We find the first images of Christ being brought to the temple in the 5th century. What the symbols of the holiday icon mean is explained in an article by the famous theologian Vladimir Lossky (published in abbreviation).

Just like the Circumcision of the Lord, the feast of the bringing of the Infant Christ to the temple shows us that the Creator of the Law, fulfilling the law, is brought to the temple (vespers, stichera, tone 1), for the Lord said to Moses: Sanctify to Me every firstborn, who opens all falsehoods between the children of Israel, from man to beast, (because) they are mine (Ex. 13:2), and about the sacrifice of purification of a mother after the birth of a male child: At the end of the days of her purification for a son or for a daughter, she must offer a one-year-old lamb for burnt offering and a young dove or turtledove for a sin offering, at the entrance of the tabernacle of meeting to the priest (Lev. 12:6). The liturgical texts and iconography of the Presentation are based on the Gospel narrative about this event (Luke 2:22-39).

We find the first known images of the bringing of the Infant Christ to the temple in the mosaic of the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore (5th century) and on an enamel cross-reliquary (a hollow cross inside which the relics of a saint are kept) of the late 5th - early 6th century from the Lutheran Museum. The iconography of the Feast of the Presentation finally took shape in the period from the 9th to the 10th centuries and has remained almost unchanged since then. Sometimes we see the Child Christ in the arms of the Mother or the moment when She hands Him over to Saint Simeon, but most often Simeon himself holds the Savior in his arms. The Child Christ is never depicted in swaddling clothes: He is usually dressed in a short shirt that does not cover His bare legs. Sitting on Simeon's outstretched arms, He blesses him, as depicted in our icon. This is the iconographic type of Christ Emmanuel: “Having seen Thee, the wondrous Simeon cried out: Of the Eternal Word, born of the Father, I am afraid and afraid to be embraced by my hands, Master, but in peace seek Thy servant, now let go, as the Merciful” (vespers, stichera on “ Lord, I cried."

“Today, in ancient times, the law was given to Moses in Sinai, and he obeyed the commandment of the law, for our sake, as he was merciful for us. Now the Pure One, God, like the Holy Child, opens the Pure One falsely, He offers Himself, like God, the lawful oaths, freeing and enlightening our souls” (vespers, 2nd stichera at the litia).

“The Ancient Days, having been infancy in the flesh, is brought into the church by the Virgin Matter, fulfilling His law with a promise, which Simeon received with the verb: now do You let Your servant go in peace, according to Thy word: for mine eyes have seen Thy salvation, O Holy One” (vespers, stichera at litia, Chapter 1). As in the Gospel narrative, the theme of the purification of the Mother of God seems to have been forgotten: the focus of the holiday is the Meeting of the Messiah: the meeting of the Old and New Testaments.

In our icon, the Meeting takes place in front of the throne, above which rises the ciborium (canopy). A cross, a book or a scroll is sometimes depicted on the throne. On the left side of the throne stands the Mother of God, on the right is righteous Simeon. The Mother of God sacrificially stretches out her hands covered with maforium. She had just handed over Her Son to righteous Simeon. The holy elder, leaning forward, holds the Child in both hands, also covered with a robe as a sign of reverence. The Mother of God is accompanied by Joseph, carrying in the folds of his cloak the sacrifice of poor parents: two turtle doves or two young pigeons (Lev. 12:8). These birds are considered symbols of the Church of Israel and the Church of the Gentiles, as well as symbols of the two Testaments, the one head of which is Christ. The holy prophetess Anna, daughter of Phanuel... a widow of eighty-four years old (Luke 2:36), stands behind Simeon in the background, like the righteous Joseph. Turning away slightly, she raises her head, covered with a scarf; her face reflects prophetic inspiration.

The personality of Saint Simeon the God-Receiver has special significance. His prophecy, one of the three “songs of the New Testament,” is sung at every vespers throughout the liturgical year. They wanted to see the holy elder, who took the Infant Christ into his arms, as a temple priest. Some claimed that he was a teacher of the law, the son of Hillel and the father of Gamaliel, the mentor of the Apostle Paul. Others said that he was one of the Seventy Interpreters, a translator of the Bible, and that God preserved his life until the coming of the Messiah for 350 years. Liturgical texts glorify righteous Simeon as the greatest prophet. Simeon is more worthy than Moses to bear the title of “Seer of God.” After all, the Lord appeared to Moses shrouded in darkness, and “Simeon in his arms carried the Primordial Word of the Father incarnate and with his tongue revealed the Light, the Cross and the Resurrection” (vespers, 7th stichera at the litia). The cross in this stichera indicates the weapon that will pierce the soul of Mary. “Now you let go” takes on a new meaning. The prophet asks the Lord's permission to proclaim the good news of the incarnation in the underworld. To Adam, “living in hell, I go, if I want to tell him, and to bring the gospel to Eve” (7th hymn of the canon).

On our icon nothing indicates the sacred rank of Simeon; a long, flowing robe covers his bare feet to the ankle. As befits a Nazarite, his head is uncovered and long hair. “The Child Christ sits in the hands of an old man like on a throne.” One of the choruses on the 9th song of the canon says: “It is not the elder who holds Me, but I who hold him: he is asking for forgiveness from Me.”

Candlemas. Mosaic from the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome. 5th century Here, as in many other scenes of the mosaic decoration of this basilica, the Mother of God is depicted in royal robes, surrounded by angelic guards.

View of the pre-altar arch of the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore. The composition “Candlemas” is located on the right in the upper register of the mosaics.

Candlemas. Fresco of the church of Santa Maria foris portas (“beyond the gates”) in Castelseprio (Italy, Lombardy). End of the 7th century (?)


Meeting of the Lord. Miniature menology of the Byzantine Emperor Basil II - the oldest surviving illustrated collection of the lives of saints. This manuscript, presumably from the first quarter of the 11th century, is in the Vatican collection (Vat. gr. 1612)

Meeting of the Lord. Mosaic of the katholikon (cathedral church) of the monastery of Hosios Loukas (St. Luke of Greece) in Phokis (Greece). Around 1022.

Miniature from the manuscript of the Gospel readings in the collection of the Dionysiatus Monastery on St. Mount Athos. (cod. 587) Third quarter of the 11th century.

Meeting of the Lord. Fresco of the Transfiguration Cathedral of the Mirozhsky Monastery in Pskov. 40s of the 12th century

Meeting of the Lord. Fresco of the Church of St. Panteleimon in Nerezi (now Macedonia). 1164

The Virgin and Child from the Presentation. Fresco of the Church of St. Panteleimon in Nerezi.

Candlemas. Fragment of the epistyle of the templon from the collection of the monastery of St. Catherine in Sinai. Second half of the 12th century.

Candlemas. A poorly preserved composition on the pre-altar pillars of the Cyril (St. Cyril of Alexandria) Church in Kyiv. Late 12th century

General view of the altar of the St. Cyril Church in Kyiv. The fact that the “Candlemas”, spread over two pillars, is located in the place where the “Annunciation” is traditionally placed is a unique feature of the iconographic program of the Kirillov paintings. (The figures of the Archangel and the Mother of God from the Annunciation above belong to the brush of M. Vrubel). And one more point - as can be seen from previous monuments, in the iconography of the holiday that developed in the Middle Byzantine period, the figures of Mary, Joseph, Simeon the God-Receiver and the prophetess Anna are separated, as a rule in pairs, by a throne with a ciborium above it, which hints at the Holy of Holies of the Jerusalem Temple, while At the same time, it is figuratively similar to the actual throne of the Christian Church. In the space of the Cyril Church, this throne turns out to be a throne that actually stands in the altar.

St. Simeon the God-Receiver with the Infant Christ. Fresco from the Church of Panagia tou Arakou in Lagoudera (Cyprus). Around 1192.

Meeting of the Lord. Fragment of the so-called Suzdal "Golden Gate" - the gate of the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary in Suzdal. XII-XIII centuries Collection of the Vladimir-Suzdal Museum-Reserve.

Meeting of the Lord. Fresco of the Church of St. Trinity Monastery Sopocany (Serbia). 1260s

Mosaic by Pietro Cavallini in the Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere in Rome. End of the 13th century.

Meeting of the Lord. Fresco by Manuel Panselin in the Cathedral of Protata on St. Mount Athos. 1290.

Fresco of the Protata Cathedral. Fragment.

Meeting of the Lord. Fresco of the Church of the Assumption of Our Lady of the Gracanica Monastery (Serbia, Kosovo). Around 1321.

Meeting of the Lord. Fragment of an icon from the festive series of Sofia of Novgorod. Collection of the Novgorod Museum-Reserve.

Meeting of the Lord. Fresco of the Church of the Savior Monastery of Decani (Serbia, Kosovo). Mid-14th century.

Meeting of the Lord. Fresco of the Church of St. Demetrius Markov Monastery (now Macedonia). Third quarter of the 14th century.

Fresco of the Church of St. Demetrius Markov Monastery. Fragment.

Meeting of the Lord. Fresco of the Church of the Assumption on Volotovo Field near Novgorod. End of the 14th century. Pre-revolutionary photo.

Fresco of the Church of the Assumption on Volotovo Field near Novgorod. Fragment.

Meeting of the Lord. Icon from the festive rite of the Assumption Cathedral of Vladimir. Around 1408. Andrey Rublev and the workshop. State Meeting Russian Museum.

Meeting of the Lord. Icon-“tablet” from the series of obverse calendars of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra. Second quarter of the 15th century. Collection of the Sergiev Posad Museum-Reserve / sacristy of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra.

Meeting of the Lord. Icon from the festive rite of the Transfiguration Cathedral in Tver. Mid-15th century. State Meeting Russian Museum.

Meeting of the Lord. XV century. Icon from the collection of the Athonite monastery of Pantokrator.

Meeting of the Lord. Icon-“tablet” from the series of obverse calendars of St. Sophia of Novgorod. End of the 15th century. Collection of the Novgorod Museum-Reserve.

Meeting of the Lord. Icon from the festive row of the Assumption Cathedral of the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery. Around 1397. Collection of the Kirillo-Belozersky Museum-Reserve.

Meeting of the Lord. Icon from the festive row of the cathedral of the Stavronikita monastery on Athos. Mid-16th century. Master Theophan of Crete.

Meeting of the Lord. First half of the 17th century. Collection of the Yaroslavl Art Museum. Similar complicated iconography appears in Russian art, probably at the turn of the 16th-17th centuries. Below left is the prophet Isaiah writing his prophecies. Below on the right is the appearance of an angel to Simeon, who, according to legend, translated the book of Isaiah for the Egyptian king Ptolemy and doubted the truth of the words of the prophet “behold, the Virgin will receive with child.” An angel predicted to Simeon that he would not die until he “sees the Christ of the Lord.” In the upper left corner, an angel with a cross in his hands informs the Mother of God about the fate of Her Son. At the top in the center is the Trinity in the “Fatherland” iconography. At the top right is the overthrow of idols, which is an illustration of the sixth ikos of the Akathist to the Mother of God, which tells about the flight of the Holy Family to Egypt (“idols for it (i.e. Egypt), Savior, not tolerating Your fortress, fallen..."). Below you can see the mouth of hell with the righteous rising from it and the overthrown sinners and the devil, which corresponds to the words of Simeon’s prophecy: “Behold, this one is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel...”.

Meeting of the Lord. 17th century Icon from the collection of the Pskov Museum-Reserve.

Meeting of the Lord. XIX century. From the Epiphany Cathedral of the Epiphany Anastasia Monastery in Kostroma.

Meeting of the Lord. Palekh icon of the 19th century.

Meeting of the Lord. Chromolithography of the printing house E.I. Fesenko in Odessa. 90s of the XIX century.

Modern Greek icon.

The Russian school of icon painting differs from the rest, and the icons of Andrei Rublev became canonical, legitimized by the hundred-domed cathedral of the 17th century as exemplary ones. And this is no coincidence. After all, Russian orthodox icon of the golden 15th century is full of tenderness, philanthropy, special gentleness and cordiality.

The icon “The Presentation of the Lord” is no exception. It reflects not only the plot and theological meaning of the holiday, but also its deeply human meaning: at some point, everyone has a meeting between God and man, Man and man, the Higher principle with the lower, a blessing occurs, to which a person responds with gratitude.

The icon of the Presentation of the Lord from the school of Andrei Rublev, belongs to the type of holiday icons in which the righteous Simeon receives the Child from the hands of the Mother at the altar throne, referring the event to the future: the Savior is an atoning sacrifice for people, the sacrificial principle of Jesus is emphasized here.

There are five characters on it. In the center is the Mother of God, handing over the Child, and the God-Receiver Simeon, receiving the Child from the hands of the Mother as the greatest shrine. Behind the Mother of God stands Mary’s husband, Joseph the Betrothed, and behind Simeon stands the prophetess Anna. Thus, the icon is clearly divided into left and right sides: the left belongs to the new, the right to the old. Connecting the left and right parts of the icon is the Baby Jesus, located at the intersection of the left and right sides of the icon, uniting them in itself. The left side points up and to the right, the right side points down and to the left. So in opposite movements they meet at the point of transmission and reception of the Divine Infant.

“Now you are releasing Your servant, O Master, according to Your word in peace...” - the last words coming from the mouth of Simeon, who accepts the Baby as deliverance from earthly burdens. The icon is entirely directed towards the light, into the Kingdom of Heaven, into another world, where Simeon and Anna go.

Holiday date

The Orthodox Church celebrates the Presentation of the Lord on February 15 (February 2, old style).

The image is reproduced from the publication: Icons of Yaroslavl XIII - mid-XVII centuries. Masterpieces of ancient Russian painting in the museums of Yaroslavl: in 2 volumes = Yaroslavl Icons of 13-mid 17th century. The masterpieces of ancient Russian painting in the museums of Yaroslavl: in 2 volumes. M.: Northern Pilgrim, 2009.

With. 116¦ 31. Meeting

First half of the 17th century. Yaroslavl
Wood, tempera. 79.5 × 64.5
Possibly originates from the Tolga Monastery near Yaroslavl 1
Yaroslavl Museum, inv. I-62

1 The Tolga Monastery was founded, according to legend, in 1314 on the site of the appearance of the icon of the Mother of God of Tolga to Bishop Tryphon of Rostov (before he was tonsured into the schema - Prokhor, d. 1328) during the reign of St. David Fedorovich Yaroslavsky.

Meeting is one of the most important holidays in Orthodoxy. On this day, the events of the Virgin Mary and Joseph bringing their firstborn and an atoning sacrifice - two doves - to the Jerusalem Temple are remembered. In the temple, the Holy Family is met by the righteous Simeon and the prophetess Anna, glorifying Christ as the Savior who appeared in the world.

This icon belongs to a lengthy iconographic work that apparently appeared among the Stroganov masters at the end of the 16th century and was created on the basis of prologue readings for the holiday. The composition, in addition to the event described in the Gospel of Luke (Luke 2: 22–38), depicts scenes that reveal its deep meaning. The lower left hallmark depicts Isaiah writing a book of prophetic revelations; in the lower right stamp - the appearance of an angel to Simeon, who was translating the Book of the Prophet Isaiah for the Egyptian king Ptolemy and doubted the truth of the words “behold the Virgin shall receive with child,” translating them as “behold the young woman shall receive with child.” The angel predicts to Simeon that he will not die until he receives the Eternal Child into his hands. In the upper left corner - sign of the cross Our Lady: an angel informs Mary of the future fate of her firstborn - in fact, here is a variant of the image of Our Lady of Passion (cat. No. 25). At the top in the center is an image of the Trinity in the form of the Fatherland (cat. No. 4). In the upper right corner it is shown how idols are overthrown at the entrance to the temple of the Savior of the world. The creation of the Church by Christ means the destruction of the darkness of pagan ignorance. In the center of the lower part of the icon is the hellish mouth, from which the righteous Belorians, strengthened by God’s right hand, joyfully rise and the devil and sinners are cast down, which corresponds to the words of the Prologue: “This child will trample down death, overcome the devil, destroy the oath.”

The complex multi-part composition of the icon with an emphasis on the main event - the Presentation - is permeated with the idea of ​​​​the implementation of God's Providence.

A. Fedorchuk With. 116
¦

Comes from the Tolga Monastery near Yaroslavl (?).
It was restored in 1930 in the Yaroslavl branch of the Central State Historical Museum.

The Feast of the Presentation was established in remembrance of the bringing of the Infant Christ to the Jerusalem Temple on the fortieth day after his birth (Luke II, 22–38). According to the law of Moses, the first-born male in each family was dedicated to God and an atoning sacrifice was made for him - a lamb or two pigeon chicks. This custom was followed by the Virgin Mary and Joseph the Betrothed. In the temple, the Holy Family was met by Elder Simeon and the prophetess Anna, which was interpreted as a meeting of the Old and New Testaments.

The icon belongs to a lengthy iconographic excerpt that appeared, apparently, among the “Stroganov” masters at the end of the 16th century and was created on the basis of the prologue readings for the holiday and the Akathist to the Mother of God. In addition to the Meeting itself, the background of the event is also depicted here. The lower left stamp shows the prophet Isaiah writing the book of his revelations. In the lower right stamp is the appearance of an angel to Simeon, who, according to legend, translated the book of Isaiah for the Egyptian king Ptolemy and doubted the truth of the words of the prophet “behold the virgin shall receive with child” (Isa. VII, 14), translating them as “behold the young woman with child.” will take it into the womb." An angel predicted to Simeon that he would not die until he “saw Christ the Lord” (Luke II, 26). In the upper left corner, an angel holding a cross informs Mary about the future fate of Her firstborn. At the top in the center is the Life-Giving Trinity - God the Father, God the Son and the Holy Spirit. In the upper right corner there is a scene of the overthrow of idols: this is how the sixth ikos of the Akathist to the Mother of God is reflected in the iconography, which tells about the flight of the Holy Family to Egypt (“idols for her [Egypt], O Savior, who did not tolerate Your fortress, fallen ...”). Below you can see the mouth of hell with the righteous Belorians rising from it and the fallen sinners and the devil. This corresponds to the words of Simeon’s prophecy: “This is destined for the fall and rebellion of many in Israel” (Luke II, 34) and the text of the Prologue: “This child tramples down death, overcomes the devil, destroys the oath.”

The complex multi-part composition of the icon, built around the main event - the Presentation, consistently shows how, in accordance with Divine providence, the prophecies about the Incarnation and the sacrificial service of the Savior are fulfilled.

"Candlemas".

Annunciation Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin.

And then Andrei will write “Candlemas”. This holiday was known already in the 4th century. In Rome, in the Church of Mary the Great, the oldest surviving image, dating back to the 5th century, has survived to this day. The meaning of the Meeting is closely related to Christmas. It was celebrated on the fortieth day after the Christmas celebrations. In Rus' in the first days of February, according to the old folk superstition, after windy, snowy days the frost intensified. It was deep winter. Preparations for spring field and other work did not begin. The days are still short. A quiet time conducive to reflection. The holiday itself is strict, and the mood of repentance grows in its chants. Rublev’s “Meeting” turned out to be complex, deep in meaning and at the same time so complete and integral that at first glance it could seem very simple. Yes, this is the mature fruit of high creativity, that apparent simplicity behind which stands so much thought, knowledge, and labor. Anyone who looks at the icon will get the first impression that it depicts a ritual filled with solemnity and significance. Mary and Joseph bring the forty-day-old Jesus to the temple. Here, at the temple, the prophetess Anna lives. She predicts an extraordinary fate for the newborn. In the temple itself they are met, hence the name of the event “meeting” - meeting, by Elder Simeon, to whom the promise had long been given that he would not taste death until he saw and accepted in his arms the Savior of the world born on earth. And now he knows, clearly feels that this moment has come...

In the icon, walking steadily towards Simeon, at the same distance from each other, a mother with a baby in her arms, Anna, followed by a betrothed.

Rublev depicted their tall, slender figures in such a way that they appear connected, flowing into one another.

Their measured movement, solemn, steady and irrevocable, as if indicating its significance, is echoed by the easily curving wall that depicts the vestibule of the temple.

And the old servant of the Old Testament temple stretches out his hands, reverently covered with robes, towards the baby in a deep, humble bow. Now he is accepting... his own death. His work on earth is finished: “Now, O lord, you are letting your servant go in peace, according to your command...” In place of the old, the old comes a new world, a different covenant. And he, this new one - such is the universal and all-encompassing law of life - will have to take root in the world only through sacrifice. The young “adolescent” will face shame, reproach, and torture on the cross. In a restrained mood, in faces as if shrouded in a haze of sadness, Rublev expressed this future, sacrificial, mortal. And the artist experienced this with particular force when he painted the face of the Mother of God. For Andrei - and here he did not diverge from tradition - it was clear that Mary knew about the fate of her son, she also saw her own suffering, a “weapon” that would “pierce her heart.” This reverent maternal feeling is clearly visible, but is given with a rare and noble measure of restraint. Everything that is destined to happen is needed for people, for the whole world.

The icon’s impeccable color construction, strong, courageous and firmly correlated combinations are harmonized by the artist, softened by the precise and subtle rhythm of their location on the icon plane. The language in which Rublev speaks to the viewer here is restrained, but very capacious. The artist is in no hurry to open up, to amaze with external movement, an explosion of feelings. You need to get used to it, peer slowly and thoughtfully at this icon, comprehend, discover, delve into its “images and meanings” shimmering with colors.

Valery Sergeev. "Rublev". ZhZL series No. 618.

The Presentation of the Lord is one of the twelve (that is, one of the twelve most important after Easter) Orthodox holidays. It completes a series of holidays dedicated to the Nativity of Jesus and his glorification as the Savior. The word “meeting” itself is very ancient and translated means “meeting.” What kind of meeting are we talking about?

What is the meaning of Candlemas

In a symbolic sense, the Meeting means the meeting of the new with the old, the New Testament with the Old. The New Testament here is symbolized by the baby Jesus, the firstborn, who, according to the law of Moses, was brought to the temple for the ceremony on the fortieth day after birth. According to the same law, on the eighth day after his birth he was circumcised and given a name.

In the temple, the Most Holy Virgin and Righteous Joseph were met by Simeon the God-Receiver, an ancient elder who, according to legend, was already about 300 years old. He was one of the 72 interpreters who translated Old Testament into Greek for the Library of Alexandria, and while working on the translation of the book of the prophet Isaiah, something amazing happened to him. The prophecy said: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son.” Simeon considered this a mistake and was about to correct “virgin” to “wife,” but he was stopped by the angel of the Lord, who proclaimed that the elder would not die until the prophecy was fulfilled.

The Spirit of God himself led righteous Simeon to the Jerusalem temple when the baby Jesus was brought there to perform the ritual and the prescribed sacrifice. The Holy Spirit revealed to the elder that the baby in his mother’s arms was the Messiah, called to save the world. Taking the Divine Child in his arms, Simeon uttered the words that later became the beginning of the prayer “Now you let go.” After blessing Mary and Joseph, he revealed to the Mother of God what fate was in store for Her Son: being the Messiah, to become an atoning sacrifice.

At the same time, the prophetess Anna was present, serving God in the temple day and night. Hearing Simeon’s words, she brought this news to the people and “prophesied about Him to all who were looking for deliverance in Jerusalem” (Luke 2:38).

What does the icon “The Presentation of the Lord” mean?

The very compositional design of the Candlemas icon reflects the deep meaning of this great event. On the left is the Virgin Mary and Joseph behind her, on the right are Simeon the God-Receiver and the prophetess Anna. Thus, the right side of the icon symbolizes the Old Testament, and the left side symbolizes the New Testament. The center and link between both groups is the Baby Jesus, whom Simeon received in his arms with the greatest tenderness and care.

But not only care for the Divine Child explains the bent posture of Simeon, but also admiration for the holiness of the Virgin who immaculately conceived and the torment for the Son that she will have to endure in the future.

The Mother of God herself looks enlightened and humble in the icon. As a rule, the icon “The Presentation of the Lord” depicts her with her hands covered with clothes, because she has already given up her Baby. Joseph, standing behind Her, holds two doves in his hands. It was precisely this kind of sacrifice that poor people were allowed to make in the Jerusalem Temple in honor of the birth of a child. Joseph’s position is dual: on the one hand, he is a righteous man who observes all traditions and customs, and on the other, he is the guardian of the new that Jesus will bring into the world. This duality is emphasized by his position on the icon.

The prophetess Anna stands behind Simeon the God-Receiver and is, as it were, a witness certifying the fulfillment of the prophecy, about which she will notify the people and the world.

Already at the dawn of Christianity, Candlemas was considered a holiday dedicated not only to the baby Jesus, but also to the Virgin Mary. Both of them enter the way of the cross: Jesus, who has to save the world at the cost of his own earthly life, and his Mother, who sacrifices her Son and resigns herself to this sacrifice. But even having resigned herself, She cannot help but worry with all her soul for Her Child.

And this duality of the holiday - the combination of joy at the birth of the Savior, which is expressed by Simeon the God-Receiver, and sorrow in anticipation of the Passion of Christ - is deeply reflected by the Icon of the Presentation of the Lord.

In Orthodoxy, an ancient custom from the times of early Christianity is observed - to bless brought candles, which are then lit until the next Candlemas during prayer and in case of mental and physical ailments.

In the old days, such a lit candle was usually placed along with an icon at the head of the patient’s bed and prayers were read, which helped his speedy recovery.

Prayer for the Presentation to the Lord Jesus Christ

Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son and Word of God, seen of old as a prophet in fortune-telling, in these last days born incorruptibly in the flesh of the Most Holy Virgin Mary, and on this fortieth day in the Sanctuary at the Presentation of the whole world from Him, like a Child held in His hands, revealed and carried in the arms of the righteous Simeon for the salvation of all who exist from Adam! How glorious and bright is Thy offering into the hand of the Mother of God into the temple of the Lord and Thy Divine meeting from the holy elder! Today the heavens rejoice and the earth rejoices, for Thy procession has been seen, O God, the procession of our King God, Who is in the Holy One. Of old, Moses ascended to see Your glory, but it was not possible to see Your Face, You had previously shown Him Your rear. On the bright day of this Presentation of Yours, You revealed Yourself as a man in the sanctuary, shining with the indescribable Light of the Divine, so that together with Simeon they see You face to face and with their hands, and touch You, and take You into their arms, so that they know You as God who has come in the flesh. For this reason, we glorify Your indescribable condescension and Your great love for mankind, as by Your coming You have now granted heavenly joy to the anciently fallen human race: For by Your righteous judgment You expelled our ancestors from the paradise of sweets into this world, but now You have had mercy on us and have again opened up the heavenly abodes for us and You turned our weeping to joy, so that the fallen Adam would no longer be ashamed of You for disobedience and may Your Face not be hidden, Called by You, for You have come now, so that You may take upon Yourself his sin, and wash it with Your Blood and May you clothe him naked with the robe of salvation and the robe of joy and adorn him like a bride with beauty. For all of us who remember Your Divine Meeting, grant us the privilege of going with the wise virgins to Thy Meeting, our Heavenly Bridegroom, with burning lamps of faith, love and purity, so that with the eyes of faith we may see Your Divine Face, may we accept You into our spiritual embrace, and may we carry You in your heart all the days of your life, that you may become God to us and we your people. On the last and terrible day of Your Coming, when all the saints come to the last and great Meeting of Yours in the air, grant us also the ability to sleep on You, so that we will always be with the Lord. Glory to Thy Mercy, Glory to Thy Kingdom, Glory to Thy vision, O One Lover of Mankind, for Thine is the Kingdom, and the Power, and the Glory with Thy Beginning Father and Thy Most Holy and Good and Life-giving Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.