What is the Meeting of the Virgin Mary? Candlemas

Joseph Brodsky - Presentation

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sophronius of Jerusalem - Homily on the Presentation of the Lord

We, beloved, knowing this [the story of the Presentation of the Lord], Let us go together to meet Christ our God, having self-control, bringing purity and kindness, showing forgetfulness of offenses, freeing ourselves from worldly worries, presenting ourselves pure before God, distinguished by meekness of disposition and good will, having mutual love for everyone, as well as sympathy and compassion. By doing this, we will meet the coming Christ, we will see Him, we will take Him in our arms, we will confess Him with a prophetic word, praising His coming to us, and with a majestic voice we will glorify the mercy He showed us - so that we may reach the kingdom of heaven and enjoy eternal blessings in Christ the Redeemer and Savior to our God, to Him, together with the beginningless God the Father and the All-Holy Spirit, be glory, honor and worship, now and ever and unto ages of ages.

Read the Word of St. Sophronia in full

Cyril of Jerusalem - Homily on the Meeting of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and on Simeon the God-Receiver

3. With Zion, the people of tongues, carrying lamps, let us go out to the meeting: we will go into the temple, together with the Temple, which is God and Christ. With the Angels let us exclaim the song of the Angels: Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts, the heavens and the earth are filled with His glory (Isa. 6:3): the ends of the world are full of His goodness, all creation is filled with His praise: all humanity is filled with His condescension. Heavenly, earthly and underworld are full of the essence of His mercy: full of His mercy, full of generosity, full of gifts, full of His benefits.

4. So, all the nations clasp your hands (Ps. 46:2): all the ends of the earth, come and see the works of God (Ps. 66:5). Let every breath praise the Lord (Ps. 150:6), let all the earth bow down (Ps. 66:4), and let every tongue sing, let everyone sing praises, let everyone praise the Child of God, the forty-day-old and eternal: the Child who is small and ancient of days (Dan. 7:9): The child of things that exist and the Creator of ages (Heb. 1:2). I see a baby, I know my God: a baby who lives and nourishes the world: a baby who weeps and gives life and joy to the world: a baby who is entwined and delivers me from the swaddling clothes of sin: a baby in the arms of his mother, with the flesh truly, and inseparably, on earth: and The same in the bosom of the Father, truly and inseparably in heaven.

Read the Word of St. Kirill completely

Amphilochius of Iconium - Two words for the Presentation of the Lord

Anna at that time came up, glorified the Lord and spoke about Him to all those awaiting deliverance in Jerusalem. Do you see Anna's greatness? She became the protector of the Lord and announced Him in the face of Himself. Oh, miracle! A widow, she denounced the bishops and scribes and, denouncing them, inspired the whole people. She observed the Lord and pointed out the coming deliverance in Jerusalem, addressing all those gathered and declaring to them the signs of the Lord. Anna saw the Lord in a newborn child, she saw the gifts and cleansing sacrifices offered for Him and with Him, but was not embarrassed by the fact that He was young. Anna confessed the baby as God, Physician, All-Powerful Redeemer, Destroyer of Sins.

Don't ignore what Anna said. She addressed the audience, pointing out to everyone present the acts of the Lord: “Don’t you see the Baby, how He reaches out to the Mother’s nipple, and then clings to the other, clings to the mother’s breast, who has not yet set foot on the ground, receiving circumcision in the eighth day? Can't you see This Child? It was He who created the eyelids, He who established the heavens, He who spread out the earth, He who fenced the sea with shores. This Child brings forth winds from his treasures, This Child under Noah opened the flood gates, This Child created streams of rain, This Child blows snow like a white cloth. This Child, through the rod of Moses, freed our forefathers from the land of Egypt, divided the Red Sea and led them through a green plain, and pouring out manna for them in the desert, gave them a land flowing with milk and honey as their inheritance. This Child predetermined that this temple, through the labors of the fathers, would rise to heights. This Child, making an oath to Abraham, said: By multiplying I will multiply your seed like the stars of heaven and like the sand on the seashore. About this Child, the prophetic host, offering prayers, said: Raise up your strength and come to save us. May the Child not confuse you with His infancy. One and the same is both the Child and the Co-originator with the Father, One and the same and is counted in years, and no one can confess His family, One and the same and babbles like a baby, and gives wisdom to the lips. One is due to his birth from the Virgin, the other is due to the incomprehensibility of His existence. And Isaiah also made it clear about this, who says: To us a child is born, to us a son is given. As a child He was born, as a Son He was given. Such is He in the visible and the Other in the intelligible.”

The first and second words of St. Amphilochia

Theophan the Recluse - Three words for the Presentation of the Lord

There will be, brethren, the meeting of the Lord that will once be common to the entire human race, when a voice is heard: Behold the bridegroom is coming, come ye to the meeting. Only those who have become accustomed to this meeting here will joyfully greet Him, have tasted His power while still on the path of this life, or at least have laid down a decisive intention to achieve this and have begun the work necessary in this undertaking, namely the work of purifying the heart by steadily fulfilling all the commandments of God. Those who are not accustomed to this meeting will be amazed by that voice: go to the meeting, and from the meeting of the Lord they will perceive not joy, but fear and trembling, which, having begun where there are no changes of time, will forever remain in them later, constituting for them their own hell - the property outcasts. Think about this, brothers, and from this receive a new, special impulse to zealously fulfill the commandments of God, leading to purity and dispassion and worthy of meeting the Lord in the spirit, which, pleasing here, lays a solid foundation and undoubted hope for receiving the bliss there. How the Lord will be pleased by the one who now puts his mother-in-law in this way and not otherwise in the way of his remaining life. May the Lord bless such an undertaking.

The first, second and third words of St. Feofana

Him from the “Gospel Story”

Feast service

Rejoice, blessed Virgin Mary, / for from You has arisen the Sun of righteousness, Christ our God, / enlightening those in darkness. / Rejoice also, O righteous elder, / who accepted into the arms of the Liberator of our souls, / who gives us resurrection.

Read in full in Russian, in Church Slavonic

Andrey Kuraev - Miracle of meeting

Meeting is a meeting between man and God. The old, very old Jerusalem priest Simeon had been waiting all his life to meet God. Even old age itself was given to him as a punishment for having once lost his faith. And in that moment of long-standing doubt, he was told: you will not die until you yourself see the fulfillment of the prophecies. And now this day has come. And what - the heavens opened up, and in the jubilant choir of Angels the Heavenly Light descended to Simeon? Did the fiery chariot that appeared to Elijah and Ezekiel rush before Simeon? Did the cloud with a thundering voice and flashes of lightning, from which Moses once heard the Ten Commandments, shine upon the old man? No. A young mother came, and in her arms was a month-old baby... But that heart-tremor, which was familiar to Moses, Elijah, and Ezekiel, suddenly pierced Simeon, and the long-ready words were reflected in his heart: “Now you are releasing your servant , Lord..." “Now You let me go, You let me go on the road of the fathers, You allow me to go through the door of death, and these gates are no longer scary for me - for I have seen the Salvation of my and Your people”...

Do you understand the meaning of this miracle? It is not angels who bring God to man, but people! And to this day, the road that leads to Heaven is shown to us not by archangels or wondrous visions, but by people, their human words and human actions. Simple people, in whose words and retellings of the Gospel our heart suddenly recognizes a ray of Truth. But when we then follow this ray, it turns out that this method of transmitting the Heavenly Gospel to us through earthly people was by no means accidental. It turns out that without people you cannot come to God at all. And if the Creator did not disdain to become one of us, then it means that the so often encountered desire for “pure spirituality” (without people, without the Church, without communication with people in prayer and sacraments) obviously does not come from God.

Meeting with God. Trying to tell how and from what it comes is more difficult than trying to write instructions on how true love grows in the human heart.

Anthony of Sourozh - The Presentation of the Lord

There are holidays when the soul is so filled with jubilation that the hand does not rise to worldly labor, but there are also those when the hand does not rise, because the heart is full of either sorrow or sacred horror. The Feast of the Presentation of the Lord combines both of these features. Christ is met by Simeon the God-Receiver, an old man who lived a righteous life, who was promised by God that he would not see death until he met the Savior of the world, who came to accomplish His work of reconciliation and transformation of the world. Together with him, Anna the prophetess testifies to this joy. The expectation of not only the Old Testament, but of all humanity from the beginning of the world, its desire, longing, hope that the Lord would come and there would no longer be an impassable gulf between Him and us, was fulfilled. At the same time, these righteous people rejoice that not only the past, but also the future is now justified and shining with hope and joy. The Lord has come, and salvation has come, hope has come, which no grief, no earthly horror can extinguish, because God is already among us, Christ is among us, and no one will snatch us either from His hand or from His love.

But at the same time, the feast of the Presentation of the Lord bears the deep stamp of sacred horror and sorrow.

Read the entire sermon of Anthony of Sourozh

His other sermon

Georgy Chistyakov - Meeting

If you look at the story of the Meeting of the Lord as an icon, then in the center there will be a Baby in the arms of the Mother, Simeon and Anna are standing on the right. She brings Him to Simeon. In the person of Simeon the God-Receiver, all the wise men of the Old Testament seem to be represented, and in the person of 84-year-old Anna - all the wives of the Old Testament: Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, Deborah, etc. The Mother of God is next to Joseph. Simeon with Anna and Maria are people whose lives can be described in one word: fidelity. But for Simeon or Anna it is the fidelity of expectation. Anna is already 84 years old, and she does not leave the temple day or night, remaining in prayer and fasting, that is, she lives in complete fidelity to God. Simeon is so faithful to the expectation of the Messiah, Christ, who must come in the flesh to this world, that he cannot even die until he sees Him. And fidelity to Mary is already fidelity to co-work, fidelity to being with Christ and working with Him.

And at the same time, the Mother of the Lord hears strange words, which neither She nor Joseph at first understood, and even seemed embarrassed. The Elder took the Baby in his arms and said: “Here lies this Child for the fall and rising of many in Israel,” that is, through Him many people will stumble and fall, and many will rise, rise, and come to life: “And a weapon will pierce your very soul.” This means that there will be trials in the heart of the Mother of God through Her Son. By this he predicted Her suffering from the first days. We think that the Mother of God had no temptations, but if even Her Divine Son had temptations, She also had such trials.

On this day, the Christian Church remembers the events described in the Gospel of Luke, namely in I meet the baby Jesus with the elder Simeon 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 permanent 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 of Jerusalem to make the legally established thanksgiving sacrifice to God for the firstborn.

What kind of sacrifice in ancient Judea had to be performed 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 forgiveness of sins - a dove. 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 tradition, but the Mosaic Law, installed 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. She came to the temple out of humility and to fulfill the law. Two doves became the cleansing sacrifice of the Mother of God, since the family into which Jesus was born was poor.

Rembrandt van Rijn. Candlemas

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. His name was Simeon. In Hebrew, Simeon means “hearing.”

Tradition says that Simeon lived 360 years t. 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.

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 in peace. 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. 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.”

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

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.” It should be noted that until the 6th century this holiday was not celebrated so solemnly.

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.”

Icon “Softening Evil Hearts”

What does the “Softening Evil Hearts” icon mean?

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

What signs exist for Candlemas?

By mid-February, frosts in Russia begin to weaken, and the approach of spring can be felt in the air. In our country, the weather on this holiday usually determined 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 is a thaw at Candlemas- spring will be early and warm, if it's a cold day- wait for a cold spring. Snow that fell on this day- for a long and rainy spring. If on Candlemas there is snow blowing across the road- 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 about the fertility of fruit trees.”

Meeting (Church Slavic “meeting”) is the twelfth, that is, one of the twelve most important holidays of the Christian Church, celebrated.
The name Meeting of the Lord is associated with the significant gospel meeting of the Infant Jesus Christ with the righteous Simeon in the Jerusalem Temple. This event in gospel history marks the meeting of the Old and New Testaments. Celebrated on the fortieth day after the Nativity of Christ, all our churches celebrate the Feast of the Presentation of Our Lord Jesus Christ - the Feast of the Meeting.

Icon Image of the Presentation of the Lord

History of the holiday of the Presentation of the Lord.

The holiday of the Presentation of the Lord is based on the story of the Evangelist Luke about the bringing of the forty-day-old baby Jesus to the Jerusalem Temple, where the significant meeting of the Divine Infant with the Old Testament righteous Simeon took place, which gave the name to the holiday. The meeting of Simeon, who became a symbol of the Old Testament people of Israel, and the baby Jesus Christ in the Jerusalem Temple is not only a gospel event; its significance for Christianity is immeasurably greater than simply the fact of the earthly life of the God-man. The Meeting of the Lord in the history of Christianity symbolizes the meeting of the Old and New Testaments.

On the 40th day after his birth, the Infant of God was brought to the Jerusalem Temple - 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 child was forbidden to enter the temple of God for 40 days. After this period, the mother came to the temple with the baby to bring a thanksgiving and cleansing sacrifice to the Lord. The Most Holy Virgin, the Mother of God, had no need for purification, for she unknowingly gave birth to the Source of purity and holiness, but out of deep humility She submitted to the dictates 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 Righteous Joseph brought the Infant Jesus there to perform the legal rite. The God-receiver Simeon took the Divine Infant in his arms, and, blessing God, uttered a prophecy about the Savior of the world: “Now you are releasing Your servant, O Lord, according to Your word in peace, for my eyes have seen Your salvation, which You have prepared before the face of all nations, a light for the enlightenment of the pagans. and the glory of Your people Israel" (Luke 2:29 - 32). Righteous Simeon said to the Most Holy Virgin: “Behold, this One is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel and for the subject of controversy, and a weapon will pierce Your own soul, so 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, daughter of Phanuel, “who did not leave the temple, serving God day and night with fasting and prayer. And at that time she approached, glorified the Lord and spoke about Him (the Infant of God) to everyone who was waiting deliverance in Jerusalem" (Luke 2:37 - 38).
Before the Nativity of Christ, all righteous men and wives lived by faith in the Coming Messiah, the Savior of the world and awaited His coming. The last righteous people of the outgoing Old Testament - 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 holiday of the Presentation of the Lord is one of the most ancient holidays of the Christian Church. It is known that on the day of this celebration, sermons were delivered by Saints Methodius of Patara (+ 312), Cyril of Jerusalem (+ 360), Gregory the Theologian (+ 389), Amphilochius of Iconium (+ 394), Gregory of Nyssa (+ 400), John Chrysostom (+ 407 ). But, despite its early origin, this holiday was not celebrated so solemnly until the 6th century. In 528, under Emperor Justinian (527 - 565), Antioch suffered a disaster - an earthquake, from which many people died. This misfortune was followed by another. In 544, a pestilence appeared, killing several thousand people every day. During these days of national calamity, it was revealed to one of the pious Christians that the celebration of the Presentation of the Lord should be celebrated more solemnly.
When the all-night vigil and procession of the cross were held on the day of the Presentation of the Lord, the disasters in Byzantium ceased. In gratitude to God, the Church in 544 established a more solemn celebration of the Presentation of the Lord.

Associated with the event of the Presentation of the Lord is the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos, called “The Softening of Evil Hearts”, or “Simeon’s Prophecy”, which must be distinguished from the “Seven Arrow” icon.
The icon “Simeon’s Prophecy” symbolizes the fulfillment of the prophecy of the righteous elder Simeon: “A weapon will pierce your soul” (Luke 2:35).

Editor's response

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?

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.

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 “gromnitsa”.

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”

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.

Candlemas

one 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).

CANDLEMAS

Presentation 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