under the sun, the most important of miracles, and gradually ascend from smaller to larger. However, I also know another reason for this, much more sublime and divine, namely: nature yields to the power of grace and, overwhelmed with trepidation, stops, not daring to go further. Since the Virgin Mother of God was to be born from Anna, nature did not dare to warn the seed of grace, but remained barren until grace produced fruit. It was necessary to be born as a first-born, in order to give birth to the First-born of all creation, in Him all would be fulfilled” (Rev. John of Damascus).
And, of course, the holy fathers tirelessly glorify the highest degree of approach of the Divine to grace-filled unity with humanity in the person of the pre-elected Virgin, born according to the promise of God: “Today an amazing Book has been prepared on earth, not the inscription of words, but able to bear the Living Word itself; and a word that is not carried in the air, but is heavenly; not doomed to disappear, but snatching away those who listen to Him from destruction; not from the movement of human language, but from God the Father, which is eternally born. Today the Animated and Not Made by Hands Tabernacle of God and the Verbal and Spiritual Ark are visible to us, truly “the Bread of Life sent from heaven” (see: John 6: 32–33)... Today the one predicted in prophecy has grown (see: Is. 11: 2) “The Rod from the Root of Jesse,” from which “Color shall come forth”; A flower that is not subject to withering, but also our nature - withered and therefore deprived of an unfading place of pleasure - again calling and leading to flowering, and giving it eternal flowering, and leading to heaven, and leading to paradise; The Rod is with the help of which the Great Shepherd directed the verbal flock to eternal pastures; The rod - leaning on Which our nature, having laid aside its ancient decrepitude and weakness, easily moves to heaven, leaving the earth below for those who have bowed down, as if deprived of support” (St. Gregory Palamas).
In "A Word for the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary" Reverend Andrew Kritsky also says: “Serving as the limit of the law and prototypes, it (the feast of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary. - G.B.) together serves as the door to grace and truth. Proclaiming the glory of virginity, this day of grace offers common joy to all creation. Take heart, he says, this is the feast of the Nativity of the Virgin, and with it the renewal of the human race. The Virgin is born and prepares to become the Matter of the King of all - God. The Virgin becomes a mediator between the greatness of the Divine and the insignificance of the flesh.”
That is why the entire human race must splendidly and with many voices, with all its soul, heart and mind, glorify the Nativity of the Mother of God: “So, happy and blessed is the human race, from the root of which such a holy and gracious fruit has arisen... Observe the wonderful deeds of the almighty Divine Providence, how wisely it extracts medicine from the very thing from which diseases are born. What a joy to see today the birth of the Virgin - a change in our unhappy state! To see that the gates that were closed by disobedience are opening before us! That we are given grace to achieve that bliss that the devil’s cunning deprived us of! What glory for us to rise to the point of entering into intimacy with the Most Essential Trinity, giving the Father a Daughter, the Son a Mother, and the Holy Spirit a Bride! Truly, I dare to say, we have forced God to be merciful and now we have in the person of Mary a wonderful fence to reflect far away from us the arrows of threatening anger” (St. Elijah Minyaty).
Holiday in pre-Chalcedonian and Western traditions
The Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary is not one of the most majestic in the Roman Church. It is lower in rank than celebrations in honor of some saints: the Nativity of John the Baptist, Joseph the Betrothed, the Apostles Peter and Paul, all saints, a temple festival and a local saint. However, he is higher than the Transfiguration. Connected with his service is the service of the daily saint (martyr Hadrian).
The Catholic Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary has, like all great holidays, an eight-day afterfeast (octava).
It must be said that in general, in terms of composition and composition, the worship of the Roman Catholic Church differs significantly from the Orthodox. The predominant place in it is occupied by psalms, and then biblical and patristic readings (it is worth mentioning that the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary does not have special hymns, extracting them from the general Theotokos service).
Both are preceded and concluded by individual verses, some from the psalms and generally from the Bible, applicable to the event being celebrated. Among them there are verses not from the Bible, but composed by various church writers. These hymnographic works, accompanying both the psalms and readings, similar to the prokemna of the Orthodox service and called antiphons (“near the psalms”) and responsors (“near the readings”), constitute the main festive singing material of the service.
On each of major services- Vespers and Matins (which is divided into the night service - nocturnum and Matins in the proper sense, called ad laudes - praised) - one or two hymns corresponding to stichera are also dedicated to the holiday.
In addition, the celebration is indicated by the short prayers available in each service (mostly one at a time).
Of course, there are also readings (lectiones) adapted to the holiday. These are relatively large passages set at Matins (nine in number) and at the Liturgy (from the Apostle and the Gospel), which are accompanied by verses similar to the prokeme and alleluary (graduale and sequentia), as well as fragments from the homilies of the holy fathers. At the Nativity of the Mother of God, the first, second and third readings from the first chapter of the Song of Songs are prescribed at Matins; fourth, fifth, sixth - from the words of St. Augustine; the seventh and eighth are from the commentary of Blessed Jerome on Matt. 1:1–16, read during the liturgy; the ninth is about the martyr Adrian.
At the liturgy, where “the Nativity of Mary is boasted from the perspective of Her Motherhood and thereby the Nativity of Christ,” Proverbs are installed instead of the Apostle. 8: 22–35 and the already indicated Gospel fragment.
In addition, there are also, one at a time, short readings (capitula) of one or two biblical verses. In the case under consideration they are as follows: at Vespers, at the end of Matins and at the third hour - Sir. 24:10; at the sixth hour - Sir. 24:11–13 (“Before the world began He made Me, and I will never come to an end,” “I served before Him in the holy tabernacle and was thus established in Zion; He also gave Me rest in the beloved city and in Jerusalem - power Mine. And I am rooted in the glorified people, in the inheritance of the Lord."
Iconography of the holiday
The circumstances of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary had a significant impact on the iconography of the holiday. When compared with images of other twelve holidays, their more earthly, human structure attracts attention.
The imagery is not only a transfer of the theological and liturgical content of the holiday, but contains extremely subjective details, including everyday ones.
Researchers note that artifacts from the pre-iconoclast period (8th century) have not survived, and the most ancient icons and frescoes date back to the 10th–11th centuries.
However, the stable, widespread visual themes and composition indirectly indicate that the iconography of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary has existed since early times.
Of the oldest surviving images of the feast of the Nativity of the Virgin, the most famous are the frescoes of the Nativity of the Virgin in the Church of Joachim and Anna in the Serbian Studenica Monastery (1304), the Kyiv St. Sophia Cathedral (first half of the 11th century), and the paintings of the Transfiguration Cathedral of the Pskov Mirozh Monastery (12th century).
In the iconography of early versions, righteous Anna reclines or sits on a high bed (the accepted type of Christmas without suffering), her image is larger than others; wives with gifts stand before her, in front of her there is a midwife and maids, washing the Virgin Mary in the font or already presenting Her to her mother, and the Virgin Mary is often present in the cradle.
On icons of later times, the righteous Joachim is also depicted. The icons contain more details: a table with gifts and treats brought, a pond, birds.
Of great interest for eorthological history are the marks, the plot and architectonics of which are characterized by independence. The main storylines exhaust milestones: the righteous Joachim brings his sacrifice to the Jerusalem Temple; the high priest refuses to accept a sacrifice from the childless as having secret sins or vices; Joachim reproaches Anna (occurs infrequently); Joachim's cry in the desert; Anna's crying in the garden; prayer of Joachim and Anna; gospel to Joachim and Anna; meeting of spouses at the Golden Gate of the Jerusalem Temple; conversation between Joachim and Anna; the actual Nativity of the Virgin Mary; caressing the Virgin Mary (Joachim and Anna are sitting next to each other, holding the Newborn).
We talk about the twelve feasts of the Russian Orthodox Church.
Troparion of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary:
Your Nativity, Virgin Mary, /
joy to bring to the whole universe: /
from Thee has arisen the Sun of righteousness, Christ our God, /
and having broken the oath, I gave a blessing, /
and having abolished death, he gave us eternal life.
Story:
We know about the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which, as it is said in the troparion of the holiday, “announced the joy of the whole universe” from the “Proto-Gospel of James” Apocryphon of the 2nd century. (Apocrypha are texts dedicated to events and persons of Sacred history that were not included by the Church in the biblical canon. Some of the apocrypha, although not included in the New Testament canon, clearly bear traces of the oral tradition of the first Christians. This text was called the “Proto-Gospel” because , that the events described in it precede the birth of Christ. - Ed.).
Click to open large image
The parents of the Mother of God, Joachim and Anna, were pious people and lived in love for each other. Only one misfortune darkened their life: for many years of marriage, they never had a child.
The Jews remembered the prophecies that the Messiah would arise from the seed of Abraham. That is why in every family the birth of a child was perceived as a chance to become involved in the One for whom all of Israel had been waiting for more than one millennium. If the marriage was childless, then the Jews believed that the spouses had somehow angered God.
One day Joachim, already in old age, came to the Jerusalem Temple to make a sacrifice. There, a certain Jew named Reuben addressed him reproachfully: “You cannot bring gifts, for you have not created descendants for Israel.” These words deeply wounded the righteous man, so that, leaving the temple, he did not go to his wife, but went into the desert, where he spent forty days and forty nights in unceasing prayer and fasting.
Anna, when she learned about the humiliation that her husband suffered in the temple, began to pray fervently, asking God to have mercy on them.
After forty days, an angel appeared to her and said: “Anna, Anna, the Lord has heeded your prayer, you will conceive and give birth, and your offspring will be talked about all over the world.” “As the Lord my God lives! - Anna answered, “And if I give birth to a child, I will give him as a gift to the Lord, and he will serve Him all his life.” Then the angel appeared in the desert to Joachim, turning to him with the words: “Joachim, Joachim, God has heeded your prayer. Go away from here, for your wife Anna will conceive in her womb.”
They met at the city gates. Anna, noticing her approaching husband, ran to meet him and hugged him tightly; together they went to the temple, where they made a generous sacrifice to God as a token of gratitude. And nine months later, a girl appeared in the pious family, who was named Maria. It was she who was to give birth to the One for whom the people of Israel had been waiting for so long, who would erase the head of the serpent (Genesis 3:15), defeat death and give everyone the opportunity to gain eternal life.
6 facts about the holiday:
1. History of the celebration
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2. The house where the Virgin Mary was born
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3. Who are the Godfathers?
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4. Temple in the Corner
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The birth of the Virgin Mary is a holiday full of bright energy. It conceals many mysterious and important signs that are not always noticeable to Christian believers.
On September 21st, a Christian holiday is celebrated, which is of great importance - the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This day is celebrated annually in the church with special services and chants, since the event is directly related to the salvation of humanity from sin and Jesus Christ. Therefore, it is very important on this day to read prayers on the day of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, at least at home.
The Birth of the Virgin Mary: a story from the apocrypha
The Gospel includes very little information about the Virgin Mary, and literally nothing is said about her childhood. But there are apocryphal descriptions of these events, which became the basis of the holiday. It talks about two righteous people: Joachim and Saint Anna. The couple was already old and, unfortunately, had no children. Joachim was once denied acceptance of his sacrifice to God precisely because there were no children in the family.
Saint Anna prayed a lot, wanting to become a mother. Then an angel appeared to her, who announced that she would be able to conceive and all her offspring would be glorified. There is also a story about how, after this, happy Anna met her husband at the Golden Gate of Jerusalem and told him about what had happened, hugging him. After these events, Anna actually became pregnant. Exactly nine months after these events, the Virgin Mary was born.
The meaning of the Feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary
For Christian believers, in addition to the fact that the future Mother of God was born, her origin is also important. It combines two important family lines: on the father’s side, the royal line, since his family originates from the tribe of King David, and on the mother’s side, she continued the line of the high priests of Israel. For this reason, Jesus Christ is understood as the Heavenly King and Heavenly High Priest. It is also believed that from birth the Virgin Mary was freed from original sin. This can be seen in connection with the fact that her son, Jesus Christ, became our Savior, saving all people from sin.
Folk customs and traditions on September 21
The people have long celebrated the birth of the Virgin Mary in a special way. It was a very common custom to extinguish the old fire in the stove and light a new one. From that day on, traditional gatherings with fire were held. It has always been believed that fire has a special power that can rid your home of accumulated energy dirt. Try to get rid of negative energy with the help of candles on this day: today these rituals will be especially effective.
Of course, women were given special honor and many rituals were performed specifically for them. They welcomed autumn with ritual songs, and this was done, of course, also in order to call on higher powers for help before winter: now a lot depended on the supplies that the peasants had.
The Day of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary is also directly related to family ties. Ancient traditions bequeathed on this day to visit the newlyweds, with whom the parents shared the experience of living together. It was also customary to gather for feasts. It is always useful to support such a pleasant tradition, not even in honor of the holiday, but so that family ties are strong and contact between parents and children is always established. Therefore, try to visit your parents on this day, or even better, invite at least close relatives to visit.
To strengthen family ties and to keep your family and friends healthy, try to go to church and light a candle. Turn to the icon of the Mother of God with prayers for your family and soon you will feel their power. All the best and don't forget to press the buttons and
19.09.2016 04:07
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