Particularly important events from the earthly life of the Mother of God are remembered by the Orthodox Church on holidays. The celebration of the Annunciation of the Mother of God is celebrated on April 7 in a new style and is one of the main twelve holidays of the Orthodox Church.
The holy apostle and evangelist Luke tells in his gospel about the event of the appearance of the archangel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary with the aim of proclaiming to her the good news of the conception of the Son of God. That is why this holiday is called “Annunciation”. All the greatness of this event can be seen in the fact that even during the days of Holy Great Lent, this date implies indulgence in abstinence.
The Orthodox Church puts a very serious meaning into the event of the Annunciation to the Virgin Mary. So, in the main song of the holiday (troparion) it is said that this day is the beginning of the salvation of all people. Archangel Gabriel announced the good news, which became a joy not only for those who were waiting for the Messiah the Savior, but for all people. He told the Mother of God that she would conceive and give birth to a Son, who would need to be named Jesus, because this child would save people from their sins.
The Mother of God was in confusion, as she was a virgin and did not know her husband. But the archangel said that the one born to her will be of the Holy Spirit. This is a great miracle that is accepted by Orthodox Christians. The Mother of God humbly gave her consent, which became the beginning of the embodiment of God's plan for the salvation of people.
Thus, it turns out that it was the good news of the conception and the subsequent birth of Christ that became the beginning of the proclamation of all salvation that God planned in relation to man, because in order to save people, it was necessary first to incarnate. This is the main essence and meaning of the feast of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos. We can say that this event held all the hope and faith of the Jewish people in the promised Savior.
