On September 21, Orthodox Christians followingthe old, Julian Calendar celebtate the Nativity of the Most Holy Mother of God (or the Birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary), which is the first of twelve major church feasts the new ecclesiastical year begins with, as the Beheading of John the Baptist celebrated on September 11 marks the end of the church year.
On this day the Blessed Virgin Mary, who the Lord called to become the Mother of the Savior, was born at the cusp of the Old and the New Covenant. Her birth is considered a miracle, as is the appearance of the son of God - Jesus Christ. Beginning from the sixth century, the birth of the Virgin Mary was proclaimed as a great event.
On this day, Orthodox Christians come to the churches in festive arrays where the solemn church services are held. In prayers, they appeal to the Mother of God, who became the unifying principle between God and the human race and ask for her protection and blessing.
The people say the Nativity of the Theotokos represents the astronomic border between summer and autumn and the moment when the autumn agricultural works should start. On this day, the men do not do work through home, while the women do not sew and do not do the laundry.
On this day, many communities, churches and families celebrate their patron saint day. Women named Maria celebrate their name day. Secretary of the Orthodox Metropolitan Church of Moldova Vadim Cheibaș has told IPN that even if many of the churches celebrate the patron saint day on the Dormition of the Mother of God, the feast of the Nativity of Mary is also widely observed by the Orthodox Christians. The oldest church of Chisinau that is now known as “Mazarache” initially celebrated the patron saint day on the Nativity of the Theotokos.
The name Mary derived from the ancient Hebrew name Miriam. This name may have come from a root meaning “beloved” or from a word meaning “bitter” or “rebellious”. In Greek, Mary means “beauty” and “harmony”.
Owing to their importance in the Orthodox Christian Church, four major Marian feast days are observed during the year: Nativity of the Mother of God (Sept. 21), Entrance of the Mother of God into the Temple (Dec. 4), Dormition of the Mother of God (Aug. 28) and Intercession of the Theotokos or the Protection of Most Holy Lady Theotokos (Oct. 14 – patron saint day of Chisinau).
