The Orthodox Christians following the old church calendar on April 7 observe the Feast of the Annunciation, which celebrates the announcement by Angel Gabriel about the birth of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, to Virgin Mary, IPN reports.
The Feast of the Annunciation is one of the twelve Great Feasts of the church year. It is a principal Marian feast and celebrates God’s entrance into the human world through Jesus and Mary’s willingness to accept God’s command.
The feast is normally celebrated with the Divine Liturgy, the services, hymns and prayers all stressing the joyous news of the salvation of men in the birth of the Savior. The Annunciation is the day when the people remember that He was first conceived as a human of the Holy Spirit.
On this day, those who fast are allowed to eat fish and oil and drink wine, as they can on Palm Sunday, which is observed one week before Easter. People say that the weather on Easter will be similar to the weather on the Annunciation.
