| FEAST
OF THE annunciation of Our
Most holy lady, the theotokos
and ever virgin mary
Introduction
The Feast of the Annunciation of Our Most
Holy Lady, the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary is celebrated on March
25 each year. The Feast commemorates the announcement by the Archangel
Gabriel to the Virgin Mary that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
the Son of God, would become incarnate and enter into this world
through her womb.
Biblical Story
The biblical story of the Feast of the
Annunciation is found in the first chapter of the Gospel of Luke
(1:26-39). The Archangel Gabriel appeared to the Virgin Mary, who
was living in Nazareth, and said to her, “Hail, O favored
one, the Lord is with you.” Mary was perplexed and wondered
what kind of greeting this was.
The angel told her not to be afraid, for
she had found favor with God. He said, “You will conceive
in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.
He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and
the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and
he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of his kingdom
there will be no end.”
Mary responded to the angel by asking how
this could happen since she had no husband. The angel told her that
the Holy Spirit and the power of God would come upon her, and that
the child to be born of her would be called holy, the “Son
of God.”
The angel then proceeded to tell the Virgin
Mary that her cousin Elizabeth had conceived a son in her old age
(John the Baptist), and affirmed that with God nothing is impossible.
In faith and obedience to the will of God,
Mary replied to the angel, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the
Lord; let it be according to your word.” Upon her response,
the angel departed.
It is on the Feast of the Annunciation,
that Orthodox Christians commemorate both the divine initiative
of God, whereby He took on flesh from the Virgin for our salvation,
and the human response, whereby Mary freely accepted the vocation
offered to her. He elected to become man, and He desired to do this
with the willing agreement of her whom He chose as His mother. Mary
could have refused, for she was not a passive instrument, but an
active participant with a free and positive part to play in God’s
plan for our salvation. Thus, when on this and other feasts the
Orthodox Church honors the Theotokos, the Mother of God, it is not
just because God chose her but also because she herself chose to
follow His will.
Icon of the Feast
The icon of the Annunciation is one that presents
the joy of the announcement of the coming of Christ. It is an icon
of bright colors, depicting the Archangel Gabriel (1), who has descended
from heaven, and the Virgin Mary (2), who has been chosen to be
the Mother of God.
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| 1.
The Archangel Gabriel presents the good news of the coming
of Christ to Mary (detail). |
2.
The Virgin Mary, who was chosen to be the Mother of God (detail). |
The Archangel is shown
with his feet spread apart as if he is running to share the good
news with Mary (3). In his left hand is a staff, the symbol of a
messenger. His right hand is extended toward Mary as he delivers
the message and announces the blessing bestowed upon her by God
(4).
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 |
| 3.
The position of Archangel Gabriel's feet suggest that he is
running to share the news with Mary (detail). |
4.
The Archangel's right hand is extended towards Mary as he announces
the blessing bestowed upon her [Mary] by God (detail). |
On the right side of the icon the Virgin
sits on an elevated seat, indicating that as the Mother of God she
is “greater in honor than the cherubim, and beyond compare
more glorious than the seraphim, who without corruption gave birth
to God the Word.” In her left hand she holds a spindle of
scarlet yarn (5) which depicts the task she was assigned of preparing
the purple and scarlet material to be used in making the veil for
the Temple in Jerusalem. Her right hand is raised in a gesture of
acceptance in response to Gabriel’s message (6). Her posture
expresses willing cooperation with God’s plan of salvation.
The three stars on her garments (7) represent that she was a Virgin
before, during, and after the birth of Christ.
At the top of the icon the segment of a
circle represents the divine realm (8), from which three rays emerge.
This demonstrates the action of the Holy Spirit coming upon her.
Orthodox Christian Celebration of the Feast
of the Annunciation of the Theotokos
The Feast of the Annunciation of the Theotokos
is celebrated with the Divine Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom which
is conducted on the morning of the Feast and preceded by a Matins
(Orthros) service. A Great Vespers is conducted on the evening before
the day of the Feast. Scripture readings for the Feast are the following:
At Vespers: Genesis
28:10-17; Ezekiel
43:27—44:4; Proverbs
9:1-11. At the Matins: Luke
1:39-49, 56. At the Divine Liturgy: Hebrews
2:11-18; Luke
1:24-38.
The Feast of the Annunciation in the Greek
Orthodox Church also marks a day of national celebration for the
people of Greece and those around the world of Greek descent. It
was on March 25, 1821 when Greece officially declared its independence
and began the revolution that would eventually give the nation its
freedom after 400 years of rule by the Ottomans. In addition to
the services for the Feast, festivities and parades are held and
official proclamations are offered throughout the world in recognition
of Greek Independence Day.
Hymns of the Feast
Apolytikion (Fourth
Tone)
Today marks the crowning of our salvation and the revelation of
the mystery before all ages. For the Son of God becomes the son
of the Virgin, and Gabriel proclaims the grace. Wherefore, we also
cry out with him, "Hail, O full of grace, the Lord is with
you."
Kontakion (Plagal of the Fourth Tone)
To you, Theotokos, invincible Defender, having been delivered from
peril, I, your city, dedicate the victory festival as a thank offering.
In your irresistible might, keep me safe from all trials, that I
may call out to you: "Hail, unwedded bride!"
Resources
Festival Icons for the Christian Year by John
Baggley (Crestwood, NY: St. Vladimir's Seminary Press, 2000), pp.
21-30.
The Festal Menaion. Translated by Mother Mary
(South Canaan, PA: St. Tikhon’s Seminary Press, 1969) pp.
60-61.
The Incarnate God: The Feasts of Jesus Christ
and the Virgin Mary, Catherine Aslanoff, editor and Paul Meyendorff,
translator (Crestwood, NY: St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press,
1995).
The Life of the Virgin Mary, The Theotokos,
written and compiled by Holy Apostles Convent (Buena Vista, CO:
1989).
The Synaxarion: The Lives of the Saints
of the Orthodox Church, Vol. 4, compiled by Hieromonk Makarios of
Simonos Petra and translated from the French by Mother Maria Rule
and Mother Joanna Burton (Chalkidike, Greece: Holy Convent of the
Annunciation of Our Lady, 2003) pp. 227-232.
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