Annunciation of the Lord. Feast of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Annunciation salt will cleanse from negativity

The feast of the Annunciation throughout the great Rus' was highly revered by the people as a day of perfect freedom and peace. The Annunciation was a holiday of beautiful traditions, the blessing of all reasonable and good deeds, and not rampant feasts. Believing Christians who adhere to the multi-day Great Lent, on April 7 - on the Annunciation, have an indulgence. Fish and wine join the meager lenten food, for the soul - quiet amusements are not prohibited. This once again emphasizes the greatness of this great holiday.

History of the Feast of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The story of the Annunciation is familiar to everyone who is strong in the Bible, as well as to those who watched children's cartoons based on the artistic adaptation of the Gospel.

What names were not given to the Annunciation in ancient times. He was called both the Conception of Christ, and the Annunciation of Christ, and the Beginning of Redemption, and the Annunciation of the angel Mary. But ethnographers and clergy have not been able, despite a long search, to determine where, when, how the feast of the Annunciation appeared for the first time. Only one thing is known: the instruction of the emperor Justinian, dated 560, about the celebration of the Annunciation in March on the 25th (according to the new style - April 7th).

Three gospels

The good news on April 7 gave rise to two others - on January 7 and on the day. In absolutely the entire chronicle of the human race, there are, most likely, three majestic gospels: about the moment that the Son of God was born and also about the fact that Jesus was resurrected. However, initially the Archangel Gabriel delivered the good (good) news to the Virgin Mary about the forthcoming creation of the Savior of the world. People call this day the Annunciation.

It is not known what exactly the Virgin Mary was doing at the moment when the Archangel Gabriel, the messenger of the Most High, delivered great news to Her. According to some assumptions, she then spun pink-purple yarn for curtains in the Temple. According to others, she went to the well for water, according to the third reasoning, she read the Book of the prophet Isaiah.

Whatever it was, today it is unimportant. The most important thing is what the Archangel said to her. The Apostle Luke tells that the Angel, having descended to Mary, asserted that she, the Full of Grace, should triumph, for she was chosen, to give birth to a son from the Creator himself. HE will become great and will be called Jesus, the Son of the Most High.

The Virgin Mary, no doubt, from the moment she was born, was given to the Creator, and Her husband, old man Joseph, took the obligation to protect Her innocence and purity. And as a result of this, She, embarrassed, inquired from the Angel how this generation would come about. Gabriel compared Mary's cousin, Saint Elizabeth, who had conceived an unborn child within a few months before the Annunciation. Moreover, she was at such an advanced age, at which sometimes innovative medical science cannot give the opportunity to conceive and give birth to a child. The Lord has no limits. The righteous Elizabeth, as well as her husband, the clergyman Zechariah, had a son, who was given the name John and who later became none other than John the Baptist.

Mary - the most chaste, as well as the holiest of all living in the universe, nevertheless, did not consider herself to be one that deserved special mercy from the Lord. However, having experienced the All-merciful will in the words of the Archangel, She said: “Behold, the Servant of the Lord; let it be done to me according to your word." Today it is believed that at the moment the Virgin Mary uttered such a phrase, the holy conception took place. It is unrealistic and difficult to imagine what could happen to the planet, provided that at that moment in time the Virgin Mary declared something different.

It is logical that the righteous John Chrysostom called the Annunciation the source of celebrations, the basis of all Christian festivities without exception.

One of the most beautiful and also the most famous songs in the world community - Ave Maria - dedicated to the Annunciation, this is nothing more than the prayer of the Mother of God "Virgin, rejoice!" In general, it arose even before the division of the Orthodox religion into Western and Eastern. In honor of the celebration of the Annunciation in Russia, numerous churches and cathedrals have been erected or renamed. Particularly recognized and popular by all is the Annunciation Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin.

The presentation of the Annunciation is the most initial mention of the Mother of God in the Gospel. And in spite of everything, even the fact that the “Gospel” is translated into Russian from Greek also as the Good News”, only the Apostle Luke recorded the event of the Annunciation. And he rightfully refers not only to the first icon painters, but also to the creators of the first icon of the Virgin Mary. The original, obviously, did not remain, but its most patriarchal painting, according to ethnographers, is the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God. The most revered image of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Russia.

Annunciation - beautiful traditions

invocations

The eve of the Annunciation and the holiday itself are permeated with ancient beautiful traditions, which are still actively observed in many villages. Traditionally, they “call for spring”: fires are lit, dance around them, singing beautiful stoneflies, flour sculptures of sandpipers, larks, swallows are baked. Young girls climb with them onto the roof of low buildings, stand on an elevated place, the children climb trees and linger, sadly and singsongly chant appeals to birds, urging them to fly faster, and bring Beauty Spring on wings! They are begged to bring from across the seas a lot of health, green grass, fragrant cakes, a pot of porridge and even a bag full of money. Birdies are lured with pies, koloboks, pretzels.

prosphora

So that all days of the year are calm and successful, the whole family has good health and a prosperous life, according to the Christian tradition, which eventually developed into a folk custom, it was obligatory to eat a piece of prosphora (church bread). It was baked (now bought) for each member of the family, consecrated in the church, then crumbled and eaten. Often its crumbs were mixed into the sowing seeds, to the feed. According to age-old observations, it has been established that this gave an excellent harvest, a good offspring in livestock and birds, and health for all living creatures. They even mixed crumbs of Church bread into honey and fed them to bees.

A tradition full of deep meaning - "Freedom to the birds!"

In 1995, in honor of the feast of the Annunciation, an ancient Russian beautiful tradition was revived - to give free rein to the birds. On this day, in the Cathedral of the Annunciation, after the chants, the clergy and children released the birds. This custom was supported in almost all temples. He likes people too. Residents of megacities in bird markets bought bonded birds and joyfully granted them freedom.

Signs for the Annunciation

According to the weather on the Annunciation, they predicted the future harvest, and what the summer months would be like. A lot of signs tied it together.

A windy day, with morning fog and hoarfrost, promised a fruitful summer. The Annunciation rain was leading to an abundance of mushrooms and bread.

To a good collection of spring, cucumbers, milk mushrooms was frosty; to warm summer days and to an abundance of nuts - a thunderstorm.

On the day of the Annunciation there are no swallows - by the cold protracted spring.

The Annunciation sky is dark, starless - chickens lay few eggs.

Annunciation snow on the roofs will not melt until May 6 (Egoria), and a strong frost by forty frosty matinees.

[Greek Εὐαγγελισμός; lat. Annuntiatio], one of the main Christ. holidays, dedicated to the remembrance of the gospel of arch. Gabriel Presv. Virgin Mary and the Incarnation.

Annunciation Event

According to the Gospel (Luke 1.26-38), in the 6th month after the conception of rights. Elizabeth St. John the Baptist arch. Gabriel was sent from God to the city of Nazareth to the Rev. Virgin Mary with joyful news that the Savior of the world will be born from Her. Entering her, Gabriel said: “Rejoice, full of grace! The Lord is with you; Blessed are You among women." Mary was embarrassed by the angelic greeting and thought about its meaning, but Gabriel continued: “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found grace with God. And behold, you will conceive in the womb, and you will bear a Son, and you will call His name: Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High... and His Kingdom will have no end.” Mary, perplexed, asked how the fulfillment of this promise was compatible with the observance of the virginal lifestyle she had chosen: “How will it be when I don’t know a husband?” The angel answered Her that the incarnation of the Son of God would be accomplished by the miraculous action of the Holy Spirit: “The Holy Spirit will come upon You, and the power of the Most High will overshadow You; therefore, the holy being born will be called the Son of God. Here is Elizabeth, your relative, called barren, and she conceived a son in her old age, and she is already six months old, for no word will remain powerless with God. Then Mary humbly said: “Behold, the Servant of the Lord; let it be done to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her. Indirectly about the event B. mentions ap. Paul: “When the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his only begotten Son, who was born of a woman” (Gal 4:4).

According to the apocrypha of the 2nd century - "The Proto-Gospel of James" and "The Book of the Nativity of the Most Blessed Mary and the Childhood of the Savior" ("The Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew"), - Rev. The Virgin heard the Archangel gospel first at the well or spring, where She went for water, and then in the house, where She, according to Her lot, spun a veil or carpet for the Jerusalem temple. According to the 1st of these sources, these episodes immediately followed each other, according to the 2nd, 3 days passed between them (New Testament Apocrypha, pp. 20, 42). Apocryphal tradition is reflected in the iconography of the holiday (Kondakov. Iconography of the Mother of God. T. 1. S. 197; T. 2. S. 374).

date of the Annunciation both in the West and in the East (with some exceptions - see: Skaballanovich. Explanatory Typikon. Issue 1. S. 360-361) is considered March 25th. This date, on the one hand, is exactly 9 months away from December 25, which is not later than the 4th century. first in the West, and then in the East, it was accepted as the calendar date of the Nativity of Christ; on the other hand, underlies the Alexandrian and later Byzantine. chronological systems identifying the number and month of B. and Easter. For the first time this date appears in the works of zap. 3rd century authors Tertullian (Adv. Jud. 8) and schmch. Hippolytus of Rome (In Dan. IV. 23) as the day of the Crucifixion of the Savior according to Rome. calendar (back in the 6th century, St. Martin of Braga wrote that many Gallic bishops considered Easter to be a fixed holiday (Kellner . S. 40)). At the same time, schmch. Hippolytus, based on a comparison of a number of biblical verses (Gen 2.3; Rev. 20.4-6; Ps 89.5; 2 Pet 3.8) and their literal interpretation, argued that the Nativity of Christ occurred 5500 years after the creation of the world. The belief about the 5500-year age of the world by the time of the Savior's coming and about the coincidence of the dates of the creation of the world and the incarnation of Christ passed into the Alexandrian tradition: in a work attributed to St. Athanasius the Great, it is said that Christ was incarnated in the womb of the Virgin on the 25th day of March, because on this day God originally created man (Quaestiones ad Antiochum ducem // PG. 28. Col. 632). In addition, the place of the date of the Crucifixion from the 5th c. the date of the Resurrection took over, and the time of the Savior's earthly ministry from the Incarnation to the Resurrection began to be considered a multiple of an integer number of years. According to George Sincellus, the Alexandrian monks Panodorus and Annian (late 4th - early 5th century) should be considered the creators of the Alexandrian chronological system. Widespread in the V-X centuries. received the era of Annian, it was used by all the Alexandrians and many others. K-Polish and close to the K-field authors, among whom are Rev. Maximus the Confessor and the greatest chronographers of the 9th century In the era of Annian, the first day of the creation of the world is Sunday March 25 exactly 5500 years before the incarnation, which corresponds to 5492 BC (the era of Dionysius the Lesser), the dates of B. and the Resurrection of Christ - Sunday March 25, 9 and 42 AD, respectively . From the 10th century in Byzantium, the so-called. Byzantium era (for the first time an era close to it is found in the “Easter Chronicle” of the 7th century - PG. 92. Col. 488C), in which the dates of B. and the Resurrection of Christ are Sundays March 25, 4 BC (“ 5505 from the creation of the world”) and 31 AD, respectively. Despite the fact that the era of Annian is used in relatively late monuments - such as the Evergetid Typicon, preserved in the RKP. 1st floor. XII century, or Russian. historical writings, Byzantium. era became official. era of Greek Churches (see Chronology). Therefore, in Byzantium. tradition, the date of March 25 is of great importance and is considered the date not only of B., but also of the creation of the world, and the Resurrection of Christ; the dates of other holidays are counted from it: the Nativity of Christ, the Conception and the Nativity of St. John the Baptist. B.'s day often served as the beginning of the church or even civil year both in the East and in the West (where 2 ways of counting years from B. were known: calculus Florentinus (lat. - Florentine count), which was widespread until the 18th century, and also the lesser known calculus Pisanus (Pisan count)). The belief that the historical date of the Resurrection of Christ coincides with March 25 led to the fact that this day was called "Kyriopaskha" (κύριον πάσχα - Dominant (that is, real, normal) Easter; sometimes there is an incorrect etymology - the Lord's Easter); in present time Kyriopaskha is called what happens once in a few. years coincidence of the holidays of Easter and B. (Lebedev D ., priest. Why is the holiday of Easter on March 25 called "Kyriopaskha"? // BV. 1905. T. 2. No. 5. S. 118-128). On March 25, B. is still celebrated today (in Russia, in connection with the use of the Julian calendar by the Church, March 25 in the 21st century falls on April 7 according to the Gregorian ("civil") calendar).

Establishment of a holiday

Images of B. are already present among the paintings of the catacombs of the 2nd floor. II - 1st floor. III century; in Ravenna (after 400) and in Rome, among the mosaics of the triumphal arch of c. Santa Maria Maggiore (432-440), performed under Pope Sixtus III (432-440) (Kondakov. T. 1. S. 26-27; Petrovsky. S. 619-622; Argan. S. 94), however it is less possible with a high degree of probability to assert that the establishment of a special holiday of B. occurred no earlier than the 4th century.

Opening of St. equal to ap. Elena at the beginning 4th century St. places of the earthly life of the Lord Jesus Christ and the construction of temples begun by her in these places (in particular, in Nazareth, where, according to legend, the Arch. Gabriel appeared to the Virgin, the basilica was built - Cabrol. Col. 2245-2246) caused the growth interest in the event of the Nativity of Christ and the mystery of the Incarnation; perhaps, the establishment of B. as a separate holiday is also connected with this. In the beginning. 8th century arm. the author Grigor Arsharuni wrote that the feast of B. was established by St. Cyril I, Patriarch of Jerusalem (Conybeare . P. 509), i.e. in the 3rd quarter. 4th century In ancient arm. Lectionaries reflecting the liturgical practice of Jerusalem in the 5th century do not yet have an independent celebration of B., but the 4th day of the Epiphany celebrations is dedicated to the memory of this event (i.e., January 9 - Ibid. P. 517). Ancient cargo. handwritten Lectionaries, reflecting the liturgical practice of Jerusalem in the 7th century, already contain a special holiday of B. on March 25 (Kekelidze. S. 55-56; Tarchnishvili. Grand Lectionnaire. T. 1. P. 43-45 (Latin translation: P 40-41)).

Since information about the K-Polish worship of the 5th-6th centuries. not numerous, nothing definite about the celebration of B. during this period in the K-field can be asserted, but in the 6th century. Rev. Roman the Melodist wrote a kontakion in B. (SC. 110. P. 13-41); to con. The 7th century is already one of the most revered holidays here: Trul. 52 forbids the celebration of the full Liturgy during Great Lent, with the exception of Saturdays, Sundays and the feast of B. Rights. 52 Trul. (691-692) goes back to rights. 49 Laodice. (c. 343), allowing the full liturgy of Great Lent only on Saturdays and Sundays. But, although 49 is right. Laodike. does not mention B., this does not completely eliminate the possibility of performing the Annunciation service; rather, it can be concluded that the original holiday in those years when it fell on weekdays of fasting could be transferred to Saturday or Sunday. The transfer of the memory of revered saints during the seven days of fasting to Saturday or Sunday was widely practiced in the East, and the structure of Orthodoxy. Lenten cycle owes much to this custom. I. A. Karabinov suggested that before the Trull Cathedral in the afternoon, on which B. was transferred, there was the Saturday of the Akathist and that the Akathist to the Pres. The Mother of God in its original form was composed for the feast of B. (Karabinov. S. 31 ff.; see also: Fletcher R. A. Three early byzantine hymns and their place in the liturgy of the Church of Constantinople // BZ. 1958. T 51. S. 53-65). All Byzants. Monuments of the 8th and subsequent centuries name B. among the most important holidays; his divine service is invariably celebrated on March 25.

Under the names of church writers III-V centuries. (Saints Gregory the Wonderworker (PG. 10. Col. 1145-1169), Athanasius the Great (PG. 28. Col. 917-940), Gregory of Nyssa (Montagna D. La lode alla Theotokos nei testi greci dei secoli IV-VII // Marianum: Ephemerides Mariologiae R., 1962. Vol. 24. P. 536-539), John Chrysostom (PG. 50. Col. 791-796; 60. Col. 755-760; 62. Col. 763-770) , Proclus of K-Polish (PG. 65. Col. 679), Basil of Seleucia (PG. 85. Col. 425-452)) a number of holiday words in B. have been preserved, but their authenticity is doubtful - thus, according to Bishop. Ephesian Abraham (between 530 and 553), before him not a single sermon was written dedicated to B. (BZ. 1913-1914. T. 22. P. 49-54), and they are usually dated to a later time ( Sergius (Spassky). Monthly. T. 3. S. 115-116). Authentic conversations on B. St. have also been preserved. Sophronius of Jerusalem (7th century - PG. 87γ. Col. 3217-3288), St. Herman of Constantinople (VIII century - PG. 98. Col. 321-328), St. John of Damascus (VIII century - PG. 96. Col. 648-661) and many others. other later St. fathers and church writers.

In the West, information about the holiday of B. dates back to about the same time as in the East. From the works of Church fathers and writers know words in B. attributed to lat. authors of the 5th century (Blessed Augustine (3 sermons: PL. 39. Col. 2103-2110), Saints Peter Chrysologus (5 sermons: PL. 52. Col. 575-588) and Leo I the Great (PL. 56. Col. 1140-1144 )) and subsequent centuries. The liturgical veneration of the day of B. is unequivocally mentioned in the Liber Pontificalis of the time of Pope Sergius I (687-701), where B. is one of the 3 holidays dedicated to the Mother of God, when a solemn procession was performed in Rome (LP. T. 1. P. 372 , 376, 381). Calendar of Polemius Silvius, ep. Mr. Sedun (435-455), intended for both secular and ecclesiastical use, and therefore containing along with Christ. and pagan memory, mentions March 25 not yet as B.'s day, but as the day of the Savior's death on the Cross (Kellner. S. 196). In the first edition of the Gelasius Sacramentaria (VII century) B. is not indicated, but already in Gregory the Great Sacramentaria (3rd quarter of the VII century) it is under March 25 (the same is in the so-called Gelasian Sacramentaria VIII in .); in all later monuments of Rome. traditions this day was celebrated by B.

In non-rim. app. rituals, the celebration of B. could be transferred to the period of advent. Toledo Cathedral 656 in the 1st right. orders to sing the service of B. 18 Dec. (at the same time, March 25 remains the date of B.), explaining this by the impossibility of arranging a holiday during Great Lent (Mansi . T. 11. P. 33-34). Probably, the Council not only introduced this date, but adopted it from some tradition already established in some places - for example, in the Aquileian and Ambrosian rites, B. was also celebrated on Dec. on one of the Sundays (Kellner . S. 147).

Holiday name

in ancient times it was not stable, modern. εὐαγγελισμός is attested only from the 7th century. In the writings of ancient authors there are names: Greek. ἡμέρα ἀσπασμοῦ (day of greeting), ἀγγελισμός (annunciation), ἡμέρα or ορτὴ τοῦ εὐαγγελισμοῦ (day/feast of the Annunciation), χαριτισμός ( from χαῖρε, κεχαριτομένη - from "rejoice, full of grace", Lk 1.28); lat. annuntiatio angeli ad beatam Mariam Virginem (Annunciation of an angel to the Blessed Virgin Mary), Mariae salutatio (greeting Mary), annuntiatio sanctae Mariae de conceptione (Annunciation of St. Mary of the conception), annuntiatio Christi (Annunciation of Christ), initium redemptionis (beginning of redemption), conceptio Christi (the conception of Christ), festum incarnationis (the feast of the Incarnation) (Cabrol. Col. 2242). In history, B. was perceived both as the Lord's and as the Mother of God holiday. Theodore Prodrom (XII century) in a quatrain names 12 main holidays, among which, with the exception of B., there are no Mother of God. The Grottaferrata Typikon (XIII century) mentions B. among the 14 Lord's holidays (Dmitrievsky. Description. T. 1. S. 907). Since the XIV century, with the inclusion in the list of the twelfth holidays, first the Assumption, and then so on. Mother of God holidays, B. becomes one of them ( Sergius (Spassky). Monthly. T. 1. S. 401). Unlike the Orthodox Churches where B. is considered one of the most important holidays νου Μαρίας - Annunciation of Our Most Holy Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary), in the Catholic. this is a second-class feast (the full name is Annuntiatio beatae Mariae Virginis - the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary) (Choynacki, p. 1002).

Event B. in the patristic tradition

In Greek collections of patristic words for various holidays intended for liturgical use (patristic Lectionaries) for B. are usually given 1 or 2 readings: the first begins with the words "Πάλιν χαρᾶς εὐαγγέλια" (Again the joy of the gospel; known under the names of St. John Chrysostom and Gregory, archbishop of Neocaesarea , in Min (PG. 50. Col. 791-793ff.) placed under the name of St. John Chrysostom, but designated as spuria), and the second - the word of St. Andrew of Crete (beginning: "̓Επέστη σήμερον ἡ πάντων χαρὰ" (There is joy for all today) - PG. 97. Col. 881ff.), e.g., in Hieros. Patr. 6. Fol. 8-17v, IX-X centuries, Hieros. Sab. 259. Fol. 31-36, 1089-1090 and 292. Fol. 144-170, 1611-1612 In addition, there are manuscripts containing other patristic readings, for example, in Hieros. Patr. 132. Fol. 254-313, XIV century. and Hieros. Sab. 1.Fol. 1-24, X c., in addition to the indicated readings, there are also given beginning with the words: "Τῷ μηνὶ τῷ ἕκτῳ", "̓Αγαπητοί, βασιλεῖ τῶν", "Σήμερον ἀγαπητοὶ" (In the sixth month; Beloved, to the King; God sent; Today, beloved; attributed to St. John Chrysostom and absent from PG), "Σήμερον ἀγγελικῇ παρατάξει" (Today to the angelic order; attributed to St. Gregory of Neocaesarea; published by Minem as Spuria: PG. 10. Col. 1145ff .), " ̓Αγαπητοί, οὕτως ἐστὶν τὸ μυστήριον" (Beloved, this is a sacrament; attributed to St. Proclus of Poland; published by Minem as Spuria: PG. 65. Col. 705ff.). PG also published sermons attributed to St. Athanasius the Great ("Τοὺς θείους ἱεροκήρυκας" (Divine Preachers - PG. 28. Col. 917ff.)) and St. John Chrysostom (“Βασιλικῶν μυστηρίων ορτὴν ορτάσωμεν σήμερον” (We celebrate the feast of the Royal Sacraments today - PG. 60. Col. 755ff.)), both marked as spuria. The authorship of all these creations (except, apparently, the words of St. Andrew of Crete) is beyond dispute; most likely they were written later than the time of the life of those authors whose names they bear (which is confirmed by the above testimony of Bishop Abraham of Ephesus (VI century), and also by the fact that the name of St. John Chrysostom bears many teaching texts that had a liturgical function). Words in B. were also written by later authors, for example. St. Sophronius of Jerusalem (PG. 87γ. Col. 3217ff.); St. Herman, Patriarch of K-Polish, whose sermon "On the Annunciation" (BHG. No. 1145; PG. 98. Col. 321ff.) contains 2 dialogues of the Rev. Mary with the archangel and right. Joseph, both with an alphabetic acrostic (Kazhdan, pp. 91-93); Rev. Theodore the Studite (PG. 99. Col. 592ff.); St. Gregory Palamas (PG. 151. Col. 165ff.); St. Nicholas Cavasila(PO. Vol. 19, fasc. 3. P. 488ff.); Moscow St. Filaret (Drozdov)(who compares the words of Mary “let it be to me according to your word” with the words of the Creator “let it be” (Gen 1.3 ff.), so that “the word of the creature brings down the Creator into the world” - Word 23 // Creations. M. , 1874. T. 2. S. 64-70) and many others. others

An essential element of patristic writings dedicated to the event of B. is its dogmatic aspect. In all the words on B. it is emphasized that the main event of B. is the accomplished incarnation of the Son of God; Rev. Theodore the Studite even calls B. not the Mother of God, but the Lord's holiday. Due to the close connection between B., the Incarnation and the Nativity of Christ, some sermons could well have been written not for reading in B., but for the feast of the Nativity of Christ (for example, the word of St. Proclus or the sermon of St. Leo the Great (PL. T. 54. Col. 192ff.), which is part of the readings of the feast of B. according to the Roman Breviary). The Holy Fathers often emphasize the role of the Rev. Virgin in B. and Her moral highness; this aspect of the event is vividly expressed in the words of Saints Gregory Palamas and Nicholas Cabasilas. Some of the words inscribed with the name of St. John Chrysostom, as well as the word of St. Herman and kontakion of St. Roman the Melodist, are built in the form of a dialogue, and not only Rev. Virgo and angel, but also right. Joseph the Betrothed. Speaking about the greatest significance of B. in history, the Church Fathers do not confine themselves to a dogmatic interpretation of the gospel narrative - they often (for example, Theodore the Studite) draw practical moral conclusions from it.

worship

The unstable position of the day of the celebration of B. in the ancient Jerusalem calendar is indicated by the fact that in the load. handwritten Iadgari (a hymnographic appendix to the Lectionary, reflecting the Jerusalem practice of the 7th-10th centuries), the B. service is either not written out at all, or written out separately at the beginning of the manuscript (the church year in Iadgari begins with the Nativity of Christ). B.'s service in Iadgari includes 2 sets of stichera (on "Lord, cry out" and praise) of the 2nd tone; 2 troparia (for Vespers "God Revealed Gabriel" of the 7th tone and for the liturgy "When the image of the kivot Moses" of the 2nd plagal tone); complete canon of the 1st tone (beginning: “Let's sing a new song”) with the 2nd song (Greek parallels to the canon were not found); liturgical prokeimenon (Lk 1.46, verse: Lk 1.48, tone 3), alleluiar (verse: Ps 44.11, tone 4th plagal) and hymns for washing hands (tone 1st plagal) and for the transfer of the Gifts - the same as in the Lectionaries (Ancient Iadgari, p. 7-11).

The special veneration of B. in Jerusalem is indicated by the fact that the words of the Archangelic greeting to the Virgin Mary are included in the intercessio of the anaphora of the Jerusalem liturgy by St. James (SDL. Issue 1. S. 181).

In the cathedral service of the K-field of the VIII-XII centuries.

In the Typikon of the Great c. IX-XI centuries, which determined the cathedral service in the capital of Byzantium until the beginning. XIII century., B.'s service is described for the most general case, when both the holiday itself and the day before fall on the seven days of fasting (that is, when March 25 falls on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday); separate indications of cases of coincidence of B. with Saturday or a week in general, with the week of Vay, with Maundy Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Easter week, Monday of Bright Week, other days of Bright Week are given after the main article of the Typicon (Mateos. Typicon. T. 1 pp. 252-259).

On B.'s eve (i.e., March 24) in the K-field, a litiya (procession) was arranged from the church of St. Sophia to the church of St. Sophia. Mother of God in Chalkopratia (services of the Mother of God feasts usually took place in this or in Blachernae churches - Mateos. Typicon. T. 2. P. 267), where Vespers was served with the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts, which did not have festive features. Following this, they sang a solemn παννυχίς (pannikhis; in the Typicon of the Great Church - evening service on the eve of holidays and special days), this indication is already present in the Polish Monthly Book of the Gospels of the Festive Whole Year, 8th century. ( Sergius (Spassky). Monthly. T. 1. S. 409-412; Skaballanovich. Typicon. Issue. 1. S. 359).

The next day (March 25) in the Church of St. Sophia (Great Church) Matins were served, on which a troparion of the feast was added to Ps 50 a. After Matins and τριτοέκτη (tritoekti - “the third-sixth [hour]”; in the Typicon of the Great Church - a special lenten service instead of the small hours of the day), i.e. in the 2nd half of the day, in the church of St. Sophia they read εὐχὴ τοῦ τρισαγίου (“the prayer of the Trisagion” - apparently, this means the peaceful litany of the liturgy) and with the singing of the troparion of the feast, they went with the litia to the Forum (where the special litany was proclaimed) and from there to the temple of Chalkopratia, where the liturgy, begun in the Great Church, was celebrated. For the liturgy, the readings of Exodus 3. 1b - 8a, Proverbs 8. 22-30, Heb 2. 11-18 are indicated (the same reading is indicated for the Council of the Most Holy Mother of God on December 26); prokeimnas after the 1st and 2nd readings (festive (Ps 95.2b, verse: Ps 95.1, tone 4) and common for the evening Lenten services “Let him be corrected” (from Ps 140)); alleluiarium of the 1st tone (verses: Ps 71.6, 7) and the Gospel Lk 1.24-38; 2 is involved - the common Mother of God (Ps 115.4) and the Annunciation (Ps 131.13).

If the Annunciation coincides with a Saturday or a week, when the liturgy cannot be served in the 2nd half of the day, paroemias (Exodus and Proverbs) are transferred to Vespers the day before and the general paremia of Proverbs 9. 1-11 is added to them. According to the Canonary X-XI centuries. from the Sinai library (Dmitrievsky. Description. T. 1. S. 215-216), close to the Typikon of the Great Church, a more solemn service is performed: at Vespers near B., regardless of the day of the week, 3 common paremias of the Mother of God are read (Gen. 28. 10-17, Ezek 43. 27-44. 4, Proverbs 9. 1-11), and on the morning of March 25 - the common Mother of God Gospel (Lk 1. 39-49, 56).

Typicon of the Great c. does not specify what liturgy was performed on the feast of B., which fell on a weekday of fasting, full or Presanctified Gifts, but on the basis of Trul. 52 it can be argued that complete; Studial Typikons (see, for example, GIM. Sin. 330. L. 162v., XII century) specify that only in churches dedicated to the Mother of God, the full liturgy was served, in others - the Presanctified Gifts.

In the Studio charter

used in the monasteries (and possibly in parish churches) of Byzantium in the 9th-12th centuries, and in Rus' everywhere - in the 10th-14th centuries, the celebration of B. already has the form of a three-day cycle, in which, in addition to the actual holiday March 25 includes one-day pre- and after-feasts. March 26, the day of the afterfeast, probably by analogy with the holidays of the Nativity of Christ and the Epiphany, receives the name of the Cathedral of arch. Gabriel. There is a rich hymnographic material dedicated to B.; from the X-XI centuries. in connection with the final design of the Menaion, it is placed in this liturgical book. In addition to a detailed description of the services in the usual case (when B., his pre- and after-feasts fall on the seven days of fasting), the Annunciation Chapters appear in different editions of the Studite Charter - extensive indications of the connection of the services of the Menaion and Triodion in case B. coincides with special days and holidays triode cycle.

The order of performing services (in a typical case) is as follows. The Prefeast of B. opens with Vespers on March 24 (on the 23rd evening), on which, on “Lord, I have cried,” the stichera of the Triodion are added to the stichera of the Triodion, and the edges go into the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts (if March 23 does not fall on a Sunday or Saturday ). On the morning of March 24, celebrated in the fast (with Alleluia), together with the Triodion hymns, the canon of the prefeast is sung. At Vespers on the eve of the feast (on the evening of the 24th), at “Lord, I cried out,” stichera B. were added to the stichera of the Triodion, and 3 common paroemias of the day were added to the 2 proverbs of the day; Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts is celebrated. Compline is abbreviated. On the morning of March 25, “God is the Lord” is sung with a triple troparion of the holiday (); there are degrees (1st antiphon of the 4th tone), prokimen and the Gospel; canon - only a holiday; the stichera of B. were added to the morning stichera of the Triodion. A characteristic feature of the holiday of B., which distinguishes it in the Studian charter from others. (the earliest studio monuments speak of this in connection with B. - Dmitrievsky. Description. T. 1. S. 236), - before the evening on March 25 in the evening of litiya (procession of the cross) with the procession outside the monastery, during the Troparion B is sung at Vespers at the “Lord, I cried” stichera of the Triodion, the feast and arch. Gabriel; to 2 proverbs of the day, performed with their own prokimen, 2 dedicated to B. are added, after which the evening lenten prokeimenon "" is proclaimed; further, after the litany and the Trisagion, follows the liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, starting with readings. Paroemias for vespers and liturgical readings are the same as in the Typicon of the Great Church. (as well as auxiliary chants; however, only B. is involved). The indications of various editions of the Studite Rules on Compline on March 25 in the evening do not coincide with each other. On March 26, the Alleluia is sung at Matins; canons B. and arch. Gabriel. On the morning of March 26, the celebration of B. ends (nevertheless, some editions of the Studio Charter extend the celebration until Vespers on this day in the evening), but if March 26 falls on Saturday, then at Matins, instead of Alleluia, “God is the Lord” is sung and the whole service goes on festive rite (the chants of the Triodion are cancelled). Of the patristic readings, the Studial Typikons usually assign the words of Gregory of Neocaesarea, Andrew of Crete, and John Chrysostom (the distribution is different; the most stable position of the word of Andrew of Crete is according to the 3rd ode of the canon of Matins on March 25).

Corresponding to each other as a whole, different editions of the Studio Charter - such as the Studio-Aleksievsky Typikon (reflects the Polish studio practice of the 1st half of the 11th century; this is the most archaic of the surviving complete Studio Typicons; was used in Russia until the end of the XIV c.; text see: Pentkovsky. Typikon. S. 332-341), Evergetid Typikon (reflects the practice of reformed K-Polish monasticism in the late XI century; text see: Dmitrievsky. Description. T. 1. S. 429- 444), George Mtatsmindeli Typikon (reflects the Athos practice of the middle of the 11th century; extracts see: Kekelidze. Liturgical Georgian monuments. S. 256-260), Messinian Typicon (reflects the southern Italian (more precisely, Calabro-Sicilian) practice of the 12th century .; text see: Arranz . Typicon. P. 129-144), the Nikolo-Kazolian Typicon (reflects the South Italian (more precisely, Otranto and Grottaferrata) practice of the 12th century; text see: Toscani Th . Ad Typica Graecorum ac praesertim ad Typicum cryptoferratense s. Bartholomaei abbatis animadversiones R., 1864. P. 56-64 and Dmitrievsky. Description. T. 1. S. 828-830), differ in a number of details: 1) the corpus of stichera and sedals in various studio Typikons is approximately the same, but they are distributed by days and services in a different way; 2) On March 24, according to the Studian-Alexian and Evergetid Typikons, the services of the Triodion and the forefeast of B. are connected with the service of the schmch. Basil, which is expressed in the addition of the saint's stichera at "Lord, I have called" at Vespers and the saint's canon at Matins (there is no service of the saint in the Athonite and Italian Typikons); 3) The Evergetid Typikon, in addition to the troparion of the feast, uses 2 Sunday Mother of God (the 4th tone "" and the 1st tone "") to glorify the event B. for Matins on March 26 (at both Matins - on Alleluia; according to the Studian-Alexian Typicon, the usual guard trinity are sung here; according to Athos and Italian - the troparion of the holiday "" (but the Messinian Typicon for Alleluia of Matins on March 24 has a special troparion B. "̓Απεστάλη Γαβριὴλ ”(Gabriel was sent)); at the end of Matins on March 26, both Evergetides, Athos, and Italian. Typicons indicate to sing the troparion of the holiday); 4) The Evergetid and Messinian Typikons have on March 24 after Compline a special festive service - Pannikhis, on which the Triodion triodes are sung from Matins on March 25; The Evergetid Typikon appoints a special festive canon for this service with a kontakion of the 6th tone " ”(according to the Messinian Typicon, this kontakion is performed on the morning of March 24; in other Typicons it is not indicated for the services of the Annunciation cycle); 5) at the festive morning on March 25, the Polish Studian-Aleksievsky and Evergetid Typikons indicate the versification of kathismas (two and three, respectively), Athos and Italian. The typikons replace kathismas, as on other feasts, with three antiphons (Ps 134:81, 148); 6) only the Evergetid Typicon prescribes singing polyeleos 7 at matins on March 25); in the K-Polish Typikons on the morning of March 25, a special prokeimenon B. sounds before the Gospel (“ ”(concatenation of Ps 95. 2b and 97. 3d) with the verse Ps 95. 1), in Athonite and Italian - a common prokeimenon to the Theotokos (Ps 44. 18a); 8) The Studio-Aleksievsky Typicon does not cancel the triodes of Triodion at Matins on March 25; 9) this Matins in the Studian-Aleksievsky Typikon ends in the usual way (with verse stichera; the Studiysko-Aleksievsky Typicon knows the so-called festive ending of Matins only on Great Saturday), the rest of the Typicons prescribe a festive ending (with morning doxology in the cathedral edition (see st. Great doxology) and without verse stichera); 10) on the day of the holiday, according to Athos and Italian. Typicons, hours without kathismas, and according to the early K-Polish ones, they were completely canceled (according to Evergetid - except for the 1st); 11) The Evergetid and Messinian Typikons contain a mention of a special verse ("Hail, the Door of God"), proclaimed at the return of the festive litia to the temple; 12) in the Messinian Typicon there is no stichera of arch. Gabriel at Vespers on March 25 in the evening; 13) on the morning of March 26, the Polish Typikons indicate 2 kathismas, Athos and Italian - 1 each; 14) The Evergetid and Messinian Typikons indicate special laudatory stichera for this Matins; 15) the last service of the Annunciation cycle according to the K-Polish Typikons - Matins on March 26; in Athos and Italian - vespers on the 26th in the evening, on which the stichera of the holiday are sung and after which (according, for example, the Typicon of George Mtatsmindeli) there is “consolation”.

In the event that B. coincides with a Saturday or a week when the liturgy cannot be performed at Vespers, 2 paroemias of B. are transferred to Vespers the day before; Studio Typikons cancel if B. falls on the usual Saturday of Lent (but not on a week or on a special Saturday - Lazarus or Great) Triodion service and, as a rule, prescribe general cathedral antiphons to be sung at the liturgy (which in the Studio Charter had the character " semi-holiday"; now - everyday antiphons) and the entrance verse " ". In addition, the Studio Typikons contain extensive Annunciation chapters (describing the order of services when the days of the Annunciation cycle coincide with special days of fasting), the volume of which increases in later Typikons.

Saturday Akathist is historically connected with the holiday of B.; in the studio Typicons this connection is clearly expressed. According to the Studiysko-Aleksievsky Typikon, on March 24 at matins to the canons of the pre-feast and schmch. Basil, the Akathist canon is added, which in the Akathist Saturday service itself is called “the canon of the Annunciation” (Pentkovsky. Typikon. S. 244, 332). According to the Typicon of George Mtatsmindeli, the Akathist is performed not on the 5th Saturday of Great Lent, but on the Saturday before B. The Messinian Typicon prescribes to sing the Akathist following not only on Saturday at all, but 5 days before B. (Arranz. Typicon. P. 223 -224). With the Messinian Typikon, the Triodion ital. origin (Crypt. Δ. β. IV, X c.), where it is indicated that “we sing the canon of the Most Holy Theotokos with the Akathist five days before the Annunciation.” For Compline on March 24 in the evening, the Messinian Typicon indicates the canon of the Akathist. The Evergetid Typikon says nothing about the singing of the Akathist to the Theotokos on the eve of the feast of B., but if the holiday coincides with the Saturday of the Akathist, then the canon of the Akathist and the first 12 ikos of the Akathist to the Theotokos are sung at pannikhis, the remaining 12 ikos - in the morning after the 6th song of the canon. All studio Typikons indicate B. as a kontakion according to the 6th ode of the canon of Matins on March 25, proimy of the Akathist to Bogodice "".

In the Studian-Alexian and Evergetid Typikons, after describing the worship of B. during the Paschal period, there is a small chapter on the possibility of performing a full liturgy when B. falls on Good Friday, where it is noted that the full liturgy on B. is served only in the temple during the seven days of fasting, dedicated to the Mother of God, and in others - Presanctified Gifts. Further, the Evergetid Typikon offers a special “interpretation of the Annunciation”, according to Krom, when a holiday falls for the period from Holy Thursday to Easter, it is possible to separate the celebration of the Annunciation and the daily services, each in its own order: Matins B. and the day, without connecting, are served in a row ; the same practice existed in the Olympic mon-ryah in the XII century. (Hieros. Sab. 312. Fol. 64v, 1201- Παπαδόπουλος-Κεραμεῦς ̓Α . ῾Ιεροσολυμιτικὴ βιβλιοθήκη. SPb., 1894. T. 2. S. 443-444).

In the Jerusalem Rule

to which from the 13th century. pass the Greek Churches, from the XIV century - Yugoslav, and from the end. XIV - beginning. XV century - Russian, based on the Studio tradition, the following of the holiday of B. and the set of Annunciation chapters received their final development and reached their modern. states. In the Jerusalem Rite, the editions of which differ slightly (compared to the editions of the Studian Rite), the Annunciation cycle consists of 3 days and contains basically the same hymnographic and biblical texts as in the Studite monuments; the main difference from the latter is the performance of an all-night vigil under B. (beginning not with Vespers, as usual, but with Great Compline). A number of features of the celebration of B. bring it closer to the feast of the Nativity of Christ (although, in particular because of fasting, B. is celebrated less solemnly): B. has a forefeast; on the eve of the feast itself, great vespers are served without kathisma and (if it is a weekly day) with the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts; the festive vigil includes Great Compline, the 2nd part of Vespers, Matins and the 1st hour; on another day (March 26) the Cathedral of arch. Gabriel - like the Cathedral of St. Mother of God.

In Greek Jerusalem Typicon, published in 1577 in Venice (this is one of the first printed editions), the services of the Annunciation cycle (when they fall on the seven days of fasting) are performed in the manner described below (Fol. 45-48v, 110-117v). On March 24, at Vespers and Matins, the service of the Triodion is combined with the service of the fore-feast as if it were the service of an ordinary saint (but the ordinary ones of the Theotokos were replaced by festive ones). Hours are read quickly so as not to get tired before the vigil. There is no kathisma at Vespers on March 25; on “Lord, I cried” stichera for 10 (twice self-voiced (martyrdom is cancelled), 3 is similar to Triodi and 3 stichera of the feast for 5 (the first two twice), “” - the holiday); after entering and "" - 5 proverbs (2 daily and 3 common to the Mother of God), "" and so on. Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts. At the meal, food with oil and wine are offered. “About 1 o’clock in the morning” (that is, shortly after sunset) a festive all-night vigil begins in the temple, opening with the exclamation of the priest and censing and consisting of Great Compline, the 2nd part of Vespers (including litiya, verse stichera, “” , the Trisagion, the blessing of the loaves), Matins and the 1st hour. On the 2nd part of Vespers, all the chants are changed only by B.; at the end of it (during the eating of blessed bread), the “word of the holiday” is read. Matins has the following features: "God is the Lord" is sung with B.'s troparion (three times); 3 kathismas are chanted (on the 1st both sedals of Triodi are sung (the sedals of the voice are canceled); on the 2nd and 3rd - the sedals of the holiday); this is followed by polyeleos, degrees (1st antiphon of the 4th tone), prokeimenon, Gospel, Ps 50 with stichera B., lithium petition - all according to the usual rank (the prokeimenon and the Gospel are the same as in the K-Polish Studio Typikons) ; the canon of the holiday is sung with triodes, the 9th song is performed as on the biggest holidays; on praise - "Every breath" and stichera of the holiday; doxology everyday; morning poems from Triodi (with the martyr), "" - a holiday; Matins ends as on weekdays outside the fast (but with 3 prostrations). The 1st hour joins the morning without leave (with kathisma; the troparion and kontakion B. are read at the hour; at the end - 3 prostrations); the vigil ends with a dismissal and the anointing of the brethren with oil. Before the 3rd hour, a lithium is performed - a walk around the monastery with the singing of the troparion and kontakion of the holiday; further the 3rd and 6th hours and the reading of the words of St. John Chrysostom "Πάλιν χαρᾶς εὐαγγέλια". "About 9 o'clock" (approximately at 15.00) are read the 9th hour with kathisma and are quickly pictorial. Vespers begins immediately with a full liturgy (in the usual case, St. John Chrysostom); there is no kathisma on it; on “Lord, I have called” 11 stichera (twice self-voiced and 3 similar to Triodion, 3 B. and 3 arch. Gabriel (the latter with his own verse), “” - a holiday), during which protesis (proskomidia) is performed; then the entrance with the Gospel, “”, 2 proverbs of the day with their prokimen and 2 paroemia B., Lenten prokeimenon “”, a small litany and, starting with the Trisagion, a full liturgy (readings and liturgical chants are the same as in the Typicon of the Great c. and the Studio Charter). At the meal - “the consolation of the brethren”: on this day it is allowed to eat fish (prohibited by the Jerusalem Charter for the period of Fortecost), wine and oil, and on Holy Week - only wine and oil (on Good Friday and Saturday - wine and uncooked food without oil ). If B. falls on a Saturday or a week, the liturgy is performed in the morning (vespers, on the other hand, at their own time); at the feast of the week at the liturgy - the entrance verse (the same as in the Studian Rule). Compline quickly, without bows and canons. On another day (March 26) Matins - from Alleluia, on which the Annunciation and Arch. Gabriel; this morning the celebration of B. ends.

Instructions printed in Russian. Typicon, published in Moscow in 1633, and Greek. The Typicon of 1577 correspond almost literally to each other. In contrast to them, early printed Russian. The Typicon of 1610 contains a number of features: on the eve of B., the singing of the Oktoikh is not cancelled; there is a detailed description of the order of lithium outside the monastery (which is a modified rite of prayer), etc. (L. 630-631v.; 140).

In the Typicon, now adopted by the Russian Orthodox Church ([T. 1.] P. 533-588), the liturgy of the Annunciation cycle is described in great detail. Instructions modern. Russian Typicon are close to the instructions of the Greek. 1577, but in Russian. the number and volume of the Annunciation domes is much greater; in addition, there are significant innovations in the description of the services: 1) at Vespers on the feast day, which took place on a weekday of Lent, as an option, the absence of the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts is provided (in practice, if March 24 is a Monday, Tuesday or Thursday, the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts, as a rule , do not perform; this late practice destroys the analogy between the celebration of the Nativity of Christ, where the Great Vespers ends with a liturgy on eve, and B.; the ancient tradition of celebrating the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts on March 24, if this date falls on any weekday of Lent, should be recognized as preferable) ; 2) from the rank of Vespers on the day of the feast, spravschiki con. 17th century excluded the singing of "", arguing their decision with an incorrect reference to John the Faster (Tipikon. [T. 1], p. 545), although this prokeimenon is present in the rite of the Annunciation Liturgy (when it happens on a weekly day) in all Typikons X- without exception 17th century The entrance verse is excluded from the description of the Annunciation service in the week (except for the Week of Vay).

The most ancient Jerusalem Typikons, after the Annunciation chapters, placed, after the Studial ones, a scholia on the feast, where it was stipulated that the full Liturgy be celebrated on Good Friday only in churches dedicated to the Blessed Ones. Mother of God; later Typikons (including modern Russian) speak of a full liturgy, regardless of the dedication of the temple; in addition, the most ancient manuscripts of the Jerusalem Rule prescribed for B. reading the words of Palestinian authors - Sophronius of Jerusalem or the Nile (Dmitrievsky. Description. T. 3. S. 44-46; 94).

In the modern Russian Typicon

B.'s holiday is not transferred to other days and is celebrated from 1 to 3 days. If March 25 falls on the day before Friday of the 6th week of Great Lent, then the holiday lasts 3 days (fore-feast, the feast itself and its celebration), if it falls on this Friday, then 2 (fore-feast and day of the holiday); if B. is celebrated on Holy Week and Holy Week, then there is no fore-feast and giving away (the service of giving on the days of Passion Week can only be performed in churches dedicated to B. or Arch. Gabriel). In the event of the cancellation of the pre- and after-feasts, the stichera and canons from these services are transferred to the compline of c.-l. day of the 6th week of Lent.

The Prefeast does not introduce significant changes into the structure of the services of the daily cycle. The chants of the Triodion are connected with the texts of the Menaion dedicated to this event. If it falls on a Saturday or a week, then the service is celebrated in the usual way for these days; for this case, the Typicon provides a dismissive troparion of the 4th tone "".

If B. falls on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, St. Fortecost, then on the eve of the feast, Vespers immediately follows the hours (3, 6 and 9) and the pictorial ones. At Vespers, at “Lord, I cried out,” 10 stichera (twice self-voiced (martyrdom is cancelled), 3 is similar to Triodi and 3 stichera of the holiday for 5 (the first two twice), “” - the holiday); after entering with a censer and "" 2 proverbs of the day and 3 holidays are read; further - "" and so on. the observance of the Presanctified Liturgy. If the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts is not performed, then after paroemias - “Vouchify, Lord”, Triodi is self-voiced in verse (on “Lord, cry out” he then does not sing) and is martyred, “” - a holiday. After "", Vespers ends as an everyday one: the troparion of the holiday, the special litany, 3 great bows and dismissal.

The all-night vigil for the feast begins with Great Compline (when B. falls on the weekly days of Lent and on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday of Passion Week; if B. falls on the weeks and Mondays of Great Lent and on the days of Bright Week, the vigil begins with Great Vespers; on Great Friday and Saturday and on the 1st day of Pascha, the service begins immediately with Matins). Great Compline is followed by the 2nd part of Vespers, Matins, and the 1st Hour. The time of the beginning of the vigil is the same as in the Greek. Typikon 1577 At the beginning of Great Compline, like the Divine Liturgy of the Nativity of Christ and Theophany, censing is supposed; according to the 1st Trisagion, the troparion of the holiday is sung, according to the 2nd - the kontakion; after “ ” follow lithia and then the service exactly according to the same rank as in the Typicon of 1577, but the description is given in more detail (in particular, it is noted that small litanies are proclaimed only according to the 2nd and 3rd kathisms, and the canon has the following order: in songs without three odes, only the canon of B. is sung (irmos twice, troparia for 12, katavasia B.), in songs with three odes, the canon of Menaia is combined with them (the irmos of the canon of B. once, troparia for 5, three odes for 8 (+ 1), katavasia of Triodi); according to the 3rd song B. sedalen, on the 6th - kontakion, on the 9th - luminary B.; festive refrains are sung on the 9th song (the song of the Virgin is canceled), at the end - katavasia Triodi and B.). On the morning of the holiday, the polyeleos are always sung and the festive Gospel is read (except on the 1st day of Easter, when the polyeleos are not supposed to, and the Gospel is read according to the 6th ode of the canon), which cancels even the daily reading on Holy Week (except for the Great Heel matins, when the 12 Passionate Gospels sound, and the reading of the feast; and the Week of Vay, when, on the contrary, the Gospel of B. is cancelled). On Great Saturday 2 Gospels: festive - after polyeleos, daytime - according to the great doxology. Song of the Rev. Theotokos after the 8th ode of the canon at matins on the day of B. is performed only on the 3rd, 4th and 5th Sundays of Great Lent. In other on the same days, the refrain of B. is sung, and starting from the Week of Vay, the refrain and irmos of the canon of Triodi are added to it. The great doxology is sung only when B. falls on Saturday or the week of Lent. On weekdays of the Forty Days, the doxology is read (in the weekday edition), but on Bright Week it is completely absent.

The hours are read with ordinary kathismas and proverbs on the 6th; bows (3) only on the 1st (but on Holy Week at all hours 3 bows each). Before the 3rd hour there is a procession; after the 6th, the word of St. John Chrysostom " »; immediately after this, the 9th hour and (quickly) are pictorial, ending with 3 prostrations. Next, the prayer "" and the dismissal of the hours sound (as before the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts). Hours (except the 1st) The Typikon prescribes reading at the meal. T. n. the final Trisagion (is a sign of the weekly Great Lenten service and is read at the end of the services of the daily circle, after which a vacation is appointed) on the day of B. is not pronounced. This once again emphasizes the exceptional nature of the festive service.

Liturgy in B., which happened on the weekly days of Lent and Holy Week (including Great Friday and Saturday), is performed at Vespers, in other cases - separately from it. Whatever day the feast falls on, the full Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom (including on Good Friday), except for those days of singing the Lenten Triodion, on which the Liturgy of St. Basil the Great. The liturgy (chants and readings - the same as in the older Typikons) begins with Vespers, at which kathisma is cancelled. On “Lord, I have called”, the stichera of the Triodion are joined by the stichera of the holiday, and the total number of stichera is 11 (the latter has a special refrain; this feature is characteristic only for the holiday of B.). During the “Lord, I have called,” the priest performs the protesis (proskomidia). Upon entering with the Gospel, 2 proverbs of the day and 2 feasts are read. This is followed by a small litany and an exclamation of the Trisagion, after which the liturgy proceeds according to the usual order; the meritor is indicated - irmos of the 9th song of the festive canon.

If B. is on the 3rd or 4th Saturday of Great Lent, then the All-Night Vigil is served in the same way as on weekdays, only at Matins “there is a service throughout the holiday, below the four hymns, nothing else is sung on Saturday, but all the holiday ". The four hymns of Saturday are transferred to Thursday's Compline, and 2 paroemias of B. from the evening of March 25 to the evening of March 24 (where then there are 7 paremias - 2 days, 3 common to the Theotokos and 2 B.); in the morning a great doxology is sung. The liturgy, on a cut of "every feast", is preceded by the reading of the usual hours (3rd and 6th). Before the clock, at the 2nd hour of the day (according to the current account, ca. 8.00), "exodus outside the monastery" is appointed. At the liturgy, pictorial antiphons are sung, and the 3rd and 6th odes of the morning canon of the feast are sung at the Blessed.

If B. - on Monday, Ph.D. week of Great Lent (not excluding Great Monday), then on the eve of the holiday, small vespers are sent, and the all-night vigil begins with great vespers with the singing of the prelude psalm and "Blessed is the husband." On “Lord, I have called”, the stichera of the Triodion and the feast are sung, then the entrance with a censer, the prokeimenon of the day and 3 proverbs B., a special litany, “Vouch, Lord”, a petitionary litany; beginning with the lithium, the vigil proceeds in the same way as when B. coincides with another weekday.

If B. is on one of the Sundays of Great Lent, the service is the usual combination of the Sunday service with the service of the Rev. Virgin; at the all-night vigil, which has the usual order, 5 proverbs are read (3 common to the Theotokos and 2 B.). In the week of the Adoration of the Cross, there are features characteristic of it (worship of the Cross, etc.).

If B. - on Wednesday or Thursday of the 5th week of Lent, the Great Canon of St. Andrew of Crete from Thursday morning is transferred to Tuesday of the same week. B.'s service on the Saturday of the Akathist is characterized by the combination of the Akathist to the Mother of God, which is sung in 4 articles, with the polyeleic Annunciation Matins. During the days of Holy and Bright Weeks, the divine service of the holiday is performed according to the unique prescriptions of the Annunciation chapters.

On the evening of March 25, Small Compline is read (with 16 prostrations); matins for giving away is Lenten, chants of B. and arch. Gabriel, but the structure of the service does not change. If the giving of B. falls on Saturday or the week of fasting (3rd, 4th or 5th), then matins are served with “God is the Lord”, and the texts of the holiday are sung at the liturgy.

Special reverence for B. in Orthodoxy. Church is expressed in the frequent reading of the Akathist to St. Theotokos (in Greek monasteries at Compline almost daily; in Russia in private and church prayers), in the widespread use of the troparion "Virgin Mother of God", in dedication to B. pl. temples and mon-rei and so on.

B. was previously celebrated in Rus' as the beginning of salvation and the liberation of mankind. This led to the custom, especially in Moscow, on the day of B. to release birds from their cages into the wild. In Greece and Rus', on this day, they tried to avoid even the easiest work.

Modern Greek Parish Typikon

Protopsalt G. Violakis orders to sing the service of the fore-feast and the feast itself according to a simplified order (preserving the traditional order in the monastic service). March 23 in the evening - Vespers with the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts. March 24 Matins with "God is the Lord"; in the evening - Vespers with entrance, but without the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts (even if March 24 is Wednesday or Friday). The vigil is not performed (as in other holidays); in the morning, regardless of the day, there are 2 kathismas (sedal feasts), there is no polyeleos (the Gospel - according to the 8th song of the canon), a great doxology is sung. The Liturgy is celebrated in full, without joining Vespers (on any day); at the liturgy the festive antiphons and the entrance verse are sung. Giving away most often takes place on the evening of March 25 at Vespers, at the end of which the Akathist to the Mother of God is sung; festive texts at matins (and, possibly, liturgy) on March 26 are heard only with certain variants of the coincidence of B. with the days of Great Lent. An important difference between the Greek Typicon is the transfer of B. to the first day of Easter, if the holiday falls on Good Friday or Saturday (Βιολάκης . Τυπικὸν. Σ. 205-238). In many ways, the Greeks differ from each other. and Russian B.'s hymnographic form; a great variety is observed in the distribution of festive stichera; in Greek Menaia has no canon of afterfeast and laudatory stichera of arch. Gabriel; some small texts differ.

In the Roman tradition

the feast of B., to a greater extent than in the East, is the feast of the Mother of God and, to a lesser extent, the feast of the Incarnation of the Savior. Only since 1895 has the holiday been officially included among the paramount ones; until that time, it was considered a holiday of the 2nd degree in the six-step Rome. classification. Feast worship in Rome. the rite takes place on March 25 (in the Spanish-Mozarabic rite, the celebration is postponed to December 18, in the Ambrosian - to the last Sunday of Advent), but if B. falls on Passion Week or the octave of Easter (Bright Week), then his service is sung on Monday 2- th week after Easter, in some localities there are special traditions for celebrating B. The hymns and prayers of the feast according to Rome. The Missal and the Breviary are mainly built on paraphrases of the gospel story about B. and the prophecy of Isaiah (7. 10-15). On nocturnae, according to the pre-reform (before Vatican II) Breviary, readings were laid: Is 7. 10-15; 11.1-5; 35. 1-7; part 2 of St. Leo the Great about the Nativity of Christ; Lk 1. 26-38; part of the 2nd book of the interpretation of St. Ambrose of Milan on the Gospel of Luke. At Mass, the entrance verse from Ps 44; readings: Isaiah 7.10-15 and Lk 1.26-38 (in the reformed Roman rite, the reading of Heb 10.4-10 was added; the gradual and tract in the pre-reform rite are taken from Ps 44, in the post-reform rite - from Ps 39); all 3 variable prayers of the mass (secreta, praefatio, postcommunio) are special. B. is remembered in the hymn “Ave Maria”, which is widespread in the West, in the Angellus prayer, in the Rosary. B. were dedicated to several. app. monastic orders. Of the customs associated with B., we can note the old Rome. the tradition of endowing girls on this day with a dowry collected at the expense of the Church (Arch. A.F. Khoynatsky).

hymnography

Modern the hymnographic formulary of the services of the Annunciation cycle, for the most part, dates back to the time of the dominance of the Studian charter (Gorsky, Nevostruev. Description. Otdel. 3. Part 2. S. 91-92). The following of the forefeast B. includes: 3 is similar to “Lord, I cried”; dismissive troparion of the 4th tone "" (in case March 24 is Saturday or a week); canon of Theophanes of the 4th tone (irmos "", beginning: " »; in Greek Menaea is named as the author of the canon by George, but the name of Theophanes is also mentioned) without an acrostic; 2 saddles (in Greek Menaeus - only one of them); kontakion without ikos (Greek Menaia indicates another kontakion, also without ikos) and luminary (Greek Menaia indicates others); all 3 slavniks of the service of the fore-feast are taken from the festive aftermath.

The following of the feast includes a dismissive troparion of the 4th tone "" - this troparion has remained unchanged since the time of the Typicon of the Great c. (as well as Bible readings and liturgical hymns); 3 each is similar to “Lord, I have cried” and to the verse of small vespers (they have glories from the great vespers); 3 is similar to “Lord, I called” the great vespers (to “” - self-appointed John the monk (John of Damascus? - Ed.)); 3 is self-voiced in lithium (1st - “Byzantine creation”; 2nd and 3rd - “Anatolian” (in a number of manuscripts of the modern 3rd stichera on lithium is inscribed with the name of the nun-hymnographer Cassia); stichera on "" - John the monk, on "" - "Cosmas of the monk" (Cosmas of Maium? - Ed.); 3 is self-voiced on the verse ("" Andrew of Jerusalem); 4 is saddle on kathismata and polyeleos; self-voiced on the 50th Ps .; canon of the 4th voice, 2 sadal after the 3rd song (in Greek Menaion - only the 1st), kontakion with ikos (actually - proimium and 1st icos of the Akathist to the Most Holy Mother of God), refrain (μεγαλυνάριον) on the 9th song; 2 chandeliers (in Russian and Greek Menaion, the 2nd is distinguished); 4 is similar to praise ("" - Theophanes). At Vespers on March 25 in the evening on "Lord, I cried" self-voiced from the festive service are repeated, 3 are added to them like arch Gabriel.

Canon B. 4th tone, obviously, is composed of several. sources, namely: 1) the 8th and 9th cantos are a two-canticle (according to the irmos and 5 troparia in each song) without a line-by-line acrostic, but with a line-by-line alphabetical one, with dedicated B. irmos (beginning of the 1st troparion: “ »); 2) troparia of the 1st, 3-7th songs (4 troparia in each song) form a single system with an alphabetic acrostic (beginning: "") (six-song or ancient kontakion?); 3) irmos 1, 3-5, 7th songs are common Mother of God irmos (1st: ""). Both the first 6 and the 8th odes of the B. canon are written in the form of a dialogue by the Rev. Virgin and arch. Gabriel; The 9th ode is dedicated to the contemplation of the mystery of the Incarnation and the glorification of the Blessed Virgin. The first 6 songs of the canon and the two-canto (8th and 9th songs) are significantly different: 1) in the first 6 songs, the irmoses fall out of the structure formed by the troparia: they violate the strict alphabetic acrostic passing through the troparia, fall out of the dialogic sequence that unfolds in troparia, and are not specifically Annunciation; in the 8th-9th odes, the irmos, on the contrary, are included in the dialogue (the irmos of the 8th ode is a statement by Gabriel), are directly dedicated to B. and are connected with the troparia by common refrains ν () in the 8th songs and Χαῖρε κεχαριτωμένη̇ ὁ Κύριος μετὰ σοῦ () - in the 9th); 2) the troparia of the first 6 songs are written in the form of direct direct speech without explanation (and therefore are provided with cinnabar marks on the margins of the book: “The Angel of the Cry” and “The Mother of God Speech”), and in the irmos and troparia of the 8th song there are indications of the faces of the speakers; 3) by the end of the 7th song, the story about the event B. ends, in the 8th it begins again; 4) the two-singer does not have an acrostic; 5) the troparia of songs are different from lit. t. sp. All this indicates the different origin of the troparia of the first 6 songs, their irmos, which concludes the canon of the two-song. Perhaps the different origin of the songs is due to the fact that in the Greek. Menaeus is named as the author of the canon by John the monk (John of Damascus?), and in Russian - by Theophanes (this attribution is also found in Greek sources - for example, in the rkp. Hieros. Sab. 313. Fol. 174v, 16th century).

At the morning of the surrender of B., the Rev. written in the form of a dialogue are sung. The Virgin and the Archangel (as for the holiday itself) canon of the 6th tone (irmos "", beginning: "") with an alphabetic acrostic, absent in Greek. Minae; canon written by Joseph Gabriel of the 4th tone (irmos "" 2, beginning: "") with the acrostic "῾Ως παμμέγιστον τὸν Γαβριὴλ αἰνέσω" (I will sing the name of the great Gabriel) and the name of the author in the acrostic of the 9th song; saddle (to Krom in the Greek. Mena, the 2nd kontakion without ikos was added); kontakion without ikos (in Greek Minae - others); 3 is similar to the archangel, absent in the Greek. Menaeus (the slavnik is taken from the following of the feast).

In terms of content, the service on the day of B. is a lengthy interpretation of the gospel text about the gospel of arch. Gabriel, addressed to the Rev. Virgin Mary about the mystery of the Incarnation from Her God the Word. The liturgical texts explain the Archangel greeting and the response of the Mother of God to the gospel. In the hymnographic form of the holiday, all the main Old Testament types are given (Genesis 2.3; 3.15; 28.17; Exodus 3.3; 14.15; 17.6; 25-27; Numbers 17; Judgment 6.36-38; Ps 67:16; Proverbs 9:1; Song 4:8; 5:5; Isaiah 4:3; 7:14; 11:2; 18:4; 19:1; 34:16; 66:1; Ezekiel 43:27 -44.2; Abb 3; Dan 3; 2. 34, etc.) and New Testament testimonies about B. and the Incarnation (Benjamin (Milov), pp. 81-92). A characteristic feature of the divine service of the entire Annunciation cycle is the presence in the hymns of hayretisms, which reveal in many ways the content of the gospel greeting of the Mother of God: "". Songwriters attach colorful epithets and comparisons to the personality of the Virgin: for example, "" (ikos). The method of dialogue between the archangel and the Reverend is widely used. Virgo. In addition, the hymnography of the holiday is imbued with an expression of joy and exultation of the whole creation about the accomplished salvation: "(slavnik on the verse)," "(sedalon according to the 3rd kathisma)," "(Chorus of the 9th song). Mn. Annunciation texts are based on antinomies: "(glorifier of lithium stichera). Rev. The Virgin, who gave birth to Eternal Life, is opposed to Eve, through which death entered the world, and arch. Gabriel - to the ancient serpent: " ”(self-voiced according to the 50th psalm). The theme of the incomprehensibility of what is happening, present in the hymnography, reaches its culmination and is most clearly reflected in the 9th song of the festive canon: "". In the event of B., songwriters see the beginning of the transformation of all creation: “ "(luminous), and the beginning of salvation:" ”(a dismissive troparion).

3 proverbs at vespers for the feast and the morning gospel are the essence of the general readings of the Mother of God (see Art. Feasts of the Mother of God). Of the Annunciation proverbs, the 1st is a story about the appearance of God by the prophets. Moses (Ex 3. 1b - 8a), reading it in B. emphasizes the contrast between the formidable Old Testament Epiphany and the quiet event of B., thanks to which the main Theophany in world history happened, and the deliverance of old Israel from the yoke of Egypt is also compared. slavery and deliverance of the new Israel - the Church - from sin and eternal death. The 2nd proverb (Proverbs 8:22-30) is dedicated to the Person of the Incarnate Christ - the Wisdom of God. The apostolic reading at the liturgy (Heb 2:11-18) is the same as at the most ancient feast of the Mother of God - the Cathedral of St. Mother of God (26 Dec.). The gospel reading at the liturgy is the story itself about the event B. (Lk 1. 24-38).

In addition to the 3 canons of B. (fore-feast, feast and holiday celebration) and the canon of arch. Gabriel, included in the printed liturgical books now used in Orthodoxy. Churches, according to manuscripts, a number of other canons in B. are known, most of which also had liturgical use. In glory. In the Studio Menaia, a canon is given for the prefeast, beginning with the words "" (Gorsky, Nevostruev. Description. Dep. 3. Part 2. S. 91). Greek manuscripts (Ταμεῖον. Σ. 179-180) contain, in addition to the currently used 4 more festive canons (all in the 4th tone): I will sing to Thee, O Lord my God), beginning. : "̀ρδβλθυοτεΑσομαί σοι, Κύριε, ὁ Θεός μου, ὅτι ἀπέστειλας τὸν σὸν ἄγγελον" (I will sing to you, Lord My God, for He sent His angel)) with the 2nd ode without an acrostic; Andrew of Crete (irmos of the 1st song "̀λδβλθυοτεΑρματα Θαραὼ" (Pharaoh's Chariots), beginning: "̀ρδβλθυοτεΑφραστον ἀληθος τὸ μυστήριον , πιστοί ”(Truly, the sacrament is inexpressible, faithful)) with the 2nd ode without an acrostic (in Analecta Hymnica Graeca (T 7. P. 275-289) a version of this canon was published with other 2nd and 4th cantos and other separate troparions in other songs); with the name George in the Mother of God and the acrostic “Χαρᾶς με τῆς σῆς πλῆσον, εὐλογημένη” (Fill me with Thy Grace, Blessed One) (irmos “̓Ανοίξω τὸ στόμ α μου" (), beginning: "Χαρὰν τὴν ἀνέκφραστον καὶ ἀκατάληπτον σήμερον" (Grace inexpressible and incomprehensible today)); Patriarch Philotheus (Kokkina) (irmos "̀ρδβλθυοτεΩφθησαν αἱ πηγαὶ τῆς ἀβύσσου" (The sources of the abyss were opened), beginning: "̀ρδβλθυοτεΩφθησαν α ἱ πηγαὶ τῆς ἀβύσσου σου" (The wells of Thy abyss were opened)) with the acrostic "̀ρδβλθυοτεΩσαννα Χριστὸς εὐλογημένος Θεός" (Hosanna to Christ, blessed God). Another canon of Joseph of the 4th tone is known for giving away (irmos “Τριστάτας κραταιοὺς” (Strong Tristats), beginning: “̓Εξ ὕψους Γαβριὴλ ἐπιστὰς ἐν τῇ πόλει Ναζαρὲτ" (From on high, Gabriel appeared in the city of Nazareth)) with the acrostic "Εὐαγγελίζου, κόσμος, εἰς σωτηρίαν" (Bless the universe, for salvation) and the name of the author in the acrostic of the 9th ode and the canon of arch. Gabriel of the 4th tone with the acrostic “Χαίρων σε τὸν κήρυκα τῆς χαρᾶς σέβω” (I revere you with joy, herald of grace) and the name George in the Theotokos (irmos “Θαλάσσης τ ὸ ̓Ερυθραῖον πέλαγος" (Red Deep Seas), beginning: "Χαρίτων τῶν ὑπὲρ νοῦν ἡ ἄβυσσος "(Graces that surpass the mind, the abyss)). Known kontakion st. Roman the Melodist on B. (VI century) 1st tone, built in the form of dialogues (Mary and Gabriel, Mary and Joseph) and guided by the Akathist Pres. Mother of God (which indicates the time of writing the Akathist before the middle of the 6th century). The kontakion consists of 18 ikos and proimia (beginning: "̀λδβλθυοτεΟτι οὐκ ἔστιν ὡς σὺ ἐλεήμων") with the refrain "Χαῖρε, νύμφη ἀνύμφευ τε" (Rejoice, Bride unmarried) (SC. 110. P. 20-41).

In manuscripts, 2 cycles of special festive troparia on the blessed ones for B. have been preserved. The 1st cycle of 6 troparia was written out in the Menaion of the 9th-10th centuries. Sinait. gr. 607 (tone 4, irmos: ̀λδβλθυοτεΟτε ἐν τῷ πάθει (When in passion), beginning: Αὐτὴ ἡ ὑπέρλαμπρος (This is bright)); 2nd - in the Menaion of Sinait. gr. 608, X century, and 609, XII century. (voice 4, irmos: Διὰ ξύλου ὁ ̓Αδὰμ (), beginning: Τὴν Ναζαρὲτ ὁ Γαβριήλ (In Nazareth Gabriel)) (Nikiforova A. Festive blessed from the Greek. Menaion XI-XII centuries b-ki mon-rya vmts Catherine on Sinai // Theological Collection, Moscow, 2002, issue 10, p. 158).

In South Italian Greek According to the liturgical tradition, the common prayer behind the ambo at the liturgy on B.'s day could be replaced by festive ones; 3 such prayers are known: ήναι̇" (Lord God, the Almighty, who deigned to incarnate Your Only Begotten Son...) (Crypt. Γ. β. VII, X century; Vat. gr. 1979, XII-XIII centuries; Vat. gr. 2032 and 2052, XVI century), "Δέσποτα κύριε ὁ συνάναρχος τῷ πατρὶ, καὶ συναΐδιος τ ῷ παναγίῳ πνεύματι, ὁ ποιητὴς οὐρανοῦ καὶ γῆς" (Lord, Lord, my God, co-beginning Father and co-eternal with the All-Holy Spirit, Creator of heaven and earth...) (Vat. gr. 1554, 12th century), ύμνητε παναγία δέσποινα θεοτόκε παρθένε̇" (Receive a sincere prayer from us, beloved by all and the all-singing, all-holy Virgin Mary ...) (Corsini. 41. E. 29 and 31, 16th century) (Jacob A. Nouveaux documents italo-grecs pour servir à l "histoire du texte des prières de l" ambon // Bull. de l "Inst. historique Belge de Rome. Brux .; R., 1967. Fasc. 38. P. 116-144). The chants of the holiday B. are also included in the Akathist Saturday, which indicates a close historical connection between the two celebrations .

Lit.: Martine E . De antiquis ecclesiae ritibus. Antw., 1737. Vol. 3. P. 588; Khoynatsky A ., Priest . Feast of the Annunciation of the Mother of God in the Roman Catholic Church // PO. 1873. No. 6. S. 1001-1011; Vinogradov N . Canon for the Annunciation of St. Theotokos as an example of church-liturgical poetry. M., 1888; Debolsky G. S., Prot. Days of worship of the Orthodox Church. SPb., 1901. M., 1996. T. 1. S. 121-128; Kellner H. Heortologie oder das Kirchenjahr und die Heiligenfeste in ihrer geschichtlichen Entwicklung. Freiburg i. Br., 1901. S. 196; Conybeare F. C. Rituale Armenorum, being the Administration of the Sacraments and the Breviary Rites of the Armenian Church. Oxf., 1905; Cabrol F. Annunciation (Fête de l") // DACL. Vol. 1. T. 2. Col. 2241-2255; Petrovsky A. Annunciation // PBE. T. 2. S. 619-622; Kekelidze K., Archpriest of Jerusalem Canonary of the 7th century (Georgian version), Tiflis, 1912; Skaballanovich M. Nativity of Christ, K., 1915. M., 1995 (Christian feasts; 4), also known as the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, K., 1916. M., 1995. (Christian feasts; 6); Veniamin (Milov), Bishop. Readings on liturgical theology. K., 19992; Mirković L. Heorthology or historical development and liturgical feast in the Orthodox Church. Beograd, 1961. S. 44-46; Γ. Γ. Εὐαγγελισμὸς τῆς Θεοτόκου: Τάξις λατρείας // Ibid. Σ. 982-983; Οἰκονομίδης Δ. Β . Εὐαγγελισμὸς τῆς Θεοτόκου: Λαογραφία // Ibid. Σ. 983-985; SC; 110); Ancient Iadgari / Edited by E. P. Metreveli, Ts. A. Chankieva, and L. M. Khevsuriani, Tbilisi, 1980; Argan J. TO . History of Italian Art: Per. from Italian. M., 1990. T. 1; Corrado M. Annunciazione: storia, eucologia, theologia, liturgica. R., 1991; New Testament Apocrypha. SPb., 2001; Kazhdan A . P . Byzantine history. Literature: 650-850 SPb., 2002.

S. A. Vanyukov, M. S. Zheltov, K. H. Felmi

Iconography

Images interpreted as “B.” are already found in the murals of the catacombs (Priscilla, 2nd half of the II - 1st half of the III century, Peter and Marcellinus, 2nd half of the III - 1st half of the IV century, New cemetery on Via Latina, middle of the 4th century). How B. interprets the scene where a young man, his hand stretched forward, standing in front of a woman sitting in an armchair, addresses her with a speech. The plot context allows us to see B. in this scene, since similar images of wingless angels are known in the frescoes of the catacombs according to the compositions “The Appearance of the Angel to Tobiah”, “The Appearance of the Angel to Balaam”, “The Appearance of the Trinity to Abraham”. Next in time is the composition of B. on the relief of the sarcophagus from c. San Francesco in Ravenna, after 400, where an angel is represented with large wings, with a staff in her left hand, and the Mother of God seated with a spindle and yarn, which falls into a basket at Her feet. In the mosaics of the triumphal arch (in the upper register of the left side) of the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome, 432-440, the painting program was developed in accordance with the definitions of the Ecumenical Third Council of the Annunciation. Icon from the festive row of the iconostasis of the Assumption Cathedral of the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery. 1497 (KBMZ)

B. at the source (storehouse) is another variant of iconography that became widespread in the early era. This scene is depicted in a stamp on a carved ivory plate of the gospel frame from the treasury of the Milan Cathedral (2nd half of the 5th century): The Mother of God, with a vessel in her hand, is kneeling at the source. She turned to the angel who was addressing Her. In the next stamp, the Mother of God and an angel are depicted in front of a building with columns. Angel, turning to the Rev. Virgo, points to heaven. As in the painting of the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, the Mother of God is depicted in a dress adorned with a necklace, with her head uncovered.

On the carved ivory plate of the throne (pulpit) archbishop. Maximian (546-556, Archbishop's Museum, Ravenna) in scene B. The Mother of God is presented in traditional clothes. for Eastern Christ. peace, - in a chiton and a maphoria covering her head, in Her left hand she has a spindle and yarn. She is sitting in a high-backed chair, an angel is approaching Her from the right. The angel blesses with his right hand, and holds a rod in his left. Also, with a slight difference in details (the palm of the right hand of the Mother of God is open in front of the chest, in the left She holds the end of the yarn that falls into the basket, the short staff of the angel is crowned with a cross), a scene is depicted on the fold of an ivory diptych (VI century, Pushkin Museum) . In the lower hallmark of the sash is the scene "Testing of the Mother of God with water." On the miniature from the Gospel of Ravvula (Laurent. Plut. I. 56, 586), which is located on the margins on the sides of the arch with a table of canons, for the first time in scene B. the image of the standing Mother of God appears. On an ampulla of the 7th century. from the cathedral in Monza (Italy) the Mother of God standing before the throne is also depicted. This iconographic rendition was further spread in the Middle Ages. art.

Based on the gospel text, B.'s composition also reflected the influence of the Apocrypha, ch. arr. "Protevangelium of James". This is indicated by the motif of needlework present in the composition of B., B. at the source (well) and the scene of the testing of the Virgin by the water of denunciation, which go back to apocryphal stories and were later widely used in hymnography. The Mother of God, living after betrothal in the house of Joseph in Nazareth, among other 8 pure Israelite virgins was chosen to make yarn for the new veil of the temple. It was her lot to spin the purple. Behind this work and found the Virgin Mary arch. Gabriel, sent to bring the good news of the birth of the Savior of the world. Before appearing before the Mother of God in the house, the archangel, being invisible, turns to Her when She went to the source for water, therefore B. at the well is called the foreboding. B. at the source is included as one of the episodes in the cycle of illustrations of the "Protoevangelium of Jacob" (for example, the murals of the Cathedral of St. Sophia in Kiev, 1037-1045; the Cathedral of San Marco in Venice, after 1200; the Church of the Virgin Peribleptos in Ohrid (Macedonia ), 1295; the cathedral of the monastery of Chora (Kahriye-dzhami) in the K-field, 1316-1321; the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God with the protoevangelical cycle - XV century, NGOMZ), as well as in the illustration of the Akathist of the Mother of God, the first 4 scenes of the B. is represented by a horn (for example, the icon “Praise of the Mother of God with the Akathist” from the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin, XIV century).

Along with hymnography, the development of the iconography of B. was influenced by the words of B. of Saints Gregory of Neocaesarea, Andrew of Crete, and James of Kokkino-bath, which not only explained the meaning of the holiday, but also provided rich material for illustration. An example of the disclosure in the images of the theological content of the holiday are the miniatures to the 5th word of Jacob Kokkino-bath in 2 Greek. manuscripts of the 1st half. 12th century (Vat. gr. 1162; Paris. gr. 1208), where B. appears as the providential action of the Holy Trinity. Instead of a symbolic image of a celestial segment with a ray emanating from it, the Holy Trinity is presented in miniatures. Three angels (without wings) with red scrolls in their hands are sitting on a throne surrounded by a host of angels, at the foot of the throne are 4 cherubs. The central angel blesses arch. Gabriel, flying to the house of the Virgin. Then, following the text of the sermon, B. is depicted at the well, the return of the Mother of God to the house, and the scene of B. is repeated 4 times, developing the theme of the gradual comprehension and acceptance of the Divine Will by the Mother of God. The cycle ends with the return of the archangel to heaven to the throne of God.

In the Paleologian era, at the end. XIII - beginning. XIV century, new details appear in the image of B. The desire to fill the gospel scenes with action, with a larger number of characters, was manifested in the fact that servants began to be depicted in the composition. So, in the painting c. Mother of God Peribleptos in Ohrid in scene B. at the source of several. virgins surround the Virgin Mary, supporting Her under the arms. The icons depict an image of a maid peeping out from behind a column (XIV century, Pushkin Museum) or sitting at the feet of the Virgin at the yarn. The last motif is widely used in Russian. icons of the 15th-16th centuries. (for example, the royal doors - 1425-1427, SPGIAHMZ; "Annunciation with Akathist" - c. 1516, YIAMZ). Perhaps the appearance of the image of the servant was inspired by the text from the Protoevangelium about 8 virgins chosen to make the veil of the temple. The only direct reference to lit. the source of this detail is E. V. Barsov’s mention of an apocryphal text, in which it is said about a maid (the researcher did not give a link to the monument). Rus. 16th century art enriched the iconography of B. with one more detail: on the icon from the Annunciation Cathedral of Solvychegodsk in the lower part of the scene instead of traditions. hills are depicted in the soil, in the center of which there is a cave with the inscription: "The Nativity of Christ." Here, in the celestial segment, instead of the Old Christ denmi, the Lord of hosts is depicted with a halo in the form of crossed red and blue rhombuses.

The exceptional significance of the feast of B., which St. John Chrysostom and Athanasius of Alexandria call the first among others, is reflected in the location of this plot in temple paintings in the altar or pre-altar area. In the murals of the early period, B.'s composition is found on the triumphal arch (Santa Maria Maggiore), in the altar apse (the church in Porec, Croatia, 540) or in front of the apse (Santa Maria Antiqua in Rome, VI-VII centuries). Starting from the post-iconoclastic period, when the classical system of decoration of a cross-domed church took shape, B. is usually placed on the west. the edges of the east pillars, i.e., on the border of the altar and the naos. Such an arrangement clearly indicates that through the incarnation on earth of the Savior, the Son of God, heaven is opened for the human race. In the X-XI centuries. The Mother of God is depicted standing in front of the throne (for example, the catholicon of the monastery of Vatoped on Athos, X-XI centuries, - the Mother of God is depicted without yarn; St. Sophia Cathedral in Kiev; the catholicon of the monastery of Daphne, 1100, - the composition is placed in the north-east trompe).

In accordance with the fact that the Incarnation of the Savior opens heavenly doors for humanity, the image of B. is placed on the royal doors of the iconostasis. Obviously, B. is depicted in the hallmarks on the wings of the royal gates in miniature to the Words of Gregory of Nazianzus (Paris. gr. 510, 880-883) in the scene of the setting of St. Gregory as a bishop, where 2 figures are facing each other (according to A. Grabar, 4 evangelists were depicted); in miniature to the Words of James of Kokkinobaf (Vat. gr. 1162, XII century); on the royal gates from the mon-rya vmts. Catherine at Sinai, XIII century; on the gates from the Hilandar monastery, XVII century. Scene B. is often combined with the image of the kings David and Solomon in the upper parts of the royal doors: the gate leaf from c. Mother of God Bolnichka in Ohrid from arch. Gabriel and King Solomon (2nd half of the 14th century); gate from the Bar (Bulgaria, late 16th century, Museum of the Transfiguration Monastery). This tradition goes back to the illustrations of the Psalms, where the image of B. corresponds to Ps 44. 11 (for example, the Khludov Psalter (GIM. Greek 129., IX century): The Mother of God, standing in front of the throne with yarn in her hands, on whose nimbus the Holy .Spirit in the form of a dove, depicted between the archangel and King David). In Rus', a different type of royal doors is being formed, where B. is placed at the top of the doors, and on the main door leaf are depicted either Saints Basil the Great and John Chrysostom, whose names are 2 Byzants. liturgy, or 4 evangelists (for example, the gate with full-length images of Basil the Great and John Chrysostom - XIII century, State Tretyakov Gallery; the left wing of the gate with the archangel from B., the evangelists John and Luke - XV century, TsMiAR; the gate with the image of 4 evangelists , 1425-1427, SPGIAHMZ; gate depicting the Eucharist and 4 evangelists, 16th century, Russian Museum).

In the illustrations to the Psalter, there are different versions of B., including those supplemented by the scene of the reading of the Mother of God by the Holy. Scriptures. Greek miniature. Psalms 1084-1101 (Dumbarton Oaks. 3. Fol. 80v) in the upper part there is a B. of the usual type with the Virgin standing in front of an angel, and in the lower part the Virgin is depicted on a throne in front of the house, with an open book on her knees, pointing with the finger of her right hand to the page. The image of the Mother of God with a book is also found in miniatures for the Words of James of Kokkino-baf (Vat. gr. 1162). The motive of the Mother of God reading the books of St. Scripture taken from the apocryphal Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew. This theme was not developed in Eastern Christ. art, but in app. iconography was firmly associated with B. The image of the Mother of God reading the Book of the Prophet Isaiah became typical for this holiday in Western Europe. art. In the 17th century under the influence of Western Europe. engravings, which received wide circulation in Rus', the Mother of God in B. began to be depicted kneeling in front of the lectern, reading the Book of the Prophet Isaiah, architect. Gabriel - with a lily in his hand (icons from the iconostasis of the Verkhnepokhvalsky chapel of the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin, 17th century; 18th century, YAHM).

The veneration of the holiday of B. was also expressed in the dedication of numerous temples and mon-rei. One of the oldest temples in Rus' - c. B. on Gorodische in Novgorod, early. 12th century Gate churches were often consecrated in honor of B. (Kyiv, a church on the Golden Gates, 30s of the 11th century).

Lit .: Barsov E. On the impact of the Apocrypha on the rite and icon painting // ZHMNP. 1885 Dec. P. 96-115 (re-ed.: Christian poetry and art in connection with the New Testament apocrypha // Philosophy of Russian religious art. M., 1993. P. 123-139); Pokrovsky N . IN . The gospel in the monuments of iconography. M., 1892, 2001. S. 89-130; Leclercq H. Announcement // DACL. T. 1. Part. 2.Col. 2241-2267; Mille G. Recherches sur l "iconographie de l" évangile aux 14e, 15e et 16e siècles d "après les monuments de Mistra, de la Macédoine et du Monts Athos. P., 1916, 1960; Reau. Iconographie. Vol. 2/2. P 174-191; Lafontaine-Dosogne J. Iconographie de l "enfance de la Vierge dans l" Empire byzantin et en Occident. Brux., 1964-1965. Vol. 5. N 1-2; Emminghaus J. H. // LCI, Bd. 4, pp. 422-437; Weitzmann, K. Eine spätkomnenische Ikone des Sinai und die zweite byzantinische Welle des 12. Jh., Festschrift G. v. Einem. B., 1965, pp. 299-319; Grabar A. Christian Iconography: A Study of Its Origins // Bollingen Ser. Princeton, 1968. Vol. 35. N 10; Smirnova E. S. The Novgorod Icon of the Annunciation, early 12th century // DRI [Issue: ] Russia and countries of the Byzantine world, XII century, St. Petersburg, 2002, pp. 517-538.

N. V. Kvlividze

In ancient times, the feast of the Annunciation was given different names: the conception of Christ, the Annunciation of Christ, the Beginning of Redemption, the Annunciation of the Angel of Mary. About where and how the feast of the Annunciation first appeared, nothing is known. It is only known that in 560 Emperor Justinian indicated the date of the celebration of the Annunciation - March 25 (April 7, according to a new style).

The name of the holiday - the Annunciation - conveys the main meaning of the event associated with it: the announcement to the Virgin Mary of the good news about the conception and birth of the Divine Infant Christ by Her. This holiday belongs to the twelfth non-passing holidays and is celebrated every year on the same April day.
The main icon of the holiday can be considered a masterpiece by Andrei Rublev: an angel descends to the Virgin to announce to her the “Good News”. Archangel Gabriel brought the biggest news to the Virgin Mary - the Son of God becomes the Son of man. The prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, the Mother of God responds with consent to the angel's message: "Let it be to me according to your word." Without this voluntary consent, God could not have become a man. He could not be incarnated, since God does not act by force, does not force us to do anything. Man is 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 servant of the one who will be honored to give birth to the Messiah,” she thought.

Some ancient customs are associated with the Annunciation among the people. They say that on the Annunciation “the bird does not nest, the maiden does not weave braids”, that is, any work is considered a sin.

Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The Annunciation is one of the religious twelfth holidays associated with the Christian tradition of the Archangel Gabriel, who announced the future birth of the Virgin Mary of Jesus Christ. It is celebrated by believers on March 25 according to the new style (April 7).
The Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary became an independent holiday in the middle of the 7th century, and served as a constant subject for religious painting.
The Annunciation is always a holiday in the singular, that is, it is set according to the Orthodox calendar on a strictly defined day. On this day, the Archangel Gabriel announced to the Virgin Mary the immaculate conception and the birth of the son of Jesus Christ - the Son of God and the Savior of the world.
Until the age of 14, the Blessed Virgin was brought up in the temple, and then, according to the law, she had to leave the temple, as she had reached the age of majority, and either return to her parents or get married. The priests wanted to marry her, but Mary announced to them her promise to God - to remain forever a Virgin. Then the priests betrothed Her distant relative, the 80-year-old Elder Joseph, to take care of Her and protect Her virginity. Living in the Galilean city of Nazareth, in the house of Joseph, the Blessed Virgin Mary led the same modest and secluded life as in the temple.
When the time came for the Son of God to become a man, there was nothing in the whole world holier and more worthy than the Virgin Mary. Shortly before the Annunciation, according to legend, about four months, Mary was betrothed to Joseph and lived in Nazareth in his house. The Archangel Gabriel was sent to this house, he announced to her the secret of the incarnation of God from her. Gabriel spoke to her the words that the Church repeats daily in prayer:
“Rejoice, O Gracious One, the Lord is with you! Blessed are You in women! - said St. The archangel to the Virgin, appearing to Her in Nazareth, in the house of Joseph, to whom she was betrothed to preserve her virginity. You have found favor with God. And now You will conceive and give birth to a Son and call Him the name Jesus (Savior). He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High.” Mary, remembering her vow not to marry, said to the archangel: “How will it be when I am not married?” The archangel answered: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore also the one born of Thee will be holy and will be called the Son of God.” “I am the servant of the Lord, let it be for me according to your word!” Mary then answered the Archangel. And the archangel departed from her.
Learning that Mary was expecting a child, Joseph wanted to let her go, but the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said: “Joseph, son of David! Don't be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for what is born in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a Son, and you will call His name: Jesus; for he will save his people from their sins.”
No word is powerless with the Lord, and Mary soon gave birth to the Infant Jesus. Gospel of Luke 1:26-35
It was a day like a day, quite ordinary:
The vanity boiled all around,
But with an inaudible gait
I went to Mary Angel in the house.
He exclaimed: “Hail, Mary!
The Lord has blessed you! -
And about the birth of the Messiah
The Messenger of God declared:
“He will be called the Son of God
And he will reign forever.
The one who believes will be saved.
Let the man be happy!”

The Annunciation is the conception of Jesus Christ. By the action of the grace of God in the bosom of Mary, a new human life began. Christians know the laws of biology, that's why they talk about the Miracle. The miracle is not so much that the Virgin, who did not know her husband, began to bear a child, but that God Himself identified Himself with this child and with everything that will happen in His life. God doesn't just inhabit Virgo. Through the archangel Gabriel, the Almighty, Lord and Lord asks the consent of Mary. And only after her consent, the Word becomes flesh.
At the Annunciation, the Blessed Virgin Mary is glorified, thanksgiving is pronounced to the Lord God and veneration is paid to his messenger Archangel Gabriel, who served the sacrament of salvation.
The Feast of the Annunciation glorifies the inseparable and inseparable union of two natures in Jesus Christ - the Divinity with humanity.
King Solomon, who received from God all the light of wisdom to explore the secrets of nature, after surveying everything that is in heaven and on earth - past, present and future - decided that there is nothing new in the world, under the sun. But in the Annunciation to the blessed Virgin Mary, God created a completely new work, which has never happened in past centuries and will never happen in the future.
Humanity has been waiting for this day for more than five thousand years. The divine and prophetic books spoke of the coming of the Savior into the world. And the long-awaited hour has come. This happened in March, at the same time that the creation of the world took place. By the will of heaven, the good news about the birth of the Son of God came not to the learned nobility, but to the modest town of Nazareth, to the poor house of the carpenter Joseph. The priests instructed this worthy man in a paternal way to protect the Virgin Mary, brought up in the temple, who had vowed to preserve her virginity. Both of them belonged to an impoverished royal family.
According to legend, once Mary was thinking about the prediction of the ancient prophet Isaiah that the Savior should miraculously be born from the Immaculate Virgin, who did not know a husband. As if in response to the thoughts of the Blessed Virgin, the Archangel Gabriel quietly appeared before her and said: “Rejoice, blessed one!

SIGNIFICANCE AND MEANING OF THE HOLIDAY

"Annunciation" means good, joyful, good news. In fact, this is the same as the "Gospel", because this word is translated from Greek as "good news."

The Feast of the Annunciation is dedicated to the memory of the day when, as the Bible says, the Archangel Gabriel appeared to the Virgin Mary and announced the coming birth of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who would take upon Himself the sins of the whole world.
From April 7 (March 25 O.S.) to January 7 (December 25 O.S.), i.e. before Christmas - exactly nine months.
The event in question happened, according to Scripture, four months after Mary's betrothal to a distant relative, the eighty-year-old elder Joseph (Mary, who announced her desire to remain a Virgin and devote herself to God, was entrusted to his care).
Mary lived in the house of Joseph in the city of Nazareth, where she led a modest and pious life, just like at the church where she had been brought up before. And one day, when the Virgin was reading the Holy Scriptures, an angel appeared to her and addressed the following words: “Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with you; Blessed are You among women." Archangel Gabriel announced to her that she had found the greatest grace - to become the mother of the Son of God. Mary was embarrassed by these words and asked how a son could be born to one who did not know a husband. Gabriel answered: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; Therefore, the Holy One who is being born will be called the Son of God.
It is noteworthy that, having learned the will of God, the Virgin Mary showed deep faith and humility, answering: “Behold, the servant of the Lord; Let it be done to me according to your word” (Luke 1:28-38).
The Church believes that on this day the Gospel story begins: along with the good news, the beginning of the salvation of the human race was laid.
The Church began to celebrate the Annunciation no later than the 4th century. Initially, the holiday was called differently (“Conception of Christ”, “Beginning of Redemption”, “Annunciation of the Angel of Mary”), in the 7th century it was given the name “Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos”.

Why are white doves launched on the Annunciation?

The white dove has been a symbol of peace and good news since ancient times. In addition, the dove is a symbol of the grace-filled action of the Holy Spirit, and the snow-white wings are at the same time a symbol of the purity of the Virgin Mary herself. By tradition, the Church brings the Mother of God "as a gift" defenseless birds.
In the post-Soviet history of the Russian Orthodox Church, this custom was revived in 1995, and today in many churches, after the Liturgy, white doves are released into the sky.
Interestingly, before the revolution of 1917, the birds that the Patriarch released into the sky above the Kremlin's Annunciation Cathedral were bought on Okhotny Ryad. Today, those pigeons that the Patriarch launches are raised by the Federation of Sports Pigeon Breeding. After these pigeons soar into the sky, after some time they gather in groups and then return to their nurseries in the capital and Moscow region.

Lenten indulgences

Please note that the church charter allows fasting on the feast of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos to eat fish.

The materials of the sites Patriarchia.ru, Pravmir.ru were used.

For Orthodox Christians, April 7 is the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos. Bake lark figurines

The Annunciation is a good day when the Archangel Gabriel brought the good news to the Virgin Mary about the coming birth of the Son of God Jesus Christ and that She was chosen to become the mother of the Son of God.

The Blessed Virgin Mary was bestowed on aged parents, the righteous Joachim and Anna (Comm. 9 September) for their unceasing and tearful prayers. Upon reaching the age of 14, when, according to the Jewish law, Her stay in the temple was to end, the Most Holy Mary was betrothed to the righteous eighty-year-old elder Joseph, a poor carpenter from the family of David, who was entrusted with preserving Her virginity.
The Archangel Gabriel, sent by God, appeared to her and greeted her with the words: “Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with you; Blessed are You among women." (Luke 1:28)

And the angel said to her: “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found grace with God; and behold, thou shalt conceive in the womb, and thou shalt bear a Son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High ... and His Kingdom will have no end. - Mary told the Angel; what will it be like when I don't know my husband? The angel said to her in response: The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the Power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore, the Holy One who is being born will be called the Son of God ... Then Mary said: Behold, the Servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word. And an angel departed from her” (Luke 1:28-38).

Thus, in the bowels of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Blessed Fruit arose - the God-man Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, who took upon Himself the sins of the whole world.
If we talk about folk traditions, then on the feast of the Annunciation it was customary to release birds from cages into the wild. In this regard, it was crowded before the holiday in the bird markets. Parents went there with their children to buy birds and release them on the feast day after the Divine Liturgy.

By this day, figurines of larks were baked from lenten dough, paper figurines of angels were cut out and glued, in honor of the Archangel Gabriel.

Recall that on April 28, the Orthodox people call the entrance of the Lord Jesus Christ into Jerusalem “Palm Sunday”, Great Easter this year is celebrated on May 5.

Annunciation of the Mother of God

(Material from Wikipedia - the free encyclopedia)

"Annunciation", Fra Beato Angelico, 1430-1432, Prado. In the background - the archangel Michael expels Adam and Eve from paradise after the fall (from the consequences of which Jesus, conceived at that moment, will save humanity). Mary is interpreted as the "new Eve"

The Annunciation (church-glory. Annunciation; tracing paper Greek Εὐαγγελισμός [τῆς Θεοτόκου]; lat. Annuntiatio - Annunciation) - an evangelical event and a Christian holiday dedicated to it; the proclamation by the archangel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary of the future birth in the flesh from her of Jesus Christ.
Celebrated March 25th. The Russian Orthodox Church and other churches using the Julian calendar celebrate the Annunciation on April 7 in the Gregorian calendar (in the 20th-21st centuries). In Orthodoxy, it is one of the twelve holidays.

ACCORDING TO THE CANONICAL GOSPELIES

The events of the Annunciation are described by the only evangelist - the apostle Luke. In his Gospel, he reports that in the sixth month after the conception of Saint John the Baptist by the righteous Elizabeth, Gabriel was sent by God to Nazareth to the Virgin Mary with the news of the impending birth of the Savior of the world from her:
The angel, having entered to Her, said: Rejoice, Blessed One! The Lord is with you; Blessed are You among women. She, seeing him, was embarrassed by his words and wondered what kind of greeting it would be. And the angel said to her: Fear not, Mary, for you have found grace with God; and behold, thou shalt conceive in the womb, and thou shalt bear a Son, and thou shalt 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 David His father; and shall reign over the house of Jacob forever, and his kingdom shall have no end.
(Luke 1:28-33)

According to a number of theologians, the words of the archangel Gabriel - "Rejoice, full of grace" - became the first "good" news for mankind after his fall into sin. Theophylact of Bulgaria, in his interpretation of the Gospel of Luke, writes: “Since the Lord said to Eve: “In sickness you will give birth to children” (Gen. 3:16), now this illness is resolved by the joy that the Angel brings to the Virgin, saying: Rejoice, full of grace! Because Eve was cursed, Mary now hears: Blessed are You."
Doubting (according to Gregory of Neocaesarea, fearing a violation of her virginity), Mary asked the angel the question: “how will it be when I don’t know my husband?”. To which the angel promised a seedless, mysterious conception - “The Holy Spirit will find on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you,” and then, in confirmation, “that no word will remain powerless with God,” he cited the example of her relative Elizabeth.
Mary, seeing the will of God in the words of the angel, utters very significant words: “behold, the Servant of the Lord; let it be done to me according to your word." It is believed that at the moment the Virgin Mary uttered these words, the immaculate conception of Jesus Christ took place. Nicholas Cabasilas comments on these words:
The Incarnation was not only the work of the Father, His Power and His Spirit, but also the work of the will and faith of the Blessed Virgin. Without the consent of the Immaculate, without the assistance of Her faith, this plan would have remained unfulfilled, just as without the action of the Three Persons of the Divine Trinity Themselves. Only after God has instructed and persuaded the Holy Virgin, He accepts Her in Mother and borrows from Her flesh, which She gladly provides Him with. Just as He voluntarily incarnated, it was also pleasing to Him that His Mother also gave birth to Him freely and of Her own good will.
By her humility and consent, according to Athanasius the Great, Mary expressed her confession of faith. He compares it to a tablet, “on which the Scribe writes whatever pleases Him. May the Lord of all write and do what He wills.”

According to apocryphal sources

The history of the Annunciation is also reflected in apocryphal texts. It is described in the following apocrypha of the 2nd century: “The Proto-Gospel of James” and “The Book of the Nativity of the Most Blessed Mary and the Childhood of the Savior” (also known as the “Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew”). Apocryphal texts do not change the general story about the appearance of the archangel Gabriel to Mary with the news of the birth of the Savior from her, but add to this story a number of details that formed the iconography of this holiday.
According to the apocrypha, it fell to Mary by lot to weave a new veil of purple for the Jerusalem temple. Going for water, she heard a voice at the well, saying to her: “Rejoice, blessed one! The Lord is with you; Blessed are You among women." Seeing no one nearby, she returned home frightened (this plot is sometimes also called the “foreshadowing” - that is, the preparatory stage for the Annunciation itself.) Sitting at the spinning wheel, Mary saw an angel who reassured her with the words: “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found grace with God and you will conceive for His glory.” (The prototype of the scene at the well is the story of the Old Testament Rebekah, who made Eliezer drunk, sent by her future groom Isaac).
The apocrypha also emphasizes the mysterious form of conception, and to the question of Mary, “Is it possible that I will conceive from the living God and give birth, as any woman gives birth?” the angel replies: "Not so, Mary, but the power of the Most High will overshadow you." After the angel left, Mary finished spinning the wool and took it to the high priest, who blessed it, saying: "God has magnified your name, and you will be blessed in all nations on earth."
Church tradition also says that the Virgin Mary, at the moment the angel appeared to her, read an excerpt from the book of the prophet Isaiah with his prophetic words: “Behold, the Virgin will receive in the womb, and give birth to a Son.” For this reason, in the scene of the Annunciation, the Virgin Mary is sometimes depicted with an open book.
The Annunciation is also mentioned in the Koran (3:45-51, 19:16-26), where this plot does not have such a meaning, since in Islam Jesus is not God, but a prophet.
[edit] Related plots

Meeting of Mary and Elizabeth

The episode of the Annunciation to the Virgin Mary by the archangel Gabriel, according to the Gospel of Luke, was preceded by a visit by Gabriel to the barren Zechariah, who was married to a relative of Mary, Elizabeth, during which the herald promised the elderly couple the birth of the future John the Baptist. And after the Annunciation, the Mother of God went to visit her cousin Elizabeth, who was preparing to leave household chores in connection with her pregnancy. There was a meeting between Mary and Elizabeth, during which Elizabeth became the second, after the angel, and the first of the people who told Mary about the future share of her baby and uttered the words that became part of many prayers: “blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! » (see Hail Mary, Song of the Most Holy Theotokos).

Joseph the Betrothed:

According to the Gospel of Matthew (Matthew 1:19-24), the archangel Gabriel appeared in a dream to Joseph the Betrothed, the husband of the Virgin Mary, who learned that before their betrothal she had become pregnant and wanted to "secretly release Her." Gabriel reassured Joseph, saying: “Do not be afraid to take Mary your wife, for what is born in her is from the Holy Spirit; she will give birth to a Son, and you will call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” After that, as the evangelist narrates, "Joseph took his wife, and did not know her."

Symbolic meaning

Since at least the 2nd century, the Annunciation has been seen as the first act in the Christian history of redemption in which the obedience of the Virgin Mary balances the disobedience of Eve (interpretation of Irenaeus of Lyon). Mary becomes the "new Eve". The text of the famous hymn Ave maris stella (9th century) says that the name Eva is an anagram of the word Ave, with which Gabriel addressed the “new Eve”. In other words, to name Eve meant to mention Mary. Jerome deduced a concise formula: "death - through Eve, life - through Mary." Augustine wrote: "through a woman - death, and through a woman - life."
It is believed that God sent the archangel with the good news on the same day, March 25, on which the Creation of the world took place (for more details on the number, see below) - thus, humanity was given a second chance.
The mysterious conception of the Virgin Mary, according to the teachings of the Orthodox Church, refers to the great mystery of piety: in it, mankind brought as a gift to God its purest creation - the Virgin, capable of becoming the mother of the Son of God, and God, having accepted the gift, answered him with the gift of the grace of the Holy Spirit.

Feast of the Annunciation

The modern name of the holiday - Εὐαγγελισμός ("Annunciation") - began to be used no earlier than the 7th century. The ancient church called it differently:
Greek: ἡμέρα ἀσπασμοῦ (day of greeting), ἀγγελισμός (annunciation), ἡμέρα / ἑορτή τοῦ εὐαγγελισμοῦ (day/feast of the Annunciation), χαιρετ ισμός (from the beginning of the angelic greeting χαῖρε, κέχαριτωμένη - “rejoice, full of grace” (Luke 1:28) );
in Latin: annuntiatio angeli ad beatam Mariam Virginem (Annunciation of the Angel to the Blessed Virgin Mary), Mariae salutatio (Greeting of Mary), annuntiatio sanctae Mariae de conceptione (Annunciation of St. Mary of the Conception), annuntiatio Christi (Annunciation of Christ), conceptio Christi ( Conception of Christ), initium redemptionis (the beginning of redemption), festum incarnationis (the feast of the Incarnation).
The full name of the feast of the Annunciation in the Russian Orthodox Church is defined in the menaion: "The Annunciation of Our Most Holy Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary." It should be noted that in Greek and Church Slavonic the word “Annunciation” requires the genitive case after itself, while when translated into Russian, both genitive and dative cases are possible, that is, “Annunciation to Our Most Holy Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary”. Usually in modern editions the first option is used, obviously not without the influence of the Church Slavonic language, but the use of the second is also known.
The modern official name of this holiday in the Roman Catholic Church - Annuntiatio Domini Iesu Christi ("Annunciation of the Lord Jesus Christ") - was adopted after the Second Vatican Council. Before that, the variant was used: Annuntiatio beatae Mariae Virginis ("Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary"

Determination of the date and history of the establishment of the holiday

For the first time, the date of March 25 appears in the writings of Western authors of the 3rd century - Tertullian and the Hieromartyr Hippolytus of Rome as the day of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ according to the Roman calendar. This circumstance formed the basis of the Alexandrian and later Byzantine chronological systems identifying the date of the Annunciation and Pascha.
There are two approaches to determining the date of the Annunciation:
Connection with the date of the Nativity of Christ: March 25 is exactly 9 months away from December 25, which no later than the 4th century was universally accepted as the date of the Nativity of Christ.
Connection with the date of the creation of man: a number of church authors (Athanasius the Great, Anastasius of Antioch) believe that the Annunciation and the conception of Jesus Christ took place on March 25, since on this day, according to one group of legends, God created man, and man, burdened with original sin, must be recreated at the time in which he was created (that is, redemption began).

The establishment of this holiday in Constantinople is attributed approximately to the middle of the 6th century as a result of the process of "historicization" of the gospel celebrations in the liturgical calendar, but there is no certainty on this issue. So, Gregory of Neocaesarea (3rd century) has a "Discourse on the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos" and John Chrysostom in his writings calls the Annunciation "the first feast" and "the root of the feasts"; It can be assumed that the Church already celebrated the Annunciation at this time. The celebration of the Annunciation is evidenced by the building in Nazareth, on the site where the Annunciation is believed to have taken place, by the Equal-to-the-Apostles Empress Helena at the beginning of the 4th century of the Basilica of the Annunciation. At the same time, at the beginning of the 8th century, the Armenian author Grigor Arsharuni wrote that the holiday was established by St. Cyril I, Bishop of Jerusalem in the middle of the 4th century. However, Bishop Abraham of Ephesus (between 530 and 553) testifies that not a single sermon dedicated to the Annunciation was written before him. In the 7th century the Annunciation began to be celebrated in Rome and Spain; Gaul accepted it only in the 8th century.
In the 6th century, Roman the Melodist wrote a kontakion (in the early sense of the term) of the Annunciation. The hymnography of the holiday was supplemented in the 8th century by the works of John of Damascus and Theophanes, Metropolitan of Nicaea, who compiled the canon of the holiday in the form of a dialogue between the Virgin Mary and the Archangel Gabriel.

Other dates for the celebration of the Annunciation

The celebration of the Annunciation on the day of March 25 is common, but not generally accepted. There are several liturgical rites in which this holiday, which in its meaning precedes the Nativity of Christ, belongs to the pre-Christmas period:
In the Ambrose rite, the Annunciation of the Virgin is celebrated on the last (sixth) Sunday of Advent, that is, on the Sunday between December 18 and 24.
In the Spanish-Mozarabic rite, according to some sources, the Annunciation is prescribed to be celebrated twice - except for March 25, a holiday with the same name (Annunciation of the Blessed Mary the Virgin) is also indicated for December 18, that is, exactly one week before the Nativity of Christ. This date is the main one, the celebration on this day was officially confirmed in 656 by the Tenth Council of Toledo, since the traditional date for the Christian world, March 25, fell on Great Lent or the Easter period. The celebration of the Annunciation on March 25 is not indicated in any of the known manuscript Mozarabic sources, however, in the Liber Ordinum Episcopal de Santo Domingo de Silos (XI century), it is prescribed to commemorate the Conception of the Lord on this day. In the first printed missal of Cardinal Jimenez (1500), the celebration of the "Annunciation of the Blessed Mary" is indicated for both December 18 and March 25, which was probably done under the influence of the Roman rite. In the new (reformed) Spanish missal, the date of March 25 is not marked with any memory, and the celebration of "Saint Mary" is assigned to December 18. In terms of its content, this holiday is a kind of prefeast of the Nativity of Christ, the theme of the annunciation of the angel of St. The virgin is not developed, and the main theme of prayers and hymns on this day is the Incarnation.
In the East Syriac rite there is a whole six-week period of the Annunciation, which includes four Sundays before and two after the Nativity of Christ. The second of the Sundays before Christmas is dedicated to the Annunciation itself.

celebration

In the Orthodox Church

The Church in the East at various times considered the Annunciation to be both the Mother of God and the Lord's feast. At present, it is one of the twelve great feasts and usually refers to the feasts of the Theotokos, which is why blue liturgical vestments are assigned to it.
In the Jerusalem Rule, currently adopted in the Greek and Russian Churches, the Annunciation has one day of fore-feast and one day of after-feast, on which the Cathedral of the Archangel Gabriel is celebrated. The forefeast and afterfeast are postponed if the Annunciation happens on Passion or Bright Week.
The date of the holiday falls between Thursday of the 3rd week of Great Lent and Wednesday of Bright Week inclusive, that is, during the period of singing the Lenten or Colored Triodion.
A number of liturgical features for the period of singing the Lenten Triodion bring it closer to the feast of the Nativity of Christ and the Baptism of the Lord. So, if the feast of the Annunciation occurs on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, or Saturday of any week of Fortecost (part of Great Lent until Friday of the sixth week, the eve of Lazarus Saturday), and also on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday of Holy Week, then the all-night vigil begins Great Compline, and not Vespers, as usual; if the holiday falls on the Week (Sunday) or Monday of Fortecost or any day of Bright Week, then the all-night vigil is performed in the usual way, that is, great vespers begins; Vespers begin at Matins, if the Annunciation is on Great Friday (Friday of Passion Week) or Great Saturday. At Matins, the Great Doxology is sung when the feast falls on Saturday or the Week of Lent; on other days it is read; does not rely on Bright Week at all.
When the Annunciation happens on Easter, there is no polyeleos, but the canon of the Annunciation is combined with the Paschal canon, and after the sixth ode of the canon, the gospel readings of the Annunciation are read (at Matins Lk. 1:39-49, at the liturgy Lk. 1:24-38).
The special significance of the feast of the Annunciation is emphasized by the fact that the 52nd canon of the Sixth Ecumenical Council established that on the day of the Annunciation, despite Great Lent, a full liturgy should be performed. According to the Typicon, as a general rule, the liturgy of St. John Chrysostom is served, and if the feast falls on Great Lenten Sunday (Week), as well as Thursday or Saturday of Passion Week, then the liturgy of Basil the Great. If the Annunciation happens on Good Friday, then - as the only exception for this day - a liturgy should be performed (according to the Typicon, the liturgy of John Chrysostom is served).
On the Annunciation (if it does not fall on Holy Week), along with the feast of the Lord's Entry into Jerusalem, the charter allows the consumption of fish, wine and oil. According to the Greek typikon, the celebration of the Annunciation, if it falls on Good Friday or Saturday, is transferred to the first day of Easter.
The liturgical texts, in addition to describing the very event of the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary, also speak of the incomprehensibility of the Nativity of the Savior from the Mother of God, and Mary herself is compared with the “dock” and “ladder” from the vision of Jacob. Through festive hymns, the church conveys to believers the following dogmatic provisions: thanks to the birth of the Savior from the Mother of God, heaven is again united with the earth, Adam is renewed, Eve is freed, and all people become involved in the Divine. The canon of the holiday sings of the greatness of the Most Holy Theotokos, who received God into herself, and also contains indications of Old Testament prophecies about the incarnation of the Son of God.

hymnography

Annunciation, 18th century, Patmos. Gabriel gives the Virgin Mary a scroll with words of greeting, God the Father and the Holy Spirit emanating from him in the form of a dove are visible above
The modern hymnographic formulary of the services of the feast of the Annunciation to a large extent goes back to the Studian Rule and has a commonality with the service of the Sabbath of the Akathist (Saturday of the 5th week of Great Lent).
Greek original Modern Church Slavonic translation
Troparion of the feast φανέρωσις· ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ, Υἱὸς τῆς Παρθένου γίνεται, καὶ Γαβριὴλ τὴν χ άριν εὐαγγελίζεται. Διὸ καὶ ἡμεῖς σὺν αὐτῷ, τῇ Θεοτόκῳ βοήσωμεν· Χαῖρε Κεχαριτωμένη, ὁ Κύριος μετὰ σοῦ. Today our salvation is the main thing, and even from the age of the sacrament is a manifestation; The Son of God is the Son of the Virgin, and Gabriel proclaims grace. In the same way, we will cry out to the Theotokos with him: Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with you!
Kontakion of the feast ἀναγράφω σοιἡ Πόλις σου, Θεοτόκε. Ἀλλ’ ὡς ἔχουσα τὸ κράτος ἀπροσμάχητον ἐκ παντοίων με κινδύνων ἐλευθέρωσον , ἵνα κράζω σοι· Χαῖρε, Νύμφη ἀνύμφευτε. Victorious to the chosen Voivode, as if having got rid of the evil ones, thankful we will describe Thy servants, O Theotokos, but as if having an invincible power, free us from all troubles, but we call Thee: Rejoice, Blessed Bride!
The kontakion of the feast is often attributed to Roman the Melodist, but in reality the modern text is a later one (although it retains the original ending Χαῖρε, Νύμφη ἀνύμφευτε) and is the proimium (first kontakion) of the Akathist to the Most Holy Theotokos. According to the ancient custom of the Russian Church, in the churches of the Russian liturgical tradition it is also customary to sing it at the First Hour through the prayer "Christ, the True Light", although it is not in the statutory order.
The gospel words of the Archangel Gabriel and the righteous Elizabeth formed a well-known prayer - the Song of the Most Holy Theotokos: “Virgin Mother of God, rejoice, Blessed Mary, the Lord is with you; Blessed are You in women and blessed is the fruit of Your womb, as if the Savior gave birth to our souls. This prayer is part of the cell (home) prayers of believers, and is also a troparion for Sunday Vespers.

The Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos is an Orthodox holiday that has one day of forefeast and one day of afterfeast, on which the Cathedral of the Holy Archangel Gabriel celebrates.

The events of the Annunciation are described in the Gospel by the Apostle Luke - on this day they remember how the Archangel Gabriel announced to the Virgin Mary the good news of the conception and birth of the Divine Infant - Jesus Christ.

The divine history is familiar to almost everyone, but on the eve of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, he invites you to remember it again, as well as to get acquainted with the history, traditions and signs of the holiday.

Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The Virgin Mary, who was given to the Creator from birth, is undoubtedly the most chaste in the entire Universe - she lived and was brought up until she was 14 years old in the Jerusalem temple.

Mary, when the time came to leave the temple, was found in the husbands of the elderly pious carpenter Joseph, who was supposed to protect her purity and innocence.

Therefore, the Virgin Mary, when the Archangel Gabriel announced to her that She had found the greatest grace from God - to be the Mother of the Son of God, she was embarrassed and asked the Angel how this conception would come about.

As an example, the Archangel cited the barren relative of Mary, Saint Elizabeth, who at an advanced age conceived a child six months ago, and thereby understand that there is no limit to the possibilities of the Lord.

Having heard the all-merciful will in the speeches of the Archangel, Mary said: "Behold, the Servant of the Lord; be it to me according to your word." Holy conception happened, as they say today, at the moment of pronouncing this phrase by the Virgin Mary.

© photo: Sputnik / Vladimir Astapkovich

Icon "Our Lady of Vladimir" (1652. The front side of the double-sided icon. Simon Ushakov)

Joseph, having learned that Mary was carrying a child, wanted to secretly let her go, but the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said: “Joseph, Son of David! Do not be afraid to accept Mary as your wife; and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins..."

Joseph did as the angel told him - he accepted his wife. Everything, as predicted, happened - they had a son, and they named him Jesus.

history of the holiday

It is assumed that the holiday was established by the apostles, since images of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos dating back to the 2nd-3rd centuries are found in the paintings of the catacombs, where the first Christians gathered for prayer.

However, they began to celebrate the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos especially - much later. This was facilitated by the discovery by St. Helena Equal-to-the-Apostles at the beginning of the 4th century of the Holy places of the Savior's earthly life and the construction of churches in these places, including the basilica in Nazareth, on the site of the appearance of the Archangel Gabriel to the Virgin.

© Sputnik / Alexander Imedashvili

The ancient Christians called the holiday differently - the Annunciation of Christ, the Conception of Christ, the Annunciation of the Angel of Mary, the Beginning of Redemption, and only in the 7th century it was given the name of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos, both in the West and in the East.

The feast of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos, according to some sources, was established by St. Cyril of Jerusalem, and by the end of the 7th century it was one of the most important in Byzantium. At about the same time, it also spread to the Western Church.

The date of the Annunciation both in the East and in the West is March 25 (April 7 in the old style). The Annunciation was dedicated to the day preceding Christmas by nine months, since the feast of the Nativity of Christ was historically established much earlier.

This number also agrees with the ideas of ancient church historians that the Annunciation and Pascha occurred on the same day of the year, as historical events.

Traditions

Since ancient times, the feast of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos has been especially revered in Rus'. On this day, according to ancient tradition, people released birds from nets and cages. This custom was revived in 1995 and is now performed in many temples.

The peasants, on the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos, according to tradition, according to the number of households, baked prosphora in the family - unleavened church bread, which was then lit in the temple.

© photo: Sputnik / Balabanov

Image of the Mother of God. Fragment of the icon "Annunciation (Ustyug)"

They ate the illuminated bread at home on an empty stomach, and, according to tradition, the crumbs were added to seeds and pet food. The people believed that the harvest would be rich due to this, and the livestock would be healthy and prolific.

The people perceived the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos as a holiday of spring - the beginning of a new agricultural year. Grain, according to tradition, people consecrated before sowing, placing the icon of the Annunciation next to the grain.

On this day, in the old days, "they called out to spring" - they made a fire and jumped over the fire, danced round dances, sang "vesnyanki". People considered the Annunciation fire the best protection against diseases, damage and the evil eye.

People beat mallets, rang a bell, copper utensils to protect cattle from wolves. There was a sign among the people that wolves would stay at the distance over which the sound would spread.

Signs

The holiday of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos among the people was surrounded by many signs. The main sign says that all land work and housework are prohibited. In the old days, people said that even a bird does not nest on this day, because it is a sin.

According to legend, the cuckoo did not obey the rules of this day and made a nest, as a punishment she can no longer build nests, and is forced to lay her eggs in the nests of other birds.

In many houses, according to tradition, on the eve and on the day of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos, they tried not to light a fire, but in order to attract good luck in the oven, according to signs, one should burn a few pinches of salt.

On the feast of the Annunciation, people believed that the angels rejoiced in heaven, and even in hell they ceased torturing sinners. The earth wakes up from its winter sleep and opens up towards spring. And with the inhabitants of the earth, all evil spirits awaken together.

Therefore, on the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos, rituals were performed that protected from disease and evil. It was a good omen to wash yourself with melt water, fumigate winter clothes with smoke, and so on.

Fire was considered the best protection against snakes, so it was customary to burn the garbage accumulated during the winter. According to signs, not a single crumb can be dropped on the Annunciation, otherwise there will be no rescue from insects.

© photo: Sputnik /

On the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos, it was customary to guess for happiness - they baked small money in church prosphora, and whoever gets it, happiness will smile at him all year.

Under the icons they placed Annunciation consecrated water, as they believed that it would raise the sick to their feet, and they used it to solder the cattle.

In the old days, it was believed that consecrated water does not deteriorate for a whole year, unless a sorcerer or a person with dark thoughts touches it.

On the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos, it is a bad omen to pour grain from bag to bag and lend, therefore, it was strictly forbidden to do this.

On this day, the hostess drove the chickens off the perch with a broom so that they rushed to Easter.

© photo: Sputnik / V. Drujkov

Icon of the Annunciation, late 16th century

A lot of signs are connected with the harvest and the weather. So, according to a sign, chickens will not lay well if the night before the sky is dark without stars. A sign of the wheat harvest is a sunny day on the Annunciation.

According to signs, rain on a holiday - to mushroom autumn, to good fishing. A thunderstorm on a holiday indicates a warm summer and a good harvest of nuts. If a thunderstorm thundered on a holiday, you can expect a warm summer and an excellent harvest of nuts.

According to signs, the frost on the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos indicated a good harvest of spring and cucumbers.

What are they praying for

They pray before the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos of the Annunciation for relief and healing of their ailments, for release from imprisonment, and in general - to receive "good" news about something.

Prayer

Accept, O All-Mighty, Most Pure Lady Mistress of the Theotokos, this honest gift, the only one applied to You from us, Your unworthy servants, chosen from all generations, the highest being of all creatures of heaven and earth. For the sake of Thee, for the sake of Thee, the Lord of hosts be with us, and by Thee we will know the Son of God, and we will be honored with His Holy Body and His Most Pure Blood. Blessed are you also in childbirth, God-blessed, the brightest of the Cherubim and the most honest of the Seraphim. And now, All-holy Mother of God, do not stop praying for us, Your unworthy servants, to deliver us from every advice of the evil one and from every circumstance, and keep us intact from every poisonous pretense of the devil. But even to the end, by Your prayers, keep us uncondemned, as if by Your intercession and help we save, glory, praise, thanksgiving and worship for the whole in the Trinity to the One God and all the Creator we send, now and ever and forever and ever. Amen.

Material prepared on the basis of open sources

On April 7, the Holy Orthodox Church prayerfully honors the great and joyful feast of the Annunciation of Our Most Holy Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary. Annunciation means "good" or "good" news. The Feast of the Annunciation is celebrated in remembrance of the appearance of the Blessed Virgin Mary by the Archangel Gabriel and the announcement by him of the mystery of the incarnation from Her of Jesus Christ, the Son of God and the Savior of the world.

Annunciation Event
Upon reaching adulthood, according to a custom that had the force of law, the Blessed Virgin Mary left the temple of Jerusalem and was handed over to the elderly carpenter Joseph - the Betrothed, or the guardian of Her virginity. Joseph came from the same tribe as Her and took Her to him in order to be Her protector under the guise of marriage. Living in the Galilean city of Nazareth, in the house of Joseph, the Blessed Virgin spent most of her time in solitude and silence, engaged in contemplation and prayer, reading the Holy Scriptures and needlework.
The events of the Annunciation are described by the only evangelist - the apostle Luke.
According to the Gospel (Luke 1:26-38), in the 6th month after the conception of Saint John the Baptist by the righteous Elizabeth, the Archangel Gabriel was sent from God to the city of Nazareth to the Blessed Virgin Mary with the joyful news that the Savior of the world would be born from Her. Entering her, Gabriel said: “Rejoice, full of grace! The Lord is with you; Blessed are You among women." Mary was embarrassed by the angelic greeting and thought about its meaning, but Gabriel continued: “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found grace with God. And behold, you will conceive in the womb, and you will bear a Son, and you will call His name: Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High ... and His Kingdom will have no end, ”that is, the archangel announced in the same words in which the prophet Isaiah predicted this event long before him (Is. 7:14). According to a number of theologians, the words of the archangel Gabriel - "Rejoice, full of grace" - became the first "good" news for mankind after his fall into sin. St. Theophylact of Bulgaria (XI-XII centuries), in his interpretation of the Gospel of Luke, writes: “Since the Lord said to Eve: “In sickness you will give birth to children” (Gen. 3:16), now this illness is resolved by the joy that the Angel brings to the Virgin, saying: Rejoice, Blessed One! Because Eve was cursed, Mary now hears: Blessed are You."
Mary, perplexed (according to St. Gregory of Neocaesarea (3rd century), fearing a violation of her virginity) asked how the fulfillment of this promise is compatible with the observance of the virginal lifestyle chosen by Her: “How will it be when I don’t know my husband?” (Luke 1:34) The angel answered Her that the incarnation of the Son of God would be accomplished by the miraculous action of the Holy Spirit: “The Holy Spirit will come upon You, and the power of the Most High will overshadow You; therefore, the holy being born will be called the Son of God. Here is Elizabeth, your relative, called barren, and she conceived a son in her old age, and she is already six months old, for with God no word will remain powerless ”(Luke 1:35-37). Then Mary, seeing the will of God in the words of the angel, said with humility: “Behold, the Servant of the Lord; Let it be done to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38).
Right. Nicholas Cabasilas (XIV century) comments on these words in the following way: “The Incarnation was not only the work of the Father, His Power and His Spirit, but also the work of the will and faith of the Blessed Virgin. Without the consent of the Immaculate, without the assistance of Her faith, this plan would have remained unfulfilled, just as without the action of the Three Persons of the Divine Trinity Themselves. Only after God has instructed and persuaded the Holy Virgin, He accepts Her in Mother and borrows from Her flesh, which She gladly provides Him with. Just as He voluntarily incarnated, it was also pleasing to Him that His Mother would give birth to Him freely and of Her good will.”
By his humility and consent, according to St. Athanasius the Great (4th century), Mary expressed her confession of faith. He compares it to a tablet, “…on which the Scribe writes whatever pleases Him. May the Lord of all write and do whatever He wants. No word is powerless with the Lord, and Mary soon gave birth to the Infant Jesus (Luke 1:26-35).
Indirectly, the event of the Annunciation is mentioned by St. Paul: “When the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his only begotten Son, who was born of a woman” (Gal. 4:4).
King Solomon, who received from God all the light of wisdom to explore the secrets of nature, after surveying everything that is in heaven and on earth - past, present and future - decided that there is nothing new in the world, under the sun. But in the Annunciation to the blessed Virgin Mary, God created a completely new work, which has never happened in past centuries and will never happen in the future.
Humanity has been waiting for this day for more than five thousand years. The divine and prophetic books spoke of the coming of the Savior into the world. And the long-awaited hour has come.

Determination of the date and history of the establishment of the holiday
The name of the holiday - the Annunciation - conveys the main meaning of the event associated with it: the announcement to the Virgin Mary of the good news about the conception and birth of the Divine Infant Christ by Her. This holiday belongs to the twelfth non-passing holidays and is celebrated every year on the same April day.
The date of the Annunciation both in the West and in the East is considered March 25 (according to the old style, according to the new - April 7). This date is exactly 9 months from December 25 (old style), which is from the 4th century. is considered the day of the Nativity of Christ.
For the first time, the date March 25 appears in the writings of Western authors of the 3rd century - Tertullian and Schmch. Hippolytus of Rome as the day of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ according to the Roman calendar. This circumstance formed the basis of the Alexandrian and later Byzantine chronological systems identifying the date of the Annunciation and Pascha.
The establishment of this holiday in Constantinople dates back to about the middle of the 6th century. as a consequence of the process of "historicization" of evangelical celebrations in the liturgical calendar, but there is no certainty on this issue. So, at St. Gregory of Neocaesarea is the "Discourse on the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos" and St. John Chrysostom (4th-5th centuries) in his writings calls the Annunciation "the first feast" and "the root of the feasts"; It can be assumed that the Church was already celebrating the Annunciation at this time. The celebration of the Annunciation is evidenced by a building in Nazareth, on the site where the Annunciation is believed to have taken place, by the Equal-to-the-Apostles Empress Helena at the beginning of the 4th century. Basilica of the Annunciation. At the same time, at the beginning of the 8th century. Armenian author Grigor Arsharuni wrote that the holiday was established by St. Cyril I, Bishop of Jerusalem, in the middle of the 4th century. However, Bishop Abraham of Ephesus (between 530 and 553) testifies that not a single sermon dedicated to the Annunciation was written before him. Ancient Georgian manuscript Lectionaries, reflecting the liturgical practice of Jerusalem in the 7th century, already contain a special feast of the Annunciation on March 25th. In the 7th century The Annunciation began to be celebrated in Rome and Spain; Gaul accepted it only in the 8th century.
In the VI century. Rev. Roman the Melodist wrote the kontakion (in the early sense of the term) of the Annunciation. By the end of the 7th century, this was already one of the most revered holidays in Constantinople. The hymnography of the holiday was supplemented in the 8th century. the creations of St. John of Damascus (VIII century) and Theophanes, Metropolitan of Nicaea (XIV century), who compiled the canon of the holiday in the form of a dialogue between the Virgin Mary and the Archangel Gabriel.
All Byzantine monuments of the 8th and subsequent centuries list the Annunciation among the most important holidays; his divine service is invariably celebrated on March 25.
Conversations on the Annunciation of St. Sophronius of Jerusalem (7th century), St. Herman of Constantinople (VIII century), St. John of Damascus and many other later holy fathers and church writers.
In the West, information about the feast of the Annunciation dates back to about the same time as in the East. From the writings of the Western Fathers of the Church and writers, the words on the Annunciation are known, attributed to the Latin authors of the 5th century. (Blessed Augustine of Hippo, Saints Peter Chrysologus and Leo I the Great) and subsequent centuries.
The day of the Annunciation was often considered the day of the beginning of the church or even civil year, both in the East and in the West. The belief that the historical date of the Resurrection of Christ coincides with March 25 led to the fact that this day was called "Kyriopaskha" (Major). Now Kyriopaskha is called the coincidence of the holidays of Easter and the Annunciation that happens every few years.

The Event of the Annunciation in the Patristic Tradition
"Annunciation", as indicated above, means good, joyful, good news. In fact, this is the same as the "Gospel", because this word is translated from Greek as "good news."
The Feast of the Annunciation is dedicated to the memory of the day when, as the Holy Scripture says, the Archangel Gabriel appeared to the Virgin Mary and announced the coming birth of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who would take upon Himself the sins of the whole world.
In the Greek collections of patristic words for various feasts intended for liturgical use (patristic Lectionaries), 1 or 2 readings are usually given for the Annunciation: the first begins with the words “Again the joy of the gospel” (known under the names of St. John Chrysostom (4th-5th centuries) and St. Gregory of Neocaesarea, and the second is the word of St. Andrew of Crete (VII-VIII centuries) “Today there is joy for all.” In addition, there are manuscripts containing other patristic readings, for example, St. Gregory of Neocaesarea, St. Proclus of Constantinople ( 5th century), sermons attributed to St. Athanasius the Great and St. John Chrysostom.Later authors also wrote words on the Annunciation, for example: St. Sophronius of Jerusalem; St. Herman, Patriarch of Constantinople, whose sermon "On the Annunciation" contains 2 dialogues The Blessed Virgin Mary with the Archangel and Righteous Joseph the Betrothed, St. Theodore the Studite (VIII-IX centuries), St. Gregory Palamas (XIV century), St. Right Nicholas Cabasilas (XIV century); St. Moscow Filaret (Drozdov) (19th century) (he compares the words of Mary “let it be to me according to your word” with the words of the Creator “let it be” (Genesis 1:3), so that “the word of the creature brings down the Creator into the world”) and many other.
An essential element of patristic writings dedicated to the event of the Annunciation is its dogmatic aspect. In all the words to the Annunciation, it is emphasized that the main event of the Annunciation is the accomplished incarnation of the Son of God; Rev. Theodore the Studite even calls the Annunciation not the Mother of God, but the Lord's holiday. Due to the close connection between the Annunciation, the Incarnation and the Nativity of Christ, some sermons could well have been written not for reading on the Annunciation, but for the feast of the Nativity of Christ (for example, the word of St. Proclus of Constantinople or the sermon of St. Leo the Great). The Holy Fathers often emphasize the role of the Blessed Virgin in the Annunciation and Her moral loftiness; This side of the event is clearly expressed in the words of St. Gregory Palamas and St. Nicholas Cavasila. Some of the words inscribed with the name of St. John Chrysostom, as well as the word of St. Herman of Constantinople and Kontakion of St. Roman the Melodist, are built in the form of a dialogue, and not only the Blessed Virgin and the Archangel, but also the righteous Joseph the Betrothed participate in the dialogues. Speaking of the greatest significance of the Annunciation in history, the Fathers of the Church do not confine themselves to a dogmatic interpretation of the gospel narrative—often they (for example, St. Theodore the Studite) draw practical moral conclusions from it.

Iconography of the holiday
Images interpreted as the “Annunciation” are already found in the murals of the catacombs (Priscilla, 2nd half of the 2nd - 1st half of the 3rd centuries, Peter and Marcellinus, 2nd half of the 3rd - 1st half of the 4th centuries .). As the Annunciation, the scene is interpreted where a young man, whose hand is stretched forward, standing in front of a woman sitting in an armchair, addresses her with a speech. The plot context allows us to see the Annunciation in this scene, since similar images of wingless angels are known in the frescoes of the catacombs based on the compositions “The Appearance of the Angel to Tobiah”, “The Appearance of the Angel to Balaam”, “The Appearance of the Trinity to Abraham”. Next in time is the composition of the Annunciation on the relief of the sarcophagus in Ravenna (after 400), where the angel is represented with large wings, with a staff in her left hand, and the seated Mother of God with a spindle and yarn, falling into a basket at Her feet.
The scheme that developed in the early Christian period did not undergo significant changes in Byzantine, Balkan and Old Russian art and varies on icons, miniatures and monumental paintings of the 9th-12th centuries. In the 2nd floor. 12th century the composition is dominated by dynamic expressive features. The movement of the archangel becomes impetuous, the look of the Virgin, turned to him, is testing. The composition is complemented by symbolic details. On the icon. 12th century from the monastery of the Catherine in Sinai, in the foreground is a river with many birds and fish - a symbol of paradise. Behind the throne of the Mother of God, on the golden roof of the high chamber, where there is a nest with birds, there is a garden behind a fence with trees, flowers and birds - the “Prisoner’s Vertograd” - a symbolic image of paradise and the Virgin (Song of Songs 4:12). The golden throne of the Mother of God, adorned with precious stones and pearls, and the building towering behind it with a curtain pulled back, resemble the throne of King Solomon (1 Kings 10:18) - also a symbol of the Mother of God.
The desire to visually illustrate the dogma of the Incarnation is most fully expressed in the Russian icon "The Annunciation of Ustyug" (XII century). In the heavenly segment, Jesus Christ is depicted sitting on fiery cherubim, from His blessing right hand a ray emanates to the Mother of God. The baby in the girdle is written in the same tones as the maforium (outerwear; a long woman's veil descending from head to toe). The right hand of the Mother of God with a purple thread is raised to her chest, in the lowered left hand She holds a skein of yarn, the thread runs parallel to the figure of the Infant, as if held at the shoulder by the right hand of the Virgin. On the Sinai icon of con. 12th century Also, next to the Infant, parallel to the figurine, there is a thread that literally illustrates the idea of ​​weaving the “smart purple robe of Emmanuel” — the flesh of Christ “from the pure and virgin blood” of the Mother of God.
The exceptional significance of the feast of the Annunciation, which Saints John Chrysostom and Athanasius of Alexandria call the first among others, is reflected in the location of this plot in temple paintings in the altar or pre-altar zone. Such an arrangement clearly indicates that through the Incarnation on earth of the Savior, the Son of God, heaven is opened for the human race. In the X-XI centuries. The Mother of God is depicted standing in front of the throne (katholikon of the Vatoped monastery on Athos; St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv).
In the XII century. The Mother of God is usually depicted sitting on a throne against the background of the chambers, with yarn in her hands, half-turning to the archangel (Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin of the Antoniev Monastery in Novgorod (1125)). In the painting of the Novgorod church of the Great Martyr. Theodore Stratilates on the Stream (end of the 14th century) in front of the Mother of God sitting on the throne, a brightly flaming lamp is depicted - one of the symbols of the Virgin, testifying to Her acceptance of the Divine fire.
In accordance with the fact that the Incarnation of the Savior opens heavenly doors for humanity, the image of the Annunciation is placed on the royal doors of the iconostasis. The scene of the Annunciation is often combined with the image of kings David and Solomon in the upper parts of the royal gates: the gate leaf from the church of the Hospital of the Virgin in Ohrid (Macedonia) with the archangel Gabriel and king Solomon (2nd half of the 14th century); gate from the Bar (Bulgaria, late 16th century, Museum of the Preobrazhensky Monastery). In Rus', a different type of royal doors is being formed, where the Annunciation is placed at the top of the doors, and either St. Basil the Great and John Chrysostom, whose names are 2 Byzantine Liturgies, or 4 evangelists.
The veneration of the feast of the Annunciation was also expressed in the dedication of numerous temples and monasteries. One of the oldest churches in Rus' is the Church of the Annunciation on Gorodische in Novgorod (XII century). In honor of the Annunciation, gate churches were often consecrated (the Church on the Golden Gate in Kyiv (XI century)).
It is noteworthy that in the Kaluga Metropolis many churches were consecrated in honor of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos, for example: a cathedral in the city of Borovsk (XVIII-XIX centuries), a cathedral in the city of Meshchovsk (XIX century), churches in the city of Kozelsk (XIX century .), Meshchovsk (XVII century), p. Kurilovo, Zhukovsky district (XVIII century), as well as now inactive, but dedicated to the Holiday: p. Khokhlovo, Meshchovsky district (XVIII century), the village of Zaborovka, Peremyshlsky district (early XX century), the village of Andreevskoye, Ferzikovsky district (XVIII century), and others.

Why are white doves launched on the Annunciation?
The white dove has been a symbol of peace and good news since ancient times. In addition, the dove is a symbol of the grace-filled action of the Holy Spirit, and the snow-white wings are at the same time a symbol of the purity of the Virgin Mary herself.
In pre-revolutionary Russia, there was a custom, especially in Moscow, on the Day of the Annunciation, as on the day of the announcement of freedom to the whole world, to release birds from cages into the wild. To engage in any, even light, work on this day was considered a sin.
In the post-Soviet history of the Russian Orthodox Church, this custom was revived in the 90s of the XX century, and today in many churches after the Liturgy white doves are released into the sky.