Happy Feast of the Presentation of the Virgin Mary: beautiful pictures, Orthodox cards

Every year on December 4, Orthodox believers celebrate one of the main feasts of the church calendar - the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary into the Temple. It is dedicated to an event in the life of the young Virgin Mary, which was the beginning of her journey as the Mother of God. "Izvestia" prepared colorful pictures and postcards for this bright celebration.

Happy Entrance into the Temple of the Blessed Virgin Mary: beautiful pictures

About the Entry of the Virgin into the temple in the Gospels nothing is said. Information about the early years of the Virgin Mary in the Holy Scriptures in general is not much. However events of her life are reflected in church legends which are honored by believers on a par with the Bible.

According to legend, the parents of the Virgin Mary, the righteous Joachim and Anna, could not conceive a child for many years. They were not old enough, but they still prayed to the Lord for the birth of their firstborn. In their prayers they vowed to dedicate a daughter or son to God and to give them to the temple to raise.

One day Joachim traveled to Jerusalem, where there was a great church festival. He brought with him a rich sacrifice which he wanted to give to the temple. However, the scribe (a servant of the church) refused to accept his gift, saying that Joachim had no heirs. Childlessness in ancient Jewish society was considered a punishment for sins, so the scribe considered it wrong to accept a sacrifice from a man who was recognized by the Lord as unworthy of procreation.

Shamed and grieved, Joachim withdrew to the wilderness, where he spent 40 days in prayer and repentance. His wife prayed at home, grieving with all her heart for the misfortune that had befallen their family.

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One day an angel appeared to Anna. The messenger of God said that the prayers of the righteous couple had been heard and that they would have a daughter who would be unrivaled on earth, for through her all mankind would be saved. Joachim received the same sign in the desert. The couple hurried to each other and met in Jerusalem. At the appointed time Mary was born.

When the girl was three years old, it was time to fulfill the vow made before her birth. The parents dressed Mary in her best dress and accompanied by relatives went to the temple in Jerusalem. There their daughter was to live and study there until she came of age.

The procession was greeted by the priests headed by the high priest Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist. The parents placed the young Mary on the steps of the temple, and then an amazing thing happened - the three-year-old girl independently, without anyone's support, climbed the steep stairs and went into the temple.

The crowd was even more surprised when Zechariah suddenly led Mary into the Holy of Holies - a room where only the high priest had the right to enter once a year, having previously offered a special sacrifice. However, the father of John the Baptist did not do it out of whim - he had a divine revelation about the destiny of the Virgin, who would become the Mother of God.

It is noteworthy that at that time the Jerusalem temple was being rebuilt after the Babylonian captivity. However, the main shrine of the Jewish people, the Ark of the Covenant, previously kept in the Holy of Holies, had disappeared. Now the Virgin Mary took its place, marking the transition from the Old Covenant to the New Covenant.

In the temple, Mary studied the Scriptures with other girls, prayed and practiced needlework. When she turned 15, the priests began to advise her to leave the temple and find a spouse. But the Virgin replied that she had dedicated her life to God and had taken a vow of purity.

The puzzled priests did not know what to do, and then the high priest Zacharias came to their aid. He offered Mary to be betrothed to Joseph, a righteous widower, to become her guardian and keeper of the vow. The girl agreed and after the wedding settled in Joseph's house.

Orthodox postcards with the Church holiday of December 4

The introduction of the Virgin Mary into the temple began to be celebrated in the first centuries of Christianity. However, until the VIII century, the celebration was united with the Nativity of the Virgin Mary. A separate celebration originated in Constantinople, and from there it passed to Russia.

In Russia, the Presentation of the Virgin Mary in the temple was one of the most anticipated holidays of the year. It was considered the "woman's day" along with the Intercession of the Virgin Mary and Paraskeva Friday. Girls and women prayed to the Mother of God, asking for her intercession and help in various matters.

If enough snow had fallen by the time of the Presentation, the sledding season was opened. The first to go down the mountain were the newlyweds, and then the rest of the youth joined the winter fun. The sledding was accompanied by jokes, competitions and games.

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The holiday was also famous for the fairs, which were called Vvedensky. Trade rows began to work immediately after the liturgy, often unfolding right in the squares adjacent to the church. At such fairs one could eat fresh pastries and sbitnem, as well as buy something for the home or for the soul. The "special offer" of the Vvedensky trades were sleighs - they were sold in a variety of variations from simple, but good, to luxurious, decorated with carvings and paintings.

The modern feast of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary is celebrated much more modestly. Believers attend solemn services, and afterwards organize quiet feasts in a family circle. Also on this day it is customary to bring children to the first confession, to "enter the temple", as the Virgin Mary once entered it.

With the development of modern technology, believers have more ways to congratulate each other on the holiday. One of them is digital postcards that can be quickly sent anywhere in the world. As a rule, postcards for the Presentation depict a young Virgin Mary walking down the steps of the Jerusalem temple. Sometimes the Virgin Mary is depicted as an adult with baby Jesus in her arms.

Also on greeting cards for the Presentation of the Virgin Mary in the temple can be seen Orthodox churches, white doves, flowers and candles.

Earlier "Izvestia" shared verses and touching congratulations on the Presentation of the Virgin Mary in the temple.