September 21 is a church holiday? Nativity of the Blessed Virgin: what can and can not be done?
The Orthodox calendar is generous for the holidays. According to the Holy Writings, almost every day is dedicated to some image or event. Among others, the twelve - the twelve most important holidays after Easter, concerning the earthly life of Jesus and the Mother of God, differ. Some of them are dated by a specific number, others - are shifted by counting days and months.
What is the church holiday on September 21?
Feast of September 21 - Christmas DayLady of our Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary. The beginning of its existence has been going on since the 4th century. At that time, the church proclaimed this day a saint and indicated that it should be read annually.
The church holiday, which falls on September 21,has a deep prehistory, described in ancient Tradition. The events that caused the celebration took place in Nazareth with an ordinary elderly couple. The only difference between them is the absence of children. Joachim and Anna suffered, having no consolation in the declining years, and the chief priests of the temple did not pay them. Grief and despair led Joachim away into the wilderness, where an angel of the Lord appeared to him with consolation and a marvelous gift. The couple learned about the upcoming birth is not an ordinary child, but a great joy for the whole world. Joachim and Anna hurried to the Temple to worship the Lord. After 9 months, their daughter Maria (the mother of Jesus Christ) came to the world.
Religious holiday on September 21 is first mentionedin the Patriarch of Constantinople Proclus and in the priestess of Pope Gelasius (439-446). Also, information on a bright date is found in the writings of the saints Augustine, Epiphanes, Ioan Chrysostom.
What can and can not be done on the feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin?
The divine holiday on September 21 is a women's day,dedicated to the birth of the Virgin. Folk traditions contain many women's rites and customs for health, beauty and youth. All of them lead to the filling with the energy necessary for growing children and preserving the peace in the family.
The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin is also known asthe name Second Pure or Lesser Pure. Earlier on the day of September 21, we met Mother Osenina. The day was dedicated to gratitude for a good harvest or to goddesses of fertility and matrimony. Women went to the water with oatmeal bread, sang and danced by the river. After - broke the bread and treated everyone passing.
Now many have forgotten what can not be doneSeptember 21. At Christmas, the Blessed Virgin Mary should not work and eat heavy food. On this day it is better to pray a lot, attend church and native people, eat fast and remain a pure soul.
