On the 25th of March the Eastern Orthodox Church celebrates the feast of the Annunciation. This commemorates the day that God sent the Angel Gabriel to the Mother of God the Virgin Mary with the message that she would conceive a son by the power of the Holy Spirit to be called Jesus (Luke 1:26–38). The Mother of God's freely given response of "let it be to me according to your word" (Luke 1:38) and her cooperation with God allowed the Holy Spirit to descend upon her, and for Jesus Christ, the second person of the Trinity, to become incarnate in her womb. Through her cooperation with God unlike that of Adam and Eve, salvation was able to come into the world and our Lord Jesus Christ to be born, die on the Cross and rise on the third day from the dead. We remember this day with great awe and wonder at the compassion of our God for us in wanting us to be saved because of his great love for us.
On the same day we also remember amongst Greek Orthodox Christians and in Greece especially the Greek Independence Day
This recalls the events of 1821-1828 when the Greek people rose up against the Ottomans who had invaded and occupied their land which had formerly been part of the Eastern Roman Empire, known to Western historians as the Byzantine Empire.Â
The Ottoman occupation of Greece had begun in the mid 15th century. The leader of the Filiki Eteria Alexander Ypsilantis chose the Annunciation as the day on which the revolution against the occupying forces took place. By 1832 the modern nation state of Greece was recognised by the Treaty of Constantinople after a period of great struggle and loss and fighting for freedom. The day following church attendance for the Feast of the Annunciation is a bank holiday and a celebration of the independence of Greece, with parades led by the military forces and including the schools and patriotic associations. The fight for independence initially only liberated the south of Greece with it taking until 1912 for Thessaloniki to be liberated. Due to the feast of the Annunciation we have a small relaxation in the Lenten fast and can have fish.
We will of course celebrate the Annunciation belatedly, along with the feast of St John of the Ladder of Divine Ascent on Sunday 30th March. We will have a doxology to celebrate the Greek Independence Day and celebratory activities led by the children of our Greek School. In addition, as it is Mothering Sunday in the British calendar which is a traditional holiday with its roots in the middle ages unlike its modern American commercialised equivalent, we will be handing out flowers to mothers. If someone would like a flower to place on their mother's grave we will of course let them take one.
Wishing you many years on the double feast of Annunciation and Greek Independence Day.
Fr Gregory
Priest in Charge.
