Orthodox holiday of the meeting of the Lord. What is the Presentation of the Lord? What date is the Candlemas

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

The Presentation of the Lord is one of the twelve, that is, the main holidays of the church year. This is a non-transferable holiday, which means that it is always celebrated on February 15th.

What does the word meeting mean?

In Church Slavonic, "meeting" means "meeting". The holiday was established in memory of the meeting described in the Gospel of Luke. On that day, the Virgin Mary and the righteous Joseph the Betrothed brought the baby Jesus to the Temple in Jerusalem in order to make a statutory sacrifice of thanksgiving to God for the firstborn.

What kind of sacrifice was required in ancient Judea after the birth of a baby?

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 should also bring to the Lord thanksgiving and cleansing sacrifice: thanksgiving - a one-year-old lamb, and for the remission of sins - a dove. If the family was poor, a dove was sacrificed instead of a lamb, and it turned out "two turtledoves or two pigeon chicks."

In addition, if a boy was the first-born in the family, on the fortieth day the parents came with the newborn to the temple and for the rite of dedication to God. It was not just a tradition, but the law of Moses, 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 cleansed, because Jesus was born as a result of an immaculate conception. She came to the temple out of humility and to fulfill the law. Two doves became the cleansing sacrifice of the Virgin, since the family in which Jesus was born was poor.

Rembrandt van Rijn. Candlemas

Who is Simeon the God-bearer?

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. His name was Simeon. In Hebrew, Simeon means "hearing."

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

On the day of the Meeting, what the elder had been waiting for all his long life was fulfilled. The prophecy has been fulfilled. The old man could now die in peace. The righteous man took the baby in his arms and exclaimed: “Now you release Your servant, Lord, according to Your word, in peace, for my eyes have seen Your salvation, which You have prepared before the face of all peoples, a light to enlighten the Gentiles and the glory of Your people Israel” (Lk 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. Bishop Theophan the Recluse wrote: “In the person of Simeon, the entire Old Testament, unredeemed humanity, departs in peace into eternity, giving way to Christianity…”. In remembrance of this evangelical event, the Song of Simeon the God-Receiver sounds every day in Orthodox worship: “Now you let go.”

Rembrandt van Rijn. Simeon the God-bearer 1627-1628

Who is Anna the prophetess?

On the day of the Candlemas, another meeting took place in the Jerusalem temple. In the temple, an 84-year-old widow, “Fanuilov’s daughter”, approached the Mother of God. The townspeople for inspired speeches about God called her Anna the prophetess. 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 townspeople the news of the coming of the Messiah, the deliverer of Israel. “And at that time she came up and praised the Lord and prophesied about Him to all who were waiting for deliverance in Jerusalem” (Luke 2:36-38).

How did they start celebrating 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. The earliest evidence of the celebration of the Candlemas in the Christian East dates back to the end of the 4th century. Then the Meeting in Jerusalem was not yet an independent holiday, but was called "the fortieth day from Theophany." It should be noted that until the 6th century this holiday was celebrated not so solemnly.

Under Emperor Justinian (527-565), in 544 Antioch was struck by a pestilence that claimed several thousand people every day. During these days, one of the Christians was instructed to make the celebration of the Meeting of the Lord more solemn. The disasters really stopped when on the day of the Meeting, an all-night vigil and a procession were performed. Therefore, in the year 544, the Church established a solemn celebration of the Presentation of the Lord.

Since the 5th century, the names of the holiday have taken root: “the holiday of the Meeting” (Candlemas) and “the holiday 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: "The Feast of the Sacrifice of the Lord."

Icon “Softening Evil Hearts”

What does the icon "Softening evil hearts" mean?

The icon of the Most Holy Theotokos, which is called "Softener of Evil Hearts" or "Simeon's Prophecy". It symbolically depicts the prophecy of St. Simeon the God-Receiver, uttered by him in the Jerusalem temple on the day of the Meeting of the Lord: “Your own weapon will pierce your soul” (Lk. 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 below. There are also half-length images of the Virgin. The number seven means the fullness of grief, sadness and heartache experienced by the Mother of God in her earthly life.

What signs exist for the Candlemas?

By mid-February, frosts begin to weaken in Russia, and the approach of spring is felt in the air. In our country, according to the weather on this holiday, the timing of the start of spring field work was usually determined. According to folk signs, the Meeting is the border between winter and spring, as evidenced by folk sayings: “Meeting - winter met with spring and summer”, “Sun for summer, winter for frost”.

By the weather on the feast of the Candlemas, the peasants judged the coming spring and summer, the weather and the harvest. Spring was judged like this: "What is the weather for the Candlemas, such will be the spring." It was believed that e thaw on Candlemas Spring will be early and warm if it's a cold day- wait for the cold spring. The snow that fell that day- to a long and rainy spring. If on Candlemas the snow across the road carries Spring is late and cold. “On the Candlemas in the morning, snow is the harvest of early bread; if at noon - medium; if by the evening - late. "On the Candlemas of drops - the harvest of wheat." "At the Meeting of the wind - to the fertility of fruit trees."

The twelfth non-passing feast of the Presentation of the Lord is celebrated February 15, new style(February 2 according to the old style) and has 1 day of forefeast and 1-7 days of afterfeast.

Meeting of the Lord. From the series "Law of God":

On the feast of the Meeting of the Lord, the Church commemorates an important event in the earthly life of our Lord Jesus Christ (Luke 2:22-40). On the 40th day after his birth, the Divine Infant was brought to the Temple in Jerusalem, the center of the religious life of God's chosen people. According to the law of Moses (Lev. 12), a woman who gave birth to a male baby was forbidden to enter the temple of God for 40 days. After this period, the mother came to the temple with the baby to offer the Lord a thankful and cleansing sacrifice. The Most Holy Virgin, the Mother of God, had no need for purification, for she unskillfully gave birth to the Source of purity and holiness, but out of deep humility She obeyed the precept of the law.

At that time the righteous elder Simeon lived in Jerusalem. He had a revelation that he would not die until he saw Christ the Savior. By inspiration from above, the pious elder came to the temple at the time when the Most Holy Theotokos and the righteous Joseph brought the Infant Jesus there to perform the lawful rite. The God-bearer Simeon took the God-child in his arms, and having blessed God, uttered a prophecy about the Savior of the world: "Now you release Your servant, Lord, according to Your word in peace, for my eyes have seen Your salvation, which You have prepared before the face of all peoples, a light to enlighten the Gentiles and the glory of your people Israel" (Luke 2:29-32). Righteous Simeon said to the Blessed Virgin: “Behold, this lies for the fall and the rising of many in Israel, and for the subject of controversy, and a weapon will pierce the soul to Thee, that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed” (Luke 2:35).

In the temple there was also the 84-year-old widow Anna the prophetess, the daughter of Phanuilov, “who did not leave the temple, serving God day and night with fasting and prayer. deliverance in Jerusalem" (Luke 2:37-38).

Before the birth of Christ, all righteous men and women lived by faith in the Coming Messiah, the Savior of the world, and expected His coming. The last righteous of the outgoing Old Testament - the righteous Simeon and Anna the prophetess - were honored to meet in the temple the Bearer of the New Testament, in Whose Person Divinity and humanity had already met.

The Feast of the Presentation of the Lord is one of the most ancient holidays of the Christian Church. It is known that Saints Methodius of Patara (+ 312), Cyril of Jerusalem (+ 360), Gregory the Theologian (+ 389), Amphilochius of Iconium (+ 394), Gregory of Nyssa (+ 400), John Chrysostom (+ 407) preached on the day of this celebration. ). But, despite the early origin, this holiday was not celebrated so solemnly until the 6th century. In 528, under the 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, which claimed several thousand people daily. In these days of nationwide calamity, it was opened to one of the pious Christians to celebrate the celebration of the Presentation of the Lord more solemnly.

When on the day of the Meeting of the Lord an all-night vigil and a procession were performed, the disasters in Byzantium ceased. In gratitude to God, the Church in 544 established to celebrate the Presentation of the Lord more solemnly.

Church songwriters decorated the holiday with many chants: in the 7th century - St. Andrew, Archbishop of Crete, and in the 8th century - St. Cosmas, Bishop of Maium, St. John of Damascus, St. Herman, Patriarch of Constantinople, in the 9th century - St. Joseph the Studite, Archbishop of Thessalonica.

The icon of the Most Holy Theotokos, called "Softener of Evil Hearts", or "Simeon's Prophecy", which must be distinguished from the icon "Seven Arrows", is associated with the event of the Meeting of the Lord.

The icon "Simeon's Prophecy" symbolizes the fulfillment of the prophecy of the righteous elder Simeon: "Your own weapon will pierce your soul" (Luke 2:35).

Metropolitan Anthony of Surozh on the Candlemas

“...Together with Him, the Mother is, as it were, sacrificed. Simeon the God-bearer says to her: But your heart will pass weapons, and you will go through torment and suffering ... And the years pass, and Christ hangs on the cross, dying, and the Mother of God stands at the cross silently, meekly, full of faith, full of hope, total love giving Him over to death, 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 had a weapon through their hearts. She can understand everyone, She embraces everyone with Her love, She can reveal the depths of this sacrifice to everyone in the silent sacrament of communication.

May those who die 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, meekly, lovingly, for the salvation of not only those who were close to Him, but and those who were His enemy, drawing them out of perdition with the last words: Father, forgive them, they do not know what they are doing!

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

Therefore, let us all reverently venerate the Mother of God in Her suffering on the Cross, in Her crucified love, in Her endless sacrifice, and to Christ the Savior, Who today is brought to the temple, and whose sacrifice will be made on Golgotha. The Old Testament is ending, the Old Testament is ending, a new life of love for life and death has begun, and we belong to this life.”

From Nikolsky Blagovist

Novgorod school. 70-80 years of the XV century.

The Great Twelfth Feast of the Presentation of the Lord was established by the Church in memory of the fact that on the 40th day after the birth of Christ, the Blessed Virgin brought the Divine Infant to the Temple of Jerusalem, in order, as the word of God says, ""to present before the Lord"" (Luke 2, 22) , dedicate to the Lord.

In the temple, the forty-day-old Infant, the Lord of heaven and earth, was greeted with grace-filled delight and great joy by the elder Simeon and the prophetess Anna. Saint Simeon, at the end of his days, utters marvelous words, which St. The Church repeats every day at the evening service at sunset: ""Now let Thy servant go, Master, according to Thy word in peace: as my eyes have seen Thy salvation, if Thou hast prepared before the face of all people..."" Then continuing his inspired prophecy, the righteous elder turned to the Virgin Mary and, pointing to the Child, said to Her: "Behold, this lies for the fall and the rising of many in Israel and for the subject of controversy, - and to You Yourself a weapon will pierce the soul, - so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed" "" (Luke .2; 35.36). These words meant that there would be disputes and arguments about Him, that many would find in Him resurrection and salvation, and many would find temptation and death, as if they would break their thoughts and efforts against a stone, without knowing God in Him. And the Most Holy Virgin was to be repeatedly wounded in her heart at the sight of the suffering of Her Divine Son, especially when She stood at the Cross of Christ. Through the lips of the elder Simeon in the hymn: ""Now you release Thy servant, Master..." - said the last word of the Old Testament humanity. A new time begins, the prophecies of the God-bearer Simeon are being fulfilled. In connection with the event of the Meeting of the Lord, it is important for every Christian to remember that at one time our mother brought us to the temple and also placed us before the Lord so that we would stand in the firmness of faith and the holiness of life. The words ""now you are letting go..."" refer not only to the Old Testament Church, to Old Testament humanity, they refer to each of us. Sooner or later they will touch us with all their essence. Therefore, it is very important to remember them, and at the same time, the fact that we always stand before God, although we do not always realize this or drown out this consciousness with vanity, sins and disobedience to the will of God.

May the current feast of Christ's coming to the temple and His meeting in this temple move us to Christian reflection about God and about ourselves, about our inevitable "now you let go ...", and may then be for us a peaceful and joyful meeting with Christ our God to which the Christian soul must always strive.

Meeting of the Lord. From the series "Summer of the Lord", studio "Neofit":

Candlemas. Joseph Brodsky to 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 baby from the hands
Mary; and three people around
The baby stood like a shaky frame,
that morning, lost in the twilight of the temple.

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

And only on the crown with a random beam
the light fell on the Child; but he's nothing
did not know yet and snored sleepily,
resting on the strong arms of Simeon.

And it was told to this old man
that he will see the darkness of death
not before he sees the Son of the Lord.
It's done. And the old man said: "Today,

keeping the once spoken word,
You are in peace, Lord, let me go,
then that my eyes saw it
Child: he is your continuation and light

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

spinning for a while
over their heads, slightly rustling
under the vaults of the temple, like a certain bird,
able to take off, but unable to descend.

And they were strange. There was silence
no less strange than speech. Confused
Maria was silent. "The words are..."
And the elder said, turning to Mary:

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

his flesh shall be tormented, thine
soul will be hurt. This wound
let you see what is hidden deep
in the hearts of men, like an eye."

He finished and moved towards the exit. Following
Maria, stooping, and the weight of years
stooped Anna looked silently.
He walked, decreasing in value and in the body

for these two women under the shadow of the columns.
We almost drive them with our looks, he
walked through the frozen empty temple
to the dimly whitened doorway.

And the tread was old man's firm.
Only the voice of the prophetess behind when
resounded, he held his step a little:
but there they didn’t call him, but God

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

He went to die. And not in the street buzz
he, opening the door with his hands, stepped,
but into the deaf and dumb domain of death.
He walked through 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
the soul of Simeon carried before him,

like a lamp, into that black darkness,
in which no one has hitherto
there was no way to light the way.
The lamp shone, and the path widened.

February 16, 1972*
* the date of writing the poem is the birthday of Anna Akhmatova. NIB dating: March 1972.

The holiday is established in memory of the meeting of the Infant Jesus with the elder Simeon, described in the Gospel of Luke, which took place on the 40th day after Christmas.

The word "candlemas" from Old Slavonic is translated as "meeting".

This holiday belongs to the oldest holidays of the Christian Church and completes a series of Christmas holidays.

He will tell you about the feast of the Presentation of the Lord, as well as about the traditions and signs associated with it.

What is the feast of the Presentation of the Lord

According to the Gospel, the Most Holy Theotokos on the 40th day after the Nativity of Christ, following the Old Testament law, brought the Infant Jesus to the Jerusalem temple to consecrate Him to God.

According to the Old Testament law, a woman who gave birth to a male baby was forbidden to enter the temple of God for 40 days. Then she came with the baby to the temple, where she brought a cleansing and thanksgiving sacrifice to the Lord.

The Blessed Virgin Mary, who did not need to be cleansed, submitted to the prescription of the law out of deep humility.

Fresco "The Presentation" of the 18th century

When the Mother of God with the baby in her arms crossed the threshold of the temple, an ancient old man approached her. It was the oldest man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, which in Hebrew means "hearing."

According to legend, the Holy Spirit brought Simeon, who was one of the 72 scribes who translated the Bible from Hebrew into Greek, to the Jerusalem temple in the year when he was 360 years old (according to other sources, about 300 years).

Many years ago, Simeon, when translating the book of the prophet Isaiah, doubted that a virgin would be able to give birth, and it was foretold by the Holy Spirit that he would not die until he was convinced personally that the prophecy was true.

Image of Saint Simeon. Fragment of the icon "The Presentation" from the village of Lailashi.

Therefore, the pious elder, inspired from above, came to the temple at the time when the Virgin Mary and the righteous Joseph brought the Infant Jesus there to perform the lawful rite.

Taking the Divine Infant in his arms, the righteous man blessed him and understood that the prophecy had been fulfilled and now he could die in peace, since the long-awaited Messiah, about whom the prophets have been writing for hundreds of years, is the Infant in the arms of the Virgin Mary.

The Church called Simeon the God-Receiver and glorified him as a Saint.

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

history of the holiday

Despite the fact that the Presentation of the Lord belongs to the oldest holidays of the Christian Church and completes the cycle of Christmas celebrations, in the first centuries of Christianity it was not celebrated so solemnly.

In the Christian East, the earliest evidence of the celebration of the Candlemas date back to the end of the 4th century. In Jerusalem at that time it was not yet an independent holiday and was called "the fortieth day from Theophany."

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

In 528, an earthquake occurred in Antioch under the emperor Justinian (527-565), which killed many people. It was followed by another misfortune - a pestilence, which in 544 carried off several thousand people daily.

It was revealed to one of the pious Christians during these days of nationwide calamity that the Meeting of the Lord should be celebrated more solemnly.

The calamities in Byzantium ended when on the day of the Meeting of the Lord an all-night vigil and procession were performed. The Church, in gratitude to God, established the rule to celebrate the Presentation of the Lord more solemnly and included it among the main holidays in 544.

The Feast of the Presentation has one day of forefeast and seven days of afterfeast. The Orthodox Church the next day - February 16, commemorates the righteous Simeon, called the God-Receiver, and Anna the prophetess - the Saints, whose personal spiritual feat was directly related to the events of the Meeting.

Traditions and signs

On the feast of the Presentation of the Lord in churches, in addition to the festive divine service, they sometimes make a procession of the cross, and also consecrate church candles. This custom came to the Orthodox Church in 1646 from the Catholics.

People came to the temple, gave thanks to heaven, and also took candles home to light them while reading prayers, as they believed that candles consecrated on the feast of the Presentation of the Lord could protect the house from lightning and fire.

After the holiday, the peasants began to prepare for spring - they prepared seeds for sowing, whitened fruit trees, drove cattle from the barn to the paddock, and so on. In the villages, in addition to housework, of course, festivities were held.

In the old days, people believed that winter and spring met at the Meeting of the Lord, as evidenced by many sayings - "on the Meeting of the sun for the summer, winter turned to frost", "at the Meeting of the winter met with spring."

Quite a few signs in Rus' were associated with the holiday - according to them, the peasants judged the coming spring and summer, the weather and the harvest, and determined the timing of the start of spring field work.

So, for example, if the weather is cold at the Presentation of the Lord, then the spring will be cold, but if a thaw is expected, then the spring will be warm.

In any case, the Meeting of the Lord has always been the joy of parting with winter and the expectation of a new harvest year for people.

By the way, Sretensky people called both the last winter frosts and the first spring thaws.

Simeon's prophecy

The feast of the Presentation of the Lord is equivalent both for the Savior and for the Virgin Mary.

The icon of the Most Holy Theotokos, called "Softener of Evil Hearts" or "Simeon's Prophecy", symbolizes the fulfillment of the prophecy of the righteous elder Simeon, which he spoke after he took the Divine Infant in his arms and blessed St. .

The soul of the Mother of God will be struck by some "weapon" of sadness and heartache, just as they are pierced with nails and a spear of Christ when She sees the suffering of the Son.

Such an interpretation of Simeon's prophecy became the subject of several "symbolic" icons of the Mother of God, and all those who resort to them with prayer feel how mental and bodily suffering is relieved.

The icon "Softener of Evil Hearts" originates, presumably from Southwestern Rus', but there is no historical data on where and when it appeared.

The icon usually depicts the Mother of God, whose heart is pierced by seven swords - three on the right and left, and one below. The choice of the image of the sword on the icon is associated in the human mind with the shedding of blood.

In Holy Scripture, the number "seven" means the "fullness" of something, in this case, the fullness of all the grief that the Blessed Virgin endured in Her earthly life.

The celebration of the icon "Softener of Evil Hearts" takes place on the Week of All Saints (on the first Sunday after Trinity).

Prayer

O long-suffering Mother of God, who exalted all the daughters of the earth, in her purity and in the multitude of sufferings that you transferred to the lands, accept our painful sighs and save us under the shelter of your mercy. Otherwise, for refuge and warm intercession, don’t you know, but, as if you have boldness to the One who was born from you, help and save us with your prayers, so that we unstoppably reach the Kingdom of Heaven, even with all the saints we will sing in the Trinity to the One God, now and forever and forever and ever. Amen.

Material prepared on the basis of open sources

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

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 of the church year. This is a non-transferable holiday - it is always celebrated on February 15th.

What does the word "revelation" mean?

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 birth of Christ. On that day, the Virgin Mary and the righteous Joseph the Betrothed brought the baby Jesus to the Temple in Jerusalem in order to make a statutory sacrifice of thanksgiving to God for the firstborn.

What sacrifice had to be made after the birth of the baby?

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 offer the Lord a thanksgiving and cleansing sacrifice: a thanksgiving offering of a one-year-old lamb, and a dove for forgiveness of sins. If the family was poor, a dove was sacrificed instead of a lamb, and it turned out "two turtledoves or two pigeon chicks."

In addition, if a boy was the first-born in the family, on the fortieth day the parents came with the newborn to the temple and for the rite of dedication to God. It was not just a tradition, but the Law of Moses, 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 cleansed, because Jesus was born as a result of an immaculate conception. However, out of humility and in order to fulfill the law, she came to the temple. The cleansing sacrifice of the Virgin was two doves, since the family was poor.

Who is Simeon the God-bearer?

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.

His name was Simeon. In Hebrew, Simeon means "hearing."

Tradition says that Simeon lived for 360 years. He was one of 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 in the womb shall receive and give birth to a Son” and wanted to correct the “Virgin” (virgin) to “Wife” (woman). However, an angel appeared to him and forbade him to change the word, promising that Simeon would not die until he himself 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 the Lord's Christ" (Luke 2:25-26).

On the day of the Meeting, what the elder had been waiting for all his long life was fulfilled. The prophecy has been fulfilled. The old man could now die in peace. The righteous man took the baby in his arms and exclaimed: “Now you release Your servant, Lord, according to Your word, in peace, for my eyes have seen Your salvation, which You have prepared before the face of all peoples, a light to enlighten the Gentiles and the glory of Your people Israel” (Lk 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 coffin of St. Simeon was seen by a Russian pilgrim - St. Anthony, the future Archbishop of Novgorod.

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

Who is Anna the prophetess?

How did they start celebrating 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 Candlemas in the Christian East dates back to the end of the 4th century. Then the Meeting in Jerusalem was not yet an independent holiday, but was called "the fortieth day from Theophany." The texts of the sermons 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 celebrated not so solemnly.

Under the emperor Justinian (527-565), in 544 Antioch was struck by a pestilence that claimed several thousand people every day. During these days, one of the Christians was instructed to make the celebration of the Meeting of the Lord more solemn. The disasters really stopped when on the day of the Meeting, an all-night vigil and a procession were performed. Therefore, in the year 544, the Church established a solemn celebration of the Presentation 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 to the temple and the cleansing ceremony performed by his mother on the fortieth day after the birth of the firstborn, is called Chandeleur, i.e. lamp. The lamp, the feast of the Mother of God of the Thunder (the feast of the Fiery Mary, Thunder) - this is how the 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 breviaries do not contain anything of the kind. Only after 1946 did they begin to print in the breviaries the Chance of consecrating candles for the Presentation of the Lord, and this was due to the transition from the union of the population of the regions of Western Ukraine. The custom of consecrating church candles on the feast of the Presentation of the Lord was transferred to the Orthodox Church from the Catholics in the 17th century, when Metropolitan Peter Mogila ruled the “Trebbook for Little Russian Dioceses”. For editing, in particular, a Roman breviary was used, which described in detail the rank of processions with lit lamps. In our country, the Latin Sretensky rite has not taken root, but the rank, thanks to Peter Mogila, has remained (neither the Greeks nor the Old Believers have it in sight). Therefore, in many dioceses of the Russian Church, candles are consecrated either after the ambo prayer (like the rite of the Great Blessing of Water, which is “inserted” into the liturgy), or after the liturgy at the prayer service. And there are places where there is no custom to consecrate candles. The "magical" attitude to Sretensky candles is a relic of the pagan ritual of honoring fire, associated with the cult of Perun, and called "thunder".

What does the icon "Softening evil hearts" mean?

The icon of the Most Holy Mother of God, which is called "Softener of Evil Hearts" or "Simeon's Prophecy", is associated with the event of the Meeting of the Lord. It symbolically depicts the prophecy of St. Simeon the God-Receiver, uttered by him in the Jerusalem temple on the day of the Meeting of the Lord: “Your own weapon will pierce your soul” (Lk. 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 below. There are also half-length images of the Virgin. The number seven means the fullness of grief, sadness and heartache experienced by the Mother of God in her earthly life. Sometimes the image is supplemented by the image of the deceased Divine Infant on the lap of the Mother of God.

What signs exist for the Candlemas?

In Rus', on this holiday, the dates for the start of spring field work were determined. According to popular beliefs, Candlemas is the border between winter and spring, as evidenced by folk sayings: “Candlemas - winter met spring and summer”, “Sun for summer, winter for frost”.

By the weather on the feast of the Candlemas, the peasants judged the coming spring and summer, the weather and the harvest. Spring was judged like this: "What is the weather for the Candlemas, such will be the spring." It was believed that if there was a thaw on the Candlemas, the spring would be early and warm, if it was a cold day, wait for a cold spring. The snow that fell that day - to a long and rainy spring. If it carries snow across the road to Candlemas, the spring is late and cold. “On the Candlemas in the morning, snow is the harvest of early bread; if at noon - medium; if by the evening - late. "On the Candlemas of drops - the harvest of wheat." "At the Meeting of the wind - to the fertility of fruit trees."

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The Presentation of the Lord is one of the final Orthodox events of the outgoing winter. During this period, nature often hints to us that spring will soon come and the weather will change. It is not surprising that many folk signs and superstitions are associated with this holiday.

The Presentation of the Lord is one of the twelve great Orthodox events. This holiday is dedicated to the earthly life of Jesus Christ and the Mother of God.

On this day, it is necessary to follow traditions in order to protect yourself and your loved ones from trouble. Many Orthodox holidays are dedicated to saints, as well as their merits in helping people in need.

We can say that the Presentation of the Lord is a unique holiday. On this day, we remember the earthly life of our Savior and the Most Holy Theotokos.

The Presentation of the Lord is one of the twelve imperishable holidays, and its date, as usual, falls on February 15th. From the Church Slavonic language, the name of the event is translated as "meeting".

This day is dedicated to the first meeting of Jesus Christ and the Mother of God with the righteous Simeon the God-Receiver.

On this day, believers remember an important event that took place in the earthly life of our Savior. Based on the laws of the Old Testament, a woman after childbirth should not attend church for 40 days. At the end of the term, the mother came to the temple to perform the rite of purification and make a sacrifice of thanksgiving to the King of Heaven.

The Most Holy Theotokos was a pure, believing and immaculate Virgin, therefore she did not need additional purification, but, despite this, she obeyed the precepts of the law. When the Mother of God with the baby in her arms crossed the threshold of the temple, the righteous elder Simeon came out to meet her in order to conduct a church ceremony.

When Simeon saw the righteous Virgin Mary with a child in her arms, he realized that this was the Messiah, whose appearance he had been waiting for for many years. After that, the elder realized that now he could die in peace.

Simeon took Jesus Christ in his arms, blessed him, and then made a prediction about the Savior. After that, Orthodox believers began to call the elder the God-Receiver. One of the witnesses of the event was the old widow Anna.

The meaning of the holiday

The main meaning of the holiday lies in the long-awaited intersection of two eras, which began to be called the Old and New Testaments. Simeon the God-bearer managed to adequately complete the old era, and the long-awaited Messiah became the main representative of the new time. For more than a hundred years, mankind has been waiting for a meeting with the Savior. From that moment on, faith and what people have professed for many years finally found its Creator.

The Presentation of the Lord is a holiday dedicated not only to the Mother of God and the Infant Jesus Christ, but also to the Lord God.

Speaking about the religious customs associated with this day, they almost did not exist throughout Great Russia, only in some places (for example, in the Vologda province) peasants went around their houses with the icon of the Presentation of the Lord or the Savior, moreover, when the icon was brought back to the house , then the whole family, with the householder at the head, fell on their faces with an exclamation:

"Lord our God, come to us and bless us!"

As for folk traditions, in the peasant environment, the Meeting of the Lord was not considered a big holiday.

Very often, peasants, especially illiterate ones, did not even know what event the Church was remembering on that day, and the very name of the holiday - “The Meeting” - was explained in such a way that on this day winter meets summer, that is, frosts begin to weaken and Spring is in the air.

Attributing to the Meeting only the meaning of a calendar milestone, the peasants connected many agricultural signs with this day:

"On Candlemas Day, snowball - in the spring dozhzhok",

They talked, wondering about future rains.

Drops on this day portend the harvest of wheat, and the wind - the fertility of fruit trees, which is why gardeners, having come from matins, "shake the trees with their hands so that they are with fruits."

If it is quiet and red on the Candlemas Day, then in the summer flax and so on will be good. According to the weather of that day, they also judged the harvest of grasses, for which they threw a stick across the road and observed: if the snow swept it, then the livestock feed would “sweep”, that is, the grasses would be expensive.

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