Great Feast

Nativity of the Theotokos

The birth of the Virgin Mary

Icon: Nativity of the Theotokos
Okänd - The Nativity of the Mother of God - NMI 151 - Nationalmuseum · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

When: September 8 (Old Calendar: 13 days later on the civil calendar).

This feast celebrates the birth of Mary, the future Mother of God, to the elderly and childless Joachim and Anna. The story is not in the Bible but comes from very early Christian tradition (the second-century Protoevangelium of James), long cherished in the Church.

Because the church year begins on September 1, this is the first Great Feast of the year. Its hymns present Mary’s birth as the first light of the coming salvation, the preparation of a pure dwelling for God’s Son.

The icon shows Anna resting after childbirth while women bathe the newborn child, with Joachim often watching nearby.

Written for this app in our own words from the Gospels and long-standing Church tradition. All Great Feasts & Holy Week · Calendar