January is rightly called one of the richest months of the holidays. In addition to the New Year and Christmas, beloved by all, the 8th of this month marks an important church holiday - the Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Why is this day so religiously important?
The church celebrates the Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary not by chance on the day after Christmas.
The servants of the Lord address prayers of praise to the Mother of Jesus, who was chosen by the Lord to give birth to the Son of God. The Bible says of the immaculate conception and the painless birth of Mary. For the reason that she is the same, chosen virgin, it is customary in church customs to honor the mother of Jesus immediately after His birthday.
Why is the holiday called the Cathedral?
The Mother of God is honored all year round. There are many church rites dedicated to her birth, her receiving the Good News from an angel, and so on. The feast of the Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary is so named because it aims at the general ministry of Mary. We are talking about the collegiate service, where prayers are proclaimed for the Mother of God, as well as persons close to her and Jesus Christ: King David, saints Joseph and James.
Joseph the Betrothed and St. James
For the family of David, the birth of the Messiah was the greatest event, despite the fact that the action took place in the unsightly cave of Bethlehem. Maria had no relatives, and at the time of the birth of Jesus, there was only Joseph the Betrothed, who was already at a venerable age and was called to observe the virginity of the Virgin. Tradition has it that the Jewish high priest blessed him to be betrothed to Mary. Joseph took care of the Virgin and her Infant for many years, and it was to him in a dream that an angel appeared with a warning that it was necessary to flee to Egypt. Without a moment's hesitation, he got up and led Mary and the child behind him. Even his advanced age did not prevent Joseph from taking responsibility for two such important lives, and in order to provide for his wards, he began working as a carpenter in Egypt, earning a living.
In the flesh, David was the ancestor of the Lord, because according to tradition it was necessary that the Savior be born from the family of David. No less important person close to the Lord is Jacob. He was the son of Joseph the Betrothed from his first marriage, so he is considered the brother of the Lord. Being pious and faithful to God, after the resurrection of Christ from the dead, he was called the rector of the Church of Jerusalem.
Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary: holiday history
Virgin Mary is revered by people from the early formation of the Christian Church. Feast of the Cathedral of the Blessed
The Virgin Mary as such began to be celebrated as far back as the 4th century AD, when Epiphanius of Cyprus, St. Augustine and Ambrose Mediolansky performed the rite of worship in honor of the Birth of Christ and connected it with it for His Mother. This church event acquired official status only in 681, when the cathedral was first held in honor of the Virgin Mary, James and his father Joseph the Betrothed.
The date of January 8 was not chosen by chance. Among all the saints, the Mother of God was awarded the highest honor. Therefore, as a tribute to the Blessed Virgin, church ministers honor her the day after the most important religious holiday - the birth of the Savior.
Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary: holiday features
Over time, some church events tend to become popular. So, on January 8th it is customary to celebrate a religious holiday - the Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary, however, in Russia its own customs were born. The people on this day were nicknamed "Babies porridge." It is believed to honor women in labor and midwives. In the villages of January 8, according to old customs, it was customary to bake pies and treat them to women in labor. In peasant families where there were children, on this day it was the duty of the parents to prepare goodies, take vodka and go with a bow to visit the midwife who was in labor.
According to old Russian customs, on the day of the Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary, women felt their special unity with the Mother of God, therefore they left her a gift of bread. As a rule, women baked bakery products and brought them to the church: they left part of the treats at the altar, and part consecrated and carried home.
It is believed that these customs came from paganism, which for a long time flourished in Russia. It is known that before the consecration of Russian lands to Christianity, people worshiped many gods. Among them was the patroness of all women - Makosh, whose cult underwent metamorphoses and mixed with the celebration of the Cathedral of the Virgin. For a long time it was impossible to eradicate the traces of paganism, especially the worship of goddesses who help women.
There are cases when, in parallel with the emerging Christian churches, many peasant women in the villages continued to present gifts to the goddesses of women in childbirth. These ossified traditions provoked the wrath of the fathers of the churches, but, nevertheless, even the fear of punishment did not prevent women from practicing their rituals. It is believed that in many ways the celebration of the Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary was a disguise of pagan rites that took place during and after the service. People rolled up feasts that day, performed round dances and continued to visit women in labor and midwives.
Even in the 18th century, persecution of pagans continued, which carefully concealed their rituals from churches. Priests called most of the traditions of this day a diabolical work, plunging all the peasants into confusion. Even such a non-trivial custom, how to cook porridge that day, they attributed to the machinations of evil spirits. An interesting fact is that the consecration of bread at the Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary was also denied by the clergy. In 1590, the Kiev Metropolitan condemned people, calling their actions heretical.
Who else was chanted in Russia on January 8?
According to ancient custom, the day of the Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary fell on December 26th. In addition to the prayerful chanting of the Virgin Mary, the Slavs paid tribute to the memory of the prophet David, who was able to defeat the giant Goliath with his own hands. The peasants venerated this saint and turned to him with prayers for help. It was believed that those who believe and pray to David will be delivered from rage and anger. This belief is the result of historical evidence that the prophet was Saul's squire and often had to tame the obstinate husband with a song and a joke. From here, in Russia, a belief arose that, setting off on a journey, a wanderer should ask David for protection. This was to provide him with an easy road and get rid of all sorts of misfortunes, including robbers and wild animals.
Introduction to the Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Christian representatives
Religions know firsthand that the calendar is streaked in red on the days of the most significant church events. Virgin Mary is one of the most important characters in the history of the birth of the Savior. Therefore, many laudatory ceremonies were given in her honor, including the Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary, held on January 8. The history of the holiday goes to the heart of the history of the New Testament. However, on this the list of important events does not come to an end, and there are many other religiously important events.
Introduction to the Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary - a holiday that came from the ancient Giving. It belongs to the twelve most important religious events of the year and is celebrated on the fourth day of December.
On this day, according to the Giving, people should remember the parents of the Virgin: Anna and Joachim, who lived a long life until they were old, but God did not reward them with children. Believing in God's justice to the last, they trusted in the Lord in their prayers, promising that if he would give them the long-awaited child, they would devote him to him. Their requests were heard by the Almighty, and he sent them a baby - beautiful Mary.
When the girl was three years old, Anna and her husband went to Jerusalem to take their daughter to the temple, as promised to the Lord. In view of the special importance of the vow, Mary's parents lit candles and staged an accompanying procession for the girl. Ahead of her were young virgins, and around Mary and her parents, relatives.
When the procession approached the gates of the temple, they were met by priests led by Zachariah, the father of John the Baptist. At the entrance to God's monastery stood 15 steps. Parents left the girl on the first of them, after which they watched in surprise as their daughter independently rose to the very dais.
Zachariah received a message from above that he should introduce Mary to the most holy place of the temple, where it was supposed to enter only once a year. From this moment it can be considered that a difficult and decisive period in History began - the Savior's mother began her journey. The introduction to the church of the Blessed Virgin Mary is an event of a holiday when the young virgin began to serve the Lord according to the promise of her parents.
Mary's stay in the temple
The chronicler who recorded the history of the events of the life of the Virgin in the house of God was Josephus. He said that the girl lived in a room with other virgins and was under the guardianship of pious virgins. The main activities that the girl indulged in were prayer, needlework, and prayer reading. Maria was a diligent student, and from childhood she showed herself from the best side.
According to the rules
the then world, a girl, at the age of fifteen, had to leave the walls of the temple and get a husband. However, on this issue, Mary for the first time showed rebellion: she took the vow to remain a virgin until the end of her days and devote herself to serving God. Zechariah, being wise, suggested a way out of the situation. He advised the girl’s elderly relative Joseph to marry her in order to ensure her a decent life. It was understood that Mary would continue to be immaculate and be able to fulfill her vow.
The history of the celebration of entry into the church of the Blessed Virgin Mary
The first mention of this event appeared at the beginning of our era, or rather, the era of Christianity. Between 250 and 300 A.D. At the insistence of Empress Helena, the first temple was built to commemorate the entry of the Blessed Virgin into the temple. Finally, the celebration of this event was established in church circles by the 4th century.
The celebration took place freshly and superficially, and only by the beginning of the 10th century George Nikodimsky together with Joseph Pesnopisets wrote canons for prayer ceremonies.
Features of the celebration of the Entry into the Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Need to say,
that any church event is a rite. Of course, unlike pagan sacrifices, Christians adhere to humane methods, mainly resorting to prayer chants, sermons, anointing and imitation of some historical events of a symbolic nature.
Regardless of whether the service is conducted in the temple or any holiday is taking place, for example, the Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the prayer of the Virgin is an integral attribute of the event. Important factors in the service are the clothes of priests. So, on the day of the introduction of the Virgin into the temple, the servants of the Lord are dressed in robes of blue or blue. On this day, evening service, all-night vigil, liturgy are held.
Peculiarities of the Feast of the Entry into the Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary mean reading only the texts provided for: a prayer to the Virgin, the troparion of the same name and kondak, as well as a number of specific liturgical chants.
Crucifix in honor of the holiday
According to religious concepts, there are 12 of the most significant events of the year. Some of them are chanted not only during mass prayer chants, but also have their own attributes, such as the crucifixion “Introduction to the Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary”.
Crosses with the image of this topic are very popular. They are made of various materials. On one side of the cross you can see the Creator sitting on the throne prepared for him, and on the back you can observe the festive procession while climbing the steps of the church of Mary.