Every year on September 21, the Orthodox Church celebrates the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin, which is not inferior in its significance to the Nativity of Christ. Christians are looking forward to this bright and wonderful holiday, in which centuries-old traditions have been preserved that help to feel the grace of God.

The Nativity of the Virgin is celebrated not only in Russia, but all over the world. The Blessed Virgin was endowed with the most important spiritual mission - to save people.

The Mother of God gave the world the Savior, thereby fulfilling the prophecy. The salvation of people from original sin began long before the birth of Christ. The beginning was precisely the birthday of the Virgin Mary, who, with her arrival, lit up the hearts of believers with hope: biblical legends do not lie, changes are coming.

As early as the 4th century, people began to celebrate this great holiday. And to this day, Christians with love in their hearts are waiting for the Nativity of the Virgin.

Traditions and rituals of the Nativity of the Virgin

Christians celebrate this holiday every year with joy. On September 21, it is customary to read prayers to the Blessed Virgin, which will have special power and significance. Many rituals and traditions that people observe year after year will help make your life brighter and better.

The rite for the conception of a child is especially popular on this day. People believe that a child conceived on the day of the Nativity of the Virgin will be born healthy, and his life will be easy and bright. For the ceremony to be successful, you should light a candle and, while the candle burns out, say a prayer and ask the Lord through the Blessed Virgin for a child. The words in prayer are not as important as the sincerity with which you ask for a child.

As for traditions, on this day it is better to avoid quarrels and curses. And you also need to monitor the weather: if it rains on a holiday, this is good luck and happiness.

On the Nativity of Our Lady, in no case should you drink. According to legend, a person who dares to drink even a little alcohol is doomed to suffering and illness throughout the year.

On this day, every woman is treated with special tenderness and respect, since it is in a woman that the beginning of all mankind is laid.

On the day of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, according to tradition, it is customary to set the table and gather with the whole family for dinner. The main dishes are cereals and vegetables. Pies left on the windowsill at night attract good luck and happiness for the whole year.

And, of course, do not forget about prayers and church attendance on this sacred day. The Mother of God will come to the aid of everyone who sincerely prays and believes in divine power.

The Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos is an amazing day that helps to find grace. On this holiday, your faith, sincerity and love for the Blessed Virgin is important. The Mother of God will surely hear every soul and help according to the strength of your faith. Do not stop praying and thanking the Heavenly Lady, and then life will be illuminated with the light of hope and happiness. We wish you peace of mind. be happy and don't forget to press the buttons and

20.09.2017 04:41

In the Orthodox Church calendar, a special place is given to holidays dedicated to our Savior. They remind you of important...

September 21 Orthodox Christians remember Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This event - the birth of the Mother of our Lord Jesus Christ from the righteous parents Joachim and Anna - is described in Church Tradition. We will talk about the history, meaning and folk traditions associated with the holiday.

The Nativity of Our Most Holy Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary is the full name of the holiday that the Russian Orthodox Church celebrates on September 21 according to the new style (September 8 according to the old style). This is one of the twelfth Orthodox holidays. The Twelfth Feasts are dogmatically closely connected with the events of the earthly life of the Lord Jesus Christ and the Theotokos and are divided into the Lord's (dedicated to the Lord Jesus Christ) and the Theotokos (dedicated to the Mother of God). Nativity of the Virgin - Mother of God holiday.

The event we celebrate on this day is not described in the New Testament. Knowledge about it came to us from Church Tradition, one of the sources of our dogma, along with the Holy Scriptures.

The legend that tells about the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, namely the Protoevangelium of James, was written in the 2nd century. And they began to celebrate the holiday as a separate significant day by the second half of the 5th century. For example, we read about this in the Patriarch of Constantinople Proclus (439-446) and in the breviary (liturgical book) of Pope Gelasius (492-426).

When is the Nativity of the Virgin

Orthodox Christians celebrate the Nativity of the Virgin Mary on September 21 according to the new style (September 8 according to the old style). This is a non-transferable holiday, that is, its date remains the same every year.

The holiday according to the Orthodox tradition lasts 6 days, from September 20 to 25. This period includes prefeast and afterfeast. Prefeast - one or several days before a big holiday, the divine services of which already include prayers dedicated to the upcoming celebrated event. Accordingly, the afterfeast is the same days after the holiday.

Events of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

In the New Testament we will not find practically anything about the earthly life of the Mother of God. The Gospels do not provide information about who the parents of the Virgin Mary were and under what circumstances she was born.

The Feast of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos is based on Church Tradition. There is the so-called Protoevangelium of James, written in the 2nd century. In it we read that Mary was born of pious parents, Joachim and Anna. Joachim was a descendant of the royal family, and Anna was the daughter of the high priest. They lived to a ripe old age and were childless. This was a source of grief for the couple and caused public censure.

Once, when Joachim came to the Temple, the high priest did not allow him to offer a sacrifice to God, saying: "You did not create offspring for Israel." After that, the inconsolable Joachim retired to the desert to pray, while Anna remained at home and also prayed. At this time, an angel appeared to both of them and announced to each: “The Lord has heeded your prayer, you will conceive and give birth, and your offspring will be talked about all over the world.”

Upon learning the good news, the couple met at the Golden Gate of Jerusalem.

After that, Anna conceived. As the Protoevangelium of James writes, “the months allotted to her passed, and Anna gave birth in the ninth month.” The righteous made a vow to dedicate their child to God and gave their daughter Mary to the Temple in Jerusalem, where she served until she came of age.

Since then, the feast of the Nativity of the Virgin on September 21 has always been celebrated by believers with great trepidation.

Feast of September 21 Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary: signs

September 21 is an Orthodox holiday, which has always served for believers as a day when you can make requests and even see your future according to certain signs. Therefore, read further on September 21, the Orthodox holiday of signs. Previously, it was believed that by September 21, the holiday should be harvested from the fields. On this festive occasion, people arranged great feasts. The richer the table was set, the richer the next year's harvest will be. This is a kind of gift to nature for its generosity. Depending on what kind of harvest was harvested, the celebration lasted so long: a great harvest was celebrated for two weeks, and a small one - for only three days.

On a church holiday on September 21, 2019, the old people passed on their experience to young couples. We went to the newlyweds and passed on wisdom from grandparents. If the young people listened carefully and followed all the advice, it was believed that their life would be happy and comfortable.

The Holy Mother of God feast of September 21 was considered the day when autumn fully entered into its legal rights. From that day on, it started to get colder. If on this day the weather pleases with its good warmth and sun, then the autumn will be warm and clear. If, on the contrary, it is gloomy and cloudy for the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, you can’t do without umbrellas and warm clothes in the fall.

On Thursday, September 21, all Orthodox believers celebrate the Nativity of Our Most Holy Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary.

This twelfth non-passing Mother of God holiday is celebrated as one of the great holidays, considered the day of the beginning of the Russian state, as indicated on the monument to the Millennium of Russia, erected in Novgorod in 1862, during the reign of Emperor Alexander I.

Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary: history

When the time approached for the birth of the Savior of the world, in the Galilean city of Nazareth lived a descendant of King David, Joachim, with his wife Anna, pious people and known not for their royal origin, but for humility and mercy. Their whole life was imbued with love for God. They distributed most of their money to the poor, fed and watered the poor, often visited synagogues, which they decorated at their own expense. They lived to a ripe old age, but did not have children, which made them very sad. At that time, every Jew hoped through his offspring to be a participant in the kingdom of the Messiah, and if there were no children, this was considered a great punishment of God for sins.

Once, on a big feast, Joachim went to the temple to make a sacrifice. The priest, having learned that Joachim was childless, did not allow him to do this. The Jews who were here began to laugh at him and insult him. What happened so saddened Joachim that he did not want to return home, but went to the desert, where his flocks were grazing. Here, in prayers to God, he made a promise until then not to eat, not to drink and not to return home until God heard his prayers.

Anna, his wife, stayed at home. Hearing about what had happened, she began to pray to God even more fervently and made a promise to give the child to the service of the Lord, if it pleased Him to hear their prayer. During this prayer, an angel appeared to her and said: “Your prayer has been answered, the Lord will send you a daughter, whom you will call Mary.” At the same time, an angel appeared to Joachim and announced the same good news.

For patience, great faith and love for God and for each other, the Lord sent Joachim and Anna this great joy - at the end of their lives they had a daughter. At the direction of the Angel, her parents gave her the name Mary, which means in Hebrew "Lady, Hope." The birth of Mary brought joy not only to Her parents, but to all people, because She was destined by God to be the Mother of the Son of God, the Savior of the world. Parents kept their Blessed Daughter like the apple of their eye and not only loved like a daughter, but also revered, remembering what the Angel said about her. When She was three years old, they brought Mary to the temple, and, according to the promise, dedicated to God. This event is celebrated under the name of the Entry into the Temple of the Most Holy Theotokos on December 4 (November 21, old style).

At any divine service, the Blessed Virgin Mary, who has been honored to be the Mother of our Savior Jesus Christ, is praised, and Her parents, Saints Joachim and Anna, are mentioned. Righteous Joachim and Anna, according to popular belief, are the main helpers in marital infertility, they are called Godfathers.

The service in the temple begins before sunrise, all women light candles and leave notes with requests near the icon. During the service, they sincerely pray and ask for health for children and loved ones, harmony in family relationships, well-being in the family, a cure for ailments and the opportunity to give birth to a healthy child.

Also on this day, it was customary to help the poor by giving them food (bread and pastries baked in advance, various types of cereals, vegetables and fruits grown by one's own hands).

Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary: Traditions

There are many signs associated with this day, which are passed down from generation to generation:

Before the holiday, the Orthodox tried to harvest the entire crop and finish the agricultural season;

Our ancestors noticed that if a woman has time to swim before the first rays of the sun, then her beauty is until old age;

On the day of the Nativity of the Virgin, unmarried girls read prayers for a future happy family life, for the birth of healthy first-born children and glorified the Most Holy Theotokos;

On Friday, September 21, all Orthodox believers celebrate the Nativity of Our Most Holy Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary

This twelfth non-passing Mother of God holiday is celebrated as one of the great holidays, considered the day of the beginning of the Russian state, as indicated on the monument to the Millennium of Russia, erected in Novgorod in 1862, during the reign of Emperor Alexander I.

Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary: history

When the time approached for the birth of the Savior of the world, in the Galilean city of Nazareth lived a descendant of King David, Joachim, with his wife Anna, pious people and known not for their royal origin, but for humility and mercy. Their whole life was imbued with love for God. They distributed most of their money to the poor, fed and watered the poor, often visited synagogues, which they decorated at their own expense. They lived to a ripe old age, but did not have children, which made them very sad. At that time, every Jew hoped through his offspring to be a participant in the kingdom of the Messiah, and if there were no children, this was considered a great punishment of God for sins.

Once, on a big feast, Joachim went to the temple to make a sacrifice. The priest, having learned that Joachim was childless, did not allow him to do this. The Jews who were here began to laugh at him and insult him. What happened so saddened Joachim that he did not want to return home, but went to the desert, where his flocks were grazing. Here, in prayers to God, he made a promise until then not to eat, not to drink and not to return home until God heard his prayers.
Anna, his wife, stayed at home. Hearing about what had happened, she began to pray to God even more fervently and made a promise to give the child to the service of the Lord, if it pleased Him to hear their prayer. During this prayer, an angel appeared to her and said: “Your prayer has been heard, the Lord will send you a daughter, whom you will call Mary.” At the same time, an angel appeared to Joachim and announced the same good news.

For patience, great faith and love for God and for each other, the Lord sent Joachim and Anna this great joy - at the end of their lives they had a daughter. At the direction of the Angel, her parents gave her the name Mary, which means in Hebrew "Lady, Hope." The birth of Mary brought joy not only to Her parents, but to all people, because She was destined by God to be the Mother of the Son of God, the Savior of the world. Parents kept their Blessed Daughter like the apple of their eye and not only loved like a daughter, but also revered, remembering what the Angel said about her. When She was three years old, they brought Mary to the temple, and, according to the promise, dedicated to God. This event is celebrated under the name of the Entry into the Temple of the Most Holy Theotokos on December 4 (November 21, old style).

Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary: Traditions

At any divine service, the Blessed Virgin Mary, who has been honored to be the Mother of our Savior Jesus Christ, is praised, and Her parents, Saints Joachim and Anna, are mentioned. Righteous Joachim and Anna, according to popular belief, are the main helpers in marital infertility, they are called Godfathers.

The service in the temple begins before sunrise, all women light candles and leave notes with requests near the icon. During the service, they sincerely pray and ask for health for children and loved ones, harmony in family relationships, well-being in the family, a cure for ailments and the opportunity to give birth to a healthy child.

Also on this day, it was customary to help the poor by giving them food (bread and pastries baked in advance, various types of cereals, vegetables and fruits grown by one's own hands).

Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary: Traditions

There are many signs associated with this day, which are passed down from generation to generation:

Before the holiday, the Orthodox tried to harvest the entire crop and finish the agricultural season;

Our ancestors noticed that if a woman has time to swim before the first rays of the sun, then her beauty is until old age;

On the day of the Nativity of the Virgin, unmarried girls read prayers for a future happy family life, for the birth of healthy first-born children and glorified the Most Holy Theotokos;

The newlyweds invited relatives to visit: the young wife tried to surprise them with her culinary skills, and her husband, through housekeeping, in particular, showed his relatives the animals grown in the farmstead during the year.

Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary 2017: what not to do on this holiday

On the day of the Nativity of the Virgin, the following actions cannot be performed:

to swear or quarrel with relatives, friends and strangers;

hard work, you need to allow yourself to rest on this day;

throw away crumbs after eating (they must be left to animals);

call someone bad names, or use obscene and angry words.

Customs and Traditions of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

It has long been considered that this is a holiday for all women and mothers. On this day, they thank the Most Holy Theotokos for the possibility of procreation, for the birth of the Son of God by Her.

What prayer to read before the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos?

The celebration of the Birth of the Virgin Mary is a gratitude to God for salvation and the opportunity to get rid of sin. Believers, putting on their festive clothes, go to church to sing praises to the Lord, thank Him, pray to the Mother of God, put a candle to Her. On this day, you can contact her with your troubles, requests, anxieties. The appeals made to Her on this holiday will be heard. However, the Mother of God on other days never ignores those who pray to Her, rejoicing that people turn to her. Prayers are read before the icon, asking not only for themselves, but also for others.

Prayer to the Mother of God:

“O Holy Mother of God! Look with mercy on the prayers of us, Thy sinful and humble servants, and implore God, Thy Son, may He grant us and all who flow to You, health of the soul and body and all that is needed for eternal and temporal life, may we forgive any sin of the free and involuntary; may he deliver us from all sorrows and illnesses, and misfortunes, and all evil conditions. To her, our Tsarina Preblagaya, Our hope is indestructible and Intercessor invincible! Do not turn Your face away from us, for the multitude of our transgressions; but stretch out to us the hand of Thy motherly mercy and create with us a sign for good. Show us Your rich help and prosper in every good deed; turn us away from every sinful undertaking and the evil mind, let us glorify Your Most Honorable Name and worship Your honest image, and magnify God the Father, and His Only Begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit with all the saints, forever and ever. Amen"

Make a wish in front of the icon of the Mother of God. How to ask the Mother of God for well-being for your family and yourself?

Women asked the Mother of God for well-being for their home, family members. They placed candles for Her, the bottom of which was wrapped in advance with pieces of paper with written wishes. When the candle burned, they looked at which edge would be burned first - the desire written there would come true. The completely burnt paper meant that the Mother of God had heard all the requests. The best gift for the Most Holy Theotokos is the faith of people, the purity of their souls, the ability to love.

Bread from all diseases for the Nativity of the Virgin

On this holiday, housewives bake bread with the first letters of its name - “The Nativity of the Virgin” for each family member. They were kept until the Nativity of Christ under images. When one of the family members fell ill, they were given bread with holy water, which is consecrated on the feast of the Nativity of the Mother of God. Sometimes, for treatment, they were crushed into holy water and given to drink it.

What can you eat on the feast of the birth of the Virgin?

This day falls on a fast, but you can eat fish on a holiday. Cooked dishes were treated to loved ones and, of course, the poor. Women should give alms in the form of food and money so that God would give them children and family well-being. He punishes women who are begging for alms with barrenness.

Tables on this day are laid generously. It is believed that this is gratitude to nature for giving a rich harvest. They bake pies with different fillings, set the table with gifts of the earth. The holiday is celebrated for a long time - from several days to two weeks, depending on how the harvest was - rich or poor.

Is it possible to get married on the Nativity of the Virgin?

The owners of apiaries removed the hives from them so that the bees would not freeze. They were fed with sugar.

Onion week begins with a holiday. The vegetables were removed from the fields and gardens, and the time for gatherings began for the girls. Young people came to them, brought refreshments, sang songs.

From this holiday begins the wedding season. All the summer things are done, you can devote time to the celebration. Nature begins a new round of her life, which means it's time to start a family.

How to ask the Mother of God for the conception and birth of a child?

On the Nativity of the Mother of God, the childless turn to Her with a prayer, asking for the onset of pregnancy, easy childbirth, and the birth of a healthy baby. They read such a prayer near Her image:

Prayer to the Mother of God for the birth of a baby:

“Oh, Most Pure and Blessed Virgin, asked of God by holy prayers, consecrated to God, beloved by God, and for purity for the sake of your soul and body by the Mother of the Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, chosen. Who will not please You or who will not sing of Your glorious Nativity, for Your Birth is the beginning of our salvation. Accept from us, unworthy, praise to you and do not reject our prayer. We confess your greatness, we fall down to You in tenderness and ask the child-loving and merciful Mother quickly in intercession: ask Your Son and our God to give us sinners, sincere repentance and a pious life, and the opportunity to live pleasing to God and our souls useful. O Most Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen of heaven and earth, look graciously on Your servants who have not yet been able to give birth to offspring and, through Your omnipotent intercession, grant them healing from infertility. O Mother of God and the Nourisher of our life, wake us to help and save the faithful children of the Holy Church, hear our prayers, heal the sick, quench sorrow, direct courage for good. Meanwhile, we humbly resort to You and ask: ask the All-Merciful Lord God for forgiveness of all our sins, voluntary and involuntary, for our suffering fatherland, salvation, peace, silence and piety. And everything that is so necessary for our life and salvation, ask us of Your Son, Christ our God. You are our hope at the hour of death, grant us a Christian death, and the inheritance of the eternal and inexpressible blessings of the Kingdom of Heaven. With all the saints, we tirelessly ask you for intercession and glorify the one True God, worshiped in the Holy Trinity, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen"

Or this prayer:

Prayer to the Virgin Mary for the birth of a baby:

“O my Most Holy Lady Theotokos, my indestructible hope, accept these prayers with great hope and faith in Your immeasurable mercy, have mercy on the servant of God (name) and grant me healing from my infertility and the opportunity to conceive a child from my husband”

How to charge your home with good luck and prosperity in the coming year?

The Nativity of the Virgin is celebrated hospitably. It is customary to visit friends and relatives.

A young family invites parents to visit them, treats them with goodies, boasts of their household. Not only parents come - the house is visited by grandfathers, grandmothers, elders. The young hostess should please the guests with a delicious pie, cooked with her own hands. If the dish turned out to be delicious, she is presented with a gift. If not, they give instructions, advice on how to become a good housewife. At the table, the old people tell the young about signs and rituals. If a couple fulfills them and listens to the recommendations of the older generation, their life develops friendly and cloudless. The crumbs left from the eaten pie are scattered around the barn so that the cattle do not get sick, are not destroyed by wandering animals, and the harvest is not spoiled by birds.

Be sure to visit your parents. They go to them in the evening, not empty-handed, but with delicious treats. So that the couple is not afraid of a bad eye, the wife ties a braid with embroidered letters “P” and “B” on her clothes. If she gets untied from her clothes, untied, this is a sign of envy from others.

It is believed that with the birth of the Virgin, a new life begins. In order for the year to be prosperous and successful, the fire was renewed in the old days. Everyone in the hut had a torch that was always on fire. On the Nativity of the Virgin, it was extinguished, and then lit again. It was believed that this would help to leave behind sorrows and illnesses, and take only good health and joy into a new life.

Rite of protection of children from diseases and troubles

In the old days, people kindled bonfires and burned worn out shoes and clothes in them. This protected them from damage, disease and adversity. It was customary to pour water on children when they crossed the threshold.

On this day, the Second Autumn and the autumn day of the equinox are celebrated. The holiday is associated with the entry of autumn into its own rights. From early morning, women go to the reservoirs to meet Osenina. They took treats with them - jelly, oatmeal bread. Osenins are dedicated to gratitude to nature for the harvest. In order not to lose beauty to the very gray hairs, women washed themselves before the sun rose. The girls did this so that the groom would marry. Two holidays merge into one, although they have different origins.