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 many days, on April 7 - on the Annunciation, have relief. 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 cousin Mary Saint Elizabeth, who, within a few months before the Annunciation, conceived an unborn child. 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 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 on wings to bring Beauty Spring! 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 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 would be summer months. 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), but hard frost to forty frosty matinees.

On Orthodox icons It is customary to portray the Archangel Gabriel holding a flower in his hands - a symbol of good news. It was he who was granted by God to bring people joyful, in other words, good news.

Therefore, the archangel Gabriel is always a welcome guest. But he brought the most good news for all people in the world two thousand years ago, to the very young Virgin Mary. The Messenger of God announced that the Savior of the world would be incarnated from Her womb. It is with these words of his that the history of the feast of the Annunciation begins.

Marriage of the Blessed Virgin Mary

In ancient Judea, people matured early. Adults were considered to have reached the age of fourteen. Here is the Blessed Virgin Mary, barely parted from childhood, and brought up with early years in the temple, according to the law, she had to either return to her parents or get married. But the once-given vow of eternal virginity blocked Her way to a simple family happiness. From now on, her life belonged only to God.

Her mentors, the priests of the temple where she spent her childhood and youth, found a simple and wise solution: the Virgin Mary was betrothed to a distant relative, an eighty-year old man named Joseph. Thus, the life of the young girl was financially secure, and the vow she had given to the Lord remained unbroken. After the marriage ceremony, Mary settled in the city of Nazareth in the house of her betrothed. It was under this title that Saint Joseph, the guardian of the purity and virginity of the future Mother of God, entered the Holy Scriptures.

Appearance of the Archangel Gabriel to the Virgin of Nazareth

The Blessed Virgin lived in the new house for four months, devoting all Her time to prayer and reading. Holy Scripture. It was behind this pious occupation that her messenger of God, the archangel Gabriel, found her. Under the rustle of his wings, he announced to the astonished Virgin about the greatest mission entrusted to her by the Creator of the universe.

This event is called the Annunciation. Holy Mother of God. The history of the holiday cannot be complete if you do not pay attention to why the Lord chose Her. The answer is simple - exceptional purity, purity and devotion to God singled her out from a great many other girls. For such a great mission, a righteous woman was needed, equal to whom there has been no equal since the creation of the world.

Willingness to do the will of the Creator

To understand the full significance of the event described in the Gospel, it is important to take into account another side of what happened. In this case, as always, the Lord gives his creation - man, complete freedom to choose actions. Pay attention to how important the response of the Virgin Mary and Her voluntary consent are to Archangel Gabriel. There is no hint of any coercion here.

The messenger of God speaks of conception, which must take place in spite of human nature, which cannot but cause a skeptical reaction, but the power of Mary's faith is so great that She unconditionally believes everything she hears. The question of how she can conceive, not knowing her husband, comes down only to the desire to know the particulars of the future. Her readiness to fulfill the destined is clear from every line describing the great Biblical event - the Annunciation.

The history of the holiday, briefly about the most important

This event has become the subject of study by many scientists. As is clear from their writings, which are centered on the history of the Annunciation, a simple logical reasoning was used to establish the date of the celebration.

If we consider the moment of the Immaculate Conception to be the day when the Virgin Mary, in response to the words of the archangel Gabriel, answered: “Let it be according to your word,” then it is quite natural that this day should be separated from the day when Jesus Christ was born, that is, from the holiday Christmas, for nine months. It is easy to calculate that April 7 is such a day for Orthodox Christians, and March 25 for Western Christians.

Discoveries of St. Helena Equal to the Apostles

The Feast of the Annunciation, whose history goes back to ancient times, according to historians, began to be celebrated in the 4th century, although images of the scene of this event were discovered during excavations of catacombs dating back to the 3rd and even 2nd centuries. In the 4th century, the most important thing in the life of everything happened Christendom event - Equal-to-the-Apostles Elena discovered the places of the earthly life of Jesus Christ and began the construction of churches in the Holy Land.

Naturally, this caused an increased interest in everything related to Christmas, Sunday and all other events of the Savior's earthly life. It is not surprising that it was during this period that the appearance of the holiday was celebrated. Thus, the history of the feast of the Annunciation has a direct connection with the discoveries of this great ascetic.

Celebration of the Annunciation in Byzantium and in the West

Following further in chronological order, it should be noted that the history of the Orthodox holiday of the Annunciation has its origin in Byzantium. In the 7th century, he firmly entered the number of the most celebrated days of the church calendar. However, it must be admitted that in the historical documents of the two previous centuries there are separate references to him, but, apparently, we are talking about only isolated cases.

In the Western tradition, the history of the feast of the Annunciation begins at about the same period as in the Eastern Church. Pope Sergius I (687-701) included it among the three main holidays dedicated to Virgin Mary. It was celebrated quite solemnly and was accompanied by a festive procession through the streets of Rome.

Historical names of this holiday and its status

It is curious that this holiday was not always called the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos. The history of the holiday remembers other names. For example, in the writings of some ancient authors, it is referred to as the "Day of Greeting" or "Annunciation". The name we use today comes from Greek word"evangelismos". For the first time it is found in historical documents of the 7th century.

At that time, the holiday was considered equally both the Lord's and the Theotokos, but time has made its own changes. If in Orthodox tradition In the East, it still remains one of the most important events of the year, but in the West, its role has narrowed somewhat, leaving it only a place of a secondary holiday.

Celebration of the Annunciation in the Orthodox world

In the tradition of the Russian Orthodox Church, it is one of the twelfth, great, non-transitory holidays. As during the services of other Mother of God feasts, the clergy are required to wear vestments on this day. blue color. There are a number of circumstances that indicate that the feast of the Annunciation has a very special meaning in the Orthodox Church.

The history of the Ecumenical Councils, in particular, indicates how much attention was paid to it by the Fathers of the Church. On the 6th Ecumenical Council, which took place in 680 in Constantinople, a document was adopted according to which on the day of this holiday, despite the fact that according to the calendar it falls during Great Lent, the liturgy of John Chrysostom is served, and not the Presanctified gifts, which is an indication of its exceptional significance.

John Chrysostom also writes about the importance of the feast of the Annunciation in his writings. He calls it "the first holiday" and even "the root of the holidays." Today, on this day, the weakening of fasting is prescribed. In particular, eating fish and oil (oil) is allowed. Among the people, it is one of the most beloved, carrying peace and joy, because it is based on the good news, that is, the news filled with the Grace of God.

Revival of Orthodox culture in Russia

Today, when after many decades of state atheism the Orthodox Church has again taken its rightful place, many of our compatriots are filled with the desire to return to the spiritual origins of their people and learn as much as possible from what was closed to them until recently. In particular, there is great interest Orthodox holidays, and among them the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos. The history of the holiday, traditions and rituals - everything becomes the subject of an inquisitive study.

Another important aspect modern life is the study of the foundations of Orthodox culture among children. This is important in order not to repeat the tragic mistake of past years, when entire generations in our country grew up and entered into life in isolation from the faith of their ancestors. And in this regard, work is underway today. Many Biblical events and holidays are presented in a child-friendly edition.

Teaching the basics of Orthodox culture to children

This also applies to the feast of the Annunciation. The history of the holiday for children is presented in such a way that, despite the adapted nature of the text, the meaning of the event itself remains unchanged and understandable to the child. This, of course, is the complexity of the task. The history of the feast of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos, briefly but meaningfully stated, should be deposited in the most graceful way in the children's minds.

An invaluable role in the revival of Orthodox culture is played by the Sunday schools organized today at many churches. By the way, their program also includes acquainting students with the feast of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The history of the holiday for children and adults attending these classes is of great interest, as many have heard about it, but have a very vague idea of ​​​​its content.

Folk traditions on the day of the Annunciation

For a long time, the people have established traditions associated with this holiday. Since it falls on the spring month, then, of course, many of them are associated with the beginning of field work. There was a tradition according to which, on the day of the holiday, the grain prepared for sowing was poured into a tub, and, having placed the icon of the Annunciation on top, they recited a special prayer for the granting of a bountiful harvest. In it, the peasants turned to the Most Holy Theotokos and Her Eternal Son with a request to bless the grain "sown in mother earth."

There were also traditions that were clear echoes of paganism. Among them was, for example, such. In the evening on the eve of the holiday, cabbage heads of last year's harvest were taken out of cellars or storerooms. They, secretly from everyone, were laid on the ground near the road along which they were going to go to church the next day. And so the next day, returning after mass, it was necessary to pick up the heads of cabbage, find the seeds in them and plant them in the garden along with fresh seedlings. It was believed that in this case a rich crop of cabbage would be born, which is not afraid of any frost.

The ancient worship of our pagan ancestors to fire and its cleansing power found expression in one of the folk Annunciation traditions. This refers to the custom according to which on this day they burned old clothes, shoes, bedding and the like. Living quarters and outbuildings were fumigated with smoke. Particular attention was paid to livestock, which was also carefully fumigated, hoping thereby to protect it from all evil spirits.

I wish you well in the Annunciation,
May your life be full of them.

Good news warms your souls
And day after day, hearts warm from them!

On April 7, believers celebrate one of the main and joyful holidays in Orthodox calendar- Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin. In 2018, it falls on great post and coincides with Holy, or Great Saturday, a day of especially strict fasting, sadness and silence.

It is believed that on this day Heaven opens, grace descends on people and they get the opportunity to be cleansed of sins.

The Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin in the Orthodox calendar is one of the main holidays.
According to the description of the Apostle Luke, on this day the Archangel Gabriel announced to the young Virgin Mary about the future birth of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the World, in the flesh 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» , - these events are described in the canonical Gospel.

Mary, seeing the will of God in the words of the angel, utters a very meaningful words: “Behold, the Servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word"

The gospel words of the Archangel Gabriel 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 among 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

The Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary is celebrated always on the same day - 25 March Gregorian and 7 April Julian.
Unlike Easter, this day has a non-transferable date and is counted exactly nine months after the feast of the Nativity of Christ (that is, the period that a woman bears a child.)

In early Easter, that is, from April 4 to April 13, the Annunciation can fall on the day a week before the celebration of Easter, and on the week after the Bright Resurrection of Christ.

The coincidence of the Annunciation and Easter is called Kyriopaskhoy, but this is extremely rare. Last time this happened in 1991, and the next Kyriopaskha will happen only in 2075.

The Church ranks the holiday among the twelve, that is, the twelve most important holidays in Orthodoxy after Easter, along with Baptism, Meeting, Christmas, Ascension of the Lord, Assumption of the Virgin and Holy Trinity Day. Most of them also have a fixed date.

A joyful holiday on April 7 according to the Julian calendar is being prepared to be celebrated by the Jerusalem, Serbian, Georgian Orthodox churches, the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church on the territory of Ukraine, as well as the Old Believers.
For Catholics - the Roman Catholic, Romanian, Bulgarian, Polish churches - March 25 is considered the day of the good news ..

In a number of countries - both in the West and in the East - from the day of the Annunciation they counted the new year. Such a calendar was, for example, adopted in England until the middle of the 18th century.

Actually, the name of the holiday - the Annunciation - comes into use only from the 7th century (whereas the holiday itself is already celebrated four centuries earlier).
Prior to this, the church designated it as “the day of greeting”, “announcement”, “Greeting of Mary”, “Conception of Christ”, “Beginning of redemption”, etc.

The name "Annunciation" (in Greek "Evangelismos") is translated as "good news" or "gospel".
And the full name of the holiday in Orthodoxy sounds like this: Annunciation of Our Most Holy Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary.

Traditions: how they celebrated in the old days and today

church celebration

On this holiday, funeral prayers, services are not performed and weddings are not held.

In the Annunciation in the temples passes all-night vigil, which begins with Great Compline, and the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom.
Priests wear blue vestments on the feast - it is this shade that is the symbol of the Virgin.

During the service, everyone who came to the temple that day is told about the essence of the holiday and the appearance of an angel to Mary.
By the way, the church holiday canons, which are still performed on the Annunciation, were compiled as early as the 8th century.

According to the tradition of theologians, on the day of the Annunciation, every believer should put aside all worldly affairs, and especially work, for the sake of prayer and presence in the temple.

In 2018, the celebration of the Annunciation coincides with the Holy Saturday of Great Lent, which means: on this day you can not eat fish and vegetable oil. According to the monastic charter, fish food is allowed during fasting twice - in Palm Sunday and the Annunciation, but the meaning of the days Holy Week repeal such exemptions.

If the holiday does not fall on Holy Week before Easter, it is possible to ease fasting on it. Yes, you can eat fish.
Believers bake prosphora at home - unleavened small breads - and then illuminate them in the temple during the liturgy. Prosphora are made for each member of the family, and they must be eaten on an empty stomach.
In the old days, crumbs from consecrated bread were also added to livestock feed and mixed with grain - it was believed that for a better harvest.

And on the Annunciation in cathedrals and churches, after the service, birds are released from cages - as a reminder of freedom for every creation of God. In Rus', from ancient times, migratory birds caught in snares were released at this time - the lark, pigeons and tits.
People believe that on the Annunciation they fly to the guardian angels and inform them of all the good deeds that have been committed during the year.

The white dove is considered the symbol of this day, in the form of which the Holy Spirit descended on the Virgin Mary: “... 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...
... for with God no word will remain powerless "

In honor of this day, on the eve of the day, believers bake lenten cookies in the form of birds and treat each other with them after the morning liturgy and communion.

This custom existed in Rus' for hundreds of years until the revolution and was revived in the 90s of the last century. In the Annunciation Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin, the Patriarch releases a flock of pigeons.

Prosphora and consecrated water, which the parishioners bring from the solemn service, have special power.

folk customs

Among the people, the holiday of the Annunciation was perceived, among other things, as a symbol of the arrival of spring. Therefore, traditions on this day are associated with future crops.
The peasants illuminated the cooked grain: they placed an icon next to the tub in which it was stored, and said a special prayer for the bestowal of the harvest.
On the same day, it was customary to “call for spring”, that is, to gather together, and with songs “springweeds” to ask nature for favor and a good harvest in the future.

It was impossible to work or do housework.
Even leaving on the road to work was considered a sin. Instead, the day should have been dedicated good deeds- for example, there was a custom to treat the needy on a holiday.

Annunciation salt

Also on April 7, believers prepare Annunciation salt, for which the housewives take a bag into which each member of the family pours a pinch of salt. It is calcined in a frying pan for about 10-20 minutes, then poured into the aforementioned bag and stored in a secluded place, and then used as a talisman.

To enhance the healing effect, prayers are read during cooking. You can not only Annunciation prayers, but also any that you know: “Our Father”, etc. The main thing is to know the words by heart.

When starting the ceremony, please note that the color of the drug will change, the salt darkens when heated. Therefore, it has another name - black salt.
It is advised to take coarse salt, but fine is also suitable.

If crackling is heard, the sound of salt when heated (and it will be heard :) - in the house devilry. Or the cook was spoiled. However, the preparation of magic salt relieves the negativity of a person and cleanses the house.

It is best to prepare Annunciation salt before dawn on April 7, but it is not forbidden to prepare the potion throughout the entire holiday.

How to store and use holy salt

You need to store the magic potion in a secluded place, for reasons of convenience - in the kitchen. No one except family members should touch it, especially outsiders, because salt easily absorbs energy.
Salt made for the holy holiday (and this applies not only to the Annunciation salt) is put on the table in Christian celebrations.

Annunciation salt will help with diseases

There are many ways to use it. You can give the dishes healing properties - salt the cooked food, add it to the salt shaker.

It is believed that the miraculous properties of such salt can cure diseases. In case of malaise, you can eat it by a grain, add it to water for drinking, gargling, washing sore spots, compresses.
Be sure that the disease will recede.

Annunciation salt will cleanse from negativity

Annunciation salt is used to cleanse the home after the visit of unpleasant guests, finds in the form lining or some kind of paranormal activity in the room. A powerful cleanser prepared on April 7 should be scattered around the rooms, sweeping away only the next day. You can leave a pinch in each corner to protect yourself from the forces of evil.

Another way to clean your home is to make a salty cleaning solution. They can sprinkle a house, a car or certain things that are suspected of having dark energy. It is recommended to sprinkle shoes after returning from the cemetery.

The addition of salt grains charged on a holy holiday to the bath also has a cleansing effect. To strengthen it, there are conspiracies that are described below.

Annunciation salt will help remove damage

This requires about a tablespoon. Pour into a clean plate, put an empty one on the table. To the right of the plate, place a candlestick, light a church candle, put your palm on the salt and read, looking at the fire:

"Exuberant yes strong winds, develop the spell cast by a man of evil.
Take them to where the rivers are deep, the current is fast, and the forests are dense.
Let the magic spells burn under the scorching rays of the sun.
Let the hateful thoughts move away from me. Not for a day, not for a year, forever.
Word, deed.
Amen".

Keep the salt around. If you are going to sleep - under the bed, stay awake - near your favorite armchair or sofa. It is impossible to leave the house until the salt spends one night near you. But she must stay in your room for three nights.

All this time she'll soak negative energy damage. Watch - salt can change color or appearance in some other way. If such an effect is observed, the ritual will have to be performed as many times as necessary in order for the salt to remain in original form. Of course, if it is not completely black after cooking.

When three nights have passed, take her out of the house without touching her with your fingers. Bury her where she walks fewer people. Break the saucer and bury it there.

Conspiracies for salt in the Annunciation

Any spell on magic salt is read after its preparation. You can speak the entire supply for one purpose, or take a little as the need arises - the choice is yours.

Envy and anger often become the causes of damage and other negativity. To protect yourself from this scourge, you can speak Annunciation salt.
Start by sewing the bag. Then take a spoonful of salt and recite so that your breath touches it:
Defend, protect and save.
Envy and human malice lead away.
Spoil the enemy back gate.
Do not let the infection into the soul and body.
Amen. Amen. Amen.

Pour the charmed grains into the prepared bag. You must always have it with you. It does not matter where your amulet will be located - in the glove compartment of the car, pocket, bag.

In order to cure a child from the evil eye, the "prizor", they bake buns with Annunciation salt. Eat them on an empty stomach, immediately after waking up for three, seven or fourteen days, depending on the severity of the evil eye.

You can reconcile spouses with it. Pour the salt into a self-sewn bag and hide it under the bed of the husband and wife. An option is to sew it into a pillow or blanket. Such a charm will not only save you from quarrels, but also return passion to the relationship.

Annunciation salt is stored until the next feast of the Annunciation, which is celebrated on April 7th. If the magical product is not needed or there are leftovers, they will no longer be of any use. But throwing such things into the trash or sewer is not recommended.

Throw it outside the house on the street into a fire lit in honor of the holy holiday. All failures, problems, illnesses and quarrels will burn with it. Imagine how all the bad things leave your house during the burning.
If there is no fire, just bury the salt in a secluded place.

After you get rid of the used salt, you can start preparing a new one.

In general, Annunciation salt has a mass useful properties, similar to the properties of the Thursday. It can be used to treat diseases, damage and evil eye, as well as cleansing the house and expelling evil spirits.
There are many ways and recipes for cooking, and everyone can cope with this process at home.

Ritual for the fulfillment of desires

The day after the bright feast of the Annunciation, Orthodox people glorify the Archangel Gabriel. The people say that On April 8, the archangel descends from heaven to earth and fulfills all the desires of people.

To fulfill your plan, you need to get up early and go outside. Be sure to wear a pectoral cross, as
it is by him that the archangel notices those who ask. Stand facing East, cross yourself three times and say out loud (but not loudly) 3 times a conspiracy:
Archangel Gabriel,
servant of our Lord, hear the prayer of the servant (s) of God (s) (your name) and fulfill my request (say your desire in your own words).
In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Amen".

The Archangel was also called Gabriel, the Annunciation. By the way, if on April 8 you receive a letter or a telegram (now both sms and emails), then soon you will find out the good news.

Signs for the Annunciation

❧ Clear weather on the Annunciation portends a rich harvest and a warm summer. If on this day there is still snow, do not expect good shoots.
And the rain promised good fishing and mushroom autumn.

❧ You can’t wear new clothes on the Annunciation - it won’t be worn, it will quickly tear.

❧ To be healthy, you need to wash yourself with melt water on the Annunciation.

❧ It is not worth lending to someone on this day and generally giving something from home, it was believed that this would result in losses in the future. It was believed that the one who gave from home on the Annunciation was wasting family peace and peace on strangers.

❧ If on the Annunciation from morning to midnight you call your husband “dear” forty times, the whole year the husband will love and groom.

❧ In the Annunciation, you can not sew, knit, embroider, braid braids, cut your hair, dye your hair, comb your hair. This sign is associated with a belief according to which people have long believed that a person’s life is a thread that the Lord himself or guardian angels can control. On the day when the heavens open, it is easy to confuse the threads of life, change the fate of the family and loved ones.
“The bird does not nest, the maiden does not weave braids,” - the saying is about the Annunciation.

❧ What day of the week does the Annunciation fall on, on that all year round do not start any new business. For example, if the Annunciation fell on a Friday, then things do not start on any Friday throughout the year.

❧ But if you make a wish in the Annunciation, it will definitely come true.

City named after the holiday

Many churches and monasteries were built in Rus' in honor of the Annunciation. The most famous, of course, is the Annunciation Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin.
And the oldest, according to legend, was erected in Vitebsk on the territory of modern Belarus by Princess Olga in the 10th century. The church was rebuilt many times, it was badly damaged during the Great Patriotic War, and in the 60s it was blown up.
Thirty years later, the temple was restored in the form of the XII century.

The oldest monasteries dedicated to the Annunciation are located in Nizhny Novgorod, in Kirzhach Vladimir region and in Murom.

Across the country, many settlements named after the holiday. The largest is the city of Blagoveshchensk in the Amur Region. At the same time, it was named after the first church founded in these places - the Church of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos in the middle of the 19th century.
Based on materials from suever.ru, mir24.tv

The Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary is celebrated Christian churches most denominations: Orthodox, Catholics and many Protestant churches.

The history and meaning of the feast of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The Annunciation means proclaiming to people the news that the Savior is coming, the prediction is beginning to come true, he is already close. According to the church calendar. The Annunciation began to be celebrated, according to the decision of the church, from the 4th century AD. e. This day always falls 9 months before Christmas. .

The prophet Isaiah, who lived 700 years before the birth of Christ, argued that the Messiah is God in the form of a man; he will be born from an immaculate Virgin, will work miracles and suffer, die for human sins and rise again. Most believers believed that he would come in order to drive foreigners from their land, conquer the whole world and forever remain an earthly king. However, things didn't work out that way. He came unnoticed and only his mother and father knew him.

Until the age of sixteen, Mary, the future mother of Christ, lived at the temple and was very pious. Then, as she reached the age of majority, she had to either return to her parents or get married. Mary announced her oath to God - to remain forever a Virgin.

Then She was betrothed to a distant relative, an 80-year-old elderly carpenter Joseph, who was famous for his piety, so that he would take care of Her.

Four months after the betrothal, an angel appeared to the Virgin Mary, sent by the Lord, who brought her good (i.e. joyful) news: for her righteousness, she was chosen to become the Mother of God, having conceived immaculately from the Holy Spirit. The angel also told the girl that the son who was born should be called Jesus.

Learning that Mary was carrying a fetus under her breast, Joseph wanted to secretly let her go. But the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said: “Joseph, do not be afraid to accept Mary as your wife; for what is born in it is from the Holy Spirit. He will save people from their sins." And Joseph did as the angel told him - he accepted his wife. They had a son and named him Jesus . Everything as predicted.

For each of the Christians, this day is the beginning of the liberation of mankind from the power of sin and the inevitable death associated with it. This is one of the most important (twelfth) holidays in Orthodoxy, standing on a par with Easter, Christmas and Transfiguration.

The Church considers the event that took place on the day of the Annunciation to be the first act of the atoning sacrifice subsequently offered by Jesus.

Just as sin entered the world through Eve, so it was overcome by the meekness of the Virgin Mary, who answered the angel: “Let it be done to me according to your word,” submitting to the will of God.

When is the Annunciation celebrated?

The blessing refers to Christian holidays, independent of lunar calendar. It is celebrated annually on April 7 (March 25 old style) , i.e. exactly 9 months before Christmas, which is celebrated on January 7 (December 25).

The date of the holiday was approved by the Church of Constantinople in the sixth century. From Byzantium, the custom of celebrating the Annunciation spread to the countries of Europe, and after the adoption of Christianity, it also came to Rus'.

Beautiful traditions of the Annunciation.

Why are birds released on the Annunciation?

In many villages, on the eve of the holiday, “spring was called”: bonfires were lit, round dances were made around them and stoneflies sang, figurines of birds (larks, waders) were baked from dough; girls and children climbed with them onto the roofs or trees and shouted out calls addressed to the birds.

On the day of the feast of the Annunciation, there was a beautiful tradition of releasing the birds into the wild. Entire bird markets were arranged in the cities, where residents could buy a bird and give it freedom with their own hands.

If today it is mainly priests who do this, then before the 1917 revolution, many of the believers who came to the festive service brought with them cages with small birds, which were released into the wild.

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This action symbolizes human soul languishing in a cage of sin but through the Good News received the hope of freedom.

The custom brings special joy to children who like to think that a bird released from a cage will fly home.

Sometimes it is used by lovers of easy money, who specially for the holiday catch small birds and sell them to believers with children.

If the doves released by the priest, as a rule, live in the nearest dovecote, where they return, having received freedom, then the caught birds can live quite far from the place where they are released. They are often in bad condition, are exhausted and frightened by being kept in a cage, so few of them can get to their habitat.

Do not encourage such earnings and buy birds for the Annunciation from random people.

What to do on the day of the Annunciation.

The spring feast of the Annunciation is accompanied by numerous folk omens.

It is believed to be correct wishes made for the Annunciation always come true.

To attract health, they washed themselves with melt water

Housewives heated salt in a frying pan and add it to meals.

In the old days they jumped over the fire.

To attract wealth, they carried coins with them. It was considered the greatest luck to ring them during the cuckoo call.

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Women's rituals and ceremonies are performed on the Annunciation associated with procreation.

Salt and water are also consecrated.

On this day, believers attend a festive church service, and light a candle to the Most Holy Theotokos, after which he spends time with his family.

It is believed that Annunciation ash, which is raked out of the oven at the end of this day, has the property of increasing the harvest of vegetables. Therefore, in houses with stove heating in the villages, today they still store ash from kindling the stove on the day of the holiday in order to scatter it on the beds before planting vegetables.

Moreover, on this day beekeepers take out beehives with bees.

What can not be done on the Annunciation?

Some ancient folk customs are associated with the Annunciation among the people.

There is a belief that on this day so all labor is prohibited that even sinners in hell cease to be tormented and give them rest and freedom.

It is considered a sin even to leave or go on the road to earn money. . They said: “A bird does not build a nest on the Annunciation, a girl does not weave braids,” that is, any work is considered a sin. It was believed that if a bird curls a nest on the Annunciation, then its wings will weaken, and then it will not be able to fly or flutter.

However, if you have to go to work, there's nothing you can do about it, and such work is not considered a sin, since it means only work at home in the household.

However, voluntary housework can bring trouble. . All planted seedlings will not be accepted, and the sown grain will not sprout.

Do not work hard or do housework.

If possible, it is advisable not to leave home anywhere on this day. by postponing the trip for at least one day.

Shouldn't go hunting and kill God's innocent creatures.

One of popular prohibitions associated with women's hair: It is believed that on this day you can not weave braids and make complex hairstyles.

However, the church does not support this view: of course, you can comb your hair and braid a braid, you just shouldn’t give too much effort to caring for your appearance. It is better to take care of the purity of your soul and devote a little more time to prayer.

Signs for the Feast of the Annunciation

Many signs have been preserved and have come down to our time.

The most important of them - you can not do anything at home , all earthworks are prohibited.

The day of the week on which the Annunciation fell this year, considered unfavorable for sowing and planting, as well as starting new businesses. But the day following it, on the contrary, is considered very successful and favorable.

It is customary not to wear the Annunciation for the first time new clothes , otherwise it quickly wears off.

From the day of the Annunciation, healthy peasants moved in the cold part of the hut - the beginning of summer.

It was also considered a sin to continue working in the evenings with a candle. Those who did not adhere to the rules were allegedly threatened with crop failure and other misfortunes.

On the eve of the Annunciation, it was customary for the peasants to sow peas.

Signs about the weather and harvest on the day of the Annunciation

• If there is snow on the roofs on the Annunciation, then it will lie even before Yegory (May 6).
• If there is frost on this day, then several more frosty matinees are expected, in the north they are counted up to forty.
• Warm on the Annunciation - a lot of frost ahead.
• On the Annunciation without swallows - a cold spring.
• The winter journey ends either a week before the Annunciation, or a week after the Annunciation.
• On the eve of the night, a dark sky without stars - to poor laying of eggs by chickens.
• The sun on the feast of the Annunciation is for the harvest of wheat.
• Rain holiday - for good fishing, for mushroom autumn.
• If a thunderstorm thundered on a holiday, you can wait warm summer excellent harvest of nuts.
• And the frost that day could bring good forecasts for the harvest of cucumbers and spring crops.

Signs with prosphora for the day of the Annunciation

In order for the year to be calm and successful, good health, a prosperous family, it was necessary be sure to eat the prosphora consecrated in the church.

It was baked for each member of the family or bought, then crumbled and eaten.

Often crumbs of this church bread were mixed with seeds to get a better harvest, mixed with livestock and bird feed. Even for bees, it was mixed with honey and fed to their apiary. The peasants believed that this would bring health to all living creatures.

Andrei Rublev's masterpiece can be considered the main icon of the holiday:

An angel descends to the Virgin to proclaim 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.

Another famous painting by Sandro Botticelli is also dedicated to the Annunciation.

Celebration of the Annunciation is not postponed even on the day of Easter, if these holidays coincide, and if this celebration falls on the days of fasting, then fasting is weakened. According to the Church Charter, this day is blessed eating fish and oil.

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Blessings, friends

I want to congratulate you!

I wish you patience

Faith in God and forgiveness

And peace in your soul

Paradise in the heart, in a hut,

And hope and humility

And love and inspiration!

And warmth, and blessings, and light,

Sun, joy and summer!

Plans for all implementations

And dreams come true!

The most important celebrations in church calendar, the twelfth holidays, are inextricably linked with each other. For example, believers began to celebrate the Annunciation of the Mother of God, as well as the Exaltation of the Lord, in the 4th century, when, 300 years after the crucifixion of Christ, the mother of Emperor Constantine, Queen Elena, made a trip to the holy places associated with his earthly life. She managed to find a sacred cross on Calvary and clarify the dates of such famous events like the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos, and the birth of the baby Jesus.

Since then, it is believed that the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary became known on March 25, on this day the Catholics celebrate the Annunciation of the Virgin. Russian Orthodox Church, living according to the Julian calendar, praises the Annunciation on April 7, customs and traditions prescribe to celebrate the holiday decorously, with quiet rejoicing in the heart, because it falls on Great Lent.

News of a miracle

Now it is difficult to imagine what was going on in the soul of sixteen-year-old Mary when the archangel Gabriel addressed her with the words: “Rejoice, the Lord is with you! Be the Mother of the Son of God!” How could she, brought up in a temple, disobey the Creator, go against his will. However, in order to fulfill it, it was necessary to show considerable courage, to steadfastly endure human condemnation. Even her betrothed husband Joseph, who by that time had already exchanged for the ninth decade, did not immediately decide on such an act, at first he wanted to secretly release his chosen one. He was ashamed, everyone around him knew that his bride voluntarily took a vow of chastity.

What influenced him more, the persuasion and prophecy of the angel who appeared to Joseph in a dream, or the boundless self-sacrifice of young Mary, who believed in a miracle? After all, her coming into the world was also associated with him, aged parents, Anna and Joachim, literally begged for a daughter from God. Without his blessing, the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos, the Annunciation of the Virgin, the birth of Jesus, bright Christ's Resurrection(), the Exaltation of the Lord and other great events, the memory of which is kept by the twelfth holidays.

Release the bird

Not all of them are now popular among the people, like the Annunciation, the customs and traditions of which are still observed and passed down from generation to generation. The beautiful rite of liberation of birds enjoys special love. Priests usually release snow-white doves from cages. They soar into the sky, as if souls freed from the oppression of sins, having received hope, a chance for salvation through the Good News. In the old days, especially for a great Christian celebration, peasant boys caught wild birds in the forest, who managed to return from warm lands. They brought them to the city market, where they asked for a ransom for them: rescue the bird from captivity, it will put in a word for you before God. The children persuaded adults to pay a pretty penny so that the bird could fly home.

Those birds that lingered on wintering, across the seas, oceans, were lured with a delicious treat. On the Annunciation of the Theotokos, more precisely the night before, the hostesses brought sweets on the water, you can’t put dough on Great Lent, even on a holiday. Funny buns were molded from it, just like real larks: heads with beaks and raisin eyes, tails, wings. As soon as the “birds” were reddened in the oven, they were taken out, covered with honey and distributed to the children. They climbed the fences, the roofs of the sheds and loudly, loudly called spring, starlings, larks hurried to acquire nests.

True, there is a belief that no one should work on the Annunciation of the Virgin, even birds do not make nests on this day. According to legend, the cuckoo once broke the ban. As punishment, she turned into an eternal widow, and other birds incubate her eggs. This is how poor cuckoos grow up as orphans with a living mother. Who wishes such a bitter fate for himself? Therefore, they put off all household and household chores, worries for later, they didn’t heat the stove, didn’t comb their hair, didn’t braid their braids.

Annunciation of the Virgin: what can and cannot be done

The Most Holy Theotokos has long been known in Rus' as a protector, patroness of women. They turn to her for help and support, for advice in Hard time go to the temple of the Mother of God. And on her holiday, April 7, they definitely buy consecrated bread there - Annunciation prosphora, for all family members. They say they bring prosperity and happiness to the house. Whoever eats church food will spend it all in good health.

With the same purpose, on the Annunciation, customs and traditions taught miraculous salt to be made. Everyone, from young to old, threw a pinch into a linen bag. Then the eldest woman in the family mixed the salt, calcined it in a cast-iron pan in the oven and cherished it, like the apple of an eye, until special occasion. It was believed that such a drug raises hopeless patients to their feet, removes any misfortunes from a person, as if the Most Holy Theotokos herself endows the sufferer with vitality. If the magic potion was not useful, it was thrown into the fire on the eve of the next celebration.

On the Annunciation, ancient customs and traditions are also aimed at attracting wealth. On this holiday, it is customary to fill the wallet with money, paper notes, preferably with a larger denomination, and coins. You will count them before entering the temple of the Mother of God under the solemn peal of bells, then you will give alms to the poor in the square in front of the church, you will not know the need for finances. There is a completely strange, funny rite: to steal something little by little. If you go unnoticed, luck in money matters will not pass by.

However, everything can easily be ruined if you work on that day, for example, sit at sewing or knitting. The fact is that the fate of a person is like a thread that obeys the Lord and his helpers - the angels. As soon as she gets confused, breaks off, winds up in the wrong ball, how to expect trouble: quarrels with family and friends, parting with her beloved, jealousy and evil gossip. It is better to visit the temple of the Virgin, pray, devote time to ancient women's conspiracies, because the Most Holy Theotokos fulfills all desires on her holiday.

A conspiracy to exorcise the blues

Read three times before going to bed, in bed:
“I lie down to rest with the seal of the cross. The guardian angel guards my dream, guards my soul from evening to morning, drives sadness from my heart. Amen".

Annunciation spell of good luck

On the eve of the holiday, honey is bought. On the Annunciation, rites and traditions advise them to smear the palm of their left hand, press it tightly against their right palm, and, spreading it, say:
“Honey melts from the heat, connects the palms. May good luck, happiness also stick to me, the servant of the Lord (name).

Making a cherished wish

Briefly formulate in advance what you want to ask the Mother of God and the Archangel Gabriel. At dawn on April 8, go outside or balcony, turn to face east. Cross yourself and say: “Hear my prayer, Archangel Michael, Holy Mother of God, I trust in you. Fulfill my tearful request (state in your own words)." Kiss the pectoral cross and do not tell anyone about your innermost desire, otherwise it will not come true.