The holiday was established in memory of the meeting of the Infant Jesus with the elder Simeon, described in the Gospel of Luke, which occurred on the 40th day after Christmas.
The word "sretenie" is translated from Old Slavic as "meeting".
This holiday is one of the oldest holidays of the Christian Church and completes a series of Christmas holidays.
He will tell you what kind of holiday the Presentation of the Lord is, as well as about the traditions and signs associated with it.
What kind of holiday is the Presentation of the Lord?
According to the Gospel, on the 40th day after the Nativity of Christ, the Most Holy Theotokos, following the Old Testament law, brought the Baby Jesus to the Jerusalem temple to dedicate Him to God.
According to the Old Testament law, a woman who gave birth to a male child was prohibited from entering the temple of God for 40 days. Then she came with the baby to the temple, where she offered a cleansing and thanksgiving sacrifice to the Lord.
The Blessed Virgin Mary, who did not need purification, submitted to the dictates of the law out of deep humility.
© photo: Sputnik / V. Robinov
Fresco "Candlemas" 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. This was the oldest man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, which means “hearing” in Hebrew.
According to legend, the Holy Spirit brought Simeon, who was one of the 72 scribes who translated the Bible from Hebrew to Greek, to the Jerusalem Temple in the year when he turned 360 years old (according to other sources, about 300 years old).
Many years ago, Simeon, when translating the book of the prophet Isaiah, doubted that a virgin would be able to give birth, and the Holy Spirit predicted that he would not die until he was personally convinced that the prophecy was true.
© photo: Sputnik /
Image of Saint Semeon. Fragment of the Candlemas icon from the village of Lailashi.
Therefore, the pious elder, by inspiration 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 legal rite.
Taking the Divine Infant in his arms, the righteous blessed him and understood that the prophecy had been fulfilled and now he could die peacefully, since the long-awaited Messiah, about whom the prophets had been writing for hundreds of years, is the Baby in the arms of the Virgin Mary.
The Church called Simeon the Receiver of God and glorified him as a Saint.
The elderly widow prophetess Anna, who lived at the Jerusalem Temple, 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 is one of the most ancient 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 Presentation dates 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 the Epiphany.”
© photo: Sputnik / Eduard Pesov
Icon depicting "The Meeting". XII century. Georgian cloisonne enamel
In 528, an earthquake occurred in Antioch under Emperor Justinian (527 - 565), which killed many people. It was followed by another misfortune - a pestilence, which in 544 killed several thousand people every day.
During these days of national calamity, it was revealed to one of the pious Christians that the Presentation of the Lord should be celebrated more solemnly.
Disasters in Byzantium ceased when an all-night vigil and religious procession were held on the day of the Presentation of the Lord. 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 pre-feast and seven days of post-feast. The Orthodox Church the next day - February 16, commemorates the righteous Simeon, called the God-Receiver, and Anna the Prophetess - Saints whose personal spiritual feat was directly related to the events of the Presentation.
Traditions and signs
On the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, in addition to the festive service, churches sometimes hold a religious procession and also consecrate church candles. This custom came to the Orthodox Church in 1646 from Catholics.
People came to the temple, gave thanks to heaven, and also took candles home to light them while reading prayers, because they believed that candles blessed 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, whitewashed fruit trees, drove the cattle out of the barn into the paddock, and so on. In the villages, in addition to housework, of course, there were festivities.
In the old days, people believed that winter met spring at the Presentation of the Lord, as evidenced by many sayings - “at the Presentation the sun turned to summer, winter turned to frost,” “at the Presentation winter met spring.”
Quite a few signs in Rus' were associated with the holiday - by 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 on 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 Presentation of the Lord has always been for people the joy of parting with winter and the anticipation of a new harvest year.
By the way, people called Sretensky both the last winter frosts and the first spring thaws.
Simeon's prophecy
The Feast of the Presentation of the Lord is equal for both the Savior and the Virgin Mary.
The icon of the Most Holy Theotokos, called “The Softening of Evil Hearts” or “Simeon’s Prophecy,” symbolizes the fulfillment of the prophecy of the righteous elder Simeon, which he uttered after he took the Infant of God in his arms and blessed Saint Joseph and the Most Pure Virgin Mary: “A weapon will pierce your soul.” .
The soul of the Mother of God will be struck by a certain “weapon” of sadness and heartache, just as Christ will be pierced with nails and a spear when She sees the suffering of the Son.
This interpretation of Simeon’s prophecy became the subject of several “symbolic” icons of the Mother of God, and all those who come running to them with prayer feel how mental and physical suffering is alleviated.
The icon “Softening Evil Hearts” supposedly comes 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 on the bottom. The choice of the image of a sword on an icon is associated in human imagination 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 “Softening Evil Hearts” 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 of 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 praises in the Trinity to the One God, now and ever and forever and ever. Amen.
The material was prepared based on open sources
The Orthodox holiday of the Presentation of the Lord in folk tradition symbolizes not only the meeting of Christ with the righteous Simeon, but also the meeting of winter with spring. This is not surprising, because the Old Church Slavonic word “sretenie” means “meeting.” the site tells about the history of this ancient solar holiday, as well as its main signs and interesting Christian traditions.
What is Candlemas and when is it celebrated?
In Church Slavonic, “sretenie” means “meeting.” Orthodox Christians celebrate the holiday annually on February 15th. In Orthodoxy, Presentation is one of the twelve (twelfth) most important holidays dedicated to Christ and is always celebrated on the same day.
Philippe de Champagne. Bringing to the temple
The meaning of the biblical legend
The Presentation of the Lord is associated with the biblical legend described in the Gospel of Luke. According to legend, on this day - the fortieth day after the birth of Jesus - the Virgin Mary brought a baby to the temple to make the legally established thanksgiving sacrifice to God for her firstborn.
As required by the Old Testament law, a woman who gave birth to a boy was not allowed to cross the threshold of the temple for 40 days (and 80 if a girl was born). Also, it was necessary to bring to the church a thanksgiving cleansing sacrifice - a one-year-old lamb, and a dove for the remission of sins. If the family was poor, a dove was sacrificed instead of a lamb, and the result was “two turtle doves or two dove chicks.” In addition, on the 40th day it was necessary to visit the temple for the rite of dedication to God. It was not just a tradition, but the Mosaic Law, established in memory of the exodus of the Jews from Egypt - liberation from four centuries of slavery.
And although the Virgin Mary did not need to be cleansed, since Jesus was born from the immaculate conception, she crossed the threshold of the temple as a sign of humility. Elder Semyon (in Hebrew means “hearing”) came out to meet her. According to legend, the elder lived 360 years: “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).
Fra Bartolomeo. Candlemas On the day of the Presentation, what the elder had been waiting for all his long life was fulfilled. The prophecy has come true. The old man could now die peacefully. Simeon took the baby in his arms and said: “Now, O Master, you are letting your servant go in peace, according to your word, for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared before the face of all nations, a light to enlighten the Gentiles and the glory of your people Israel” (Luke 2:29-32). The church named him Simeon the God-Receiver and glorified him as a saint.
Who is Anna the Prophetess?
On the day of the Presentation, another meeting took place in the Jerusalem Temple. In the temple, an 84-year-old widow, “daughter of Phanuel,” approached the Mother of God. The townspeople called her Anna the Prophetess for her inspired speeches about God. She lived and worked at the temple for many years, “serving God day and night with fasting and prayer” (Luke 2:37 - 38).
Anna the prophetess bowed to the newborn Christ and left the temple, bringing the news to the townspeople about the coming of the Messiah, the deliverer of Israel. “And at that time she came up and glorified the Lord and prophesied about Him to all who were waiting for deliverance in Jerusalem” (Luke 2:36-38).
Francesco Bassano Jr. Presentation of the Lord Meeting in the traditional view of the Slavs
Traditionally, Candlemas is accepted by the Slavs as a long-awaited meeting of the passing and weakening winter with the coming spring. The cold and dark early evenings are disappearing, daylight hours are gradually increasing, which means that spring is already very close.
What you can and cannot do on Candlemas
In Rus', Candlemas was loved as a holiday because on this day, first of all, it was necessary to have fun and relax, while quarrels, abuse and overly hard work were inappropriate, as they could offend the sun. In Rus', on Candlemas, it was customary to walk in the fresh air, treat yourself to pancakes, which symbolize the luminary, have fun in every possible way and rejoice at the speedy approach of spring. It is not for nothing that we have already repeatedly mentioned the sun - the Candlemas holiday is directly related to the rituals of “pleasing the heavenly body,” which is the most striking natural symbol of spring.
On Candlemas you should not be sad or bored, and it is also not customary to do work. Even all household chores, except cooking, were prohibited. It was also not customary on this day to clean the house, sweep and work in the yard and gardens. According to legend, it was believed that such actions could bring trouble not only to a person, but also to his loved ones and even to the entire village. By the way, washing and washing were also prohibited on Candlemas.
Among the prohibitions on Candlemas are also swearing and swearing - on this sunny day it promises pure trouble.
In Orthodox, as well as in Catholic, Christian culture, there are many holidays that are of great importance for believers. One of them is the Presentation of the Lord. On this day, a biblical event known to many people is remembered. Therefore, the question: “The Presentation of the Lord - what kind of holiday?” - definitely deserves attention.
Origins
In Russian-speaking Orthodox culture, the Presentation of the Lord has been celebrated on February 15 for many years. This holiday is rooted in the traditions of Western and Eastern countries (IV-V centuries). It was then that the Presentation of the Lord became one of the twelve key dates that were included in the Orthodox calendar. On this special day, everyone who has faith in Christ remembers with reverence those events that were once described by the Evangelist Luke. We are talking about a special meeting between the baby Jesus and the righteous Simeon.
What does the Presentation of the Lord mean?
In fact, the word “meeting” itself can be translated as “meeting.” As for the story that gave rise to the holiday, it began almost 2000 years ago, when the Virgin Mary came with little Jesus. The future Savior of the world at that time was only forty days old. According to the Law of Moses, a woman who gave birth to a male child had to come to the Temple and offer a cleansing and thanksgiving sacrifice there. This is exactly what Mary did. Although the fact that she conceived a child from the Holy Spirit freed her from the need to make a cleansing sacrifice.
It so happened that at that time Elder Simeon was living in Jerusalem, who received the following revelation from the Almighty: he will not leave this mortal earth until he sees the Savior of the world. Inspired by the Heavenly Father, Simeon came to the Temple precisely when Mary was there with the baby Jesus. Seeing little Christ, the righteous elder took Him in his arms and proclaimed that his eyes had seen salvation from God.
Therefore, answering the question: “The Presentation of the Lord - what is it?” - it is worth talking specifically about the meeting of the Infant God and the righteous Simeon in the temple of Jerusalem. Another meaning of the word “meeting” is “joy”, the cause of which is the salvation brought to our world by Christ.
The importance of the meeting
Those who are not experienced in Christianity may find it a little strange that such great importance is attached to the meeting of Simeon and the baby Jesus. In fact, such close attention given by believers to the feast of the Presentation of the Lord is more than logical.
The point is that almost all the Old Testament prophets were waiting for the coming of the Messiah - who would free his people. And therefore, the meeting of Simeon with the born Christ is nothing other than the fulfillment of the prophecy, which was believed by many men and women of God who lived in the times of
More information about Simeon the God-Receiver
Trying to understand the question of the Presentation of the Lord - what kind of holiday and what is its value, it is worth paying more attention to one of the key figures in biblical history associated with this date (February 15). If we turn to legend, we will find out that the elder Simeon, who met Mary in the Temple, was 360 years old. His name means nothing more than “hearing.” Moreover, he is considered one of the 72 scribes who received the command from the Egyptian king Ptolemy II to translate the Holy Scriptures from Hebrew into Greek.
It was while working on the translation that Simeon read a prophecy that said that a virgin would give birth to a son - the Savior of the world. The Israeli prophet wanted to change the word “virgin” (virgin) to “wife” (woman), but the angel who appeared to him prevented him from doing this. Having listened to the heavenly messenger, Simeon received a promise from him that he would personally be able to see the prophecy fulfilled.
The Day of the Presentation of the Lord became for the prophet the embodiment of what was promised by the angel.
Anna the prophetess
There is another character in the Bible who is related to the famous holiday. We are talking about Anna the prophetess. Understanding what the feast of the Presentation of the Lord means, it is also important to pay attention to it. On the day when the baby Jesus was brought to the Temple, a widow, who at that time was already 84 years old, approached his mother, the Virgin Mary.
She often voiced wise speeches about God to the townspeople, for which they began to call her Anna the Prophetess. It was this woman who approached the little Christ, bowed to him and, leaving the temple, began to tell the residents of the city that the Messiah had come, who would deliver Israel.
Historical evidence of the veneration of the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord
If you study the manuscripts left over from past generations, you will discover an interesting fact. Its essence boils down to the fact that in the 4th century, the Western pilgrim Esteria wrote the work “Pilgrimage to Holy Places.” This is in fact the oldest historically reliable evidence that the Presentation of the Lord was celebrated in church and liturgical celebrations in the Christian East. At the same time, the Estheria manuscript does not give the holiday its own liturgical title, defining it as the fortieth day from Epiphany. But the very process of the celebration held in honor of the Presentation is described more than emotionally.
But the second monument, which gives the holiday a special liturgical character, has its roots in Jerusalem. We are talking about the Armenian Lectionary. It was there that the fact of the liturgical and statutory practice of the early 5th century was attested. Based on this information, one can draw an obvious conclusion: in the 4th-5th centuries, the Presentation of the Lord was defined in the Jerusalem church as a holiday revered in this particular area.
Current signs
If we consider the question: “The Presentation of the Lord - what is it?” - exclusively in a folk format, then you will notice an interesting fact: this holiday is a symbol of the meeting of winter and spring. In this regard, many signs have appeared.
The first thing that can be attributed to the signs that people pay attention to on February 15 is the weather. According to popular belief, if it is warm and sunny on this day, then you should expect early spring. Even on a holiday like the Presentation of the Lord, signs regarding the weather may indicate persistent frosts if on the night of February 15 there is a clear sky in which no stars are visible. But in the case of the starry sky, there is every reason to expect a quick spring.
As for health, here you need to pay attention to the candle lit during the holiday: if the fire is even and hardly moves, then problems with your physical condition are not expected, but when the flame turns blue and sways, then it makes sense to prepare to fight disease.
On a holiday like the Presentation of the Lord, signs also apply to the road. It is believed that if a person sets out on a journey on this day, he will not return home soon. This statement is explained by the fact that on February 15 the weather is unpredictable, everything can happen - from heavy rains to heavy snowfall. Such precipitation, of course, greatly complicates movement.
Presentation of the Lord: traditions
It is generally accepted that if you feed animals with all your heart on this holiday, they will grow quickly and produce good offspring. Also celebrated on February 15, the Presentation of the Lord helps predict the abundance of the harvest: morning snowfall on this day is a sign of a bountiful harvest of early bread, and afternoon snow prophesies the successful sowing of middle ones.
On this day, they usually prepared the seeds for sowing, drove the animals out of the barn into the pen and inspected the harness. There was also a widespread tradition among the people to use water from the snow that fell on Candlemas Day, since it was believed that it could heal various diseases.
The water flowing from the roofs during the holiday was also of great importance. It was used for baking cakes, which were then given to those who suffered from any illness.
Features of the celebration
To fully answer the question: “The Presentation of the Lord - what is it?” - It is necessary to study the peculiarities of this holiday. An interesting fact is that most of the services in the church are focused on the person of the Virgin Mary. From ancient religious traditions, several Orthodox rituals have survived to the present day and have not lost their relevance.
First of all, the consecration of water and candles takes place directly in the church itself. Another belief is connected with this: if during a thunderstorm a consecrated candle is placed in front of an icon, it will protect the house from a lightning strike. Understanding what the Presentation of the Lord means, one cannot ignore the vibrant traditions of the celebration, during which very beautiful liturgical texts are read. They reveal the essence of the speech of the prophet Simeon, as well as glorify the honor given to him to see the baby Jesus. As for the duration of the celebration, the Presentation of the Lord lasts 8 days: from February 14 (pre-celebration) to February 22 (the celebration of the holiday).
Analyzing the question: “The Presentation of the Lord - what is it?” - in the format of the Catholic tradition, it is worth noting the thorough approach to the celebration. On this day, in churches, priests dress in white clothes and, before starting the solemn mass, conduct a bright procession with candles, and also perform a blessing ceremony. Everyone who came to the temple sings songs that convey the words of Simeon spoken to the Infant God, and the priests, conducting the ceremony, sprinkle those singing.
For many believers, this holiday is significant enough to prepare congratulations. The Meeting of the Lord is actually a veneration of the coming of the Savior, so many poems and scenes on this day talk about new life, joy and spring, which enlivens everything around.
Iconography of the Presentation
A significant holiday for Christians - the day of the meeting of Simeon and little Jesus - inspired artists to create many icons and frescoes. They all describe the moment when the Virgin Mary hands her son into the hands of the elder.
The icon “The Presentation of the Lord” depicts Joseph the Betrothed, who is behind the back of the Mother of God and carries either in a cage or in his hands two, and sometimes three, doves. Anna the prophetess is also depicted on the icon behind Simeon.
It is also interesting that the icon “The Presentation of the Lord” either has the foot of the temple as a background, or depicts the meeting of the elder and the Infant God near the throne. And on images painted at a later time, the torment of hell and future salvation are sometimes depicted (located in the lower part).
The meaning of the icon “Softening Evil Hearts”
There is another icon that is directly related to the feast of the Presentation of the Lord. It is called “Simeon’s Prophecy” or “Softening Evil Hearts.” This icon depicts the moment when an Israeli husband prophesies to the Mother of God that a weapon will pierce Her own soul. The Virgin Mary stands on a cloud with seven swords that pierced her heart: three on the left side, three on the right and one below. The number of swords is explained by the fact that it characterizes completeness, in this case suffering, heartache and sadness.
In general, if we consider what the holiday of the Presentation of the Lord means, we can conclude that it has a significant influence on Orthodox and Catholic Christian culture. This day also carries a tangible spiritual meaning, as it symbolizes the meeting of two covenants: the Old, typified by Simeon, and the New, brought by the Savior.
Candlemas
CANDLEMAS , Candlemas, -I; Wed
1. Outdated and poet. Meeting. * Phoebus the radiant rose from the seas.. And to meet him, a chorus of loud nightingales rang out in the dense forests(Krylov).
2. In the Orthodox Church: one of the twelve holidays, celebrated on February 2 (15) (in memory of the meeting of a certain elder Simeon with the baby Jesus).
◁ Sretensky, -aya, -oe (2 digits). S-th frosts.
Candlemasone of the twelve Orthodox church holidays. Erected in honor of the meeting (candlemas) with the righteous Simeon of the infant Christ, whom his parents carried to the temple to be dedicated to God. Celebrated on February 2(15).
CANDLEMASPresentation of the Lord, Christian holiday (cm. CHURCH HOLIDAYS), dedicated to the recollection of the events that took place on the fortieth day of the earthly life of Jesus Christ, namely the meeting (glorious Presentation) of the Divine Infant in the Jerusalem Temple by two Old Testament righteous people - Simeon the God-Receiver and Anna the Prophetess (Gospel of Luke 2:22-39). Celebrated on February 2 (15). In the Orthodox Church - the Twelfth Feast of the Lord and the Theotokos (cm. TWELVETH HOLIDAYS).
Contents of the holiday
According to the law of Moses, on the fortieth day after the birth of a male child, the first-born, the mother had to appear with the baby in the temple to make a sacrifice for her cleansing, to present the baby to God and “ransom”, for according to the law of Moses all first-born children belonged to God (Exodus 13 :12-13; Leviticus 12:1-8; Numbers 3:13-18). A lamb (lamb) and a turtle dove were sacrificed, and in case of poverty, two turtle doves, or pigeon chicks. The ransom consisted of a price determined by law (five shekels). The Most Pure Virgin came to the temple to fulfill everything according to the law. Due to her poverty, she could only bring two turtle doves as a cleansing sacrifice. In the Jerusalem Temple, the baby Jesus was met by the righteous Simeon, who was promised by the Holy Spirit that he would not die until he saw the Lord’s Christ, and the widow Anna, eighty-four years old, who lived at the temple. Righteous Simeon took the baby in his arms and said: “Now you are releasing Your servant, O Master, according to Your word, in peace; For mine eyes have seen Your salvation, which You have prepared before the face of all nations, a light to enlighten the Gentiles and the glory of Your people Israel.” Anna the Prophetess announced the Savior to all who waited for Him with faith.
History of the holiday and liturgical celebration
The holiday of the Presentation ends the cycle of Christmas holidays dedicated to the glorification of the Savior who appeared in the world. The oldest historical evidence of the celebration of the Presentation in the Christian East is the notes of a Western pilgrim in Jerusalem at the end of the 4th century. Sylvia, in which Candlemas is not yet called an independent holiday, but is called “the fortieth day from Epiphany.” Brief descriptions of the celebration taking place on this day in Jerusalem mention a procession to the Temple of the Resurrection (as on Easter (cm. EASTER Christian)), presbyteral and episcopal sermons with interpretation of the Gospel of Luke, then the usual Liturgy (cm. LITURGY (worship)) and leave. A similar name for the holiday is recorded in the Armenian Lectionary, which contained brief liturgical and statutory notes about the holidays of the annual cycle, celebrated in Jerusalem at the beginning of the 5th century. Probably, at this time, the feast of the Presentation existed in the Jerusalem church as locally revered and served as a celebration of the entire forty-day cycle of holidays dedicated to the Epiphany.
The establishment of the Feast of the Presentation in the calendar of the Church of Constantinople occurred no earlier than the first half of the 6th century. under the Byzantine emperor Justin I (reigned 518-527), who established its solemn celebration. His successor, Justinian I (cm. JUSTINIAN I the Great), moved the holiday from February 14 to February 2, in accordance with the calendar tradition of the Roman Church, which celebrated the Nativity of Christ on December 25.
In the Jerusalem tradition of the 5th-7th centuries. There are two main names for the holiday: the Meeting of the Lord and the Feast of Purification. The first name was fixed in Byzantium from the time of the official introduction of the Candlemas holiday there, as well as in the Gregorian tradition of Rome. The second is in the centuries-old liturgical tradition of Pope Gelasius (late 5th century), according to which the holiday was called the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In ancient times, the Roman Church was dominated by the theme of the Presentation of the Theotokos, in contrast to the Eastern tradition, according to which the holiday had the status of the Lord and was gradually transformed into the Feast of the Theotokos (in liturgical literature it is sometimes called the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary). Thus, according to the liturgical Rules, if the feast of the Presentation falls on a Sunday, then the Sunday service is not canceled, but is combined with the service of the Presentation, as happens on the twelfth feasts of the Theotokos.
The Feast of the Presentation has one forefeast day (cm. PRE-CELEBRATION) February 1 (14) - and seven days of afterfeast (cm. CELEBRATION). Delivery - February 9 (22).
In the West only after the 2nd Vatican Council (cm. VATICAN COUNCIL) the holiday again became the Lord's and is called in Latin “Presentation of the Lord,” although among Russian Catholics the name “Presentation of the Lord” is retained. One of the important features of the Candlemas service in the Latin rite (cm. LATIN RITE) is the blessing of the candles with which the faithful stand at Mass (cm. MASS), and then they are reverently kept at home for a year (the candle in this case symbolizes Christ - “Light for the enlightenment of the pagans”). The custom of blessing candles on Candlemas was also adopted by the Orthodox (in particular, in many parishes in Ukraine).
Meeting in folk tradition
In the folk calendar of the Slavic peoples, Meeting had the meaning of a seasonal border: this holiday marked the half of winter among the Eastern and Western Slavs, and in the South Slavic regions - the beginning of spring, with which a significant number of signs of weather and harvest were associated. Good sunny weather usually foreshadowed a long winter, and frost - an early spring; the blizzard on Candlemas promised to “sweep up” all the livestock feed earlier than usual, etc.
The eastern (less often the western and southern) Slavs said about Candlemas: “Candlemas - winter meets summer,” in addition to which they talked about how exactly winter fights with summer: “Summer hits winter on the cheek: “that’s enough for you, winter.” , winter - it’s time for me to fly, fly.” The perception of Candlemas as the beginning of spring is also reflected in the signs: “At Candlemas, a caftan and a fur coat meet, and a gypsy sells a fur coat,” etc.
The idea of Candlemas as the beginning of spring is embodied in numerous stories about animals that supposedly turn from side to side on this day. The Bulgarians talked about a she-bear crawling out of her den on Candlemas to see her shadow: if the day is sunny and the she-bear sees her shadow, she turns on her other side to continue sleeping; this means that it will be cold for another forty days.
In many respects, Meeting was closer to the beginning of the new year, which was reflected in ideas about the fate of meetings taking place on this day: the Serbs believed that if you meet a healthy person on this day, you will be healthy for the whole year (and vice versa). In some places, Meeting was considered an unlucky and dangerous day: people avoided doing any household work on this day so as not to encounter wolves. Ukrainians believed that those born on Candlemas would be unhappy; Among the Bulgarians, pregnant women refrained from working with sharp objects for fear that the unborn child would have signs and marks on the body reminiscent of these works.
In all Slavic traditions, great importance was attached to the candle, which was consecrated in the church on this day. Ukrainians and Belarusians called it the “loud candle”, cf. “Gromnitsa” as one of the East and West Slavic dialect names for the Presentation. This candle was kept for a year: it was lit during thunderstorms and hail, given into the hands of a seriously dying person, the sick were fumigated with its smoke and crosses were drawn on beams and mats, lit to protect themselves from the “walking” dead person; attached to the container from which they sowed in the spring; walked around the cattle with a lighted candle during the first pasture; they set children's hair on fire for headaches, rubbed their throats with it for pain; hung over the entrance to the house on Kupala night to protect against the witch, etc.
encyclopedic Dictionary. 2009 .
Synonyms:See what “Sretenie” is in other dictionaries:
Meeting Dictionary of Russian synonyms. meeting noun, number of synonyms: 2 meeting (50) holiday ... Synonym dictionary
The Lord's. According to the Old Testament law, on the 40th day a male child is born. sex of the firstborn, the mother brought him to the temple in Jerusalem to offer a sacrifice of her own purification, present the baby to God and ransom him, since according to the law... ... Encyclopedia of Brockhaus and Efron
Meeting, one of the twelve Orthodox church holidays. Established in honor of the meeting (candlemas) of the righteous Simeon of the Messiah of the infant Jesus Christ, whom his parents carried to the temple to be dedicated to God. Celebrated on the 40th day after... ... Modern encyclopedia
One of the twelve Orthodox church holidays. Established in honor of the meeting (candlemas) of the righteous Simeon of the Messiah, the child Christ, whom his parents carried to the temple to be dedicated to God. Celebrated on February 2(15)… Big Encyclopedic Dictionary
MEETING, meeting, plural. no, cf. (action in the old way. ch. meet) (obsolete). 1. Meeting (poet. rhetorician). “The radiant Phoebus rose from the seas... and at the meeting with him a choir of loud nightingales was heard in the dense forests.” Krylov. 2. One of the so-called… … Ushakov's Explanatory Dictionary
MEETING, I, Wed. (Capitalized). One of the twelve main Orthodox holidays in memory of how the righteous Simeon met Mary and Joseph at the door of the temple, carrying the baby Jesus in their arms for dedication to God. Matins in S. Explanatory Dictionary ... Ozhegov's Explanatory Dictionary
Candlemas- Meeting, one of the twelve Orthodox church holidays. Established in honor of the meeting (candlemas) of the righteous Simeon of the Messiah of the infant Jesus Christ, whom his parents carried to the temple to be dedicated to God. Celebrated on the 40th day after... ... Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary
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 an everlasting holiday - it is always celebrated on February 15th.
What does the word "meeting" mean?
Meeting of the Lord. James Tissot.
In Church Slavonic, “sretenie” means “meeting.” The holiday was established in memory of the meeting described in the Gospel of Luke, which took place on the fortieth day after the Nativity of Christ. On that day, the Virgin Mary and the righteous Joseph the Betrothed brought the baby Jesus to the Temple of Jerusalem to make the legally established thanksgiving sacrifice to God for the firstborn.
What kind of sacrifice had to be made after the baby was born?
According to the Old Testament law, a woman who gave birth to a boy was forbidden to enter the temple for 40 days (and if a girl was born, then all 80). She also had to bring a thanksgiving and cleansing sacrifice to the Lord: a one-year-old lamb for thanksgiving, and a dove for the remission of sins. If the family was poor, a dove was sacrificed instead of a lamb, and the result was “two turtle doves or two dove chicks.”
In addition, if the first-born in the family was a boy, on the fortieth day the parents came with the newborn to the temple for a rite of dedication to God. It was not just a tradition, but the Mosaic Law, established in memory of the exodus of the Jews from Egypt - liberation from four centuries of slavery.
The Blessed Virgin Mary did not need to be purified because Jesus was born from the virgin birth. However, out of humility and in order to fulfill the law, she came to the temple. Two doves became the purifying sacrifice of the Mother of God, since the family was poor.
Who is Simeon the God-Receiver?
According to legend, when the Virgin Mary crossed the threshold of the temple with a baby in her arms, an ancient elder came out to meet her.
Double-sided tablet icon from the second quarter of the 15th century. Sergiev Posad Museum Reserve (Sacristy)
His name was Simeon. In Hebrew, Simeon means “hearing.”
Tradition says that Simeon lived 360 years. He was one of the 72 scribes who, in the 3rd century BC. At the behest of the Egyptian king Ptolemy II, the Bible was translated from Hebrew into Greek.
When Simeon was translating the book of the prophet Isaiah, he saw the words: “Behold, the Virgin will be with child and give birth to a Son” and wanted to correct “Virgin” (virgin) to “Wife” (woman). However, an Angel appeared to him and forbade him to change his word, promising that Simeon would not die until he was convinced of the fulfillment of the prophecy. This is stated in the Gospel of Luke: “He was a righteous and pious man, looking forward to the consolation of Israel; and the Holy Spirit was upon him. It was foretold to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death until he saw Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:25-26).
On the day of the Presentation, what the elder had been waiting for all his long life was fulfilled. The prophecy has come true. The old man could now die peacefully. The righteous man took the baby in his arms and exclaimed: “Now, O Master, you are sending Your servant away in peace, according to Your word, for my eyes have seen Your salvation, which You have prepared before the face of all nations, a light to enlighten the Gentiles and the glory of Your people Israel” (Luke 2:29-32). The church named him Simeon the God-Receiver and glorified him as a saint.
In the 6th century, his relics were transferred to Constantinople. In 1200, the tomb of Saint Simeon was seen by a Russian pilgrim - Saint Anthony, the future Archbishop of Novgorod.
Candlemas. Andrea Celesti. 1710.
Bishop Theophan the Recluse wrote: “In the person of Simeon, the entire Old Testament, unredeemed humanity, passes into eternity in peace, giving way to Christianity...” In remembrance of this evangelical event, the Song of Simeon the Receiver of God is heard every day in Orthodox worship: “Now you let go.”
Who is Anna the Prophetess?
On the day of the Presentation, another meeting took place in the Jerusalem Temple. In the temple, an 84-year-old widow, “daughter of Phanuel,” approached the Mother of God. The townspeople called her Anna the Prophetess for her inspired speeches about God. She lived and worked at the temple for many years, “serving God day and night with fasting and prayer” (Luke 2:37-38).
Anna the prophetess bowed to the newborn Christ and left the temple, bringing the news to the townspeople about the coming of the Messiah, the deliverer of Israel. “And at that time she came up and glorified the Lord and prophesied about Him to all who were waiting for deliverance in Jerusalem” (Luke 2:36-38).
How did they begin to celebrate the Presentation of the Lord?
The Presentation of the Lord is one of the most ancient holidays of the Christian Church and completes the cycle of Christmas holidays. The holiday has been known in the East since the 4th century, in the West since the 5th century. The earliest evidence of the celebration of the Presentation in the Christian East dates back to the end of the 4th century. At that time, the Meeting in Jerusalem was not yet an independent holiday, but was called “the fortieth day from the Epiphany.” The texts of the sermons that were delivered on this day by Saints Cyril of Jerusalem, Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, John Chrysostom and other famous hierarchs have been preserved. But until the 6th century, this holiday was not celebrated so solemnly.
Candlemas. Rogier van der Weyden. Fragment
Under Emperor Justinian (527-565), in 544, Antioch was struck by a pestilence that killed several thousand people every day. During these days, one of the Christians was given instructions to celebrate the Presentation of the Lord more solemnly. The disasters truly ceased when an all-night vigil and religious procession were held on the day of the Presentation. Therefore, the Church in 544 established the solemn celebration of the Presentation of the Lord.
Since the 5th century, the names of the holiday have taken root: “Feast of the Meeting” (Candlemas) and “Feast of Purification.” In the East it is still called Candlemas, and in the West it was called the “Feast of Purification” until 1970, when a new name was introduced: “Feast of the Sacrifice of the Lord.”
In the Roman Catholic Church, the Feast of the Purification of the Virgin Mary, dedicated to the memory of the bringing of the baby Jesus into the temple and the purification rite performed by his mother on the fortieth day after the birth of her first child, is called Chandeleur, i.e. lamp. Lamp, feast of the Mother of God of Gromnica (feast of the Fiery Mary, Gromniyya) - that’s what Catholics call it.
Our Liturgical Charter - Typikon says nothing about the consecration of candles (and water) on the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord. The old missals do not contain anything like this. Only after 1946 did the rite of blessing candles for the Presentation of the Lord begin to be printed in breviaries, and this was associated with the transition from the union of the population of the regions of Western Ukraine. The custom of consecrating church candles on the feast of the Presentation of the Lord was transferred to the Orthodox Church from Catholics in the 17th century, when Metropolitan Peter Mogila edited the “Trebnik for the Little Russian dioceses.” For editing, in particular, the Roman missal was used, which described in detail the order of processions with lit lamps. In our country, the Latin Sretensky rite never took root, but the rite, thanks to Peter Mogila, remained (neither the Greeks nor the Old Believers have any trace of it). Therefore, in many dioceses of the Russian Church, candles are blessed either after the prayer behind the pulpit (like the rite of the Great Blessing of Water, which is “inserted” into the liturgy), or after the liturgy at a prayer service. And there are places where there is no custom of blessing candles. The “magical” attitude towards Sretensky candles is a relic of the pagan ritual of honoring fire, associated with the cult of Perun, and called “gromnitsy”.
Candlemas. Gerbrandt van den Eeckhout.
What does the “Softening Evil Hearts” icon mean?
The icon of the Most Holy Theotokos, which is called “” or “Simeon’s Prophecy,” is associated with the event of the Presentation of the Lord. It symbolically depicts the prophecy of Saint Simeon the God-Receiver, pronounced by him in the Jerusalem Temple on the Day of the Presentation of the Lord: “A weapon will pierce your own soul” (Luke 2:35).
The Mother of God is depicted standing on a cloud with seven swords piercing her heart: three on the right and left and one at the bottom. There are also half-length images of the Virgin Mary. The number seven signifies the fullness of grief, sadness and heartache experienced by the Mother of God in her earthly life. Sometimes the image is replenished with the image of the deceased Infant of God on the knees of the Mother of God.
What signs exist for Candlemas?
In Rus', this holiday was used to determine the start of spring field work. According to popular beliefs, Candlemas is the border between winter and spring, as evidenced by popular sayings: “Candlemas - winter meets spring and summer,” “Sun for summer, winter for frost.”
By the weather on the feast of the Presentation, peasants judged the coming spring and summer, the weather and the harvest. They judged spring like this: “What is the weather on Candlemas, so will spring.” It was believed that if there was a thaw on Candlemas, spring would be early and warm; if it was a cold day, expect a cold spring. Snow falling on this day means a long and rainy spring. If snow blows across the road on Candlemas, spring is late and cold. “On Candlemas morning, snow is the harvest of early grain; if at noon - medium; if it’s late in the evening.” “On the Meeting of Drops - the wheat harvest.” “At Candlemas, the wind brings fertility to fruit trees.”
Read a fragment from Joseph Brodsky’s poem “Candlemas”
