This holiday is among the twelve - the most important church holidays in the year. The date when the Lord's Savior is celebrated is unchanged and falls on February 15th. But this number corresponds to a new style, and according to the old pre-revolutionary calendar it was on February 2. To understand what the very word "Sblenya" means, one must look into the Old Slavic dictionary. Literally it is translated as "meeting". Who, then, met with whom in early February, that this event so far worries all Christians? To understand this, we will need to be transferred two thousand years ago, when Christ was still a baby, ready to visit God's temple for the first time in his life.
The history of the holiday
According to the law of Moses, all the parents of Jews who honored the Old Testament, if they had a firstborn boy, were supposed to bring him to the temple in a strictly designated time. Previously, mothers simply were not allowed to the altar. People came here not with empty hands, it was necessary to sacrifice something. The family of the Virgin Mary was considered poor, they did not have money for a lamb. As a purifying victim, a woman gave a pair of dove. Accompanied by her righteous person Joseph the Betrothed - the husband of the Blessed Virgin, the teacher and breadwinner of Christ in the early childhood.
It was at this moment that an ancient prophecy was realized on the threshold of the temple. One ancient elder named Simeon Bogopriimets had for many years been translating an ancient book written by the prophet Isaiah himself. There the following lines were inscribed: "A virgin shall receive and bear a Son in the womb." He wanted to correct the mistake, believing that the word "Virgo" does not fit here. After all, a virgin, by all accounts, could only be a virgin . But the Angel did not give it, and promised that he would not die until he saw his Son on his own eyes. At the Savior, the Elder finally met the Virgin Mary with a child, and was able to take her baby in her arms. Simeon foretold him a great future, that this child will bear the light of true faith to all sinners and enlighten the Gentiles. For this, the Church later awarded him in the name of the Epiphany and began to praise as a saint.
How to celebrate the Lord's Savior?
This great Meeting was very symbolic. It so happened that the Old Testament met the New Testament and gave way to it. The celebration of the Lord is celebrated by both Orthodox and Catholic churches. In the East, this was started a little earlier, around the 4th century, and the West adopted this custom a hundred years later, beginning with the fifth century. He was first called "the fortieth day from the Epiphany." It was on the 40th day that the Mother of God was admitted on the step of the temple. Later in the West, the name changed to "The Feast of Purification," linking it to the fact that a purifying rite was held in the temple. And in 1970, another name was officially made. Now they call Sensei "Celebrating the Sacrifice of God."
Since the VI century, the Scones began to celebrate more magnificently, due to one miracle that occurred in the 544th year. Then Constantinople (present Istanbul ) was struck by a terrible sea, and other lands of the empire (Antioch) perished from terrible earthquakes. But to one true Christian, the heavens gave a wonderful clue - solemnly with a large crowd of people to note the Sentence, not paying attention to the epidemic.
Since then, this holiday has received much more attention. Although he refers to the Lord's, dedicated to Christ, but his content is closer to the Theotokos. The service itself takes place in blue vestments, which bear the name of the Theotokos, and begins with the words: "Rejoice Blessed Virgin ...". The Meaning of the Feast The appearance of the Lord is clearly visible on ancient icons. He usually depicts the old man Simeon, who takes on his hands from the mother of God's little Christ. The Holy symbolizes the old world, which perceives the coming of the Savior.