The Annunciation is a special holiday. Although, unlike Christmas, Easter, and Pentecost, he is not honored as the feast of the Lord (that is, dedicated to the Lord Jesus Christ), but, nevertheless, the Christian theologian John Chrysostom revered it as the “first holiday” and “the root of the holidays”, for if there had not been the Annunciation, then there would have been no Christmas, and Easter, and Pentecost. Therefore, in the Orthodox tradition, this day is a twentieth enduring holiday (that is, one of the 12 main holidays in the church calendar falling on the same day of the year). Congratulations on the Annunciation are pronounced on March 25 according to the Gregorian calendar and April 7 on the Julian.
The foundation of this holiday is contained in the Gospel of Luke, in the first chapter. The Evangelist tells that the archangel Gabriel appeared to the virgin Mary and told her that she would conceive in the bosom and give birth to the Redeemer of mankind. This is the Good News, which has been celebrated for more than two thousand years by followers of the Christian religion. Therefore, congratulations on the Annunciation, first of all, relate to the promised coming of the Savior into the world. People congratulate each other on the imminent coming of the Savior Redeemer for original sin and wish to do glorious deeds.
Since this holiday falls on spring time, it coincides with the awakening of nature. The miracle of the awakening of nature from winter itself was connected with the miracle of the immaculate conception. It was believed that animals falling into winter hibernation wake up and crawl out of the holes: frogs, lizards, bees, ants, etc. Also, on the Annunciation Day, weather was predicted for Easter, and species with a greater or lesser degree of probability were identified for the future harvest. Therefore, congratulations on the Annunciation concerned mainly the arrival of spring and the wishes of a good harvest and all satisfaction.
In the Middle Ages there were many dissident Christian beliefs, and some of them placed all their hope in Heavenly Father, who created a different world, which has nothing to do with this visible, material world, in which withering, death reigns, there are hail and frosts, crop failures and hunger. In those years, the dominant church persecuted and burned these Christians at the stake, and in order to destroy any memory of them, it slandered their teachings and even appropriated them the nickname: “Cathars”. But they called themselves simply Good Christians, and their believers called them Good Men and Good Women. What did the Annunciation mean to these Good Christians? Congratulations on this holiday were slightly different from Catholic or Orthodox. Jesus Christ was for them an angel who came down from heaven and took on the image of man. He was never born in the usual way, as children are born. On the contrary, he came to the world in a body that was never exposed to material evil.
That is why the Good People, instead of congratulations on the Annunciation, told their believers the “Legend of the Pelican”. There was once a Pelican bird shining like the sun. She had chicks in the nest, but when she left, an evil dragon came, who tortured and wounded the chicks. Then the Pelican hid his radiance. Seeing that the light was dim, the dragon appeared to the nest and again began to torment the cubs. Then the Pelican revealed himself in his glory and killed the dragon. Good Christians revealed the meaning of this legend: chicks are the souls of God tormented in this world by the “prince of this world.” Christ came into the world, “having become shaded,” hiding His divine radiance under the image of a simple person. Then the devil thought that he could easily kill him. But by his resurrection, Christ shamed the devil, and opened the door to salvation.
Since Christ was “married” in Mary - His Church, shining in the darkness of this world like a guiding light, congratulations on the Annunciation boiled down to the following: if a person hears the voice of God calling him to “take the cross of good works and follow him”, then the person will not be able to resist. Let then the soul, which the Lord called to the ministry, say, as written by the Evangelist Luke: “Behold, the Servant of the Lord; let it be according to your word. ” Because every word that comes from God is Good News and will be fulfilled.