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An unfathomable miracle — the Son of God is born of the Virgin Mary and revealed to the world in the visible form of the Divine Infant.

When the Most Pure Virgin reached the age of fourteen, according to the Law of Moses she was to be given in marriage. However, having taken a vow of virginity, which was uncommon at that time, she was only betrothed to an elderly relative, Joseph.

Soon, Joseph discovered that Mary was expecting a child. According to Jewish law, a woman pregnant outside of marriage could be condemned to death by stoning. Yet the righteous Joseph did not expose her to public disgrace and instead resolved to let her go quietly.

However, in a divine vision, the Archangel Gabriel revealed to him that the child conceived in Mary was of divine origin — from the Holy Spirit.

At that time, by decree of the Roman Emperor Augustus, a census was taking place. Everyone had to travel to their ancestral city. Thus, Joseph and Mary went from Galilee to Judea, to the city of David — Bethlehem.

Upon arriving in Bethlehem, they found no room at the inn and stayed outside the town in a cave used by shepherds as shelter for their livestock. There, during the night, the Most Holy Virgin gave birth to the Divine Child — the Son of God, Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the world. She wrapped Him in swaddling clothes and laid Him in a manger, where animals were fed.

In the fields near Bethlehem, shepherds were tending their flocks when an angel appeared and brought them the joyful news:
“Do not be afraid! I bring you good tidings of great joy for all people: today in the city of David a Saviour has been born to you — Christ the Lord.”

Then a multitude of angels appeared, praising God and saying:
“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men.”

The Church celebrates the Nativity of Christ on December 25 (January 7 according to the Julian calendar).

In the fifteenth year of the reign of the Roman Emperor Tiberius, by divine inspiration, John — the son of the priest Zechariah — preached in the region of the Jordan River.

His message was simple: “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.”

Then Jesus Christ came to be baptized, but John tried to prevent Him, feeling unworthy to baptize One who had no need of repentance. He said: “I need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?”

But Jesus answered: “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to fulfill all righteousness and set an example for others.”

After this, Jesus entered the Jordan River and was baptized by John.

At that moment, John saw the Holy Spirit descending upon Jesus in the form of a dove, and he heard a voice from heaven:
“This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

John then proclaimed to the people: “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world.”

The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord is also known as the Epiphany, because through John the Baptist the mystery of the Holy Trinity was revealed: the voice of God the Father was heard, the Son of God was baptized, and the Holy Spirit descended upon Him.

On this day, as well as on its eve, the Great Blessing of Water is performed in churches, rivers, and lakes. Holy water is believed to have special spiritual and healing properties, sanctifying both soul and body.

The Church celebrates the Baptism of the Lord on January 6 (January 19 according to the Julian calendar).

According to the Law of the Prophet Moses, all Jewish parents were required to bring their firstborn sons to the Temple on the fortieth day after birth to dedicate them to God. This commandment was established in memory of the Exodus from Egypt, when the Angel of God struck down the firstborn of the Egyptians but spared the firstborn of the Israelites.

Thus, the Mother of God and the righteous Joseph brought the Infant Jesus Christ to the Temple, offering a sacrifice of a turtledove and a young pigeon.

At that time, there lived in Jerusalem a righteous elder named Simeon, to whom it had been revealed by the Holy Spirit that he would not die until he had seen Christ the Saviour with his own eyes.

Simeon was said to be one of the seventy translators of the Old Testament who worked on the Greek translation for the famous Library of Alexandria under King Ptolemy. When translating the words of the prophet Isaiah that a Virgin would bear a Son, Simeon doubted this, since a woman gives birth.

He attempted several times to replace the word “Virgin” with “woman,” but an angel stopped his hand and explained that the Saviour of the world would indeed be born of a Virgin who had known no man.

By the time of Christ’s birth, Simeon was already over 300 years old. When, guided by the Holy Spirit, he came to the Temple, he met (in Church Slavonic: “sretenie”) Christ and proclaimed:
“Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace, according to Thy word; for mine eyes have seen Thy salvation, which Thou hast prepared before the face of all people: a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of Thy people Israel.”

Simeon blessed Joseph and Mary and said:
“Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel… and a sword will pierce your own soul also.”

With these words, he foretold the sorrow of the Mother of God during the Passion of her Divine Son.

In remembrance of this meeting, the Church celebrates the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord on February 2 (February 15 according to the Julian calendar).

Three months before the birth of John the Baptist, in the eternal counsel of the Holy Trinity it was ordained that the Saviour of mankind, Jesus Christ, would be born of the Most Pure Virgin named Mary.

At the appointed moment, the Archangel Gabriel was sent from the throne of God to announce to her the conception of the Divine Child. Entering to her, the Archangel proclaimed:
“Rejoice, O full of grace! The Lord is with You; blessed are You among women, and blessed is the fruit of Your womb.”

The Virgin was troubled by such a greeting and pondered its meaning. Then Gabriel said to her:
“Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God; and behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign forever, and of His Kingdom there will be no end.”

Mary asked: “How shall this be, since I know not a man?”

Gabriel answered:
“The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore, the Holy One to be born will be called the Son of God.” (Luke 1:34–35)

In humility, Mary replied:
“Behold the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.”

From ancient times, the Holy Church has celebrated the Feast of the Annunciation with great solemnity and joy. As it is sung in the festal hymn:
“Today is the beginning of our salvation, and the revelation of the mystery from eternity: the Son of God becomes the Son of the Virgin…”

From this day, the life of the New Testament Church unfolds under the radiant sign of this wondrous event. As nature rejoices with the coming of spring, so the entire Orthodox world rejoices, marking the beginning of salvation for all humanity.

Saint Gregory of Nazianzus wrote:
“Pascha! The Lord’s Pascha! It is the feast of feasts and the triumph of triumphs; it surpasses all celebrations, not only human and earthly, but even those of Christ and for Christ, as the sun surpasses the stars.”

On the third day after His suffering and death, Jesus Christ, by the power of His divinity, rose from the dead. His human body was transformed. He came forth from the tomb without moving the stone, without breaking the seal, and unseen by the guards.

Suddenly, there was a great earthquake, and an angel of the Lord descended from heaven. He rolled away the stone from the entrance to the tomb and sat upon it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. The soldiers guarding the tomb trembled with fear and became as if dead, and later fled in terror.

At dawn, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, Salome, and other women came to the tomb of Christ with fragrant myrrh to anoint His body.

Mary Magdalene, arriving first, saw that the stone had been rolled away. She immediately ran to Peter and John, saying:
“They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him.”

Peter and John ran to the tomb and saw that the stone was removed. As they stood there, they beheld a radiant angel sitting on the stone, who said:
“Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. Then go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead.”

The celebration of the Resurrection of Christ (Pascha) is observed by the Church in spring, when nature itself awakens and rejoices. The date varies each year and is calculated according to a special ecclesiastical calendar.

According to the testimony of the Evangelists, Christ rose after midnight; therefore, the Paschal service traditionally begins around midnight.

The Orthodox Church prepares for this great feast through the longest period of fasting — Great Lent.

In the Gospel of John, the Lord says:
“I came forth from the Father and have come into the world; again, I leave the world and go to the Father.” (John 16:28)

Jesus Christ always remained in His divine power. Having completed His earthly path in the flesh, He accepted death on the Cross and, descending into hell, freed those who were held captive there. Only after this did He ascend by His own divine power.

Through His Ascension, the Lord opened the way to the heavenly sanctuary, which had previously been closed to all. In the person of the perfect Man and true God, the path to the Kingdom of the Heavenly Father was revealed to humanity. The Saviour Himself assured us of this:
“I go to prepare a place for you.” (John 14:2)

As it is written in the Gospel of Luke:
“And He led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up His hands He blessed them. While He blessed them, He parted from them and was carried up into heaven. And they worshipped Him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple praising and blessing God. Amen.” (Luke 24:50–53)

The Feast of the Ascension is celebrated on the 40th day after Pascha.

Since the time of Moses, the Old Testament Church celebrated the Feast of Pentecost in remembrance of the giving of the Law on Mount Sinai, when the prophet received from God the stone tablets inscribed with the Ten Commandments. This feast was observed seven weeks after the Jewish Passover.

The Old Testament Pentecost became a prototype of the New Testament Pentecost — the Feast of the Holy Trinity — the day of the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles. The Lord had promised His disciples to send them the Comforter, the Spirit of Truth.

Ten days after the Ascension, on the day of the Jewish Pentecost, the disciples of Jesus Christ were gathered together on Mount Zion, in the Upper Room. Suddenly, there came a sound from heaven like a rushing mighty wind, and tongues of fire appeared above the Apostles and rested upon them.

At once, the Apostles began to glorify God in many different languages. The inhabitants of Jerusalem were astonished by the preaching of Peter, which reached every heart. Many were baptized on that very day.

The Divine fire of the Holy Spirit, having descended upon the Apostles, sanctified them and made them the first hierarchs of the Church. Filled with the Holy Spirit, they received the power to pass on this grace to others through the laying on of hands. Thus were ordained the first bishops, priests, and deacons. From that time until today, the unbroken succession of this grace continues in the Holy Orthodox Church.

The Feast of the Holy Trinity is celebrated on the 50th day after Pascha.

The Prophet John the Baptist was the son of the priest Zechariah (of the line of Aaron) and the righteous Elizabeth (of the lineage of King David). His parents lived near Hebron, in the hill country south of Jerusalem.

Through his mother, he was related to Jesus Christ and was born six months before Him. As the Evangelist Luke recounts, the Archangel Gabriel appeared to his father Zechariah in the Temple and announced the birth of a son. Thus, to the devout couple—who had long remained childless even into old age—a child was finally granted through prayer.

By God’s mercy, John escaped death during the massacre of infants in Bethlehem and its surroundings. He grew up in the wilderness, preparing himself for a great mission through a life of strict asceticism, fasting, and prayer. He wore rough clothing fastened with a leather belt and lived on wild honey and locusts. He remained in the desert until, at the age of thirty, God called him to preach to the people of Israel.

Answering this calling, John appeared on the banks of the Jordan River to prepare the people for the coming of the expected Messiah (Christ). Large crowds gathered there, especially before the feast of purification, to perform ritual washings.

There, John addressed them, preaching repentance and baptism for the forgiveness of sins. The essence of his message was that before receiving outward purification, people must first cleanse themselves spiritually and morally, thus preparing to receive the Gospel.

Of course, John’s baptism was not yet the sacrament of Christian baptism. Its meaning lay in spiritual preparation for the future baptism by water and the Holy Spirit.

Today, the Holy Church glorifies two great Christian ascetics, calling them “the foremost among the Apostles and teachers of the universe.”

Why are the holy Apostles Peter the Apostle and Paul the Apostle called “foremost” and “chief”? Not because they were given supreme authority over the other Apostles—there is no such evidence in the Gospel or in apostolic history. When the Savior said, “You are Peter, and on this rock I will build My Church” (Matthew 16:18), the “rock” should be understood not as Peter himself, but as his confession—his firm faith in Christ.

Following Peter, the other Apostles confessed the same faith, and the Church is founded upon this shared confession. As Saint Cyprian of Carthage wrote, “The other Apostles were what Peter was, endowed with equal honor and authority.”

Thus, Peter and Paul are called “chief” not because of superiority in power, but because of honor. And what earned them such honor? Their great labors. All the Apostles worked tirelessly in preaching the Gospel, but these two labored more than all (1 Cor. 15:10). Traveling from city to city and from country to country, they zealously proclaimed the Word of God, courageously enduring hardships and suffering.

As the Apostle Paul himself said: “I have labored more abundantly… in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often… three times I was beaten with rods… once I was stoned… three times I was shipwrecked…” (2 Cor. 11:23–32).

The Lord commanded His Apostles to go to all nations, teaching and baptizing them (Matthew 28:19–20). All the Apostles faithfully fulfilled this command, but Peter and Paul especially became renowned for their preaching. In a world filled with falsehood, pride, and evil, they brought divine truth and light—the kingdom of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17). Through them, thousands came to Christ.

The Feast of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul is celebrated on June 29 (July 12 according to the Julian calendar).

The time of the Passion of Jesus Christ was drawing near.

Wishing to strengthen and encourage His disciples in their faith, the Saviour allowed them to behold His divine glory. Taking three of them — Peter, James, and John — He ascended Mount Tabor and began to pray.

During prayer, the face of the Lord shone like the sun, and His garments became white as snow. Suddenly, the prophets Moses and Elijah appeared and spoke with Him about His coming suffering and death.

The apostles, witnessing this, were filled with great joy. Peter exclaimed:
“Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, let us make three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”

Then a bright cloud overshadowed them, and the voice of God the Father was heard:
“This is My beloved Son; listen to Him.”

The disciples fell to the ground in fear. But the Saviour came to them, touched them, and said:
“Rise, and do not be afraid.”

When they lifted their eyes, they saw Jesus alone in His usual form. As they descended from the mountain, He commanded them not to tell anyone what they had seen until He had risen from the dead.

On the Feast of the Transfiguration, after the Divine Liturgy, fruits are brought to the church and blessed — grapes, apples, and pears.

The Orthodox Church celebrates the Transfiguration of the Lord on August 6 (August 19 according to the Julian calendar).

After the Ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Apostles returned to Jerusalem. With them was the Mother of God, who, according to the will of her Divine Son, was then living with John the Theologian on Mount Zion.

Here the Most Pure Virgin spent the remainder of her earthly life, striving with all her being toward Heaven. Each day, the Mother of God would go to pray on the Mount of Olives, to the place where her Divine Son had prayed.

One day, during prayer, the Archangel Gabriel appeared to her, holding a branch of a heavenly palm. He gave it to her and said: “Your Son and our God awaits you with Angels, Archangels, and all the Heavenly Powers. In three days you will depart, and He will take you, His Mother, into His heavenly Kingdom, where you will dwell with Him forever.”

With great joy, the Theotokos received the news of her approaching repose. All the Apostles, except the Apostle Thomas, were miraculously brought on clouds from the ends of the earth to the house of the Mother of God on Zion at the time of her passing.

With prayer on her lips, the Most Pure One surrendered her soul to the Lord. At that moment, a radiant light of divine glory shone, and angelic singing was heard, repeating the words with which Archangel Gabriel had once greeted the Virgin Mary: “Rejoice, O Full of Grace, the Lord is with you! Blessed are you among women!”

The Apostles carried her most pure body through Jerusalem, across the Kidron Valley to Gethsemane, where her parents and her betrothed, the righteous Joseph, were buried. They laid her body in a tomb and sealed the entrance with a large stone.

On the third day, the Apostle Thomas arrived and was grieved that he had not been present. Wishing to console him, the Apostles opened the tomb. To their amazement, it was empty, and only the burial shroud remained.

Later, as they gathered together, they heard angelic singing and saw the Most Pure Virgin Mary surrounded by angels. She said to them: “Rejoice, for I am with you always.”

Thus, on the third day after her repose, the Mother of God was resurrected and taken bodily into the Heavenly Abodes.

In memory of this event, the Holy Church established the Feast of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos on August 15 (August 28 according to the Julian calendar).

“When the time drew near for the Savior of the world to be born, there lived in the Galilean city of Nazareth a descendant of King David, Joachim, and his wife Anna. Both were devout people, known not for their royal lineage, but for their humility and mercy. Their entire lives were filled with love for God and for others. They lived to old age but had no children, which deeply grieved them. Nevertheless, they never ceased to pray that God would grant them a child. They made a vow that if a child were born to them, they would dedicate it to the service of God.

At that time, every Jew hoped that through their descendants they might partake in the coming of the Messiah—that is, Christ the Savior. Therefore, childlessness was regarded with disdain and considered a punishment from God. This was especially difficult for Joachim, as a descendant of King David, since it was from his lineage that Christ was to be born.

For their patience, great faith, and love for God and one another, the Lord granted Joachim and Anna great joy. At the end of their lives, a daughter was born to them. By the command of an angel, she was given the name Mary, which in Hebrew means “Lady” or “Hope.”

The birth of Mary brought joy not only to her parents but to all people, for she was destined by God to become the Mother of the Son of God—the Savior of the world.

The Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos is celebrated on September 8 (September 21 according to the Julian calendar).

At the beginning of the 4th century, the Byzantine emperor Constantine the Great, who was still a pagan at that time, saw a miraculous sign during his war with Maxentius. In the sky appeared a cross formed of stars, along with the words: “In this sign, you shall conquer.”

Frightened by what he thought was a bad omen, Constantine was reassured that same night when Jesus Christ appeared to him in a dream and commanded him to make a military standard bearing the image of the Cross.

The emperor obeyed and won the battle. After this, he began to show even greater favor toward Christians, knowing that his mother, Empress Helena, was a Christian.

Saint Helena fervently desired to find the very Cross on which the Saviour had been crucified. In 324, she arrived in Jerusalem. An angel appeared to her in a dream, guiding her in the search for the great relic. She was led to a place where the Cross had been buried.

At the site of Christ’s crucifixion and His Holy Sepulchre, Emperor Hadrian had previously built a pagan temple dedicated to Venus. Helena ordered it to be destroyed, and beneath it, in a stone cistern, three crosses were discovered.

However, the tablet that had been placed on the Cross of the Lord lay separately, making it impossible to determine which of the three was the true Cross. Only miracles performed by one of the crosses revealed the true Cross of the Saviour.

All present wished to venerate the Cross. Then the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Macarius, raised (exalted) the Cross of the Lord, blessing the people. From this event, the feast received its name — the Exaltation.

In remembrance of the suffering and death of the Saviour on the Cross, a strict fast is observed on this day.

The Feast of the Exaltation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord is celebrated on September 14 (September 27 according to the Julian calendar).

At the beginning of the 10th century, Byzantium — a stronghold of Christianity — came under attack from fierce pagan Saracen invaders. The conquerors plundered and destroyed cities, enslaved peaceful inhabitants, and subjected them to cruel tortures.

Christians were filled with fear; churches were crowded with people praying fervently to the Almighty and to His Most Pure Mother for deliverance from this terrible calamity.

In the capital of Byzantium, Constantinople, in the Blachernae Church of the Most Holy Theotokos, the holy fool-for-Christ Andrew of Constantinople was praying near the altar. A man of deep piety and righteousness, he lifted his eyes to heaven and beheld a wondrous vision:

The Most Holy Lady, our Theotokos, appeared in the air, radiant with heavenly light and surrounded by angels, prophets, and apostles. With her were John the Baptist and John the Theologian.

Kneeling, the Holy Virgin prayed with tears for the Christians. Then, having finished her prayer, she removed her veil (omophorion) and spread it over the people praying in the church, protecting them from visible and invisible enemies.

All the people beheld this miraculous vision with awe. A small Greek army was filled with courage and marched out of the city gates with prayers and hymns to meet the countless enemy forces.

Suddenly, panic broke out among the Saracens, and they fled in confusion, trampling one another. At the same time, a violent storm arose, destroying the enemy fleet.

Those who survived returned to their lands, telling of their mysterious defeat and the heavenly aid granted to the people of Byzantium.

The bright and solemn Feast of the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos is celebrated on October 1 (October 14 according to the Julian calendar).

“The finding of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God took place on July 8, 1579, in the city of Kazan, a quarter of a century after the conquest of the Kazan Khanate by Tsar Ivan the Terrible. In June 1579, a devastating fire reduced a large part of the city and the Kazan Kremlin to ashes. Among the buildings destroyed was the home of the streltsy soldier Daniil Onuchin.

When he decided to rebuild his house on the same site, his ten-year-old daughter Matrona saw the Mother of God in a dream. She instructed the girl to inform the archbishop and the city authorities so that they might uncover her Kazan Icon at the site of the recent fire. At first, no one paid attention to the child’s words. Only after the third apparition did Matrona tearfully beg her mother to follow the command of the Theotokos and dig at the indicated place. As a result, they discovered the icon of the Kazan Mother of God, shining with a miraculous light.

News of the miracle quickly spread throughout Kazan. The site where the icon was found became a place of pilgrimage for many people. After a prayer service, the icon was solemnly transferred to the Kazan Annunciation Cathedral. The first recorded miracle was the restoration of sight to two blind men, Joseph and Nikita.

The Kazan Icon of the Mother of God later saved the nuns of the Russian Orthodox Gornensky Monastery in Jerusalem during a cholera epidemic in Palestine, and the main church of the monastery was dedicated in its honor.

The feast of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God is celebrated on October 21 (November 3 according to the Julian calendar).

“Sacred Tradition tells us that when the Virgin Mary was six months old, her mother, the righteous Anna, made a vow before God, saying to her daughter: ‘You shall not walk upon the earth until I bring you into the Temple of the Lord.’ She arranged a special place and chose pure Jewish maidens to help raise her Daughter.

When the child turned three, her parents brought her to the Temple.

In those times, the Jews dedicated to God their firstborn children, both male and female, who were raised in the courts of the Temple until maturity.

The intention to dedicate the Virgin Mary to the Temple became known throughout Jerusalem. When the time came, the procession to the Temple was solemn: all walked with lit candles, singing psalms and sacred hymns.

The steps of the Temple porch, at the lowest of which the Most Pure Child was placed, numbered fifteen steep steps. Yet she, unsupported and as if inspired by love for God, quickly ascended all the steps to the very top of the Temple platform, astonishing all who were present.

The High Priest Zachariah, meeting Mary there and foreseeing by the Spirit her great destiny, led her into the Holy of Holies—a place where no one was permitted to enter, and where even the High Priest himself could enter only once a year. This was the innermost part of the Temple, where the Ark of the Covenant had once been kept. Zachariah appointed this as a place for Mary’s constant prayer, which amazed everyone in the Temple.

The righteous Joachim and Anna, entrusting their Child to the will of the Heavenly Father, returned home after offering thanksgiving sacrifices. The Most Holy Virgin remained in the Temple, growing up among other maidens who were also dedicated to God. They were taught by pious women of pure life, skilled in Scripture and handiwork.

According to Tradition, the Holy Maiden spent her days in the Temple in this way: from early morning until the ninth hour she stood in prayer; from the ninth to the twelfth hour she worked and read the Holy Scriptures, and then prayed again until an Angel appeared to bring her food. She spun flax and wool, embroidered with silk thread—especially priestly garments—and was highly skilled in all these works.

Her constant пребывание in the Temple—fasting, prayer, and reading of Scripture—prepared her for the joyful event for all humanity: the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Feast of the Presentation of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple is celebrated on November 21 (December 4 according to the Julian calendar).