Today, December 4, a major church holiday is celebrated, officially named the Entry (Entrance) into the Temple of Our Most Holy Lady, the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary.
The service on this day is almost indistinguishable from other major feasts dedicated to the Virgin Mary (the Nativity of the Virgin Mary and the Assumption of the Virgin Mary).
What is the history of the holiday?
This holiday, among all the major feasts, began to be celebrated later than all the others. Until the 8th century, this story was only related to the feast of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary (which is celebrated on September 21).
For the first time, this feast began to be celebrated separately in Constantinople in the 8th century, and it was there that the order of the service gradually developed. By the 10th and especially in the 11th century, the holiday acquired the solemn structure we are familiar with today. Today, this holiday has one day of pre-festivity and four days of post-festivity.
What is remembered on this day?
On this day, the event from church traditions is remembered about the first visit of the young Virgin Mary to the Jerusalem temple for her dedication to God.
Let us recall that Mary's parents, Joachim and Anna, were childless for many years and made a vow to dedicate their child to God. Mary was born in Nazareth and lived there with her parents until she was three years old. However, when she grew up, Joachim and Anna fulfilled their vow and, gathering relatives, led the girl to the Jerusalem temple with hymns and lit candles.
They traveled for three days with short stops to rest. When the solemn procession reached its destination, they were met by a group of priests led by the archpriest Zacharias, who would later become the father of John the Baptist.
The girl was placed on the first of 15 steps leading to the temple, symbolizing the 15 psalms. Then Mary ascended them by herself. Zacharias, inspired from above, brought the little girl into the Holy of Holies, where only the high priest entered once a year, and there pointed out to her the place of prayer. From that time on, only the Virgin Mary among all women was allowed to enter the inner altar for prayer.
Joachim and Anna returned home, leaving their daughter to live in the temple premises. While living there, she became acquainted with the text of the Holy Scriptures, helped raise pious girls, and prayed tirelessly.
When Mary turned 15, the priests, according to the customs of the time, began to advise her to leave the temple and get married. But Mary expressed her desire to remain chaste and dedicate her life to God.
Then Zacharias suggested to his relative, the elderly Joseph, to become the betrothed of the girl. That is, he was not so much a husband as a guardian of hers, but at the same time, the law on mandatory marriage was fulfilled. After that, Mary, along with Joseph, went to Nazareth, leaving her life at the temple.
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