As the Bible says, in one Jerusalem family, wife Anna and her husband Joachim were unable to conceive a child. Their family was Orthodox; they asked God for a daughter or son for a long time. One day, a miracle happened, God had mercy, and Anna finally became pregnant. Before her long-awaited pregnancy, Joachim had a vision: he saw the Archangel Gabriel. The Archangel warned the future father that he and his wife would soon have a daughter, and that her name would be Mary. Mary will have to give salvation to the whole world.
When the Mother of God was born, in the fourth year of her birth, her parents gave the girl as a servant in the temple, as the Archangel Gabriel bequeathed to them. Mary served the Lord, did not commit sins or atrocities, and was chosen by Him to give birth to the Son of God. After the birth of Jesus Christ, Mary prayed until the end of her days for all people and asked the Lord to have mercy on them. The appearance of the Mother of God is the embodiment of purity and a bright soul.
What can you do
Since the Nativity of the Virgin Mary is a church celebration and does not imply the observance of Fasts, on this day it is not forbidden to eat any food, have fun and relax. Many people are interested in whether it is possible to have a wedding on this holiday. The answer is yes. Moreover, the Mother of God is considered the patroness of the hearth and female happiness. If the wedding falls on September 21, this will be an additional amulet for creating a strong union.
It is imperative to pray to the Mother of God on the feast day for the health of children and mothers. If there is no child in the house yet, and difficulties arise with conception, be sure to ask the Most Pure Virgin Mary for help. Maria will hear calls for help and help solve difficulties. You can go to church and light a candle for your whole family to live in health and peace.
What not to do
On the Birthday of the Mother of God it is prohibited:
- use foul language and swear with loved ones, shout at children;
- abuse alcohol;
- to be rude and offend parents and the elderly;
- do hard work.
If beggars or lepers ask for alms, you need to give them some money. Refusal can threaten a woman with infertility or failure in family life.
Signs and traditions
Since in Rus' all church holidays were intertwined with Slavic ones, the onset of the autumn season - Autumn - was celebrated on the Birth of the Virgin Mary. Most of the harvest had already been collected from the fields and they thanked the Lord and nature for it. They always asked for a warm, snowy winter and an early spring.
In the morning, women went to streams and rivers to wash themselves before sunrise and met Osenina there. They brought jelly and pottery to the reservoirs, and tried in every possible way to appease Mother Nature.
For young girls, this time was spent holding gatherings. Future grooms were invited to get-togethers, served tea and treats, and the guys got married.
On the Birthday of the Mother of God, they tried to burn all the rubbish in the house. It was believed that this removes the evil eye.
There were many signs about Osenina. All of them are mainly associated with the onset of autumn and preparation for winter. Here are some:
- if the weather is warm, winter will also be good;
- onion day - dig up all the onions from the ground;
- you need to bury a fly or midge in the ground - insects will not bite;
- if there is dew on the grass, it means frost is approaching;
- if there are no stars in the sky, the winter will be cold;
- if the wind blows on this day, it means there will be little snow in winter.
How to celebrate
The birth of the Virgin Mary is an excellent occasion to gather the whole family around the round table. They invite parents, grandparents, and children to their place for lunch or dinner. A young family invites all relatives to visit. Housewives bake pies and prepare various dishes.
If the meeting with relatives took place in a warm atmosphere, then life will be cloudless and happy. Crumbs are not thrown away from the table, but given to birds or animals.
The Birth of the Savior marks the beginning of a new period in life, so if there are candles in the house, you can illuminate the corners so that all litigation goes away. If there are no candles, light a splinter and extinguish it, then light it again. This ritual suggests that difficulties are in the past, and only a successful future awaits.
What can you cook
First of all, bread is baked. If possible, oatmeal is used for cooking, but if it is not available, then regular flour will do. Guests and household members are treated to fresh bread. The leftover bread is dried on crackers and stored at home. If someone close to them is sick or morally depressed, they give him a cracker and lighted water. The patient will definitely get better.
At the end of September, Ukrainians celebrate a major Orthodox holiday - the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary 2019. This day is considered one of the most important and revered in the Christian world. After all, it is known that since ancient times people have respected the Mother of God as God’s righteous, intercessor, and patroness of children and mothers. Read about the main traditions, history and prohibitions of the holiday in our material.
Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary 2019: when is it celebrated?
History of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
An ancient biblical legend says that Joachim and Anna from Jerusalem could not have children for a long time. Then Joachim went to the Christian church to pray to higher powers for the gift of offspring. However, even there the clergy refused him, since he “did not create offspring for Israel.”
In despair, Joachim went into the desert and prayed to the Lord for a child for many days. Then an angel appeared to him from heaven and said: “The Lord has heeded your prayer, you will conceive and give birth, and your offspring will be talked about all over the world.”
And so it happened: the couple had a daughter who united heaven and earth, people and God. The family was grateful for the gift from heaven. Therefore, in return, Joachim and Anna promised the Lord to give the child to serve God, which they did when Mary was three years old.
Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary: how to celebrate
The Holy Mother of God is a symbol of the pure feminine and maternal principle. Her child was born as a result of the immaculate conception, which is why the Virgin Mary is usually called “the purest of all mothers.”
The Feast of the Nativity of Our Lady is dedicated primarily to women. Every girl on this day should read a prayer dedicated to the Virgin Mary. It is believed that the Mother of God fulfills the deepest desires of those who truly believe in her. Therefore, you should ask the saint for health for yourself and your loved ones, unity in the family and protection from adversity.
But those who are just striving for motherhood, marriage or are simply looking for their love should go to church for a solemn liturgy dedicated to the miracle of the birth of the Intercessor.
At the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary there is also a special tradition for children. There is a belief that the Virgin Mary will protect children born on this day from troubles and adversity throughout their lives. The Mother of God also helps mothers in raising children, as well as during childbirth. Therefore, women in labor pray to the saint for a quick, painless, and most importantly healthy birth.
According to legend, if it rains outside on September 21, it means that the Virgin Mary is mourning the sins of people.
It is believed that girls need to wash themselves with morning dew before sunrise. Then their youth and beauty will remain for many years.
Previously, people collected herbs during the period between the Dormition of the Virgin Mary and the Birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary and prepared a special tincture from them. We believe that the elixir has healing properties and can cure the most terrible diseases.
Icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary: meaning
The icon dedicated to the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary depicts the happiness with which the Virgin Mary came into our world. Before depicting a saint, you need to ask only for the most sincere desires that are most important to the person at the moment. The clergy believe that the Heavenly Queen brings joy in the name of every believer.
Before the image of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, women need to ask for health and happiness for their children. And if God does not give offspring, in this case a sincere prayer to the Mother of God will help. It must be remembered that icons or saints do not “specialize” in any specific areas. It will be correct when a person turns with faith in the power of God, and not in the power of this icon, this saint or prayer.
Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary 2019: what not to do
On the day of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, there are a number of strict prohibitions that absolutely cannot be violated.
On this day you cannot do hard work, for example, sewing, cleaning, washing, ironing, making repairs and the like. It is better to postpone all matters to another day.
Remember that on this day it is strictly forbidden to swear. Otherwise, all the negative energy will turn against you with triple force. All conflicts and disagreements must be resolved peacefully, without raising your voice.
And if on this day someone asks you for help, be it physical or material, you cannot refuse.
On September 21, you cannot throw away leftover food from the table. They should be given to feed birds and animals.
On this holy holiday, you cannot pass by beggars and beggars without giving them food or alms. This prohibition especially applies to women, otherwise they may become infertile.
Prayer for the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
My most kind Circus, my hope, the Mother of God, the friend of the orphaned and strange mothers, those grieving at birth, the offended patroness! See my misfortune, see my sorrow, help me because I am weak, feed me because I am strange. My grievance is weighty, resolve it like a will: for not other imams are representatives, nor good comforters, except You, O Mother of God, for you preserve me and cover me forever and ever, Amen.
On Saturday, September 21, Orthodox Christians celebrate one of the 12 most important holidays after Easter - the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. About the history, traditions, folk signs and beliefs of this day - in the material Federal News Agency.
history of the holiday
About the birth of the matter of Jesus Christ - the Blessed Virgin Mary Virgin Mary- it is not said in Scripture. It is mentioned in the apocryphal text of the mid-2nd century, The Proto-Gospel of James.
According to legend, the parents of the Mother of God are pious Anna And Joachim, who lived in Nazareth and Jerusalem in the first century BC, were childless for a long time. Among the ancient Jews, the absence of children from spouses was considered God's punishment. For this, the already elderly Joachim was once even kicked out of the Jerusalem Temple, where he brought a gift to God along with other married men.
Saddened by this incident, righteous Joachim withdrew into the desert for fasting and prayer. And Anna, having learned about what had happened, blamed herself for everything and prayed to God even more earnestly than before.
And then the Angel of the Lord appeared to the woman and said: “Your prayer is heard by God, and you will conceive and give birth to a blessed daughter, above all earthly daughters. For her sake all earthly generations will be blessed. Name her Mary."
The same Angel visited the praying Joachim.
“God has graciously accepted your prayers. Your wife Anna will conceive and give birth to a daughter, about whom the whole world will rejoice. This is a sign of the truth of my words: go to Jerusalem, and there you will meet your wife at the Golden Gate,” the evangelist told Joachim.
Joachim immediately went to Jerusalem, where he met Anna, as the Angel of God had predicted. They told each other about everything that had happened to them during prayers, and decided to go to their hometown of Nazareth. There, nine months later, they had a girl, who was named Maria. She was given to serve the Lord. And it was she, the sinless one, who miraculously gave birth to the Savior, conceiving him from the Holy Spirit.
The Feast of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary began to be celebrated in the 4th century.
Traditions and customs
The Nativity of the Virgin Mary is considered a consolation for childless couples. This holiday is considered a women's holiday, and therefore on this day a woman is honored as a continuer of the family. And on September 21, women pray for the most sacred things, including deliverance from infertility, the birth of a child and the health of children.
There is a belief that sincere prayers on the Nativity of the Virgin Mary do not remain unanswered.
Orthodox Christians observe fasting on this day, limiting themselves to plant foods. Alcohol is also prohibited on this day.
On this day, the ancient Slavs celebrated Oseniny - a harvest festival on which they thanked Mother Earth for the collected gifts. Feasts were held in the villages, the main treat of which were pies and loaves made from the grain of the new harvest.
Unmarried girls told fortunes about their betrothed, marriage and good luck. It was also customary to honor newlyweds.
It was believed that on September 21, Indian summer ends and autumn finally comes into its own.
What cannot be done on the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, and what is necessary
In Rus', it was believed that on the Nativity of the Virgin Mary one should not do any homework, one should not quarrel, gossip, use foul language and condemn one’s neighbors.
This day is supposed to start with a trip to church, where beautiful and poetic prayers are read during the service:
“Your Nativity, Virgin Mary, announced joy to the whole universe: for from you the sun of righteousness, Christ our God, shone, and, having destroyed the curse, He gave a blessing, and, having destroyed death, He gave us eternal life. By your holy birth, most pure, Joachim and Anna were freed from reproach for childlessness, and Adam and Eve were freed from death. Glory, my soul, the glorious birth of the Mother of God. We glorify you, Most Holy Virgin, and honor your holy parents, and glorify your birth in everything glorious.”
Folk signs
There was a belief that the weather that was on the Nativity of the Virgin Mary would last for another four weeks.
At Christmas, the Mother of God also said: “The Mother of God puts away the cabbage heads,” because it was time to harvest the late cabbage, suitable for pickling.
Also, the Nativity of the Virgin Mary was called Onion Day, because onions were dug up at that time. This day was also called Pasikov, because because of the cold weather that came with it, bees were removed from apiaries.
“- apocryphal, i.e. this book was not recognized by the Church as inspired. The Gospel does not mention anything about this event. This is what this text says about the Nativity of the Virgin Mary:
I. In the twelve tribes of Israel there was a certain Joachim, a very rich man, who brought double gifts to God, saying: Let it be from my wealth for all the people, and for me as a remission to propitiate the Lord. The great day of the Lord came when the children of Israel brought their gifts. And Reuben spoke out against him (Joachim), saying: You cannot bring gifts to the first, for you have not created descendants for Israel. And Joachim was very upset, and began to look at the genealogy of the twelve tribes of the people, saying: I will search in the twelve tribes of Israel, whether it was I alone who did not give descendants to Israel. And after researching, he found out that all the righteous left descendants to Israel. He also remembered about Abraham, how in his last days God gave him his son Isaac. And Joachim became so bitter, and he did not go to his wife, but went into the desert, pitched his tent there and fasted for forty days and forty nights, saying: I will not go in for food or drink until the Lord comes down to me, and prayer will be my food and drink.
II. And his wife Anna wept and wept, saying: I will pay for my widowhood, I will pay for my childlessness. But then the great day of the Lord came, and Judith her maid said to her: How long will you torment your soul? After all, the great day of the Lord has come, and you cannot cry. Take the headband that my mistress gave me for my work: it is not proper for me to wear it, for I am a servant, and the headband bears the sign of royalty. Anna replied: get away from me, I will not do this: the Lord has humiliated me. Didn't the seducer inspire you to come so that I could commit a sin with you? And Judith answered: Why should I persuade you? The Lord has closed your bosom so that you would have no descendants in Israel. And Anna was very upset, but she took off her clothes, adorned her head, put on her wedding clothes and went into the garden, walking around the ninth hour, and saw the laurel, and sat down under it and began to pray to the Lord, saying: God of my fathers, bless me and listen. my prayer, how you blessed Sarah and gave her a son, Isaac.
III. And, raising her eyes to the sky, she saw a sparrow’s nest on a tree and began to cry, saying: Woe is me, who gave birth to me? What womb gave birth to me? For I became a curse among the children of Israel, and they tore me away from the temple with ridicule. Woe is me, who am I like? I am not like the birds of the air, for even the birds of the air have offspring with you, O Lord. I am not like dumb creatures, for dumb creatures also have offspring with you, Lord. Nor am I like these waters, for even the waters bear fruit for you, O Lord. Woe is me, who am I like? I am not like the earth, for the earth bears fruit from time to time and blesses you, Lord.
IV. And then the angel of the Lord appeared before her and said: Anna, Anna, the Lord has heeded your prayer, you will conceive and give birth, and your offspring will be talked about all over the world. And Anna said: The Lord my God lives! If I give birth to a male or female child, I will give it as a gift to my Lord, and it will serve Him all its life. And two messengers came and said to her:
Your husband, Joachim, goes with his flocks: for an angel appeared to him and announced: Joachim, Joachim, God has heard your prayer. Go away from here, for your wife Anna will conceive in her womb. And Joachim went and commanded his shepherds, saying: Bring ten pure, spotless lambs, they will be for the Lord my God, and bring me twelve young calves, and they will be for the priests and elders, and a hundred kids of goats for all the people. And so Joachim approached with his flocks, and Anna, who was standing at the gate, saw Joachim coming, and, running up, hugged him, and said: I know now that the Lord has blessed me: being a widow, I am no longer a widow, being barren, I am now I'll conceive! And Joachim found peace in his home that day.
V. In the morning he carried his gifts, saying: If the Lord has mercy on me, then the priest’s golden plate will show me. And Joachim brought his gifts, and looked intently at the plate, approaching the altar of the Lord, and did not see sin in himself. And Joachim said: Now I know that the Lord had mercy on me and forgave me all my sins, and left the temple, justified, and went to his home. Meanwhile, the months allotted to her passed, and Anna gave birth in the ninth month and asked the midwife: who did I give birth to? She answered: daughter. And Anna said: My soul was exalted on this day, and laid down my daughter. As days passed, Anna recovered and gave her breast to the child, and named her Maria.
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 of Joachim - is described in Church Tradition. We will talk about the history, meaning and folk traditions associated with the holiday.
What is the Nativity of the Virgin Mary
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 holidays are dogmatically closely connected with the events of the earthly life of the Lord Jesus Christ and the Mother of God 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 Mary - Feast of the Theotokos.
The event we celebrate on this day is not described in the New Testament. Knowledge about him came to us from Church Tradition, one of the sources of our doctrine, along with the Holy Scriptures.
The legend telling about the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, namely the Proto-Gospel of James, was written in the 2nd century. And they began to celebrate the holiday as a separate significant day in the second half of the 5th century. We read about this, for example, from 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 Mary celebrated?
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 permanent holiday, that is, its date remains the same every year.
The holiday, according to Orthodox tradition, lasts 6 days, from September 20 to 25. This period includes pre-celebration and post-celebration. Forefeast - one or several days before a major holiday, the services of which already include prayers dedicated to the upcoming celebrated event. Accordingly, after-feasts are the same days after the holiday.
What can you eat on the Nativity of the Virgin Mary?
In 2018, the holiday falls on Friday, a fast day; in honor of the holiday, believers are allowed to eat fish.
Events of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
In the New Testament we will find practically nothing 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 Blessed Virgin Mary is based on Church Tradition. There is the so-called Proto-Gospel of James, written in the 2nd century. In it we read that Mary was born from pious parents, Joachim and Anna. Joachim came from a royal family, and Anna was the daughter of a high priest. They lived to an old age and were childless. This was a source of grief for the couple and caused public censure.
One day, when Joachim came to the Temple, the high priest did not allow him to make a sacrifice to God, saying: “You have not created descendants for Israel.” After this, the inconsolable Joachim retired into the desert to pray, but Anna stayed 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.”
Having learned the good news, the couple met at the Golden Gate of Jerusalem.
After this, 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 Jerusalem Temple, where she served until she came of age.
The history of the celebration of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary
Christians began to celebrate the Feast of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary only in the 5th century. We read the first mentions of him in the Patriarch of Constantinople Proclus (439-446) and in the breviary (liturgical book) of Pope Gelasius (492-426). Saints John Chrysostom, Epiphanes and Augustine also write about the holiday. And in Palestine there is a legend that the holy Queen Helen, Equal to the Apostles, built a temple in Jerusalem in honor of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Icon of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary
We find the most ancient images of the events of the Nativity of the Mother of God in the 10th-11th centuries. These are icons and frescoes. For example, the painting of a 7th century Georgian temple in Ateni. This entire temple is dedicated to the Mother of God (the feast of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary).
There are other ancient images of the holiday: frescoes in the Kiev St. Sophia Cathedral (first half of the 11th century) and in the Transfiguration Cathedral of the Mirozh Monastery (12th century), a composition in the Church of Joachim and Anna of the Serbian monastery of Studenica (1304).
Traditionally, in early icons and frescoes, icon painters depicted righteous Anna, the mother of the Virgin Mary, in the center of the composition. The woman in labor reclines on a high bed, in front of her are women with gifts, a midwife and maids who wash the Virgin Mary in the font.
With each century, this iconographic plot was enriched with more and more new details. For example, they began to depict a table with gifts and treats brought, a pond, and birds. Nowadays, the icon of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary is often made hagiographic, that is, the main plot is supplemented with separate compositions (stamps) - scenes from the history of the event. The cry of Joachim in the desert, the gospel to Joachim and the gospel to Anna, the meeting of the spouses at the Golden Gate of the Jerusalem Temple, and so on.
The painting of the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary of the Ferapontov Monastery, which was completed by the great icon painter Dionysius in 1502, has survived to this day. This is a fresco above the main entrance, which depicts St. Anne on a bed; font; women and virgins with vessels in their hands coming to worship the Born; Joachim and Anna with the Virgin Mary in their arms.
Divine service of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary
In the 6th century, the Venerable Roman the Sweet Singer wrote a kontakion for the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, but its text has not survived to this day. The most ancient hymn of the holiday is the troparion “Thy Nativity, O Virgin Mary.” Most likely, it was compiled in the 5th-7th centuries. In addition, the modern service of the holiday includes, for example, the hymns of St. Andrew of Crete (VII century), St. John of Damascus (VIII century), and Patriarch Herman of Constantinople (VIII century).
Troparion of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary
Voice 4:
Thy Nativity of the Virgin Mother of God, joy to proclaim to the whole universe: from Thee has arisen the Sun of righteousness, Christ our God, and having destroyed the oath, given blessing, and having abolished death, given us eternal life.
Translation:
Your Nativity, Virgin Mary, proclaimed joy to the whole universe: for from You the Sun of righteousness, Christ our God, shone, and, having destroyed the curse, He gave a blessing, and, having destroyed death, He gave us eternal life.
Kontakion of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary
Voice 4:
Joachim and Anna were reproached by childlessness, and Adam and Eve were freed from mortal aphids, O Most Pure One, in Thy holy Nativity. Then Thy people also celebrate, having been freed from the guilt of sins, always calling upon Thy: the Mother of God and the nourisher of our life gives birth to barren fruits.
Translation:
Joachim and Anna were freed from reproach for childlessness, and Adam and Eve were freed from death by Your holy Birth, Most Pure One. It is also celebrated by Your people, who have been delivered from the burden of sin, loudly exclaiming to You: the barren gives birth to the Mother of God and the nourisher of our Life.
The Greatness of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary:
We magnify You, Most Holy Virgin, and honor Your holy parents, and glorify Your birth all-gloriously.
Translation:
We magnify You, Most Pure Virgin, and honor Your holy parents, and glorify Your birth all-gloriously.
First prayer for the Nativity of the Virgin Mary
Oh, Most Holy Lady, God-chosen Mother of Christ our Savior, asked of God with holy prayers, dedicated to God and beloved by God! Whoever does not please You or who does not sing Your glorious Nativity. Your Christmas was the beginning of the salvation of people, and we, sitting in the darkness of sins, see You, the dwelling of the Impregnable Light. For this reason, the florid tongue cannot sing songs about Thee according to the heritage. Thou art more exalted than the Seraphim, O Most Pure One. Otherwise, accept this present praise from Your unworthy servants and do not reject our prayer. We confess Your greatness, we bow down to You in tenderness, and we boldly ask Your child-loving and compassionate Mother, who is quick in intercession: beg Your Son and our God to grant us, who have sinned a lot, sincere repentance and a pious life, so that we may be able to do everything that is pleasing to God and useful to our souls. Let us hate all evil, strengthened by Divine grace in our good will. You are our shameless hope in the hour of death, grant us a Christian death, a comfortable procession through the terrible ordeals of the air and the inheritance of the eternal and ineffable blessings of the Kingdom of Heaven, so that with all the saints we silently confess Your intercession for us and let us glorify the one True God, worshiped in the Holy Trinity, Father and Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.
Second prayer for the Nativity of the Virgin Mary
Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen of heaven and earth, we bow down to Your miraculous image, with tenderness: look mercifully on Your servants and through Your omnipotent intercession send down what everyone needs. Save all the faithful children of the Holy Church, convert the unfaithful, guide those who have gone astray to the right path, support old age and weakness of strength, grow the young in the holy faith, guide courage for good, bring sinners to repentance and hear the prayers of all Christians, heal the sick, assuage sorrows, those traveling travel. You weigh, O All-Merciful One, as we are weak, as sinners, as we are embittered and unworthy of God’s forgiveness, otherwise be of help to us, so that by no sin of self-love, temptation and the devil’s seduction we anger God: Thee are the Imams, the Intercessor, Whom the Lord will not reject. If you so desire, you can bestow everything upon us, like a source of grace, who faithfully sing to You and extol Your glorious Nativity. Deliver, O Lady, from sins and misfortunes of all who piously call upon Thy holy name and worship Thy honorable image. You cleanse our tuna with your prayers of iniquity, so we fall down to You and cry again: drive away from us every enemy and adversary, every misfortune and destructive unbelief; Through Your prayers, giving timely rains and abundant fruitfulness to the earth, put Divine fear in our hearts to fulfill the commandments of the Lord, so that we may all live quietly and peacefully for the salvation of our souls, for the good of our neighbors and for the glory of the Lord, for He is the Creator, Provider and Savior All glory, honor and worship are due to us, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Third prayer for the Nativity of the Virgin Mary
Oh, Most Pure and Most Blessed Virgin, Lady Theotokos, born from barrenness according to promise and for the sake of purity for the sake of Your soul and body, worthy to be the Matter of the Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, with Him now residing in heaven and having great boldness towards the Most Holy Trinity, from the Unborn, Like a Queen, you are crowned with the crown of eternal reign. In the same way, we humbly resort to You and ask: intercede for us from the All-Merciful Lord God the forgiveness of all our sins, voluntary and involuntary; salvation, peace, silence and piety are restored to our suffering fatherland, times are peaceful and serene, the sedition of the evil is not involved; to the abundance of the fruits of the earth, the air of goodness, the rains are peaceful and well-timed. And ask us for everything that we need for life and salvation from Thy Son, Christ our God. Most of all, let us make haste to be adorned with good morals and good deeds, so that, as powerfully as possible, we will be imitators of Your holy life, with which You adorned yourself from your youth on earth, pleasing the Lord; For this reason you appeared, the most honest Cherub and the most glorious Seraphim. To her, Most Holy Lady, be our quick Helper in everything and the wise Teacher of salvation, so that by following You and being helped by You, we may be considered worthy of being the heir to the existence of the Heavenly Kingdom, through the sufferings of Your Intercessory Son, and fulfillers of His promised holy commandments. For You are, Lady, our only hope and hope according to God, and we commit our whole life to You, hoping for Your intercession and intercession that we will not be put to shame at the hour of our departure from this life, and at the Last Judgment of Your Son, Christ our God at His right hand to be worthy of standing, and there to rejoice forever with all those who have pleased Him from time immemorial, and to silently glorify, praise, thank and bless Him with the Father and the Spirit forever and ever. Amen.
Sermon by Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh on the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Every holiday of the Mother of God is pure joy. This is joy not only about God’s love for us, but also joy about the fact that the earth - our simple, dear, ordinary land - can respond to the love of the Lord in this way. This is a special joy for us.
When we receive mercy from God, our heart rejoices; but sometimes one becomes sad: how, how can I repay love for love, where can I find that holiness, that affection, that ability to respond with all my nature to the mercy of God? And then, although we know that each of us is weak and weak in love, we can think about the Mother of God. She responded for all of us with perfect faith, never wavering hope and love so broad that She was able to embrace heaven and earth with this love, open up with love in such a way that the Son of God became incarnate, and so open up with love for people that all the most sinful, can come to Her and receive mercy. This is the answer of the whole earth, this is the answer of the whole universe to the love of the Lord.
And so, let us rejoice and take joy away from this temple today - not just for one moment: we will preserve it day after day, we will be amazed at this joy, we will rejoice at this joy and we will begin to give this joy to people, so that every heart will rejoice and be comforted and was enlightened by this joy that the earth could contain the sky, that man could respond to God in such a way that God would become a man.
And now, from century to century, while the world stands, God is among us, the same Christ is among us, day after day. And when the glory of earth and heaven is revealed, the Lord Jesus Christ, true God, but also true man, will dwell among us as the Mother of God, Who gave Him flesh with Her love, faith, holiness, and reverence.
Let us keep, cherish, grow this joy and live by it in days of sorrow, in dark days, in days when it seems to us that we are not capable of anything, that the earth cannot respond to the love of God in any way. The earth answered, and this Answer stands forever with raised hands, praying for us all, for the good and for the evil, never standing in the way of salvation, forgiving everyone - and She has something to forgive: after all, the people killed Her Son - and we come to Her let's come running. Because if She forgives, then no one will judge us.
With what faith do we come to the Mother of God, how deep should it be, so that each of us, who through our sins and our unworthiness participates in the death of the Lord, could say: Mother, I destroyed Your Son, but You forgive. And he intercedes for us, and has mercy, and saves, and grows to the full height of the love of the Lord.
Glory to God for this, glory to the Mother of the Lord for this love of Hers. Amen.
Holy Righteous John of Kronstadt. Sermon on the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
The righteous parents of the Ever-Virgin mourned for a long time over their infertility, and long and fervently prayed to the Lord for the resolution of infertility, which was considered a punishment from God for sins; They did a lot of alms in order to bend to the mercy of the All-Merciful, and suffered insults from their fellow tribesmen, and in this sorrow and unceasing prayer and charity they gradually became purified in spirit and were inflamed more and more with love and devotion to God, and thus were prepared by the Providence of God for the blessed birth of the Most Blessed Daughter , chosen from all generations to become the Mother of the incarnate Word.
In a narrow and sorrowful path, the Lord leads His chosen ones to the glory and bliss, for Simeon also predicted to the Mother of God Herself according to the flesh that a weapon would pass through Her soul and She would experience severe sorrows in her soul during the suffering life of Her Son, so that the thoughts of many people’s hearts would be revealed ( Luke 2:34-35). So sorrowful and narrow is the path of all God’s chosen ones, for the world and the ruler of the world, that is, the enemy of God and men, extremely oppresses the people of God; and the Lord Himself allows them to follow the narrow path, since it helps them to strive towards God and place their trust in Him alone.
But let us turn our gaze from sorrow to joy. What joy does the Nativity of Our Lady give us? Let us explain in more detail the church hymn that explains the reasons for the joy of the holiday. Through the Nativity of the Ever-Virgin, through Her only begotten Son and God, cursed and rejected humanity was reconciled with God, immeasurably offended by their sins, for Christ became the Mediator of reconciliation (Rom. 5:10-11), freed from curse and eternal death, and received the blessing of the Heavenly Father; it united and dissolved with the Divine nature; elevated to its first possession by this dissolution, as the church song puts it; the previously rejected person was worthy of adoption to the Heavenly Father, received the promise of a glorious resurrection and eternal life in heaven along with the angels.
All this was accomplished and is being accomplished by the Son of God incarnate from the Most Pure Virgin by the Holy Spirit and through the intercession of His Most Pure Mother. How honored and exalted humanity is through the holy Virgin Mother of God, for She was worthy of renewal and adoption to God; and She herself was honored, by Her immeasurable humility and greatest purity and holiness, to be the Mother of the God-man! She always remains the strongest Intercessor and Representative of the Christian race before Her Son and God! She is our shameless Hope; She takes away from us the clouds of God's righteous wrath, opens to us the ancient paradise with Her mighty intercession; She supports the thrones of kings and preserves them unshakably forever. She has saved and is saving Russia a thousand times from the beginning to the present day; She exalted her, glorified her, established and confirms her; She is the Surety of sinners for salvation. Christians turn to Her their countless prayers, petitions, praises, doxologies and thanksgivings; She has performed and continues to perform countless miracles in the Church, beneficial in all parts of the world.
Let us all brightly celebrate the feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, adorning ourselves with all sorts of Christian virtues. Amen.
House of Joachim and Anna
The House of Joachim and Anna is one of the Christian landmarks of Jerusalem. As Church Tradition says, the Virgin Mary was born in the house of her parents - the righteous Joachim and Anna. It was located in the northeastern part of Jerusalem, now the territory of the Muslim Quarter of the Old City, near the Lion Gate.
Orthodox and Catholics still argue over where exactly the house stood, and built the monastery and basilica 70 meters apart. The Orthodox monastery of St. Anne is a place of pilgrimage for many Christians around the world. On the ground floor of the monastery there is a church in honor of the Nativity of the Mother of God, and under the monastery building there is an ancient cave. It is believed that this cave is part of the house of Joachim and Anna.
Church in honor of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Vladykino
Church in honor of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Vladykino- the spiritual center of the Moscow Otradnoe district. Address: Altufevskoe highway, building 4.
Vladykino is one of the most ancient villages near Moscow. The first owner of the village was the blessed Prince Daniil of Moscow, the son of Saint Alexander Nevsky and a direct descendant of Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir and Princess Olga. In 1322, the village was granted the patrimony of the thousand's Protasy Velyaminov, who arrived to serve the Moscow prince. From his name the village received its first name - Velyaminovo.
Three centuries later, in 1619, Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich granted Velyaminovo to Prince Dmitry Mikhailovich Pozharsky, but soon the village passed to Prince Ivan Ivanovich Shuisky. It was under him that a village church was built here in honor of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (replacing the dilapidated church in the name of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker).
After 1653, His Holiness Patriarch Nikon made the village his patrimony and gave it a new name - Vladykino. A patriarchal travel palace and another temple are being built in Vladykino in honor of the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God.
The first stone church in Vladykino was built in 1770. The bell tower was erected by Count K. G. Razumovsky, the owner of the neighboring village of Petrovskoye. By the middle of the 19th century, the stone temple had become very dilapidated. In 1854, on the site of the old one, a new, this time three-altared, temple with chapels of the Archangel Michael and the Archangel Gabriel was built. The main altar in honor of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos was consecrated by St. Philaret, Metropolitan of Moscow and Kolomna.
During the Soviet years, the temple was not closed, even during the most severe persecution of the Church. During the Great Patriotic War, not a single shell hit him, although the Germans were very close. In the 70s, there were attempts to demolish the temple during the construction of an overpass at the beginning of Altufevskoye Highway, but parishioners were able to defend it.
