The Annunciation is the announcement of the joyful news from the archangel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary that through her the Son of God will be incarnated.
The commemoration of this announcement is celebrated by our Church on 25 March.
The only one of the four Evangelists to describe the Annunciation is the Evangelist Luke (a’ 26-38). The Annunciation of the Virgin Mary took place six months after the event of the miraculous conception of John the Forerunner by Elizabeth, the wife of Zacharias.
For the event of the Annunciation, Luke may have used a family diary of the Virgin Mary as a historical source in his narration. God sent the archangel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary who lived in Nazareth of Galilee, Joseph’s betrothed, to announce to her the miraculous birth of the Savior. Gabriel appeared suddenly and unexpectedly in the house of the Virgin Mary and said the angelic greeting: “Hail, the Lord is gracious to you”. According to other manuscripts of the Gospel, he also said the words: “You are Blessed among women”.
From this unexpected appearance and the words of the archangel, Virgin was frightened, while at the same time she was thinking about what the archangel meant by his words. Then Gabriel said to her: “Fear not Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, she conceived in the flesh and gave birth to a son and called his name Jesus”.
The Virgin then asked Gabriel: “How shall this be, since I am a virgin?”. And the angel answered that the Holy Spirit would surround her as a cloud and would work the conception of the Son of God in a mysterious and invisible way.
To further establish his words, Gabriel invokes the miraculous conception of John the Baptist. The Virgin Mary, after these words, was convinced and believed that she “shall not fail of all the word of God” by responding in full humility, “Behold the handmaid of the Lord: born to me according to your word.” Then the Holy Spirit and divine power actuated the supernatural conception of God’s Word.
The feast of the Annunciation, together with the Feast of the Dormition and the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, are the principal and most ancient theometric feasts.
The exact timing of the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary took place later, after the celebration of Christmas on 25 December was fixed in the 4th century AD, since, as is clear, there is a close relationship between these two feasts and the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary should naturally be placed nine months before the birth of Jesus Christ.
Like almost all theological feasts, the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary was originally celebrated as a despotic feast, perhaps called “Annunciation of the Lord or Angel”, or “Conception of the Lord or Christ” (annuntiatio Domini or angeli, or conceptio Domini or Christi).
Between the 5th and 7th centuries AD, March 25th was generally accepted as the day of celebration of the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary. It is mentioned in the 52nd canon of the 6th Ecumenical Council, which refers to it as a common and great holiday.
The service of the feast was composed by various hymn writers of the Church (Andreou Kritis, Theophanous, Damaskinou, etc.).
