The Christian Church celebrates Annunciation on March 25.“Today’s feast is both of Our Lady and of Our Lord”, explains Father Antoniy Marchev from Pirdop, Lovech Eparchy, and brings us more on the subject:

“Today Christians commemorate an exceptional event in the Christian world – Archangel Gabriel brought to Virgin Mary the good news about the arrival of the Savior. St. Luke the Evangelist recounts the event in the following way:

'Gabriel was sent from God to Nazareth. Nazareth was a town in the country of Galilee. He went to a woman who had never had a man. Her name was Mary. She was promised in marriage to a man named Joseph. Joseph was of the family of David. The angel came to her and said, ‘You are honored very much. You are a favored woman. The Lord is with you. You are chosen from among many women.’ When she saw the angel, she was troubled at his words. She thought about what had been said.  The angel said to her, ‘Mary, do not be afraid. You have found favor with God.  See! You are to become a mother and have a Son. You are to give Him the name Jesus.  He will be great. He will be called the Son of the Most High.'

And the Holy Church hymns the day like this: „Today is the beginning of our salvation,. The revelation of the eternal mystery! The Son of God becomes the Son of the Virgin. As Gabriel announces the coming of Grace. Together with him let us cry to the Theotokos: Rejoice, O Full of Grace. The Lord is with You!“

Can we say that the Annunciation is the celebration of conception and new life?

“Yes, indeed. Let me recall that prior to September 9, 1944 (the beginning of communist regime), the Annunciation was the Day of the Mother because Virgin Mary is the mother of God. During communism this day was replaced with March 8 as a way to defeat the Church including either the full ban of Christian feasts or their saturation with secular content. But let us recall the time when the Annunciation was the Day of the Mother. Here is how Christian Marina Mladenova recounts details from the family traditions associated with the Annunciation. ‘The Day of the Mother was celebrated in my family as a spiritual family occasion. It was always associated with the church service and with the Day of Virgin Mary and was a day to transfer a particle of the bright light of the Holy Virgin to our mothers. Unfortunately after the democratic changes which started in 1989 this feast has been marked in a somewhat humble way and only in a narrow circle of Christian families who keep the tradition. I would like to believe that just like in the past, today too, along the veneration for the greatest of all mothers, the Mother of the Savior, we express veneration for our mothers.’ Let me add something to the wonderful words of this Christian woman: let us pray to God and let us do our best so that the meaning of this great day is restored to its importance and symbolism for Christians and society.”

Is there a strict set of church rituals that we should observe?

“Common rituals sometimes differ largely from the Christian principles and one of the reasons for widespread paganism is that the people were separated from the Christian way of life. There is nothing special to do on this day. Christians should go to church and take the communion. Next, they should prepare for the forthcoming Easter. I should note than on this day the Holy Church allows a little treat amid the Great Lent and permits consumption of fish”, father Antoniy Marchev concludes.

English Daniela Konstantinova