Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos: secrets and prohibitions of the most important holiday

On April 7, the Orthodox Church celebrates its greatest holiday, the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is one of the twelve dedicated to the most important events of the earthly life of the Virgin Mary and Jesus Christ, and is celebrated nine months before Christmas. In 2025, the celebration falls on a Monday. Read about the event underlying the holiday and the traditions in the Izvestia article.

Annunciation: what kind of holiday is April 7, why is it called that?

The Orthodox Church celebrates the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary on April 7, while Western Christians celebrated this day earlier — on March 25. The event belongs to the twelve, or 12, most important holidays in Christianity, besides Easter. The name originated from the Slavic "dvounadesyat", which means "twelve". Each of the events of the twelve feasts is dedicated to the earthly life of Jesus Christ and the Mother of God. Almost all twelve-day holidays have a fixed date, but there are also transitional ones that depend on the date of Easter celebrations.

On the day of the Annunciation, the church remembers an amazing and important event in history — the day when the Lord, through the archangel Gabriel, addressed the Virgin Mary with the good news and informed her that she had been chosen to become the mother of the Son of God. The Virgin was raised at the temple, where her parents took her at the age of three. Upon reaching the age of 14, she was already an orphan, and according to the custom of the time, which forbade a virtuous woman to remain single, she was betrothed to righteous Joseph, an elderly widower who pledged to keep her virginity. The Evangelist Luke describes how, during Joseph's absence, the archangel Gabriel announced to the Virgin Mary that she had found grace from God, and would give birth to a son, and would call his name Jesus.

"Behold, handmaid of the Lord, let it be done to Me according to your word," Mary replied, accepting the Good news and thereby opening the way to redemption by the Savior of all mankind.

The Annunciation has been in church use since the 7th century, but the celebration of the holiday began four centuries before that. The full name of the holiday in the Russian Orthodox Church is "The Annunciation of Our Most Holy Lady, Theotokos and Ever—Virgin Mary."

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The importance of the holiday is expressed, among other things, in the fact that in all Orthodox churches the icon of the Annunciation is placed on the Royal Gates: the Virgin Mary is depicted on the right side, and the archangel Gabriel on the left. On the feast day, the icon of the Annunciation is also placed on the lectern in the center of the temple. On the eve of the feast, an all-night vigil is held in Orthodox churches, which begins with Great Compline, and the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom is served on the very day of the feast. The clergy wear blue vestments on the holiday — it is he who is the symbol of the Virgin.

Sometimes the day of the Annunciation celebration coincides with Easter. However, the importance of the holiday is so great that the intersection of events never cancels the service on the occasion of the Annunciation. According to the Statute, the hymns of the Annunciation and Easter can be combined. If the holiday does not fall on Holy Week, some indulgences are provided for those who fast, for example, eating fish is allowed.

The festive service tells the faithful about the events of the day, explaining the meaning of the Old Testament prophecies. The canon of the Annunciation was compiled by the hymnographers John of Damascus and Theophanes, Metropolitan of Nicaea in the 8th century. The structure of the canon is based on the dialogue between the Virgin Mary and Gabriel.

According to an old tradition, birds are released from cages on this holiday, which symbolizes God's granting freedom to his creation. The custom existed in Russia before the revolution and was revived only in the 90s of the last century. Every year in Moscow, a flock of birds is released into the sky by the patriarch at the Annunciation Cathedral. The action takes place in the presence of hundreds of parishioners.

In one of his sermons, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia explained why the feast of the Annunciation is called the second Easter. According to him, the good news about the salvation of the human race through the incarnation of the Son of God was the greatest revelation — not only in the word, but in the mystery of the Divine incarnation itself, and also became the hope of salvation for all believers.

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What not to do on the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin

Like any religious holiday, the Annunciation has its own traditions, signs and customs. Since the day falls on Lent, believers can afford fish dishes and some wine on this day. Some bake prosphoras at home — small unleavened loaves — and then consecrate them in the church during the liturgy. Both traditions are excluded if the celebration falls on Holy Week.

It is recommended to postpone hard physical work, sewing and needlework on the day of the holiday. "A bird does not build nests, a maiden does not braid braids" — the saying is about the Annunciation, when it was forbidden to do any work.

It is generally believed that on this day, failures can overtake those who slander and harm others on the day of the celebration. You should not start new businesses and projects on the Annunciation, and it is also forbidden to marry during lent.

Folk signs on April 7, on the Annunciation of the Virgin

It is believed that at the Annunciation, the Lord blesses the land and the harvest, so they bring seeds to the church to consecrate them for sowing. The holiday is also perceived as a symbol of the arrival of spring. In the past, peasants used to place an icon next to a grain storage tank and recite a special prayer for the harvest. Interestingly, even going on the road to work was considered a sin. Instead, the day of celebration should have been devoted to good deeds, many treated those in need.