Among Orthodox holidays you can celebrate the feast of the Presentation. And some may immediately wonder what Candlemas is. What events gave rise to it? The Presentation of the Lord is one of the most revered Twelve Christian holidays. Events related to the earthly life of the Lord Jesus Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary are revered. The Feast of the Presentation is a permanent holiday, and is usually celebrated on February 15th. The word “sar?tenie” is translated from Church Slavonic as “meeting.”

The Day of the Presentation determined the point in time when it met Old Testament with the New Testament - ancient world with the world of Christianity. All this happened thanks to one person; this is given a special place in the Gospel. However, let's start from the beginning. The Gospel of Luke says that the Presentation of the Lord took place exactly 40 days after the Nativity of Christ.

There is very interesting fact, associated with the answer to the question of what date Candlemas is. In 528 in Antioch took place strong earthquake, and many people died. Then in the same lands (in 544) a pestilence epidemic arose, and people began to die in the thousands. During these days of terrible disasters, providence was revealed to one pious Christian so that the people would celebrate the Feast of the Presentation more solemnly. And then on this day they were held all-night vigil(public worship) and procession. And only then did these terrible disasters in Christian Byzantium cease. Then the Church, in gratitude to God, established the Presentation of the Lord to be celebrated on February 15 solemnly and reverently.

history of the holiday

At that time, the Jews had two traditions that were associated with the birth of a baby in the family. After giving birth, a woman was forbidden to come to the Jerusalem Temple for 40 days, this is if a boy was born, and if a girl was born, then all 80. After the expiration of the period, the woman in labor had to bring a cleansing sacrifice to the Temple. A young lamb and a dove were offered for the burnt offering and for the atonement of sins. The poor family sacrificed another dove instead of a lamb.

On the 40th day, the parents of the newborn boy had to come with him to the Temple to perform the sacrament of dedication to God. And this was not a simple tradition, but the Law of Moses, established in memory of the liberation of the Jews from slavery and the exodus from Egypt. And now we come to the most important Gospel event, which will explain in detail what Candlemas is.

Mary and Joseph arrived from Bethlehem to Jerusalem. In their arms was the Infant God. Their family lived poorly, so they sacrificed two doves. Most Pure Mother of God, despite the fact that Jesus was born as a result immaculate conception, still made the required sacrifice with meekness, humility and great respect for Jewish laws.

Now that the ceremony has been completed and Holy Family was about to leave the Temple, then an old man named Simeon approached them. He was a great righteous man. Taking the Divine Infant in his hands, he exclaimed with great joy: “Now you are releasing Your servant, Master, according to Your word, in peace, for my eyes have seen Your salvation...”

Simeon

At the time of his meeting with the Infant Christ, Elder Simeon was over 300 years old. He was a very revered and respected man, one of the 72 scholars who were commissioned to translate the Gospel from Hebrew into Greek. On this Sabbath day, it was not at all by chance that he ended up in this Temple, because it was the Holy Spirit who brought him here.

Once upon a time, Simeon began translating the book of the prophet Isaiah; he was greatly surprised to read there such words that were incomprehensible to his mind: “Behold, the Virgin will be with child and give birth to a Son.” Then he thought to himself that a virgin could not give birth, and wanted to change the word “Virgo” to “Wife.” Suddenly an Angel appeared from Heaven and forbade him to do this, and also told him that until he saw the Lord Jesus with his own eyes, he would not die, and that the prophecy was true.

“Now you let go”

From that moment on, he waited for this moment for a long time, and finally the prophecy of the Angel was fulfilled - Simeon saw the Child whom the Immaculate Virgin gave birth to. Now he could rest in peace. The Church called Simeon the God-Receiver, and he became glorified as a saint.

Later, Bishop Theophan the Recluse wrote that from the moment of the Presentation the Old Testament gives way to Christianity. Now this gospel story is mentioned every day in Christian worship - “Song of Simeon the God-Receiver”, or in other words - “Now you let go.”

Simeon's predictions

Simeon, taking the Infant of the Most Pure Virgin in his hands, said to her: “Behold, because of Him the people will argue: some will be saved, and others will perish. And a weapon will pierce your own soul, so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”

What did he mean? It turns out that disputes among the people mean the persecution prepared for Her son, the opening of thoughts - the Judgment of God, the weapon that will pierce Her heart - the prophecy of the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ, because he suffered death from nails and spears, which passed through the mother’s heart with terrible pain.

Icon of the Mother of God “Softening” evil hearts"became a vivid illustration of Simeon's prophecy. Icon painters depicted the Mother of God standing on a cloud with seven swords stuck in her heart.

Prophetess Anna

Another important event happened on this day, and another meeting took place. The 84-year-old elder Anna the Prophetess, as the townspeople called her, approached the Mother of God. She worked and lived at the temple and was pious, as she was in constant fasting and prayer. Anna bowed to the Infant Christ, left the Temple and began to tell all the townspeople the Great News that the Messiah had come to the world. Meanwhile, Joseph and Mary with the Child, having fulfilled everything that was required by the law of Moses, returned to Nazareth.

Now is it clear what Candlemas is? After all, Candlemas is a meeting with the Savior. The names of Elder Simeon and Anna the Prophetess are inscribed in Holy Bible, they gave us an example, because they accepted the Lord with a pure and open heart. After meeting the Infant Jesus, Simeon went to his forefathers.

Feast of the Presentation

The Presentation of the Lord is an ancient holiday in Christianity. In the 4th-5th centuries, the people preached the first Sretensky sermons, take, for example, Saints Cyril of Jerusalem, Gregory the Theologian, John Chrysostom and Gregory of Nyssa.

Some are interested in the question of what date Candlemas is. IN church calendar The feast of the Presentation, which is always celebrated on February 15, occupies an invariable place. But if the date of the Presentation of the Lord falls on Monday of the first week in Lent, which may also happen, the festive service is postponed to February 14th.

Answering the question about what Candlemas is, first of all it must be said that it is a holiday dedicated to the Lord Jesus. In the first centuries it was a day of honoring the Mother of God. Therefore, the one who calls this holiday the Mother of God will also be partly right. Indeed, according to the structure of the service on this day, appeals in prayers and chants to the Mother of God occupy a central position. This duality of the feast of the Presentation also influenced the color of the clothes that the clergy wore during the service. White color became a symbol of Divine light, blue - the purity and purity of the Mother of God.

Candles. Candlemas

Tradition on the feast of the Presentation to sanctify church candles came to Orthodoxy from Catholics. In 1646, Kiev Metropolitan Peter Mohyla described this Catholic rite in great detail in his missal, when a procession of the cross was held, which was a procession with torches. In this way, the Roman Church distracted its flock from pagan traditions associated with the worship of fire.

In the Orthodox Church, the Sretensky candles were treated with special reverence and reverence. These candles were kept all year and were used during home prayer.

Tradition of celebrating the Presentation

As a result, the tradition of celebrating the Christian Orthodox Meeting was mixed with pagan rituals. Another calendar analogy was found with Simeon’s meeting with the Holy Family. Presentation Day has become a celebration of the meeting of winter with spring. People celebrate omens at Candlemas various kinds. For example, there are various sayings like: “On Candlemas, the sun turns to summer, winter turns to frost,” “On Candlemas, winter meets spring,” etc. The first thaws or frosts were called Sretensky. On Candlemas, signs tell you whether it will be warm soon or whether it will be cold for a long time.

Having celebrated the Candlemas holiday with folk festivities, the peasants began to prepare for spring. The cattle were sent from the barn to the pen, the seeds were prepared for sowing, the trees were whitewashed, etc.

It is interesting that in the USA and Canada the holiday of Candlemas is celebrated on February 2 and another famous holiday is dedicated to it - Groundhog Day.

But in the Chita region there is the city of Sretensk, named in honor of this Great holiday.

In some other countries, on this day they celebrate the Day of Orthodox Youth, approved in 1992 by the heads of local Orthodox churches. This idea belongs to the World Orthodox Youth Movement “Syndesmos”.

Subjects of icons

The icon of the Presentation illustrates the plot of the story from the Evangelist Luke, where Pious Virgin Mary gives the elder Simeon into the hands of her baby Jesus. Behind the back of the Mother of God stands Joseph the Betrothed, who is carrying a cage with two doves. And behind Simeon is Anna the prophetess.

One of the oldest images can be found in the mosaic of the Cathedral of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome, which was created at the beginning of the 5th century. On it you can see how the Holy Virgin Mary with the Child of God in her arms goes to Saint Simeon, and at this time she is accompanied by angels.

The Orthodox Meeting in Rus' was depicted in two frescoes of the 12th century. The first is located in the St. Cyril Church in Kyiv. The second icon of the Presentation is in Novgorod, in the Church of the Savior on Nerditsa. There is a rather unusual depiction of the Presentation on icons in medieval Georgian art; there, instead of an altar, a symbol of sacrifice to the Lord is depicted - a burning candle.

The icon of the Blessed Mary “Softening Evil Hearts” (otherwise it has the name “Simeon’s Prophecy”, “Seven Arrows”) is associated with the events of Candlemas. In this icon, sharp arrows pierce the heart of the Mother of God standing on a cloud, three arrows on one side and the other and one on the bottom. But there is an icon where the Mother of God is pierced by a dagger, not arrows.

These icons symbolize the prophecy of the holy elder Simeon the God-Receiver, which he made after meeting the Mother of God and her Child.

Believers always turn to these icons in prayer. By softening the heart, not only their physical but also mental suffering is alleviated. They know that if they pray in front of the image of the Mother of God for their enemies, then the hostile feeling will gradually begin to fade and anger will disappear, giving way to mercy and kindness.

Candlemas

CANDLEMAS , Candlemas, -I; Wed

1. Outdated and poet. Meeting. * Phoebus the radiant rose from the seas.. And to meet him, a chorus of loud nightingales rang out in the dense forests(Krylov).

2. In the Orthodox Church: one of the twelve holidays, celebrated on February 2 (15) (in memory of the meeting of a certain elder Simeon with the baby Jesus).

◁ Sretensky, -aya, -oe (2 digits). S-th frosts.

Candlemas

one of the twelve Orthodox church holidays. Erected in honor of the meeting (candlemas) with the righteous Simeon of the infant Christ, whom his parents carried to the temple to be dedicated to God. Celebrated on February 2(15).

CANDLEMAS

Presentation of the Lord, Christian holiday (cm. CHURCH HOLIDAYS), dedicated to the recollection of the events that took place on the fortieth day of the earthly life of Jesus Christ, namely the meeting (glorious Presentation) of the Divine Infant in the Jerusalem Temple by two Old Testament righteous people - Simeon the God-Receiver and Anna the Prophetess (Gospel of Luke 2:22-39). Celebrated on February 2 (15). In the Orthodox Church - the Twelfth Feast of the Lord and the Theotokos (cm. TWELVETH HOLIDAYS).
Contents of the holiday
According to the law of Moses, on the fortieth day after the birth of a male child, the first-born, the mother had to appear with the baby in the temple to offer a sacrifice for her cleansing, to present the baby to God and “ransom”, for according to the law of Moses all first-born children belonged to God (Exodus 13 :12-13; Leviticus 12:1-8; Numbers 3:13-18). A lamb (lamb) and a turtle dove were sacrificed, and in case of poverty, two turtle doves, or pigeon chicks. The ransom consisted of a price determined by law (five shekels). The Most Pure Virgin came to the temple to fulfill everything according to the law. Due to her poverty, she could only bring two turtle doves as a cleansing sacrifice. In the Jerusalem Temple, the baby Jesus was met by the righteous Simeon, who was promised by the Holy Spirit that he would not die until he saw the Lord’s Christ, and the widow Anna, eighty-four years old, who lived at the temple. Righteous Simeon took the baby in his arms and said: “Now you are releasing Your servant, O Master, according to Your word, in peace; For mine eyes have seen Your salvation, which You have prepared before the face of all nations, a light to enlighten the Gentiles and the glory of Your people Israel.” Anna the Prophetess announced the Savior to all who waited for Him with faith.
History of the holiday and liturgical celebration
The holiday of the Presentation ends the cycle of Christmas holidays dedicated to the glorification of the Savior who appeared in the world. The oldest historical evidence of the celebration of the Presentation in the Christian East is the notes of a Western pilgrim in Jerusalem at the end of the 4th century. Sylvia, in which Candlemas is not yet called an independent holiday, but is called “the fortieth day from Epiphany.” IN brief descriptions celebrations taking place on this day in Jerusalem, a procession to the Temple of the Resurrection is mentioned (as on Easter (cm. EASTER Christian)), presbyteral and episcopal sermons with interpretation of the Gospel of Luke, then the usual Liturgy (cm. LITURGY (worship)) and leave. A similar name for the holiday is recorded in the Armenian Lectionary, which contained brief liturgical and statutory notes about the holidays of the annual cycle, celebrated in Jerusalem at the beginning of the 5th century. Probably, at this time, the feast of the Presentation existed in the Jerusalem church as locally revered and served as a celebration of the entire forty-day cycle of holidays dedicated to the Epiphany.
The establishment of the Feast of the Presentation in the calendar of the Church of Constantinople occurred no earlier than the first half of the 6th century. under the Byzantine emperor Justin I (ruled 518-527), who established its solemn celebration. His successor, Justinian I (cm. JUSTINIAN I the Great), moved the holiday from February 14 to February 2, in accordance with the calendar tradition of the Roman Church, which celebrated the Nativity of Christ on December 25.
In the Jerusalem tradition of the 5th-7th centuries. There are two main names for the holiday: the Meeting of the Lord and the Feast of Purification. The first name was fixed in Byzantium from the time of the official introduction of the Candlemas holiday there, as well as in the Gregorian tradition of Rome. The second is in the centuries-old liturgical tradition of Pope Gelasius (late 5th century), according to which the holiday was called the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In ancient times, the Roman Church was dominated by the theme of the Presentation of the Theotokos, in contrast to the Eastern tradition, according to which the holiday had the status of the Lord and was gradually transformed into the Feast of the Theotokos (in liturgical literature it is sometimes called the Presentation Holy Mother of God). Thus, according to the liturgical Rules, if the feast of the Presentation falls on a Sunday, then the Sunday service is not canceled, but is combined with the service of the Presentation, as happens on the twelfth feasts of the Theotokos.
The Feast of the Presentation has one forefeast day (cm. PRE-CELEBRATION) February 1 (14) - and seven days of afterfeast (cm. CELEBRATION). Delivery - February 9 (22).
In the West only after the 2nd Vatican Council (cm. VATICAN COUNCIL) the holiday again became the Lord's and is called in Latin “Presentation of the Lord,” although among Russian Catholics the name “Presentation of the Lord” is retained. One of important features Divine services of Candlemas in the Latin rite (cm. LATIN RITE) is the blessing of the candles with which the faithful stand at Mass (cm. MASS), and then they are reverently kept at home for a year (the candle in this case symbolizes Christ - “Light for the enlightenment of the pagans”). The custom of blessing candles on Candlemas was also adopted by the Orthodox (in particular, in many parishes in Ukraine).
Meeting in folk tradition
IN folk calendar Among the Slavic peoples, Meeting had the significance of a seasonal border: with this holiday, the eastern and western Slavs celebrated half of winter, and in the South Slavic regions - the beginning of spring, with which a significant number of signs of weather and harvest were associated. Good sunny weather usually foreshadowed a long winter, and frost - early spring; the blizzard on Candlemas promised to “sweep up” all the livestock feed earlier than usual, etc.
The eastern (less often the western and southern) Slavs said about Candlemas: “Candlemas - winter meets summer,” in addition to which they talked about how exactly winter fights with summer: “Summer hits winter on the cheek: “that’s enough for you, winter.” , winter - it’s time for me to fly, fly.” The perception of Candlemas as the beginning of spring is also reflected in the signs: “At Candlemas, a caftan and a fur coat meet, and a gypsy sells a fur coat,” etc.
The idea of ​​Candlemas as the beginning of spring is embodied in numerous stories about animals that supposedly turn from side to side on this day. The Bulgarians talked about a she-bear crawling out of her den on Candlemas to see her shadow: if the day is sunny and the she-bear sees her shadow, she turns on her other side to continue sleeping; this means that it will be cold for another forty days.
In many respects, Meeting was closer to the beginning of the new year, which was reflected in ideas about the fate of meetings taking place on this day: the Serbs believed that if you meet a healthy person on this day, you will be healthy for the whole year (and vice versa). In some places, Meeting was considered an unlucky and dangerous day: people avoided doing any household work on this day so as not to encounter wolves. Ukrainians believed that those born on Candlemas would be unhappy; Among the Bulgarians, pregnant women refrained from working with sharp objects for fear that the unborn child would have signs and marks on the body reminiscent of these works.
In all Slavic traditions great importance was given to the candle, which was blessed in the church that day. Ukrainians and Belarusians called it the “loud candle”, cf. “Gromnitsa” as one of the East and West Slavic dialect names for the Presentation. This candle was kept for a year: it was lit during thunderstorms and hail, given into the hands of a seriously dying person, the sick were fumigated with its smoke and crosses were drawn on beams and mats, lit to protect themselves from the “walking” dead person; attached to the container from which they sowed in the spring; walked around the cattle with a lighted candle during the first pasture; they set children's hair on fire for headaches, rubbed their throats with it for pain; hung over the entrance to the house on Kupala night to protect against the witch, etc.

encyclopedic Dictionary. 2009 .

Synonyms:

See what “Sretenie” is in other dictionaries:

Meeting Dictionary of Russian synonyms. meeting noun, number of synonyms: 2 meeting (50) holiday ... Synonym dictionary

The Lord's. According to the Old Testament law, on the 40th day a male child is born. sex of the firstborn, the mother brought him to the temple in Jerusalem to offer a sacrifice of her own purification, present the baby to God and ransom him, since according to the law... ... Encyclopedia of Brockhaus and Efron

Meeting, one of the twelve Orthodox church holidays. Established in honor of the meeting (candlemas) of the righteous Simeon of the Messiah of the infant Jesus Christ, whom his parents carried to the temple to be dedicated to God. Celebrated on the 40th day after... ... Modern encyclopedia

One of the twelve Orthodox church holidays. Established in honor of the meeting (candlemas) of the righteous Simeon of the Messiah, the child Christ, whom his parents carried to the temple to be dedicated to God. Celebrated on February 2(15)… Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

MEETING, meeting, plural. no, cf. (action in the old way. ch. meet) (obsolete). 1. Meeting (poet. rhetorician). “The radiant Phoebus rose from the seas... and at the meeting with him a choir of loud nightingales was heard in the dense forests.” Krylov. 2. One of the so-called… … Dictionary Ushakova

MEETING, I, Wed. (Capitalized). One of the twelve main Orthodox holidays in memory of how the righteous Simeon met Mary and Joseph at the door of the temple, carrying the baby Jesus in their arms for dedication to God. Matins in S. Explanatory Dictionary ... Ozhegov's Explanatory Dictionary

Candlemas- Meeting, one of the twelve Orthodox church holidays. Established in honor of the meeting (candlemas) of the righteous Simeon of the Messiah of the infant Jesus Christ, whom his parents carried to the temple to be dedicated to God. Celebrated on the 40th day after... ... Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary

There are many great and important holidays in Orthodoxy, one of them is Candlemas. This day is both joyful and sorrowful, reminds us of the past and fills us with thoughts about the future, about eternal life.

The Orthodox holiday of the Presentation of the Lord is celebrated by believers annually on February 15. If the date falls on the days of Lent, then the holiday is celebrated modestly, without “sweeping”. Its meaning is special, and not at all the one that people are used to giving it, believing that it is on this day that winter meets spring.

Origin of the holiday

Translated from Church Slavonic language"Candlemas" means "meeting."

The family fulfilled the Old Testament custom: on the 40th or 30th day after the birth of the child (depending on gender), the mother was obliged to come to the holy monastery to make a ritual cleansing sacrifice.

Mary brought a pair of pigeon eggs - such a sacrifice was allowed only to the poor. After bringing her, the priest took the child from the mother’s hands into his own and highly understood him, turning towards the altar. This meant handing over the child to God. At the same time, he read prayers for the offering of a ransom and thanksgiving for the birth of his first child.

On this holiday, Orthodox Christians remember how Jesus Christ was brought by His parents to the Jerusalem Temple. Elder Simeon met him there. The Lord foretold him long life- he must not die until he sees the newborn Savior of the world. Simeon, taking Christ in his arms, exclaimed that this was the child who would save the entire human race. This is how the meeting of the Old and New Testaments and the acquaintance with the Messiah took place.

Anna the prophetess, an 84-year-old woman, was present at the meeting in the temple. She, looking at the baby, also recognized Him as the Son of God. They glorified the Lord together.

Simeon died with a calm heart at the age of 360 years. He was never afraid of death, but waited for it. He told everyone that he held the Messiah in his hands!

Important! Hence the custom of cleansing women after childbirth on the 40th day has been preserved. Usually at this time the mother brings the child to church, special cleansing prayers are read over the woman, after which she, as a full parishioner, will again be able to attend services and participate in the sacraments.

Although the Virgin Mary had no need for purification, because she was the source of purity and holiness, she, with deep humility, submitted to the dictates of the law.

Meeting of the Lord God and our Savior Jesus Christ

The divine essence of the holiday

The history of the event of the Presentation of the Lord comes from the very event of the meeting of the newborn Messiah and the Most Pure Mary with the righteous Simeon. In a spiritual sense, this meeting is a symbol of the meeting of the Old and New Testaments.

The name of the gray-haired old man who met the Virgin Mary with the baby Jesus in the temple is “Simeon,” which translated means “listening.”

Believers try to observe holiday traditions:

• people visit the temple and try to take communion;
• parents try to baptize their children on this day;
• if it is not possible to attend church, then people pray at home;
• at the end of the service, the candles are blessed and parishioners take them home;
• everyone tries to do good, help those in need, take care of their relatives;
• before the holiday, people clean up the house, but on February 15, any work is prohibited;
• It is customary to give each other icons of the Mother of God.

This is interesting! Previously in Rus' it was customary to propose marriage to brides. This was considered an indicator of true and ardent feelings for a woman. It was also previously customary to get married on Candlemas.

Meeting of the Lord. Miniature. Minology of Vasily II. Constantinople. 985 Vatican Library. Rome

Bans on Candlemas

• You can’t swear or use foul language;
• prohibited from practicing physical labor, do needlework, wash clothes, work in the garden;
• people tried not to wash on the holiday, but it was still permissible to take a shower (the interpretation of the ban is as follows: in order to heat a bathhouse, you need to chop wood, bring water, look after the stove - and this is all work);
• It is not recommended to travel on Candlemas; it is believed that the road may end badly for travelers.

The exception to various works is those cases when the work is aimed at the benefit of other people, and the travel is a pilgrimage.

Pagan traditions

• on the holiday, the chickens were fed especially generously, they were given a lot of hay and feed to increase their eggs and excellent offspring;
• a count of winter reserves was made: grain, oats, bread - if half of what was stored remained, then everything was fine, but if less, then it was time to “tighten the belt;
• housewives baked bread, pancakes, pies and other delicacies exclusively round shape, glorifying the Sun and treating all those who suffer;
• people walked, sang, danced, had fun, being bored and grieving was forbidden and was considered a bad omen;
• they burned an effigy - the goddess of Love, the basis of which was straw and branches, the outside was decorated with flowers, ribbons, and they put on specially sewn festive bright clothes;
• when the sun reached the heavenly zenith, people performed a ritual: they called for a rich harvest and warm days;
• lovers asked the goddess of Love for harmony in relationships, mutual understanding, happiness and protection;
• the goddess was begged unmarried girls give them a betrothed, and the guys begged for a meeting with a beautiful and loving future wife;
• Sretenskaya water was considered magical, it was collected at midnight from three wells (it was believed that if a seriously ill person was sprinkled with it, he would certainly recover);
• They tried to bathe babies in Sretensky water so that the baby would grow up healthy.

We must remember that all pagan traditions are relics of our past. Christianity has always had a negative attitude towards such beliefs, therefore Orthodox people there is no need to participate in pagan activities and cults.

More about superstitions:

Important! The Christmas cycle of church holidays ends on the 40th day after the Nativity of Christ. On Candlemas, priests bless candles and water before custom-made prayer services; parishioners then collect it and take it home.

During his earthly life, Jesus Christ called all people to Himself, just as now He calls to faith and righteous living every person, and to those who come to Him he bestows grace, peace of mind, Salvation and eternal life.

Watch the video about Candlemas

On February 15, the Church celebrates the Presentation of the Lord. The word “meeting” means meeting, seeing something or someone significant. In this case, the meeting of humanity in the person of Saints Simeon the God-Receiver and Anna the Prophetess with the Lord Jesus Christ.

The meaning and events of the holiday

On the Day of the Presentation of the Lord, the righteous of the Old Testament, such as Simeon the God-Receiver or Anna the Prophetess, finally saw the Savior they were promised, who would reconcile the languishing fallen humanity with God. On this day, the Old Testament in the person of the law also meets the New Testament and its grace, which brings into the law vitality and making it that very “light yoke” about which the Lord will later speak.

According to the Old Testament regulations, on the fortieth day after the birth of a child, every woman had to come to the Jerusalem Temple (then the only one for the entire Jewish people) in order to offer a sacrifice of purification. If at the same time her first-born male child was born, he should also be brought to the temple for a rite of dedication to God (in memory of the liberation of the Jews from Egyptian captivity, where the Jewish first-borns survived the tenth plague of Egypt).

The victim of purification was a dove, and the sacrifice of initiation was a lamb (lamb), but if the family was poor, then two doves were sacrificed. Since Mary and Joseph lived very modestly, they sacrificed two pigeon chicks.

Not only priests served in the Jerusalem Temple. Under him, children dedicated to God were also brought up to a certain age (like the Most Holy Theotokos herself). Also, the righteous living nearby came there every day to pray. Among them were two special people - Simeon the God-Receiver and the righteous widow Anna.

From Tradition we know that Simeon was among the 72 translators of the Septuagint - the version of the Old Testament in Greek, which was created in the 3rd century BC at the request of the Egyptian king Ptolemy II Philadelphus to replenish the famous Library of Alexandria.

Ptolemy asked the Jewish elders to send the most literate and experienced scribes who knew Greek to translate. Everyone got a certain part of the work. Simeon had the task of translating the book of the prophet Isaiah. When he reached the place where it was said: “Behold, the Virgin will be with child and give birth to a Son,” he considered this a mistake by the previous copyist and decided to correct the word to: “wife” (woman).

At that moment an angel of the Lord appeared to Simeon. He held his hand and assured him of the correctness of the prophecy, which he could verify for himself, since by the will of God he would live to see the birth of the Savior. Considering that Simeon was already an experienced translator at the time of King Ptolemy’s invitation, by the time he met the Savior he could have been 300-350 years old.

ABOUT righteous Anna we know from the Gospel of Luke: “There was also Anna the prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, from the tribe of Asher, who had reached a very old age, having lived with her husband for seven years from her virginity, a widow about eighty-four years old, who did not leave the temple, serving God with fasting and prayer day and night".

These righteous people were the witnesses who represented humanity before God brought to the temple. Simeon the God-Receiver immediately recognized the Savior and pointed out his messianic status: “Now you are releasing Your servant, O Master, according to Your word, in peace, for my eyes have seen Your salvation, which You have prepared before the face of all nations, a light for the enlightenment of the Gentiles and the glory of Your people Israel." Preached about the appearance of the Messiah and righteous Anna, telling the inhabitants of Jerusalem about Him.

Simeon accepted and blessed the baby and his parents, but also prophesied to the Virgin Mary about the sorrow that awaits her in the future with the death of her child on the cross and the disputes that will strike the Jewish people after his preaching: “Behold, this one lies for the fall and the rising of many in Israel and the subject of controversy, and a weapon will pierce your soul, so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”

Formation and features of the holiday

The Presentation of the Lord is one of the twelve feasts - the 12 most important church holidays after the Resurrection of Christ (Easter). In the Russian Orthodox Church and a number of other Local Orthodox Churches that adhere to the Julian calendar, it is celebrated on February 2 (February 15 according to the Gregorian calendar).

If Candlemas falls on the Monday of the first week of Lent (rarely), the festive service is moved to the previous day - February 1, the Week of Adam's Exile (Forgiveness Sunday).

The Feast of the Presentation arose in the Jerusalem Church and appeared in its liturgical calendar in the 4th century.

The oldest evidence of the celebration of the Presentation in the Christian East is the “Pilgrimage to Holy Places” of the Western pilgrim Etheria, dating back to the end of the 4th century. It does not give the Meeting an independent liturgical title and calls it “the fortieth day from the Epiphany,” and also briefly and emotionally describes the celebration itself, which takes place on this day in Jerusalem.

The second historical monument, already of a liturgical nature, also comes from Jerusalem. This is an Armenian Lectionary, which documents the liturgical and statutory practice of the early 5th century, where the Presentation is defined as: “The fortieth day from the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

As an independent holiday of the annual calendar, the Presentation was established in the Roman Church at the end of the 5th century, and in Constantinople in the first half of the 6th century, in contrast to Monophysitism, condemned at the Council of Chalcedon in 451, which asserted that Jesus Christ is only God in a human body, and not the God-man. .

The service of the Presentation combines the features of the Lord's and the Twelve Mother of God feasts. Festive stichera and canon, telling about the events of the holiday and its great significance, were written by famous church hymnographers - Anatoly, Patriarch of Constantinople (5th century); Venerable Andrew of Crete (VII century); the Venerable Cosmas of Maium and John of Damascus (VII-VIII centuries), Herman, Patriarch of Constantinople (VIII century) and the Venerable Joseph the Studite (IX century).

The iconography of the Presentation is profound symbolic meaning: The Infant Savior, sitting in the arms of the God-Receiver Simeon, who receives the Savior in his arms, represents, as it were, the old world, filled and revived by the Divine, and the Mother of God, giving her son, seems to release him on the way of the cross and the salvation of the world.

Interestingly, there is also an icon symbolizing the prophecy of Simeon the God-Receiver made to the Virgin Mary. It is called “Simeon’s Prophecy” or “Softening Evil Hearts.”

In this icon, the Mother of God is depicted standing on a cloud with seven swords stuck in her heart: three on the right and left and one at the bottom. There are also half-length images of the Virgin Mary. The number seven denotes the fullness of grief, sadness and heartache experienced by the Mother of God in her earthly life.

Holiday traditions

On the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, at the end of the sixth hour, it is customary to bless church candles and distribute them to believers.

The tradition of blessing church candles on the feast of the Presentation of the Lord came to the Russian Orthodox Church from Catholics through the breviary of Metropolitan Peter (Mogila) in 1646.

Catholics blessed candles and took them into religious processions, with which they tried to distract their flock from pagan holidays associated with the veneration of fire (Imbolc, Lupercalia, Gromnitsa, etc., depending on the area and nationality). In Orthodoxy, Sretensky candles were treated more simply and reverently - they were kept for a year, lit during home prayer.

Also, the Presentation of the Lord has been the Day of Orthodox Youth since 1953. The idea of ​​the holiday belongs to the World Orthodox Youth Movement “Syndesmos”, which already unites more than 100 youth organizations from 40 countries.

On this day, all over the world, Orthodox youth hold meetings with clergy, visit hospitals, organize concerts with dances and live music, organize sport competitions, competitions, games and other interesting events.

In Russia, since 2002, youth activity has been supplemented by the tradition of holding the most beautiful Sretensky balls.

People say that on the day of the Presentation “winter meets spring,” that is, the main cold weather is already behind us, the day has noticeably lengthened and the spring season will come very soon. After the holiday, the peasants began to whitewash fruit trees, prepare seeds for sowing and plant seedlings (at home).

From the editors of the magazine "Orthodoxy.fm" we congratulate all our readers on the feast of the Presentation of the Lord! May your meeting with God be as joyful as it was for the righteous Simeon the God-Receiver!

Andrey Szegeda

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On this day, the Church remembers the events described in the Gospel of Luke - the meeting with the elder Simeon of the baby Jesus in the Jerusalem temple on the fortieth day after Christmas.

The Presentation of the Lord is one of the twelve, that is, the main holidays church year. This is an everlasting holiday - it is always celebrated on February 15th.

What does the word "meeting" mean?

Meeting of the Lord. James Tissot.

In Church Slavonic, “sretenie” means “meeting.” The holiday was established in memory of the meeting described in the Gospel of Luke, which took place on the fortieth day after the Nativity of Christ. On that day, the Virgin Mary and the righteous Joseph the Betrothed brought the baby Jesus to the Temple of Jerusalem to make the legally established thanksgiving sacrifice to God for the firstborn.

What kind of sacrifice had to be made after the baby was born?

According to the Old Testament law, a woman who gave birth to a boy was forbidden to enter the temple for 40 days (and if a girl was born, then all 80). She also had to bring a thanksgiving and cleansing sacrifice to the Lord: a one-year-old lamb for thanksgiving, and a dove for the remission of sins. If the family was poor, a dove was sacrificed instead of a lamb, and the result was “two turtle doves or two dove chicks.”

In addition, if the first-born in the family was a boy, on the fortieth day the parents came with the newborn to the temple for a rite of dedication to God. It was not just a tradition, but the Mosaic Law, established in memory of the exodus of the Jews from Egypt - liberation from four centuries of slavery.

The Blessed Virgin Mary did not need to be purified because Jesus was born from the virgin birth. However, out of humility and in order to fulfill the law, she came to the temple. Purifying sacrifice The Virgin Mary became two doves because the family was poor.

Who is Simeon the God-Receiver?

According to legend, when the Virgin Mary crossed the threshold of the temple with a baby in her arms, an ancient elder came out to meet her.

Double-sided tablet icon from the second quarter of the 15th century. Sergiev Posad Museum Reserve (Sacristy)

His name was Simeon. In Hebrew, Simeon means “hearing.”

Tradition says that Simeon lived 360 years. He was one of the 72 scribes who, in the 3rd century BC. At the behest of the Egyptian king Ptolemy II, the Bible was translated from Hebrew into Greek.

When Simeon was translating the book of the prophet Isaiah, he saw the words: “Behold, the Virgin will be with child and give birth to a Son” and wanted to correct “Virgin” (virgin) to “Wife” (woman). However, an Angel appeared to him and forbade him to change his word, promising that Simeon would not die until he was convinced of the fulfillment of the prophecy. This is stated in the Gospel of Luke: “He was a righteous and pious man, looking forward to the consolation of Israel; and the Holy Spirit was upon him. It was foretold to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death until he saw Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:25-26).

On the day of the Presentation, what the elder had been waiting for all his long life was fulfilled. The prophecy has come true. The old man could now die peacefully. The righteous man took the baby in his arms and exclaimed: “Now, O Master, you are sending Your servant away in peace, according to Your word, for my eyes have seen Your salvation, which You have prepared before the face of all nations, a light to enlighten the Gentiles and the glory of Your people Israel” (Luke 2:29-32). The church named him Simeon the God-Receiver and glorified him as a saint.

In the 6th century, his relics were transferred to Constantinople. In 1200, the tomb of Saint Simeon was seen by a Russian pilgrim - Saint Anthony, the future Archbishop of Novgorod.

Candlemas. Andrea Celesti. 1710.

Bishop Theophan the Recluse wrote: “In the person of Simeon, the entire Old Testament, unredeemed humanity, passes into eternity in peace, giving way to Christianity...” In remembrance of this gospel event in Orthodox worship Every day the Song of Simeon the God-Receiver sounds: “Now you let go.”

Who is Anna the Prophetess?

On the day of the Presentation, another meeting took place in the Jerusalem Temple. In the temple, an 84-year-old widow, “daughter of Phanuel,” approached the Mother of God. The townspeople called her Anna the Prophetess for her inspired speeches about God. She lived and worked at the temple for many years, “serving God day and night with fasting and prayer” (Luke 2:37 - 38).

Anna the prophetess bowed to the newborn Christ and left the temple, bringing the news to the townspeople about the coming of the Messiah, the deliverer of Israel. “And at that time she came up and glorified the Lord and prophesied about Him to all who were waiting for deliverance in Jerusalem” (Luke 2:36-38).

How did they begin to celebrate the Presentation of the Lord?

The Presentation of the Lord is one of the most ancient holidays of the Christian Church and completes the cycle of Christmas holidays. The holiday has been known in the East since the 4th century, in the West - since the 5th century. The earliest evidence of the celebration of the Presentation in the Christian East dates back to the end of the 4th century. At that time, the Meeting in Jerusalem was not yet an independent holiday, but was called “the fortieth day from the Epiphany.” The texts of the sermons that were delivered on this day by Saints Cyril of Jerusalem, Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, John Chrysostom and other famous hierarchs have been preserved. But until the 6th century, this holiday was not celebrated so solemnly.

Candlemas. Rogier van der Weyden. Fragment

Under Emperor Justinian (527-565), in 544, Antioch was struck by a pestilence that killed several thousand people every day. During these days, one of the Christians was given instructions to celebrate the Presentation of the Lord more solemnly. The disasters truly ceased when an all-night vigil and religious procession were held on the day of the Presentation. Therefore, the Church in 544 established the solemn celebration of the Presentation of the Lord.

Since the 5th century, the names of the holiday have taken root: “Feast of the Meeting” (Candlemas) and “Feast of Purification.” In the East it is still called Candlemas, and in the West it was called the “Feast of Purification” until 1970, when a new name was introduced: “Feast of the Sacrifice of the Lord.”

In the Roman Catholic Church, the Feast of the Purification of the Virgin Mary, dedicated to the memory of the bringing of the baby Jesus into the temple and the purification rite performed by his mother on the fortieth day after the birth of her first child, is called Chandeleur, i.e. lamp. lamp, holiday Mother of God Gromnichnaya (feast of the Fiery Mary, Gromniyya) - that’s what Catholics call it.

Our Liturgical Charter - Typikon says nothing about the consecration of candles (and water) on the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord. The old missals do not contain anything like this. Only after 1946 did the rite of blessing candles for the Presentation of the Lord begin to be printed in breviaries, and this was associated with the transition from the union of the population of the regions of Western Ukraine. The custom of blessing church candles on the feast of the Presentation of the Lord was transferred to Orthodox Church from Catholics in the 17th century, when Metropolitan Peter Mogila edited the Breviary for the Little Russian Dioceses. For editing, in particular, the Roman missal was used, which described in detail the order of processions with lit lamps. In our country, the Latin Sretensky rite never took root, but the rite, thanks to Peter Mogila, remained (neither the Greeks nor the Old Believers have any trace of it). Therefore, in many dioceses of the Russian Church, candles are blessed either after the prayer behind the pulpit (like the rite of the Great Blessing of Water, which is “inserted” into the liturgy), or after the liturgy at a prayer service. And there are places where there is no custom of blessing candles. The “magical” attitude towards Sretensky candles is a relic of the pagan ritual of honoring fire, associated with the cult of Perun, and called “gromnitsa”.

Candlemas. Gerbrandt van den Eeckhout.

What does the “Softening Evil Hearts” icon mean?

Associated with the event of the Presentation of the Lord is an icon of the Most Holy Theotokos, which is called “The Softening of Evil Hearts” or “Simeon’s Prophecy.” It symbolically depicts the prophecy of Saint Simeon the God-Receiver, pronounced by him in the Jerusalem Temple on the Day of the Presentation of the Lord: “A weapon will pierce your own soul” (Luke 2:35).

The Mother of God is depicted standing on a cloud with seven swords piercing her heart: three on the right and left and one at the bottom. There are also half-length images of the Virgin Mary. The number seven signifies the fullness of grief, sadness and heartache experienced by the Mother of God in her earthly life. Sometimes the image is replenished with the image of the deceased Infant of God on the knees of the Mother of God.

ACCORDING TO THE ORTHODOX PRESS