December 4 — The Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple: the true story of the great feast

On December 4, Orthodox Christians celebrate the Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos into the temple, one of the twelve feasts dedicated to the event when the Most Holy Theotokos was brought to the temple. This event, described in ancient legends, symbolizes a person's readiness for service and spiritual purification. Details can be found in the Izvestia article.

What kind of holiday is celebrated on December 4th

In the Orthodox tradition, on December 4, one of the twelve feasts is celebrated — the Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos into the temple. It is dedicated to the memory of the event according to which the righteous Joachim and Anna, having fulfilled their vow, brought three-year-old Mary to the temple in Jerusalem to serve the Lord, where she was met by the high priest and led into the Holy of Holies.

This event occupies an important place in the liturgical calendar. The introduction is the "youngest" of the twelve holidays in terms of formation time, but at the same time deeply symbolic.

Introduction to the Church of the Most Holy Theotokos: the history of the event

The event is not described in the canonical Gospels; the main details are preserved in the apocryphal "Protoevangelium of James" (II century) and in later hagiographic texts. According to these sources, after many years of infertility, the Lord granted Anna to conceive, and she vowed that if a child was born, it would be dedicated to God.

When Mary was three years old, her parents brought her to Jerusalem and placed her in front of the temple entrance. According to one version, the high priest (called Zachariah in some legends) led the Virgin Mary into the Holy of Holies, a place where an ordinary person could enter only once a year with sacrifice and purification.

Mary lived in the temple until she was 12-14 years old, where she studied Scripture and prayer, until, by a miraculous sign, her husband, Joseph the Betrothed, was chosen.

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When was the holiday established

The origin of the liturgical memory of the Introduction is associated with the Eastern Church. Byzantine sources associate the formation of the holiday with the VI–VIII centuries; there are hypotheses about the connection to temple dedications in Jerusalem as early as the VI century, but documented mentions appear in the calendar of the VIII century.

In the West, the holiday came later: starting from the 9th–10th centuries, it is found in some regions (for example, in Sicily), and it became more widespread in the Latin tradition only in the late Middle Ages. In Russia, the feast of the Introduction was recorded in church calendars and synodics from the period of the adoption of Christianity and gradually entered the circle of the twelve feasts, gaining a foothold in liturgical practice and folk tradition.

The main idea and symbolism of the celebration

In the direct meaning, "introduction" means the action of parents handing over their daughter to serve in the temple. Symbolically, the event is interpreted as the preparation of the "body and soul" of the future Mother of God for the incarnation.

Mary's placement in the Holy of Holies is seen as a symbol of her purity and special role readiness to accept the Divine. Theologians of the Eastern Church (including Gregory Palama and other preachers of the feast) The introduction is also interpreted as a sign of the entry of a saving story into human space.: God's action in history begins in advance, through the election and sanctification of human nature.

The iconography of the holiday highlights the contrast: small, but already dressed in a maforium (traditional veil) Maria climbs the steps of the temple, and the people around her look "grown up" and respectful. The staircase and the entrance to the Holy of Holies serve as a symbol of the ascent to God and the entry of the human person into communion with God.

How is the Introduction of the Virgin Mary celebrated today?

In liturgical practice, the holiday is accompanied by a special service: a small evening service, an all-night vigil (in some parishes), hours and a festive Divine Liturgy. There are many images in the texts of the service that reflect the praise of the Virgin Mary and her spiritual destiny. In the sermons of patriarchs and bishops, the holiday is most often revealed through a call to imitate the prayer life and trust in God's providence.

In modern Russia and in other local Orthodox churches, festive divine services are celebrated both in cathedrals and in rural churches. On this day, it is customary to read the akathist to the Blessed Virgin Mary and special prayers.