Tomorrow marks one of the 12 major church holidays. The Orthodox Church of Ukraine has shared insights about the significance of this celebration.
The Orthodox Church of Ukraine will celebrate tomorrow, November 21, one of the 12 major church holidays of the year - the Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple. This feast has a long history and special significance, and although it falls during the Nativity Fast, the canons permit the consumption of fish, as reported by the OCU, writes UNN.
Details
"Tomorrow marks one of the twelve major feast days in the liturgical calendar for the year. It commemorates the event of the Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple. Among all the feasts dedicated to the Mother of God, it uniquely highlights the childhood of the Theotokos. This feast occurs during the Nativity Fast, but according to the canons, the consumption of fish is allowed," the OCU stated on Facebook.
The feast has one day of pre-festivity and four days of post-festivity, with November 25 marking the conclusion of the feast.
"Until the 8th century, the event of the Virgin Mary's entry into the temple was celebrated together with the feast of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos. The separate celebration began in the 8th century in Constantinople. The event of the entry is not mentioned in the Gospel and is known to us from later texts and traditions," the OCU noted.
According to sources, when the daughter of Joachim and Anna, Mary, whose birth was a special gift from God to her barren parents, reached a certain age, they brought her to the temple in Jerusalem. Earlier, they had made a vow to God that when a child was born to them, they would dedicate him or her to serve the Almighty.
"Thus, this feast primarily reminds us of the fulfillment of vows. It also signifies the mandatory occurrence of what was predicted by the Lord. This feast announces the approach of the Nativity of Christ, which did not happen suddenly, unexpectedly, or without preparation, but occurred at the proper time when God had arranged everything according to His providence and which He had foretold through the prophets," the OCU emphasized.