There are Christian holidays that literally everyone knows about. And they can describe in a nutshell what, in fact, believers celebrate. Christmas - Christ was born. Easter - Christ is risen. What is the Presentation of the Lord? What does this unusual even mean? to modern man is the word “meeting”? We invite you to get acquainted with the chronology of the events of Candlemas and see what trace this day of New Testament history left in world culture.

WHAT DOES THE WORD "CERTAINTY" MEAN?

Most frequently asked question, which can be heard regarding the Presentation: “Okay, today is the Presentation. And what is it?"

The Presentation of the Lord is one of the Twelve Feasts Christian Church, that is, the main holidays church year. This is a permanent holiday; in the Russian Orthodox Church it is celebrated on February 15.

Translated from Church Slavonic “sretenie” means “meeting”. Presentation Day is the point in time where the Old One and New Testaments. The ancient world and Christianity. This happened thanks to a man who is given a very special place in the Gospel. But first things first.

Pietro Cavallini. "Cycle of mosaics with six scenes from the life of Mary in the Church of Santa Maria in Trastevere in Rome, Candlemas"

Purification sacrifice from the Most Pure Virgin

On February 15, we remember the events described in the Gospel of Luke. The meeting took place 40 days after the Nativity of Christ.

The Jews of that time had two traditions associated with the birth of a child in the family.

Firstly, after giving birth, a woman could not appear in the Jerusalem Temple for forty days (and if a girl was born, then all eighty). As soon as the period expired, the mother had to bring a cleansing sacrifice to the Temple. It included a burnt offering - a one-year-old lamb, and a sacrifice for the remission of sins - a dove. If the family was poor, instead of a lamb they also brought a dove, which resulted in “two turtle doves or two pigeon chicks.”

Secondly, if the first-born in the family was a boy, the parents came to the Temple with the newborn on the fortieth day - for a rite of dedication to God. This was not just a tradition, but the law of Moses: the Jews established it in memory of the exodus of the Jews from Egypt - liberation from four centuries of slavery.

And so, Mary and Joseph arrived from Bethlehem to the capital of Israel, Jerusalem. With the forty-day-old Infant of God in their arms, they stepped onto the threshold of the Temple. The family did not live richly, so two doves became the purifying sacrifice of the Mother of God. The Blessed Virgin decided to make a sacrifice out of humility and respect before Jewish law, despite the fact that Jesus was born as a result of immaculate conception.

MEETING IN THE JERUSALEM TEMPLE

After completing the ritual, the Holy Family was already heading towards the exit from the Temple, but then an ancient old man approached them, perhaps the most an old man in Jerusalem. His name was Simeon. Translated from Hebrew, “šim’on” means “hearing.” The righteous man took the Child in his arms and joyfully 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).

According to legend, at the time of his meeting with Christ, Simeon was more than 300 years old. He was a respected man, one of seventy-two scholars tasked with translating the Holy Scriptures from Hebrew to Greek. The translation of the Septuagint was made at the request of the Egyptian king Ptolemy II Philadelphus (285-247 BC).

It was no coincidence that the elder found himself in the Temple this Saturday - the Holy Spirit brought him. Many years ago, Simeon was translating the book of the prophet Isaiah and saw the mysterious words: “Behold, the Virgin will be with child and give birth to a Son.” How can a virgin, that is, a virgin, give birth? The scientist doubted and wanted to correct “Virgo” to “Wife” (woman). But an Angel appeared to him and not only forbade him to change the word, but said that Simeon would not die until he was personally convinced that the prophecy was true. The Evangelist Luke writes about this: “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).

And now, the day has come. What the scientist had been waiting for beyond his strength was fulfilled. long life. Simeon took into his arms the Child born of the Virgin, which means that the Angel’s prophecy was fulfilled. The old man could die peacefully. “Now you are releasing Your servant, O Master...” The Church named him Simeon the God-Receiver and glorified him as a saint.

Bishop Theophan the Recluse wrote: “In the person of Simeon, all Old Testament, unredeemed humanity, departs in peace into eternity, giving way to Christianity...” The memory of this gospel story is heard every day in Orthodox worship. This is the Song of Simeon the God-Receiver, or in other words - “Now you let go.”

“THE WEAPON WILL PASS YOUR SOUL”

Having received the Child from the hands of the Most Pure Virgin, Elder Simeon addressed her with the words: “Behold, because of Him the people will argue: some will be saved, while others will perish. And a weapon will pierce your own soul, so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed” (Luke 2:34-35).

Disputes among the people are the persecutions that were prepared for the Savior. Opening thoughts - God's judgment. What kind of weapon will pierce the heart of the Virgin Mary? This was a prophecy of the Crucifixion that awaited her Son. After all, the nails and spear from which the Savior died passed through her mother’s heart with unbearable pain. There is an icon of the Mother of God - a vivid illustration of this prophecy. It's called "Softening Evil Hearts." Icon painters depict the Mother of God standing on a cloud with seven swords stuck in her heart.

ANNA THE PROPHETESS

On the day of the Presentation, another meeting took place in the Jerusalem Temple. An 84-year-old widow, “the 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, as the Evangelist Luke writes, “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 the Holy Family returned to Nazareth, since they fulfilled everything prescribed by the law of Moses.

THE MEANING OF THE HOLIDAY OF THE MEETING

Archpriest Igor Fomin, rector of the Alexander Nevsky Church at MGIMO, cleric of the Cathedral of the Icon of the Kazan Mother of God on Red Square.

Meeting is a meeting with the Lord. Elder Simeon and Prophetess Anna left their names in the Holy Scriptures because they gave us an example of how to accept the Lord with a pure and open heart.

After meeting Christ, Simeon went to the forefathers to await the Resurrection of Christ. And, imagine, death became a great happiness for him! The righteous old man lived a long life - according to legend, he was more than three hundred years old. Many will say “lucky” because they dream of living forever. But read the stories of centenarians who have exceeded the age allotted to man by God - one hundred and twenty years. I remember one TV story: an ancient old woman was brought out to the journalists by her great-great-great-granddaughter, who was also far from young. The bent grandmother was straightened up and asked: “Television has come to you here. What can you say?" And she answered: “Why was the Lord angry with me? Why doesn’t He take me?” So Simeon waited for deliverance from the burden of a long life. And, having received the Divine Infant from the hands of the Virgin Mary, he rejoiced.

“Now you are releasing your servant,” says Simeon. Now that he has seen the Savior with his own eyes, the Lord releases him from the corruptible world - to the Heavenly world. So we, once we have met God, must understand: the time of sin, weakness and self-will has passed. It's time for bliss!

It is no coincidence that the Presentation occurs with the forty-day-old Infant. He is small and defenseless, but at the same time he is great and full of triumphant joy. This is how a person who has come to know Christ should be—a newborn Christian. Full of jubilation.

Meeting is not just a day from distant New Testament history. At least once in his life, any person finds himself in the house of God - in the temple. And there each person experiences his personal Meeting - a meeting with Christ. How to understand whether a Meeting has occurred in your life? It’s very simple - ask yourself: am I joyful? have I changed? how much love is there in my heart? Let's meet the Lord, let's see Him with our hearts!

SONG OF SIMEON THE GOD-RECEIVER

The Song of Simeon the God-Receiver, or “Now you let go...” are the words of Simeon the God-Receiver from the Gospel of Luke.

This prayer is mentioned for the first time in the Apostolic Constitutions. In the Russian Orthodox Church, the words of Simeon the God-Receiver are read rather than sung during services, unlike Catholics, for example. This happens at the end of Vespers. In addition, the Orthodox say “Now you let go...” during the Sacrament of Baptism - but only for infant boys.

Text:

Church Slavonic:

Now do You let Your servant go, O Master, according to Your word, in peace;

for my eyes have seen Your salvation,

which you have prepared in the presence of all people,

light for the revelation of tongues, and the glory of Your people Israel.

Russian:

Now do You let Your servant go, O Master, according to Your word, in peace,

for mine eyes have seen Your salvation,

which You have prepared before all nations,

light for the enlightenment of the Gentiles and the glory of Your people Israel.

HISTORY OF THE CELEBRATION

The Feast of the Presentation of the Lord is one of the most ancient in the Christian Church. The first Sretensky sermons were delivered to the people in the 4th-5th centuries - for example, Saints Cyril of Jerusalem, Gregory the Theologian, Gregory of Nyssa and John Chrysostom.

The oldest and at the same time historically reliable evidence of the celebration of the Presentation in the Christian East is the “Pilgrimage to the Holy Places.” It was written by the pilgrim Etheria (Sylvia) at the end of the 4th century. She writes: “On this day there is a procession to Anastasis, and everyone marches, and everything is done in order with the greatest triumph, as if on Easter. All the presbyters preach, and then the bishop... After this, having sent everything in the usual order, they perform the Liturgy.”

The holiday became national for Byzantium in the 6th century. Following this, the tradition of the solemn celebration of the Presentation spread throughout the Christian world.

CANDLE SERVICE

The Presentation of the Lord has an invariable place in church calendar. February 15 (February 2, old style). If Candlemas falls on the Monday of the first week of Lent, which happens very rarely, the festive service is moved to the previous day - February 14.

Meeting is a feast of the Lord, that is, dedicated to Jesus Christ. But in the first centuries of Christianity, the Mother of God was honored on this day. Therefore, those who say that this is the feast of the Mother of God will be partly right.

Meeting is close to the holidays in honor of the Mother of God and according to the structure of the service. In the troparion of the holiday, in the prokeimnas at Matins and Liturgy and other hymns, appeals to the Mother of God occupy a central place.

Interestingly, the duality of the Presentation influenced the color of the vestments of the clergy at the festive service. They can be white - as on the Lord's holidays, and blue - as on the Mother of God. In church tradition, white color symbolizes Divine light. Blue - the purity and purity of the Virgin Mary.

THE CUSTOM OF CONSECTION OF CANDLES

The custom of consecrating church candles On the feast of the Presentation of the Lord, he came to the Orthodox Church from Catholics. This happened in 1646, when Metropolitan of Kiev Saint Peter (Mogila) compiled and published his missal. In it the author described in detail Catholic rank religious processions with lit lamps. With the help of such a torchlight procession, the Roman Church tried to distract its flock from pagan holidays associated with the veneration of fire. On these days, the pagan Celts celebrated Imbolc, the Romans celebrated Lupercalia (a festival associated with the shepherd cult), and the Slavs celebrated Gromnitsa. It is interesting that in Poland, after the adoption of Christianity, the Presentation began to be called the feast of the Gromnica Mother of God. This is an echo of the myths about the thunder god and his wife - people believed that Sretensky candles could protect a house from lightning and fire.

The Orthodox Church treated the Sretensky candles in a special way - not magically, but reverently. They were kept all year and lit during home prayer.

FOLK TRADITIONS OF MEETING

IN folk traditions The celebration of the Presentation mixed church and pagan. Some of these customs are completely unchristian, but even they say something important about this day - it was very joyful for people.

A simple calendar analogy was found for the meeting of the Holy Family with Elder Simeon. On this day, the common people began to celebrate the meeting of winter and spring. Hence many sayings: “at Candlemas, winter met spring,” “at Candlemas, the sun turned to summer, winter turned to frost.”

The last winter frosts and the first spring thaws were called Sretensky. After the holiday, the peasants began many “spring” activities. They drove the cattle out of the barn and into the corral, prepared the seeds for sowing, and whitewashed the fruit trees. And of course, in addition to housework, festivities were held in the villages.

3 INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT CANDLE

1. Many are named in honor of the Presentation settlements in Russia and abroad. The largest is the city of Sretensk, the regional center of the Chita region.

2. In the USA and Canada, the famous Candlemas holiday, which is celebrated there on February 2, is timed folk holiday- Groundhog Day.

3. The Presentation of the Lord - in some countries it is also the Day of Orthodox Youth. The idea of ​​this holiday belongs to the World Orthodox Youth Movement - “Syndesmos”. In 1992, with the blessing of all heads of local Orthodox Churches, Syndesmos approved February 15 as Orthodox Youth Day.

ICONS OF THE Presentation

The iconography of the Presentation is an illustration of the narrative of the Evangelist Luke. The Virgin Mary hands the Divine Child into the arms of Elder Simeon - this is the main plot of the icons and frescoes of the holiday. Joseph the Betrothed is depicted behind the back of the Mother of God; he carries two pigeons in his hands or in a cage. Behind righteous Simeon they write Anna the prophetess.

The oldest image of the Presentation can be found in one of the mosaics triumphal arch in the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome. The mosaic was created in the first half of the 5th century. On it we see the Mother of God walking with the Child in her arms towards Saint Simeon - accompanied by angels.

Introduction to the Temple of the Virgin Mary. Meeting of the Lord. Frescoes of the Savior on the Nereditsa Church near Novgorod. 1199

There is an unusual version of the Candlemas iconography in medieval Georgian art. On these icons there is no image of an altar; instead there is a burning candle, a symbol of sacrifice to God.

An icon is associated with the event of the Presentation Holy Mother of God“Softening Evil Hearts”, it is also called “Simeon’s Prophecy.” The iconographic plot reminds us of the words of Simeon the God-Receiver addressed to the Virgin Mary: “And a weapon will pierce your own soul.”

By the way, this image is very similar to the “Seven Arrow” icon of the Mother of God. But there is one difference. The arrows piercing the heart of the Mother of God are located on the “Softening of Evil Hearts” icon, three on the right and left, one on the bottom. The “Seven Arrows” icon has four arrows on one side and three on the other.

QUOTES:

THEOPHAN THE RECLUTTER. WORD ON THE MEETING OF THE LORD

“...We are all called not to only mentally imagine this bliss, but to actually taste it, because we are all called to have and carry the Lord within ourselves and to disappear in Him with all the strength of our spirit. And so, when we reach this state, then our bliss will not be lower than the bliss of those who participated in the Meeting of the Lord...”

METROPOLITAN ANTONY OF SOUROZH ABOUT THE MEETING

“...Together with Him, the Mother is, as it were, sacrificed. Simeon the God-Receiver says to Her: But a weapon will pass through your heart, and you will go through torment and suffering... And the years pass, and Christ hangs on the cross, dying, and Mother of God stands at the cross silently, resignedly, with complete faith, complete hope, with complete love, giving Him to death, just as She brought Him to the temple as a living sacrifice to the living God.

Many mothers over the centuries have experienced the horror of their son dying; many mothers have had weapons pass through their hearts. She can understand everyone, She embraces everyone with Her love, She can reveal to everyone in the silent sacrament of communication the depths of this sacrifice.

Let those who are dying a terrible and painful death remember Christ crucified and give their lives as the Son of God, who became the son of man, gave it: without anger, resignedly, lovingly, for the salvation of not only those who were close to Him, but and those who were His enemies, last words extracting them from destruction: Father, forgive them, they do not know what they are doing!

And mothers whose sons, whose children die an evil death - oh, their Mother of God can teach them how to give to heroism, to suffering and to death of those whom they love most on earth and in eternity...

Therefore, let us all reverently worship the Mother of God in Her suffering on the cross, in Her crucified love, in Her endless sacrifice, and in Christ the Savior, Who is brought to the temple today, and whose sacrifice will be accomplished on Calvary. It ends, the Old Testament has ended, it has begun new life love for life and death, and we belong to this life.”

ARCHBISHOP LUKA (VOYNO-YASENETSKY). WORD ON THE DAY OF THE MEETING OF THE LORD

“In the world, in the deep peace of the soul, Saint Simeon the God-Receiver passed into eternity after a 300-year life in anticipation of the fulfillment of the prophecy of Isain: “Behold, the Virgin will be with child and give birth to a Son, and they will call His name Emmanuel, as it is said, “God with us.” .

Why do you constantly hear this prayer now? Why is it, like no other, repeated at every vespers?

Then, in order for them to remember the hour of death, so that they remember that you too must die in such deep world how Saint Simeon the God-Receiver died...

If you want the words of the prayer of Simeon the God-Receiver to be fulfilled on you, if you want to have boldness in the hour of death, repeat his prayer and say: “Now you are releasing Your servant, O Master, according to Your word in peace,” - if you want this, then follow Christ , taking His yoke upon yourself, learning from Him, for He is meek and lowly in heart.”

1953

Poetry:

CANDLEMAS. JOSEPH BRODSKY

Anna Akhmatova

When She first brought into the church
Child, were inside from among
people who were there all the time
Saint Simeon and the prophetess Anna.

And the old man took the Child from his hands
Maria; and three people around
The babies stood like an unsteady frame,
that morning, lost in the darkness of the temple.

That temple surrounded them like a frozen forest.
From the eyes of people and from the eyes of heaven
the peaks were hidden, having managed to spread out,
that morning Mary, the prophetess, the elder.

And only on the crown of the head with a random ray
the light fell on the Baby; but He doesn't mean anything
I still didn’t know and was snoring sleepily,
resting in Simeon's strong arms.

And it was told to this old man,
that he will see mortal darkness
not before the Lord sees the Son.
It's finished. And the elder said: “Today,

keeping the word once spoken,
You are in peace, Lord, letting me go,
then my eyes saw it
Child: He is Your continuation and light

source for idols of honoring tribes,
and the glory of Israel is in Him.” - Simeon
fell silent. Silence surrounded them all.
Only the echo of those words, touching the rafters,

was spinning for a while later
above their heads, rustling slightly
under the arches of the temple, like some kind of bird,
that is able to fly up, but not able to come down.

And it was strange for them. There was silence
no less strange than speech. Confused
Maria was silent. “What words…”
And the elder said, turning to Mary:

"Lying now on Your shoulders
the fall of some, the rise of others,
a subject of controversy and a cause for discord.
And with the same weapon, Maria, with which

His flesh will be tormented, Yours
the soul will be wounded. This wound
will let you see what is hidden deeply
in the hearts of people, like a kind of eye.”

He finished and moved towards the exit. Following
Maria, stooping, and with the weight of years
the bent Anna looked on silently.
He walked, decreasing in importance and in body

for these two women under the shadow of the columns.
Almost urging them on with their glances, he
walked silently through this empty temple
to the vaguely white doorway.

And the gait was as firm as that of an old man.
Only the voice of the prophetess from behind when
rang out, he paused his step a little:
but there they were not calling out to him, but to God

The prophetess has already begun to praise.
And the door was approaching. Clothes and forehead
the wind has already touched, and stubbornly in the ears
the noise of life burst in outside the temple walls.

He was going to die. And not in the street noise
He opened the door with his hands and stepped out,
but into the deaf and dumb domains of death.
He walked through a space devoid of firmament,

he heard that time had lost its sound.
And the image of the Child with radiance around
fluffy crown of the death path
Simeon's soul carried before it

like some kind of lamp into that black darkness,
in which no one has hitherto
I didn’t have the chance to light my way.
The lamp shone and the path widened.

February 16, 1972.

Since the 4th century Eastern countries and 5th century in the West, one of the twelve most significant holidays for the Orthodox Church is great. More than two thousand years later, it continues to be celebrated throughout the world on February 15 (February 2, old style).

On this day, the church and all believers remember and honor those events that were described by Saint Luke in the Gospel. However, many of us are interested in the question: what does the word “meeting” itself mean, and what is the essence of the holiday, which at all times was considered one of the most important for Orthodox people?

The history of the celebration goes back many centuries, to the time when the Virgin Mary, with the baby Jesus, who at that time was forty days after birth (Christmas), arrived at the Jerusalem Temple in order to offer a cleansing sacrifice to God for her son. It was here that the meeting of the son of God with man took place, described in the Old Testament by the scribe, Luke. The first one to hold the baby in his arms was Simeon. This man knew for a long time about the coming event from the prophecy of the book of Isaiah, which he translated into Greek. It said that a virgin would be pregnant and give birth to a son, the Messiah. When Simeon wanted to correct the word “virgin” to “wife”, because only a married woman can give birth to a child, an Angel came to him, promising the scribe immortality until the described prophecy was fulfilled. From that day on, Simeon lived and waited until he could see the long-awaited savior with his own eyes and only then would he appear before the Lord.

Thus, we see that the word “meeting” means nothing more than a meeting. Its second meaning is “joy,” the meaning of which is the praise of the Savior who came to our world with a good mission and peace, which is still sung in churches to this day; icons are painted in its honor with the image of Saint Simeon holding in his arms baby.

Translated from Old Church Slavonic, the word “meeting” also means “meeting.” It was after the Meeting with the Lord that Elder Simeon, who had lived for 360 years, waiting to see a miracle, the savior of the world, could now die peacefully. After this, the church recognized him as a saint and called him the Receiver of God.

However, there is another meaning to this celebration of the Meeting of the Lord. It's about about the meeting of the Old and New Testaments, the Ancient World and Christianity. Along with this, people celebrate the act of bringing a baby to the temple, which in those days could only be done on the 40th day after the birth of a son and on the 80th day after the birth of a daughter.

The meaning of the word "candlemas"

For all Christians, meeting person with person is a collision of two worlds, knowledge of the unknown, which carries a very important meaning in relationships and communication between individuals. Any Christian can say that the word “meeting” for him already means something mystical, not fully studied and mysterious.

From the point of view of the Orthodox Church, every time entering a temple or church, any person crosses the threshold of the house of God. It is here that everyone has a personal meeting with the Lord, a meeting with that which is unknown, unheard, but holy. Unfortunately, today the meaning of the word “meeting” and the holiday itself is perceived by most modern youth somewhat differently than in the old days.

The clergy say that in order to understand whether a person has met with his God, you need to ask yourself: am I? Are you happy? has it changed? Is there a lot of love and understanding of yourself and your neighbor in your heart? This is the only way to understand the essence of the meeting.

Description of the holiday

Feast of the Presentation of the Lord It is celebrated on February 15 (New Art.) and has 1 day of pre-celebration and 1-7 days of post-celebration.

• Meeting Archimandrite Raphael (Karelin)
• Presentation V. Lossky
• Meeting N. Popov
• Bishop Veniamin Milov
• Bible Encyclopedia
• Deacon Andrey Kuraev
• Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh
• Archpriest Seraphim Slobodskoy
• Marina Mikhailova
• Meeting of the Lord God and our Savior Jesus Christ Feast service

The Legend of the Presentation of the Lord

According to the saint

After forty days had passed after the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ, and after the completion of the days of legal purification, the Most Pure and Most Blessed Virgin Mother, together with Saint Joseph the betrothed, came from Bethlehem to Jerusalem to the temple of God, bringing the forty-day-old infant Christ to fulfill the law of Moses. According to this law, it was necessary, firstly, to be cleansed upon birth by offering an appropriate sacrifice to God and through priestly prayer, and secondly, it was necessary to place the firstborn baby before the Lord and make a ransom for him at the established price (). This was commanded by the Lord in the Old Testament to Moses, in whose books about the law of purification of the mother it is written as follows: “If a woman conceives and gives birth to a male child, she will be unclean for seven days; on the eighth day his foreskin will be circumcised: and thirty She must sit for three days, cleansing herself from her blood; she must not touch anything sacred and must not come to the sanctuary until the days of her purification are completed, she must offer a one-year-old lamb as a burnt offering and a young dove or turtledove as a burnt offering. "If she is not able to offer a lamb, then she must take two turtledoves or two young doves, one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering, and the priest will cleanse her, and she will be clean."

And about the dedication of the first-born males to God, the law says this: “Sanctify to Me every firstborn (male) firstborn who opens the womb.”(). And another time: "Give Me the firstborn of your sons"(). This was required for that great good deed of God in Egypt, when the Lord, beating the Egyptian firstborn, spared the Israelites (). Therefore, the Israelites brought their firstborn babies to the temple, dedicating them to God, as a due tribute established by the law. And again they bought them back from God at a set price, which was called “redemption silver,” and was given to the Levites who served at the temple of the Lord, as it is written about in the fourth book of Moses (). The established ransom price consisted of five sacred shekels of church weight, and each sacred shekel contained twenty pennies. Fulfilling this law of the Lord, the Mother of God now came to the temple with the Lawgiver. She came to be cleansed, although she did not require cleansing, as undefiled, unglamorous, incorruptible, most pure. For She who conceived without a husband and lust, and gave birth without illness or violation of Her virginal purity, did not have the defilement characteristic of women who give birth according to the natural law: for who gave birth to the Source of purity, how could impurity touch it? Christ was born from Her, like fruit from a tree; and just as a tree, after the birth of its fruit, is not damaged or desecrated, so the Virgin, after the birth of Christ, the blessed fruit, remained intact and undefiled. Christ came from Her, just as a ray of sunlight passes through glass or crystal. Passing through glass or crystal Sunbeam does not break or spoil it, but illuminates it even more. Christ, the Sun of Truth, did not damage the virginity of His Mother. And the door of natural birth, sealed with purity and protected by virginity, was not desecrated by the usual bleeding for women, but, having passed supernaturally, he further aggravated its purity, sanctifying it with his origin, and enlightening it with the Divine light of grace. There was absolutely no need for any purification for the One who gave birth without corruption of God the Word. But in order not to break the law, but to fulfill it, she came to cleanse herself, completely pure and without any blemish. At the same time, filled with humility, She was not proud of Her imperishable purity, but came, as if unclean, to stand together with unclean women before the doors of the temple of the Lord - and demand cleansing, not disdaining the unclean and sinful. She also made a sacrifice, but not like the rich, who brought a blameless one-year-old lamb, but like the poor, who brought two turtle doves, or two chicks of pigeons, in everything showing humility and love for poverty, and avoiding the pride of the rich. For from the gold brought by the Magi (), She took a little, and distributed it to the poor and wretched, keeping for Herself only the most necessary things for the road to Egypt. Having bought the two birds mentioned, She offered them, according to the law, for sacrifice, and with them She offered Her firstborn Child. "They brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him before the Lord"() - says the Evangelist Luke, that is, to return the things of God to God, for in the law of the Lord it is written that every male child who opens a lie must be dedicated to the Lord (). Holding Her Newborn in Her arms, the Holy Virgin Mary knelt before the Lord and with deep reverence, like a precious gift, lifted up and handed over the Child to God, saying:

Behold, Your Son, the Eternal Father, Whom You sent to be incarnate from me for the salvation of the human race! You gave birth to Him before the ages without a Mother, and by Your good pleasure, when I was full of years, I gave birth to Him without a husband; This is the firstborn fruit of my womb, conceived in me by the Holy Spirit, and ineffable, as You alone know, came from me: He is my Firstborn, before all Yours, co-essential with You and co-originating, the firstborn befitting You alone, for He came from You, without departing from Your Divinity. Receive the Firstborn, with whom You created the ages (), and with whom You commanded the light to shine together: receive Your Word incarnate from me, with whom You established the heavens, founded the earth, gathered the waters into a union: receive from me Your Son, Whom I offer You for this great thing, that you may arrange for Him and Me as You please, and that you may redeem the human race with His flesh and blood received from Me.

Having uttered these words, She gave Her precious Child into the hands of the bishop, as God’s vicegerent, as if giving Him to God Himself. After this, She redeemed Him, as required by the law, at the established price - five sacred shekels, the number of which seemed to foreshadow the five sacred plagues on the body of Christ, which He accepted on the cross, by which the whole world was redeemed from the legal oath and from working with the enemy.

At the very time when the Mother of God brought the baby Jesus to fulfill the custom prescribed by law over Him, Elder Simeon, a righteous and pious man, came to the temple, guided by the Holy Spirit, awaiting the joy of Israel that would come with the coming of the Messiah. He knew that the expected Messiah was already approaching, for the scepter had passed from Judas to Herod, and the prophecy of the forefather Patriarch Jacob was being fulfilled, who predicted that the prince would not become scarce from Judas until the expectation of the nations, Christ the Lord, came (). In the same way, the seventy weeks of Daniel ended, after which, according to prophecy, there should be the coming of the Messiah. At the same time, Saint Simeon himself was promised by the Holy Spirit not to see death until he saw Christ the Lord. Simeon, looking at the Most Pure Virgin and the Child who was in Her arms, saw the grace of God surrounding the Mother and Child, and, having learned from the Holy Spirit that this was the expected Messiah, he hastily approached and, receiving Him with indescribable joy and reverent fear, gave God great thanks. He, gray-haired, like a swan before his death, sang a prophetic song: “Now do You let Your servant go, O Master, according to Your word, in peace.”

“I did not have,” he seemed to say, “peace in my thoughts, all the days waiting for You, and all the days I remained in sadness until You came: now, having seen You, I received the Gift, and, freed from sadness, I am leaving here with joyful news to my fathers: I will announce Your coming into the world to the forefathers Adam and Abraham, Moses and David, Isaiah and the other holy fathers and prophets, I will bring unspeakable joy to them who are hitherto in sorrow, so that let me go to them; Having left sorrow, they rejoiced in You, their Savior. Let me, Thy servant, after many years of labor, rest in the bosom of Abraham: my eyes have already seen Your Salvation prepared for all people, my eyes have seen the Light prepared for the dispersion of darkness, for enlightenment. nations, for the revelation of unknown Divine Mysteries to them, - the Light that shone for the glorification of Your people Israel, Which You promised through the prophet Isaiah, saying: "I will give salvation to Zion, My glory to Israel" ().

Joseph and the Most Pure Virgin, hearing everything that Simeon said about the Child, were surprised; Moreover, they saw that Simeon speaks to the Child, not as to a baby, but as to the “Ancient of Days,” and when praying he turns to Him not as a person, but as to God, who has the power of life and death and can immediately release the old man to another life, or keep it in the present. Simeon turned to them with a blessing, praising and magnifying the immaculate Mother, who gave birth to God and man into the world, and pleasing the imaginary father of Saint Joseph, who was honored to be a minister of such a sacrament. Then, turning to Mary, His Mother, and not to Joseph - for he saw the husbandless Mother in Her with his eyes - Simeon said:

This will serve for the fall and rebellion of many in Israel: for the fall of those who do not want to believe His words, for the rebellion of those who will lovingly accept His holy preaching - for the fall of the scribes and Pharisees, blinded by malice, for the rebellion of simple fishermen and people unwise. He will choose the unwise, but he will put to shame the wise of this age - for the fall of the Old Testament Jewish council, and for the rise of the grace-filled Church of God. This will serve as a banner for wrangling, for great discord will occur among people because of Him: some will call Him good, others will say that He deceives people; and they will lay Him down, according to the word of the prophet Jeremiah, "like a target for arrows"(); hanging on the tree of the cross, wounding him with arrows, nails and spears. At that time, husbandless Mother,” the elder continued, “the weapon of sadness and heartache will pass through your soul, when you see your Son nailed to the cross, when you, with great pain in your heart and sobs, will see off from this world the One whom you gave birth to. without illness.

Here in the temple was Anna the prophetess, daughter of Phanuel, from the tribe of Assir. She was a widow, already very old - she was eighty-four years old; -she only lived with her husband for seven years and, having become a widow, led a God-pleasing life, not leaving the temple, but serving God day and night in fasting and prayer. Arriving at that hour in the temple, Anna prophesied a lot about the Child brought to the temple of the Lord, to all those who were awaiting deliverance in Jerusalem. Hearing and seeing all this, the scribes and Pharisees became inflamed in their hearts, and were indignant at Simeon and Anna for their testimonies about the Youth. They did not keep silent, but they informed King Herod about everything that happened and was said in the temple. He immediately sent soldiers with orders to find the Divine Infant Christ the Lord and kill Him; but they no longer found Him: according to the command given to Joseph in a dream, He was found in Egypt. Saint Joseph and the Most Pure Mother of God, having fulfilled everything required by law in the temple, did not return to Bethlehem, but went to Galilee, to their city of Nazareth, and from there they quickly disappeared into Egypt (). The youth grew and became strengthened in spirit, filled with wisdom, and the grace of God abided on Him ().

The celebration of the Presentation of the Lord was established during the reign of Justinian; earlier, although the Presentation of the Lord was remembered in the Church, it was not solemnly celebrated. The pious king Justinian established the celebration of this holiday as the Lord's and the Theotokos, along with other great holidays. The impetus for the establishment of this holiday were special circumstances. During the reign of Justinian in Byzantium and its environs, for three months, starting from last numbers In the month of October, there was a severe pestilence, so that at first five thousand people died a day, and then ten thousand; the bodies of even rich and high-ranking people remained without burial, because the servants and slaves all died out and there was no one to bury the masters themselves. And in Antioch, to the pestilence, for the sins of the people, another execution of God was added - terrible earthquake, from which everyone fell big houses and high buildings and temples, and many people died under their walls; Among the dead was Euphrasius, Bishop of Antioch, who was crushed to death when the temple fell. In this terrible and disastrous time, there was a revelation to one pious person that a solemn celebration of the Presentation of the Lord would be established, as well as other great feasts of the Lord and the Theotokos. And so, at the arrival of the day of the Presentation of the Lord, February the second, when they began to celebrate with an all-night vigil and procession with crosses, the deadly plague, pestilence and earthquake immediately stopped, by the mercy of God and through the prayers of the Most Pure Mother of God. To her and to the God who was born of her, may there be honor, glory, worship and thanksgiving forever. Amen.

Sermon of Saint Luke (Voino-Yasenetsky). Sermon on the Day of the Presentation of the Lord.

Do not think that I came to destroy the law or the prophets: I did not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one jot or one tittle will pass from the law until all is fulfilled (Matthew 5:17-18). These words of our Lord Jesus Christ probably arouse bewilderment in many of you. How does the Lord say that not one jot, not one tittle will pass in the law, that everything will be fulfilled?...

For liturgical reading on the feast of the Presentation of the Lord, a passage from the Epistle to the Hebrews was chosen, which, even with careful reading, is very difficult to understand. The imagery and argumentation in this passage seem unusual. One of the key figures of the Epistle to the Hebrews, the figure of Melchizedek, seems to us of little significance...

Sermon by Archpriest Valerian Krechetov. The Temple of God is the highest thing on earth. Sermon on the Presentation of the Lord, Luke, 7 parts, II, 22-40.

Today’s Gospel says that on the fortieth day after birth, the Savior was brought to the temple, as befitted any first-born male child: he had to be dedicated to God. And the saints Simeon the God-Receiver and the prophetess Anna met Him in the Jerusalem Temple...

The Feast of the Presentation of the Lord not only symbolically shows the completion of the Old Testament and the beginning of the birth of the New Testament, but it also contains some deep meaning. First, he teaches us obedience. “When the days of their purification according to the law of Moses were fulfilled, they brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him before the Lord.” The Mother of God did not need days of purification, because the birth of Her Child happened miraculously, but despite this, She fulfilled the law that was in Her people at that time for obedience...

Sermon by Bishop Vissarion (Nechaev). About a peaceful death and a non-peaceful one. Teaching on the Feast of the Presentation.

These words were spoken by the God-Receiver Simeon when he met and accepted into his arms the Infant Jesus, brought to the Jerusalem Temple by His Most Pure Mother on the fortieth day after His birth to fulfill the law of the firstborn. Simeon, according to the Gospel, was a righteous and pious man and looked forward to the joy of Israel, i.e. waiting for the prophecies to be fulfilled...

Sermon by priest John Pavlov. Candlemas.

We Christians know that the greatest milestone in world history, its greatest miracle, is the appearance into the world of the God-man Christ. Therefore, all significant events of His earthly life, such as Christmas, Baptism, Transfiguration, Entry into Jerusalem and others, are filled with great meaning and are festive events for us. The feast of the Presentation, celebrated today, undoubtedly stands in this row...

Sermon by Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko.

In the Old Testament temple of Jerusalem, prayer actions and sacrifices were performed according to the exact instructions of the ritual law. Therefore, Elder Joseph and Mary the Mother of God, having come there and brought the baby Jesus, on the fortieth day after His birth, fulfilled everything there as prescribed in the law of the Lord. Instead of a Jewish temple, we have Christian temples; instead of the ritual law of the Old Testament...

Sermon of Saint Theophan the Recluse. Word on the Meeting of the Lord (how to achieve the bliss of the Meeting of the Lord?)

What a touching picture the Presentation of the Lord presents to us! The very old man Simeon, holding the baby of God in his arms, on both sides of him are Joseph the Righteous and the Blessed Virgin Mary; not far away is Anna the Prophetess, an eighty-four-year-old faster and prayer worker. Everyone's eyes are fixed on the Savior. They disappear into Him with attention and drink spiritual sweetness from Him...

Sermon by Bishop Mitrofan (Znosko-Borovsky).

“Now do You let Your servant go in peace.” The feast of the Presentation of the Lord tells us about a soul-stirring event: the old elder Simeon holds the 40-day-old Divine Child in his arms and bids farewell to earthly life, chanting God in the immortal song: “Now do you let your servant go... in peace.” From the mouth of the elder we hear a word about peace. How consonant this word is with the wondrous song of the inhabitants of heaven: “Glory to God in the highest and peace on earth”...

Mikhail Seleznev. Presentation: Simeon the Receiver of God and his doubts.

Associated with the Feast of the Presentation is a legend about Elder Simeon, who, reading the prophecy about the birth of the Messiah, doubted the birth of the Savior from the Virgin. What's behind this story? We talked about this with Mikhail Seleznev, Candidate of Philological Sciences, Head of the Department of Biblical Studies of the All-Church Postgraduate School, leading researcher at the Institute of Oriental Cultures and Antiquity of the Russian State University for the Humanities...

Meeting of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Meeting of our Lord Jesus Christ- one of the twelve permanent holidays; celebrated on the fortieth day after Christmas, February 2/15. In the West, this holiday is better known as the Purification of the Blessed Virgin. The Slavic word “sretenie” means “meeting”. This event in gospel history marks the meeting of the Old and New Testaments. Like most holidays of Palestinian origin, the holiday of the Bringing of Christ to the Temple dates back to the ancient times of Christianity...

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 earthly life Lord Jesus Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary. The holiday of the Presentation is immutable, and is usually celebrated on February 15th. The word “ser?tenie” is translated from Church Slavonic as “meeting.”

What does Candlemas mean?

Candlemas Day determined the point in time when the Old Testament met 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 an 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. For the burnt offering and for the atonement of sins, they brought a young lamb and a dove. 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. The Most Pure Mother of God, despite the fact that Jesus was born as a result of the immaculate conception, still offered the required sacrifice with meekness, humility and great respect for Jewish laws.

Now, when the ceremony was completed and the Holy Family was about to leave the Temple, 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 had been waiting 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 Receiver of God, 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 - “The 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.

The 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 an important event happened on this day, and another meeting happened. 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, Meeting is a meeting with the Savior. The names of Elder Simeon and Anna the prophetess are inscribed in the Holy Scriptures; they gave us an example, since 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. The feast of the Presentation, which is always celebrated on February 15, occupies an invariable place in the church calendar. But if the date of the Presentation of the Lord falls on Monday of the first week in Lent, which can 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

The tradition of blessing church candles on the Feast of the Presentation 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. Candlemas Day has become a celebration of the meeting of winter and spring. People celebrate various kinds of signs at Candlemas. 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.

Noting folk festivals Feast of the Presentation, 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 the 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 most ancient images can be found in the mosaics 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.

The Presentation of the Lord is not a moving holiday and always falls on February 15th. Translated from ancient Slavic, the word “sretenie” means “meeting”.

The holiday was established in memory of the meeting described in the Gospel of Luke, which took place on the 40th day after the Nativity of Christ.

Candlemas

On this day, the Church remembers an important event in the earthly life of Jesus Christ. According to the Old Testament law, a woman who gave birth to a male child was forbidden to enter the temple of God for 40 days.

After this period, the mother came to the temple with the baby to bring a thanksgiving and cleansing sacrifice to the Lord. The Blessed Virgin Mary did not need purification, but out of deep humility she submitted to the dictates of the law.

© Sputnik/ Ilya Pitalev

Icon "Simeon the God-Receiver"

And when the Mother of God crossed the threshold of the temple with a baby in her arms, an ancient elder came out to meet her - named Simeon, which in Hebrew means “hearing.”

The Gospel of Luke says: “He was a righteous and pious man, longing for 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.”

Simeon, according to legend, was one of the 72 scribes who, at the behest of the Egyptian king Ptolemy II, translated the Bible from Hebrew into Greek. In the year when the Saint turned 360 years old (according to some sources, about 300 years old), the Holy Spirit led him to the Jerusalem Temple.

By inspiration from above, the pious elder came to the temple at the time when the Most Holy Theotokos and Righteous Joseph brought the Infant Jesus there to perform the legal rite.

Simeon realized that the prophecy had been fulfilled and the Baby in Mary’s arms was the same long-awaited Messiah about whom the prophets had been writing for hundreds of years, and now he could die peacefully.

The God-receiver took the baby in his arms and, blessing God, uttered a prophecy about the Savior of the world: “Now you are sending Your servant, O Lord, 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 to enlighten the Gentiles and glory Your people Israel." The Church named him Simeon the God-Receiver and glorified him as a Saint.

The elderly widow prophetess Anna, who lived at the Jerusalem Temple, testified to this. The words spoken by Simeon at the moment of the meeting became part of the Orthodox service.

Story

The Presentation of the Lord is one of the most ancient holidays of the Christian Church and completes the cycle of Christmas holidays, but despite this, until the 6th century this holiday was not celebrated so solemnly.

The earliest evidence of the celebration of the Presentation in the Christian East dates back to the end of the 4th century, and in the West - from the 5th century. At that time, the Meeting in Jerusalem was not yet an independent holiday, and was called “the fortieth day from the Epiphany.”

© Sputnik/RIA Novosti

Icon of the Presentation, painted in the 16th century

In 528, under Emperor Justinian (527 - 565), Antioch suffered a disaster - an earthquake, from which many people died. This misfortune was followed by another. In 544, a pestilence appeared, killing several thousand people every day.

During these days of national calamity, it was revealed to one of the pious Christians that the celebration of the Presentation of the Lord should be celebrated more solemnly.

When the all-night vigil and procession of the cross were held on the day of the Presentation of the Lord, the disasters in Byzantium ceased. In gratitude to God, the Church in 544 established a more solemn celebration of the Presentation of the Lord and included it among the main holidays.

The Feast of the Presentation has one day of pre-feast and seven days of post-feast. On the second day of the celebration, February 16, the Church celebrates the memory of the righteous Simeon, whom she called the Receiver of God, and Anna the prophetess - Saints, whose personal spiritual feat, as we know, was directly related to the events of the Presentation.

The essence

The clergy explain that the essence of the holiday is the long-awaited and saving meeting; on this day two eras met, marked by the two Testaments of God and man - the Old and the New.

In the person of Simeon, one of the best people the passing of time, the Old Testament welcomed and worshiped the New Testament, which was to embody the Christ Child.
God's law given to the Jewish people, meets the new higher Law Divine love, brought to the world by our Lord Jesus Christ.

© Sputnik/ Eduard Pesov

Icon depicting "The Meeting". XII century. Georgian cloisonne enamel

In fact, the entire life of mankind until the coming of the Savior is a long and tedious wait for the joy of this meeting, the Presentation of the Lord. And this long-awaited day came - humanity, in the person of Simeon, clearly recognized and firmly confessed that after many millennia of its unauthorized separation from God, it had finally met its Creator.

After all, Simeon held in his arms the One who, by His mysterious will, having transgressed the limits of eternity and omnipotence, “reduced” to the state of a helpless Baby, held God Himself.

This bright holiday is of equal value both for our Lord Christ and for the Virgin Mary.

Traditions

On this day, in addition to festive liturgy in churches, sometimes a religious procession is held. People give thanks to heaven and also take candles from the temple to their homes to light them while reading prayers.

According to custom, on the day of the Presentation of the Lord, church candles are blessed. This custom came to Orthodox Church from the Catholics in 1646. People believed that candles consecrated on the Presentation of the Lord could protect a house from lightning and fire.

© Sputnik/ V. Robinov

Fresco "Candlemas" of the 18th century

After the holiday, the peasants began many “spring” tasks, including driving the cattle out of the barn into the corral, preparing seeds for sowing, and whitening fruit trees. In addition to housework, festivities were, of course, held in the villages.

People believed that on February 15, winter meets spring, as evidenced by many sayings - “at Candlemas, winter met spring,” “at Candlemas, the sun turned to summer, winter turned to frost.”

According to signs, if at the Presentation of the Lord there is cold weather, then spring will be cold. If a thaw is expected, then expect a warm spring. But, be that as it may, Candlemas is always the joy of parting with winter and the anticipation of a new fruitful year.

The last winter frosts and the first spring thaws were called Sretensky.

Simeon's prophecy

The icon of the Most Holy Theotokos, which is called “The Softening of Evil Hearts” or “Simeon’s Prophecy,” is associated with the event of the Presentation of the Lord.

It symbolizes the fulfillment of prophecy righteous old man Simeon: “A weapon will pierce your own soul,” which he said after he took the Divine Infant in his arms and blessed Saint Joseph and the Most Pure Virgin Mary.

Just as Christ will be pierced with nails and a spear, so the soul of the Most Pure One will be struck by some “weapon” of sadness and heartache when She sees the suffering of the Son.

© Sputnik/ Yuri Kaplun

Icon "Candlemas". Icon painter Andrei Rublev

This interpretation of Simeon’s prophecy became the subject of several “symbolic” icons of the Mother of God. All those who come to them with prayer feel how mental and physical suffering is alleviated.

The image “Softening Evil Hearts” supposedly comes from Southwestern Rus', however historical information about him, or where and when she appeared, no.

Usually the icon depicts the Mother of God, whose heart is pierced by seven swords - three on the right and left and one on the bottom. The choice of the image of a sword in the icon is not accidental, since it is connected in human imagination with the shedding of blood.

The number “seven” in Holy Scripture means the “fullness” of something, in this case the fullness of all the grief, “sadness and heart disease” that the Blessed Virgin suffered in Her earthly life.

The celebration of this image takes place on the Sunday of All Saints (on the first Sunday after Trinity).

Prayer

O long-suffering Mother of God, Higher than all the daughters of the earth, in Your purity and in the multitude of sufferings You have endured on earth, accept our much-painful sighs and keep us under the shelter of Your mercy. For you know no other refuge and warm intercession, but since you have the boldness to be born of You, help and save us with Your prayers, so that we may without stumbling reach the Kingdom of Heaven, where with all the saints we will sing in the Trinity To the One God, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

The material was prepared on the basis of open sources.