On February 15, the Russian Orthodox Church celebrates the Meeting. This is the final stage of the Christmas holidays. It is dedicated to the cleansing of the Virgin Mary and the bringing to the temple of Jesus of Nazareth.
What a feast of the Presentation
The meeting is referred to the twelve-year holidays. On this day, the church remembers a very important event in the earthly life of Jesus Christ. Before the Nativity of Christ, everyone lived with hope and faith in the coming Messiah, the Savior of the world, and awaited his coming.
40 days after the birth of Jesus Christ, according to the then custom, Mary carried the baby to the temple to redeem him from God, since according to Hebrew beliefs, all newborns belonged to God.
The “meeting” took place in the Jerusalem temple, where Mary with the baby in her arms was met by the God-sent elder Simeon, accompanied by the prophetess Anna.
An icon of the Most Holy Theotokos called "Softening Evil Hearts" or "Simeon's Prophecy", which symbolizes the fulfillment of the prophecy of Elder Simeon, is associated with the event of the Presentation.
Simeon took the baby Jesus in his arms with the prophetic words that "Jesus will go out to the ministry of saving people." Then the elder blessed Mary, who was very surprised at his words.
However, for about 500 years there have been disputes between theologians, because the reliability of this event has no evidence. The meeting was recognized as a holiday only at the beginning of the 4th century. It was intended to supplant the pagan holiday of purification and repentance on the territory of the Roman Empire, but it did not take root for a long time. It was only in the 6th century that it began to be celebrated as a great holiday. However, it did not receive wide recognition among believers at that time. In Russia, in the popular consciousness, the Meeting was associated with phenological moments.
Celebration according to the folk calendar
“If there is a blizzard at the meeting, there will be no bread,” said the peasants of the Saratov province.
The people interpreted "meeting" as a meeting between winter and spring. “On the Meeting, the sun for the summer, winter for the frost,” they used to say in the old days. Many folk signs are associated with this day. For example, if there is a snowstorm at the Meeting, there will be a bad harvest. And if there is a thaw on February 15, and the hen can drink water that day, then spring promises to be early. There was also a sign related to the holiday itself. It was considered an unkind omen if on that day a hare crossed the road, and if a wolf - on the contrary, for good.
Like other popular Christian holidays, the Meeting was celebrated with special economic concerns. On this day, prices for bread were determined at the bazaar. The peasants tried to cope with the work and dine before dark. Women on this day did not weave canvases and did not spin them in the fire.
