The Orthodox Church of Ukraine celebrates tomorrow, November 21, one of the 12 main church holidays of the year - the introduction of the Blessed Virgin Mary to the church. The holiday has a long history and special significance, and although it falls on the Christmas fast, but according to the charter it is allowed to consume fish, the OCU reported, writes UNN.
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"Tomorrow is one of the twelve main holidays of the annual liturgical circle. It is dedicated to the event of the introduction of the Blessed Virgin Mary to the church. Among all the feasts of the mother of God, it is the only one that illuminates the childhood of the mother of God. This holiday falls on the Christmas fast, but according to the charter, it is allowed to consume fish," the OCU said on Facebook.
The holiday has one day of pre – celebration and four days of post-celebration, November 25 - giving of the holiday.
Until the eighth century, the event of the introduction of the Virgin Mary into the church was celebrated together with the feast of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos. A separate celebration dates back to the eighth century in Constantinople. The event of the introduction is not mentioned in the Gospel and is known to us from later texts, from tradition," the OCU said.
According to sources, when Joachim and Anna's daughter, Mary, whose birth was a special gift from God to infertile parents, reached a certain age, they brought her to the temple in Jerusalem. After all, they had previously made a vow to God that when they had a child, they would dedicate it to the service of the Almighty.
"So, this holiday, first of all, reminds of the fulfillment of vows. And also about the obligatory fulfillment of what the Lord foretold. This holiday informs us about the approaching event of the Nativity of Christ, which did not happen suddenly, unexpectedly and without preparation, but happened at the right time, when God prepared everything according to His Providence and which he repeatedly announced through the prophets," the OCU said.
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