Astrology on the Web: Lady Day, the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary Lady Day March 25: The Annunciation of the Virgin March 25 in the Christian Calendar celebrates the Annunciation of the Virgin, or Lady Day, a major Christian Feast marking the Equinox. It is the first of the four traditional "quarter days", signalling the beginning of each quarter of the year and welcoming each of the four seasons. These holidays were communally celebrated during the "Age of Faith", reassigned from already established astrologically-based pagan festivities. The other quarter days are Christmas on December 25, St John the Baptist's Day on June 24 and Michaelmas on September 29. Lady Day was originally set at the Equinox by the Church in commemoration of the miraculous conception of Jesus in the womb of his mother, Mary (a.k.a. the Blessed Virgin Mary). Christians believe that this was the day when the archangel Gabriel was sent to announce to her that she was to be the mother of the Messiah.

The Equinox has been an immensely significant cause for celebration since prehistoric times, so it was the natural choice for the conception of the Redeemer, being exactly nine months before the date chosen for the birth of Jesus, December 25 (at the Solstice ). According to the Gospel of Luke , in the sixth month after the conception of St. John the Baptist by Elisabeth, the archangel Gabriel was sent from God to the Virgin Mary at Nazareth, a small town in the mountains of Galilee in Northern Israel. Mary was of the house of King David and was espoused to Joseph, of the same royal family, in accordance with prophecy. Annunciation means "Announcement" and Gabriel announced to Mary that she was about to become the mother of a divinely-conceived child, Jesus. Of course, Mary, being a virgin, would have had no other way of knowing she was about fulfil her destiny and remake the world. Esoterically, Gabriel is known as the Watcher of the South and was designated by ancient stargazers to the Royal Star, Fomalhaut , which some five thousand years ago marked the Winter Solstice. The Equinox and the Conception of Jesus Jesus is known as the Sun of Righteousness.

The birth of Jesus (at Christmas ) is celebrated on December 25 at the Winter Solstice (the birth of the Sun, as the Sun begins to grow in light) – and the Festival of the Annunciation on March 25 is exactly nine months earlier, nine months being the generally accepted period of gestation (the growth of a baby in the mother's womb). The Catholic Encyclopedia accepts that this date is not mentioned in scripture, so is simply a convenient calculation. In fact this event actually celebrates the Vernal Equinox , when the buds of spring burst into bloom, just as Christmas celebrates the Winter Solstice, when the Sun returns from darkness.. This is a clear reference to the astrological key that, when turned in the lock, opens the door to a deeper understanding of the nature of religion. Frederick Holweck notes in the Catholic Encyclopedia that "The Annunciation is the beginning of Jesus in His human nature.

Through His mother He is a member of the human race." This is a way of saying that despite the divine essence of Jesus (Christians believe he was divinely conceived of the Holy Spirit, his mother Mary being a virgin) he also shares the character of our humanity and is not merely a spirit creature, like an angel, or a deva, as some have held. New Year's Day In ancient times, this day was celebrated as New Year's Day and marked the beginning of the new zodiacal year, at the entry of the Sun into Aries. Mike Nichols informs us that "the customs surrounding the celebration of the spring equinox were imported from Mediterranean lands, although there can be no doubt that the first inhabitants of the British Isles observed it, as evidence from megalithic sites shows". It marks a time of new beginnings, appropriately for the Immaculate Conception of the Sun of Righteousness. In England and in the American Colonies, New Year's Day was held on Lady Day until 1752 when, thanks to the switch from the Julian to the Gregorian Calendar , January 1st became the start of the year.

A vestige of this remains in the United Kingdom's tax year, which starts on April 6th – which is Lady Day, adjusted for the lost days of the calendar change. The Equinox marks the beginning of the tropical astrological year, the length of the day being equal to the length of the night as the name describes. It is the day when the Sun enters the tropical sign Aries, the Ram. The Christian logic of using Lady Day as the start of the year is that it reckons years A.D. from the moment of the Incarnation, which is considered to take place at the moment of the conception of Jesus at the Annunciation, rather than at the moment of his birth at Christmas. The Christian Feast of Lady Day has roots in a pagan past and became a major holiday during the Catholic ascendancy, though it is no longer such an important holiday today, partly due to the growth of a skeptical secularism and partly because it no longer marks New Year's Day. Nevertheless, it is still taken seriously in parts of the world where the faith remains strong, as for example in Asenovgrad, an ancient Bulgarian town with a mediï¿½val fortress, dramatic past and unique beauty.

A large church in the town is called "St. Virgin Mary – The Annunciation" Church. Worshippers from the entire district gather there, and women who want to have children bring votive gifts and sleep there during the night. Special fertility rituals are performed the next day by the priests to bless the women in the name of the Virgin. The Cardinal Cross Christian Feasts replaced their pagan competitors, smoothing the pathway to the new faith. Lady Day marks the Vernal Equinox , St John's Day marks the Summer Solstice , Michaelmas the Autumnal Equinox and Christmas the Winter Solstice. This is the cardinal cross that lies at the heart of tropical astrology – and at the centre of the Christian system. The astrological symbolism is deep, and underpins our archetypal responses to all four of the quarter day celebrations. To read more on the pagan origins of Lady Day, click here for Mike Nichols on The Sunlight Spear . | CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: The Feast of the Annunciation Home > Catholic Encyclopedia > A > The Feast of the Annunciation The Feast of the Annunciation Help support New Advent and get the full contents of this website as an instant download .

Includes the Catholic Encyclopedia, Church Fathers, Summa, Bible and more  all for only $19.99... The Feast of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (25 March), also called in old calendars : FESTUM INCARNATIONIS, INITIUM REDEMPTIONIS CONCEPTIO CHRISTI, ANNUNTIATIO CHRISTI, ANNUNTIATIO DOMINICA. In the Orient, where the part which Mary took in the Redemption is celebrated by a special feast, 26 December, the Annunciation is a feast of Christ; in the Latin Church , it is a feast of Mary. It probably originated shortly before or after the council of Ephesus (c. 431). At the time of the Synod of Laodicea (372) it was not known; St. Proclus , Bishop of Constantinople (d. 446), however, seems to mention it in one of his homilies . He says, that the feast of the coming of Our Lord and Saviour , when He vested Himself with the nature of man (quo hominum genus indutus), was celebrated during the entire fifth century.

This homily , however, may not be genuine, or the words may be understood of the feast of Christmas . In the Latin Church this feast is first mentioned in the Sacramentarium of Pope Gelasius (d. 496), which we possess in a manuscript of the seventh century; it is also contained in the Sacramentarium of St. Gregory (d. 604), one manuscript of which dates back to the eighth century. Since these sacramentaries contain additions posterior to the time of Gelasius and Gregory , Duchesne (Origines du culte chrétien, 118, 261) ascribes the origin of this feast in Rome to the seventh century; Probst, however, (Sacramentarien, 264) thinks that it really belongs to the time of Pope Gelasius. The tenth Synod of Toledo (656), and Trullan Synod (692) speak of this feast as one universally celebrated in the Catholic Church . All Christian antiquity (against all astronomical possibility) recognized the 25th of March as the actual day of Our Lord's death.

The opinion that the Incarnation also took place on that date is found in the pseudo-Cyprianic work "De Pascha Computus", c. 240. It argues that the coming of Our Lord and His death must have coincided with the creation and fall of Adam. And since the world was created in spring, the Saviour was also conceived and died shortly after the equinox of spring. Similar fanciful calculations are found in the early and later Middle Ages , and to them, no doubt, the dates of the feast of the Annunciation and of Christmas owe their origin. Consequently the ancient martyrologies assign to the 25th of March the creation of Adam and the crucifixion of Our Lord ; also, the fall of Lucifer, the passing of Israel through the Red Sea and the immolation of Isaac. (Thruston, Christmas and the Christian Calendar, Amer. Eccl. Rev., XIX, 568.) The original date of this feast was the 25th of March. Although in olden times most of the churches kept no feast in Lent , the Greek Church in the Trullan Synod (in 692; can.

52) made an exception in favour of the Annunciation. In Rome , it was always celebrated on the 25th of March. The Spanish Church transferred it to the 18th of December, and when some tried to introduce the Roman observance of it on the 25th of March, the 18th of December was officially confirmed in the whole Spanish Church by the tenth Synod of Toledo (656). This law was abolished when the Roman liturgy was accepted in Spain . The church of Milan , up to our times, assigns the office of this feast to the last Sunday in Advent . On the 25th of March a Mass is sung in honour of the Annunciation. (Ordo Ambrosianus, 1906; Magistretti, Beroldus, 136.) The schismatic Armenians now celebrate this feast on the 7th of April. Since Epiphany for them is the feast of the birth of Christ , the Armenian Church formerly assigned the Annunciation to 5 January, the vigil of Epiphany. This feast was always a holy day of obligation in the Universal Church.

As such it was abrogated first for France and the French dependencies, 9 April, 1802; and for the United States , by the Third Council of Baltimore , in 1884. By a decree of the S.R.C., 23 April, 1895, the rank of the feast was raised from a double of the second class to a double of the first class. If this feast falls within Holy Week or Easter Week , its office is transferred to the Monday after the octave of Easter . In some German churches it was the custom to keep its office the Saturday before Palm Sunday if the 25th of March fell in Holy Week . The Greek Church , when the 25th of March occurs on one of the three last days in Holy Week , transfers the Annunciation to Easter Monday; on all other days, even on Easter Sunday , its office is kept together with the office of the day. Although no octaves are permitted in Lent , the Dioceses of Loreto and of the Province of Venice , the Carmelites , Dominicans , Servites , and Redemptorists , celebrate this feast with an octave.

Lady Day | The Medieval Garden Enclosed | The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York The Medieval Garden Enclosed Lady Day Above: Roundel, Annunciation to the Virgin, 1500???1510. South Netherlandish. Colorless glass, vitreous paint, and silver stain. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, The Cloisters Collection, 1972 (1972.245.1). See the Collection Database to learn more about this work of art. March 25 has been a significant date???both religious and secular???throughout Western history. In the Julian calendar , today’s date marked the vernal equinox . In parts of the medieval West, it was used as the first day of the calendar year, although Roman traditions of celebrating the new year in January continued throughout the Middle Ages. (See last year’s post “ The January Feast ,” January 15, 2010.) In the Christian calendar, March 25 also marks the feast of the Annunciation , which came to be celebrated on this day very early in the history of the Church.

According to the Gospel of Luke, the angel Gabriel visited Mary in Nazareth, and announced that she would conceive and bear a son, Jesus. March 25 falls nine months before December 25, the date of the winter solstice according to the Julian calendar, although the liturgical celebration of the Annunciation on March 25 may well have predated the celebration of Christmas on December 25. The complexity of the religious significances that came to be assigned to March 25 in the course of the Middle Ages is indicated in Jacopo de Voragine’s thirteenth-century compilation The Golden Legend : This blessed Annunciation happened the twenty-fifth day of the month of March, on which day happened also, as well tofore as after, these things that hereafter be named. On that same day Adam, the first man, was created and fell into original sin by inobedience, and was put out of paradise terrestrial. After, the angel showed the conception of our Lord to the glorious Virgin Mary. Also that same day of the month Cain slew Abel his brother. Also Melchisedech made offering to God of bread and wine in the presence of Abraham. Also on the same day Abraham offered Isaac his son.

That same day St. John Baptist was beheaded, and St. Peter was that day delivered out of prison, and St. James the more, that day beheaded of Herod. And our Lord Jesu Christ was on that day crucified, wherefore that is a day of great reverence. The date had also borne a millenarian interpretation in the Frankish empire in the tenth century: it was prophesied that the world would come to an end with the coincidence of the Annunciation with the date of Good Friday in the year 970. Abbo of Fleury , a tenth-century Benedictine monk, refuted both this and other apocalyptic predictions. (The two feasts coincided twice more before the year 1000.) In England, where Annunciation Day is traditionally known as Lady Day, March 25 was considered the beginning of the year up until the mid-eighteenth century. The “quarter days” of the English medieval year???Lady Day, Midsummer Day (the feast of Saint John the Baptist), Michaelmas Day (the feast of the archangel Michael), and Christmas Day???divided the year into four periods of about three months.

These Christian feasts were celebrated in conjunction with the dates of the spring equinox, the summer solstice, the autumnal equinox, and the winter solstice, and were used to fix the dates for payment of rents, the terms of leases, and the hiring of servants or agricultural laborers, in a system that persisted until well after the close of the Middle Ages. ???Deirdre Larkin Source Blackburn, Bonnie, and Leofranc Holford-Stevens. The Oxford Companion to the Year. New York: Oxford University Press, Inc., 1999. Tags: Annunciation , The Golden Legend This entry was posted on Friday, March 25, 2011 at 3:10 pm and is filed under The Medieval Calendar . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site. The Annunciation | Article about The Annunciation by The Free Dictionary The Annunciation | Article about The Annunciation by The Free Dictionary Also found in: Dictionary , Thesaurus , Wikipedia . Annunciation 1.

the New Testament the announcement of the Incarnation by the angel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary (Luke 1:26--38) 2. the festival commemorating this, held on March 25 (Lady Day) Annunciation Annunciation means "announcement." When spelled with a capital "A," the word refers to the announcement made by Gabriel, God's messenger angel, to the Virgin Mary, telling her that she would bear a son by the Holy Spirit whom she should call Jesus (Luke 1:26-28). By the early Middle Ages the Church had established a feast day to commemorate this angelic announcement. In the middle of the fourth century, Church officials in Rome created a new festival to honor the birth of Jesus. They scheduled this festival, which we now call Christmas, on December 25. Eventually December 25 gained widespread acceptance as the actual date on which Jesus had been born, implying that Mary must have become pregnant nine months earlier, on March 25. According to the astronomical calculations used by the ancient Romans, the spring equinox also fell on that day (see also Winter Solstice).

By the eighth century the Feast of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, celebrated on March 25, was firmly established in western Europe. As Mary's pregnancy marked the beginning of a new era for Christians, many medieval kingdoms also chose March 25 as the day on which they began their new year (see also Kalends; New Year's Day). In 1582 Pope Gregory XIII called for calendar reforms which included switching New Year's Day to January 1 (see also Old Christmas Day). Nevertheless, several centuries passed before most European countries had adopted the reformed, Gregorian calendar. Many Christians still recognize March 25 as a religious holiday, although they have slightly different names for the observance. Roman Catholics currently refer to the feast as the "Annunciation of the Lord," the Orthodox know it as the "Annunciation of the Mother of God," and many Anglicans call it the "Annunciation of Our Lord to the Blessed Virgin Mary." The English also call the festival "Lady Day." The Feast of the Annunciation often occurs during Lent. Those Christians who fast during Lent, for example, Roman Catholics and Orthodox, are allowed to modify the fast on this day.

Over the centuries the Annunciation became a favorite scene for western European painters interested in depicting the life of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The scene also appears frequently in stained glass windows and other church decorations. Many famous artists have bequeathed us their versions of the Annunciation, including Robert Campin (c. 1378-1444), Fra Angelico (c. 1400-1455), Sandro Botticelli (1445-1510), El Greco (1451-1614), Leonardo Da Vinci (1452-1519), and Adolphe-William Bouguereau (1825-1905). In these paintings Mary often appears to be reading or spinning when the angel arrives, activities which represent her piety. A container of water may sit beside her, or the angel may offer her lilies, both of which symbolize her purity. The Holy Spirit commonly takes shape as a descending dove or as a ray of light streaming through the window. Further Reading Auld, William Muir. Christmas Tidings. 1933. Reprint.

Detroit, Mich.: Omnigraphics, 1990. Cross, F. L., and E. A. Livingstone. The Oxford Dictionary of the ChristianChurch. Second edition, revised. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press, 1984. The Glory and Pageantry of Christmas. Maplewood, N.J.: Time-Life Books, 1963. Henderson, Helene, and Sue Ellen Thompson, eds. Holidays, Festivals, andCelebrations of the World Dictionary. Second edition. Detroit, Mich.: Omnigraphics, 1997. Metford, J. C. J. The Christian Year. London, England: Thames and Hudson, 1991. ---. Dictionary of Christian Lore and Legend. London, England: Thames and Hudson, 1983. Rouvelas, Marilyn. A Guide to Greek Traditions and Customs in America. Bethesda, Md.: Nea Attiki Press, 1993. Stuhlmueller, C. "Annunciation." In New Catholic Encyclopedia. Volume 1. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1967.

Annunciation Annunciation of the Lord, Annunciation of the Mother of God, Annunciation of the Virgin Mary, Lady Day The feast of the Annunciation often falls during Lent, bringing a little bit of Christmas joy into that otherwise austere season. The word annunciation means "announcement." When spelled with a capital "A" it refers to the announcement made by the angel Gabriel to the Blessed Virgin Mary, telling her that she would bear a son by the Holy Spirit whom she should name Jesus (see also Mary, Blessed Virgin). Christians commemorate this event with a festival that falls on March 25. The formal names given to this observance differ by denomination. Some Christians, including Roman Catholics, know the feast as the "Annunciation of the Lord," the Orthodox call it the "Annunciation of the Mother of God," and some Anglicans refer to it as the "Annunciation of the Virgin Mary." Selecting the Date Christian officials most likely derived the date of the Annunciation from the date of Christmas. Church leaders fixed the date of Christmas in the fourth century, selecting December 25 as the day on which to honor the birth of Christ.

Once this date had been determined it then followed that Jesus must have been conceived nine months earlier, on March 25. In the ancient Roman world both December 25 and March 25 marked important events in the sun's yearly cycle. According to the Julian calendar system which the Romans adopted in 45 B.C., the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year, fell on December 25. What's more, the spring equinox, the spring date on which day and night are of equal length, occurred on March 25. Due to an error in the Julian calendar system, however, the events of the solar year slowly fell behind the dates on the calendar. For example, when the Council of Nicaea, an important gathering of the early Christian leaders, met in 325 A.D., the winter solstice was falling on December 21 and the spring equinox on March 21. Although the events of the solar year were slipping behind the calendar, the Romans continued to recognize December 25 as the official date of the winter solstice.

Some scholars suspect that early Christian leaders selected December 25 as the date on which to celebrate the Nativity of Christ because the Romans already celebrated the birth of the sun god on that date. Nevertheless, certain early Christian thinkers proposed other, more complicated explanations for the selection of December 25. They based these explanations both on their interpretation of Christian scripture and on then-popular beliefs in the significance of round numbers. According to one scholar, early Church leaders figured out the date of Jesus' birth from the date early Christian tradition assigned to his death: March 25. These leaders wanted to come up with a round number for Jesus' age at death, so they assumed he had also been conceived on March 25. Therefore, he must have been born nine months later on December 25. Some scholars believe that this line of thinking lies behind the selection of December 25 as Christmas day. Other early Christians thinkers emphasized the idea that Jesus is a kind of new creation. The Bible tells that God's first act of creation was to bring forth light, an act which separated light from darkness.

These early Christian leaders reasoned, therefore, that God must have created the world at the time of the spring equinox, when the world is separated into two equal halves of light and darkness. Jesus, as a kind of new creation, must also have come into being at the time of the spring equinox. Therefore he must have been conceived on March 25 and born on December 25. The idea that Jesus had been born on the winter solstice made sense to them because of several important Bible passages describing the Messiah as "the sun of righteousness" (Malachi 4:2) and Jesus as "the light of the world" (John 8:12). These passages led them to see the sun as a symbol for Jesus. Since the winter solstice may be thought of as the sun's birthday, it seemed an especially appropriate date for Jesus' birth. Some writers assert that Eastern Christians, those Christians living in the Middle East, eastern Europe and north Africa, began observing a festival in honor of the Annunciation as early as the fifth century. By the eighth century this festival, celebrated on March 25, had established itself as an important observance throughout western Europe.

The Annunciation as New Year's Day According to Christian doctrine the Annunciation honors the conception of Christ and therefore the dawn of a new era. Mindful of this connection between the Annunciation and new beginnings, a number of medieval European kingdoms began their new year on March 25. The idea that the new year begins in March also harks back to the ancient Roman tradition of starting the new year on March 1. Julius Caesar's (100-44 B.C.) reform of the Roman calendar, resulting in the introduction of the Julian calendar, derailed this old tradition by declaring January 1 to be New Year's Day. In the year 1582 Pope Gregory XIII ordered Christians to adopt the Gregorian calendar, which, among other things, proclaimed January 1 to be New Year's Day (for more on the Gregorian calendar, see Easter, Date of). Roman Catholic countries promptly switched to the new and more accurate calendar. Protestant and Orthodox countries delayed, for fear of seeming to accept the Pope's authority. Great Britain adopted the Gregorian calendar several hundred years later, in 1752. This decision effectively installed the Gregorian calendar in her American colonies as well.

Before that time the English recognized March 25 as their official New Year's Day, a custom adopted sometime around the twelfth century in honor of the Annunciation. The English also invented an informal and affectionate name for the festival, dubbing it "Lady Day." In past times the holiday not only served as New Year's Day, but also as one of the quarter days of the year, days on which rents came due and employers hired and dismissed help. Prophecies Because the date of Easter and its related festivals shift about on the calendar, they may occasionally coincide with the Annunciation. In past times some people found these coincidences ominous. In the Middle Ages a prophecy surfaced warning that the world would end in the year 970, when the Annunciation occurred on Good Friday. Needless to say, that disaster did not occur. Neither did it in the years 981 and 992, when the Annunciation again fell on Good Friday. Several hundred years later an Irish prophecy predicted that the end of the world would occur in the year in which the Annunciation fell on Easter Sunday.

Records dating as far back as the early seventeenth century reveal that a variation of this prophecy was known in England in the form of a rhymed couplet: When Our Lord lights in Our Lady's lap, Then let England look for a clap. (Blackburn and Holford-Strevens, 134) In this instance "clap" means ill fortune. King Charles I did experience serious political defeats in 1627 and was executed as an enemy of the nation in 1649, years in which Easter Sunday and the Annunciation coincided. Nevertheless, other years in which the two festivals fell on the same date - 1722, 1733, 1744, 1883, 1894, and 1951 - proved relatively disaster-free for England. The prophecy can again be tested in 2035 and 2046, when Easter will fall on March 25. When this occurs, however, both the Church of England and the Roman Catholic Church will transfer the celebration of the Annunciation to a different day.

Lore and Customs According to the Gregorian calendar system now used throughout the world, the spring equinox falls around March 21. Thus the Annunciation still occurs near the time of the spring equinox. As a result many European folk traditions associate the Annunciation with natural events occurring at that time of year. For example, the old saying, "When Gabriel to Mary flies, this is the end of snow and ice," reminded farmers to begin sowing their summer crops on the day after the Annunciation. In addition, folk tradition named the Annunciation the "Feast of the Swallows." Around this time of year swallows return to Europe from their yearly migrations to Asia and Africa. An old Austrian saying explicitly linked this event with the Annunciation: When Gabriel does the message bring, Return the swallows, comes the spring." (Slim, 90) This perceived linkage led many people to call swallows "Mary's birds" and sometimes even "God's birds." Folklore followed suit, declaring it bad luck to kill a swallow or to interfere with swallows' nests. As it turns out, swallows have more than just a folkloric connection with the Virgin Mary.

When European Crusaders reached the Holy Land in the Middle Ages, they found Nazareth, the town where the Annunciation took place (Luke 1:26), to be a favorite haunt of swallows. While many Europeans associate the Annunciation with the return of a favorite bird, Swedes associate it with a special food. In Swedish the formal name for the festival is Varfrudagen, "Our Lady's Day." Over time casual pronunciation of this phrase turned it into Vaffeldagen, or "Waffle Day." Swedish tradition therefore proclaimed waffles the specialty of the day. Swedes use special heart-shaped irons to make these waffles, which symbolize the loving heart of the Virgin Mary. Oftentimes the Annunciation falls during Lent. When it does so, Orthodox Christians relax the rules of their strict Lenten fast in celebration of the day. Fish may be eaten and Orthodox churches celebrate the Divine Liturgy, normally forbidden during the weekdays of Lent (for more on the Divine Liturgy, see also Eucharist). When the Annunciation falls during the last week of Lent, that is, during Holy Week and the Triduum, the Roman Catholic Church shifts its observance of the festival to the second Monday after Easter Sunday.

Further Reading Blackburn, Bonnie, and Leofranc Holford-Strevens. The Oxford Companion to the Year. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press, 1999. Bradshaw, Paul F. The Search for the Origins of Christian Worship. New York: Oxford University Press, 1992. Griffin, Robert H., and Ann H. Shurgin, eds. The Folklore of World Holidays. Second edition. Detroit, MI: Gale Research, 1999. Gulevich, Tanya. Encyclopedia of Christmas. Detroit, MI: Omnigraphics, 2000. Niemann, Paul J. The Lent, Triduum, and Easter Answer Book. San Jose, CA: Resource Publications, 1998. Slim, Hugo. A Feast of Festivals. London, England: Marshall Pickering, 1996. Annunciation What is the Feast of the Annunciation? When is the Feast of Annunciation Celebrated? The Annunciation (also called the Feast of the Annunciation) celebrates the announcement given by the archangel Gabriel to Mary that she would conceive and give birth to the Son of God.

The feast is observed on March 25th, which is nine months before the Christmas celebration of the birth of Jesus. This date also coincides with the observance of Good Friday , when Holy Week occurs in the month of March. The correlation between the conception of Christ and his death falling on the same day follows a doctrinal belief of the early Church, which proposed that many of the major events in the Bible coincided with the Spring Equinox. Events such as the creation of the Earth, the creation of Adam, the fall of Lucifer, and the crossing of the Red Sea are all purported to have occurred on March 25th. Calculations of this nature, which were popular during the Middle Ages in conjunction with the spread of Christianity in Northern Europe, underpin the observance of many Christian holy days during the solstice and equinox periods of the calendar year. The date for the celebration of the Annunciation proved advantageous for the Church in terms of incorporating more Christian theology among the pagan tribes of Europe. History of the Annunciation The origin of the feast can be traced back to the early fifth century.

It began in the Eastern Church during the time of the council of Ephesus, in AD 431, and became an observance in the Western Church around AD 496. From its inception, there were major differences in the central theme of the feast. The Eastern Church centered the feast on the conception of Christ and His incarnation as the Son of God. The focus of the celebration was God's power as manifested through the Holy Spirit to birth the humanity of the Christ, a being free from the taint of sin. Christ, in turn, would begin a new generation of the children of God, born of the Spirit through the redemption of His sacrifice. For the Western Church, the Annunciation is a feast honoring the Virgin Mary as the mother of Christ. The emphasis of the celebration is placed on her acceptance of this honor as the fulfillment of the prophecy written in Isaiah 7:14. It is from this feast that the "Hail Mary" recitation of the Rosary and the Magnificat of Vespers have become a steadfast part of Catholic tradition. For the Universal Church, the Annunciation was a feast of obligation until the early twentieth century, when it was relegated to Sunday Mass.

The Feast of the Annunciation held a particularly important aspect for western civilization. Since the early church believed that God created the earth in the spring, March 25th was also the observance of the New Year throughout much of the western world. During the Middle Ages, as the Church grew in power, the Ecclesiastical calendar often took precedence over the Julian calendar. As a result, a variety of time-marking styles developed, placing the New Year at different times throughout the ecclesiastical year. One such style was the Annunciation Style, which was used in some parts of Europe, particularly in England, where the Feast of Annunciation was known as "Lady Day". These differing styles eventually created confusion when traveling from one region to another, prompting Pope Gregory XIII to initiate the Gregorian calendar in 1582. The Gregorian calendar adopted the Julian date of January 1st as the New Year. England and its colonies continued with the Annunciation Style of the ecclesiastical calendar until adopting the Gregorian in 1752. In our time, the Feast of the Annunciation continues to be observed in the Catholic Church.

However, with the requirement of obligation removed, many Catholics often do not pay tribute to the observance, except at Sunday Mass. For Christians everywhere, the Annunciation can be a reminder of the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of believers as we are transformed into a people filled and guided by spirit. Our Product Ambassadors are ready to introduce you to our full product offering 888-317-4018 Lady Day - definition of Lady Day in English | Oxford Dictionaries Definition of Lady Day in English: Lady Day 25 March (the feast of the Annunciation), a quarter day in England, Wales, and Ireland.

Example sentences ‘The chairman of Shipston-on-Stour Board of Guardians submitted the estimate of expenditure from Lady Day to Michaelmas next.’ ‘He went on to explain that Good Friday this year fell on March 25, the Feast Of The Annunciation, also known as Lady Day.’ ‘But in 1689 - indeed, until early in the 18th century - the New Year did not begin until Lady Day, and that is March 24.’ ‘As Lady Day approaches - the traditional date for renewal of farm tenancies and rent reviews - the National Farmers' Union has made an appeal to landowners.’ ‘The Western medieval Christian calendar year begins with Lady Day, March 25th, the Annunciation, and that seems to underlie at least some of the imagery.’ ‘The magnificently decorated town created the ideal backdrop to the candlelight procession from St Mary's Parish Church through the town on Wednesday last to celebrate Lady Day.’ ‘The start of the financial year was forced to move ahead from Lady Day to 5th April, and then shifted one further day in 1800 (the first century year not to be a leap year).’ ‘In Britain there was an objection to paying tax in 1

753 on the normal date, that is, Lady Day or 25 March, on the grounds that a full year had not elapsed.’ ‘According to today's Daily Telegraph (Fingers crossed Good Friday does not bring us bad luck), it used to be considered very unlucky for Good Friday to fall on March 25, Lady Day.’ Origin With reference to Our Lady, the Virgin Mary.

Word of the Day Feast Day | Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Atlanta Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church Home » About Us » Church Feast Day Feast of the Annunciation of Our Most Holy Theotokos INTRODUCTION The Feast of theAnnunciation of Our Most Holy Lady, the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary is celebrated on March 25 each year. The Feast commemorates the announcement by the Archangel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the Son of God, would become incarnate and enter into this world through her womb. BIBLICAL STORY The biblical story of the Feast of the Annunciation is found in the first chapter of the Gospel of Luke (1:26-39). The Archangel Gabriel appeared to the Virgin Mary, who was living in Nazareth, and said to her, “Hail, O favored one, the Lord is with you.” Mary was perplexed and wondered what kind of greeting this was. The angel told her not to be afraid, for she had found favor with God. He said, “You will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.

He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of his kingdom there will be no end.” Mary responded to the angel by asking how this could happen since she had no husband. The angel told her that the Holy Spirit and the power of God would come upon her, and that the child to be born of her would be called holy, the “Son of God.” The angel then proceeded to tell the Virgin Mary that her cousin Elizabeth had conceived a son in her old age (John the Baptist), and affirmed that with God nothing is impossible. In faith and obedience to the will of God, Mary replied to the angel, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be according to your word.” Upon her response, the angel departed. It is on the Feast of the Annunciation, that Orthodox Christians commemorate both the divine initiative of God, whereby He took on flesh from the Virgin for our salvation, and the human response, whereby Mary freely accepted the vocation offered to her.

He elected to become man, and He desired to do this with the willing agreement of her whom He chose as His mother. Mary could have refused, for she was not a passive instrument, but an active participant with a free and positive part to play in God’s plan for our salvation. Thus, when on this and other feasts the Orthodox Church honors the Theotokos, the Mother of God, it is not just because God chose her but also because she herself chose to follow His will. ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN CELEBRATION OF THE FEAST OF THEANNUNCIATION OF THE THEOTOKOS The Feast of the Annunciation of the Theotokos is celebrated with the Divine Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom which is conducted on the morning of the Feast and preceded by a Matins (Orthros) service. A Great Vespers is conducted on the evening before the day of the Feast. Scripture readings for the Feast are the following: At Vespers: Genesis 28:10-17 ; Ezekiel 43:27—44:4 ; Proverbs 9:1-11 .

At the Matins: Luke 1:39-49, 56 . At the Divine Liturgy: Hebrews 2:11-18 ; Luke 1:24-38 . The Feast of the Annunciation in the Greek Orthodox Church also marks a day of national celebration for the people of Greece and those around the world of Greek descent. It was on March 25, 1821 when Greece officially declared its independence and began the revolution that would eventually give the nation its freedom after 400 years of rule by the Ottomans. In addition to the services for the Feast, festivities and parades are held and official proclamations are offered throughout the world in recognition of Greek Independence Day. HYMNS OF THE FEAST Apolytikion (Fourth Tone) Today marks the crowning of our salvation and the revelation of the mystery before all ages. For the Son of God becomes the son of the Virgin, and Gabriel proclaims the grace.

Wherefore, we also cry out with him, "Hail, O full of grace, the Lord is with you." Kontakion (Plagal of the Fourth Tone) To you, Theotokos, invincible Defender, having been delivered from peril, I, your city, dedicate the victory festival as a thank offering. In your irresistible might, keep me safe from all trials, that I may call out to you: "Hail, unwedded bride!" RESOURCES Festival Icons for the Christian Year by John Baggley (Crestwood, NY: St. Vladimir's Seminary Press, 2000), pp. 21-30. The Festal Menaion. Translated by Mother Mary (South Canaan, PA: St. Tikhon’s Seminary Press, 1969) pp. 60-61. The Incarnate God: The Feasts of Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary, Catherine Aslanoff, editor and Paul Meyendorff, translator (Crestwood, NY: St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 1995).

The Life of the Virgin Mary, The Theotokos, written and compiled by Holy Apostles Convent (Buena Vista, CO: 1989). The Synaxarion: The Lives of the Saints of the Orthodox Church, Vol. 4, compiled by Hieromonk Makarios of Simonos Petra and translated from the French by Mother Maria Rule and Mother Joanna Burton (Chalkidike, Greece: Holy Convent of the Annunciation of Our Lady, 2003) pp. 227-232. Annunciation | Article about Annunciation by The Free Dictionary Annunciation | Article about Annunciation by The Free Dictionary Related to Annunciation: Annunciation Day Annunciation 1. the New Testament the announcement of the Incarnation by the angel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary (Luke 1:26--38) 2.

the festival commemorating this, held on March 25 (Lady Day) Annunciation Annunciation means "announcement." When spelled with a capital "A," the word refers to the announcement made by Gabriel, God's messenger angel, to the Virgin Mary, telling her that she would bear a son by the Holy Spirit whom she should call Jesus (Luke 1:26-28). By the early Middle Ages the Church had established a feast day to commemorate this angelic announcement. In the middle of the fourth century, Church officials in Rome created a new festival to honor the birth of Jesus. They scheduled this festival, which we now call Christmas, on December 25. Eventually December 25 gained widespread acceptance as the actual date on which Jesus had been born, implying that Mary must have become pregnant nine months earlier, on March 25. According to the astronomical calculations used by the ancient Romans, the spring equinox also fell on that day (see also Winter Solstice). By the eighth century the Feast of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, celebrated on March 25, was firmly established in western Europe.

As Mary's pregnancy marked the beginning of a new era for Christians, many medieval kingdoms also chose March 25 as the day on which they began their new year (see also Kalends; New Year's Day). In 1582 Pope Gregory XIII called for calendar reforms which included switching New Year's Day to January 1 (see also Old Christmas Day). Nevertheless, several centuries passed before most European countries had adopted the reformed, Gregorian calendar. Many Christians still recognize March 25 as a religious holiday, although they have slightly different names for the observance. Roman Catholics currently refer to the feast as the "Annunciation of the Lord," the Orthodox know it as the "Annunciation of the Mother of God," and many Anglicans call it the "Annunciation of Our Lord to the Blessed Virgin Mary." The English also call the festival "Lady Day." The Feast of the Annunciation often occurs during Lent. Those Christians who fast during Lent, for example, Roman Catholics and Orthodox, are allowed to modify the fast on this day. Over the centuries the Annunciation became a favorite scene for western European painters interested in depicting the life of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The scene also appears frequently in stained glass windows and other church decorations.

Many famous artists have bequeathed us their versions of the Annunciation, including Robert Campin (c. 1378-1444), Fra Angelico (c. 1400-1455), Sandro Botticelli (1445-1510), El Greco (1451-1614), Leonardo Da Vinci (1452-1519), and Adolphe-William Bouguereau (1825-1905). In these paintings Mary often appears to be reading or spinning when the angel arrives, activities which represent her piety. A container of water may sit beside her, or the angel may offer her lilies, both of which symbolize her purity. The Holy Spirit commonly takes shape as a descending dove or as a ray of light streaming through the window. Further Reading Auld, William Muir. Christmas Tidings. 1933. Reprint. Detroit, Mich.: Omnigraphics, 1990. Cross, F. L., and E. A. Livingstone. The Oxford Dictionary of the ChristianChurch. Second edition, revised.

Oxford, England: Oxford University Press, 1984. The Glory and Pageantry of Christmas. Maplewood, N.J.: Time-Life Books, 1963. Henderson, Helene, and Sue Ellen Thompson, eds. Holidays, Festivals, andCelebrations of the World Dictionary. Second edition. Detroit, Mich.: Omnigraphics, 1997. Metford, J. C. J. The Christian Year. London, England: Thames and Hudson, 1991. ---. Dictionary of Christian Lore and Legend. London, England: Thames and Hudson, 1983. Rouvelas, Marilyn. A Guide to Greek Traditions and Customs in America. Bethesda, Md.: Nea Attiki Press, 1993. Stuhlmueller, C. "Annunciation." In New Catholic Encyclopedia. Volume 1. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1967. Annunciation Annunciation of the Lord, Annunciation of the Mother of God, Annunciation of the Virgin Mary, Lady Day The feast of the Annunciation often falls during Lent, bringing a little bit of Christmas joy into that otherwise austere season.

The word annunciation means "announcement." When spelled with a capital "A" it refers to the announcement made by the angel Gabriel to the Blessed Virgin Mary, telling her that she would bear a son by the Holy Spirit whom she should name Jesus (see also Mary, Blessed Virgin). Christians commemorate this event with a festival that falls on March 25. The formal names given to this observance differ by denomination. Some Christians, including Roman Catholics, know the feast as the "Annunciation of the Lord," the Orthodox call it the "Annunciation of the Mother of God," and some Anglicans refer to it as the "Annunciation of the Virgin Mary." Selecting the Date Christian officials most likely derived the date of the Annunciation from the date of Christmas. Church leaders fixed the date of Christmas in the fourth century, selecting December 25 as the day on which to honor the birth of Christ. Once this date had been determined it then followed that Jesus must have been conceived nine months earlier, on March 25. In the ancient Roman world both December 25 and March 25 marked important events in the sun's yearly cycle.

According to the Julian calendar system which the Romans adopted in 45 B.C., the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year, fell on December 25. What's more, the spring equinox, the spring date on which day and night are of equal length, occurred on March 25. Due to an error in the Julian calendar system, however, the events of the solar year slowly fell behind the dates on the calendar. For example, when the Council of Nicaea, an important gathering of the early Christian leaders, met in 325 A.D., the winter solstice was falling on December 21 and the spring equinox on March 21. Although the events of the solar year were slipping behind the calendar, the Romans continued to recognize December 25 as the official date of the winter solstice. Some scholars suspect that early Christian leaders selected December 25 as the date on which to celebrate the Nativity of Christ because the Romans already celebrated the birth of the sun god on that date. Nevertheless, certain early Christian thinkers proposed other, more complicated explanations for the selection of December 25.

They based these explanations both on their interpretation of Christian scripture and on then-popular beliefs in the significance of round numbers. According to one scholar, early Church leaders figured out the date of Jesus' birth from the date early Christian tradition assigned to his death: March 25. These leaders wanted to come up with a round number for Jesus' age at death, so they assumed he had also been conceived on March 25. Therefore, he must have been born nine months later on December 25. Some scholars believe that this line of thinking lies behind the selection of December 25 as Christmas day. Other early Christians thinkers emphasized the idea that Jesus is a kind of new creation. The Bible tells that God's first act of creation was to bring forth light, an act which separated light from darkness. These early Christian leaders reasoned, therefore, that God must have created the world at the time of the spring equinox, when the world is separated into two equal halves of light and darkness. Jesus, as a kind of new creation, must also have come into being at the time of the spring equinox. Therefore he must have been conceived on March 25 and born on December 25.

The idea that Jesus had been born on the winter solstice made sense to them because of several important Bible passages describing the Messiah as "the sun of righteousness" (Malachi 4:2) and Jesus as "the light of the world" (John 8:12). These passages led them to see the sun as a symbol for Jesus. Since the winter solstice may be thought of as the sun's birthday, it seemed an especially appropriate date for Jesus' birth. Some writers assert that Eastern Christians, those Christians living in the Middle East, eastern Europe and north Africa, began observing a festival in honor of the Annunciation as early as the fifth century. By the eighth century this festival, celebrated on March 25, had established itself as an important observance throughout western Europe. The Annunciation as New Year's Day According to Christian doctrine the Annunciation honors the conception of Christ and therefore the dawn of a new era. Mindful of this connection between the Annunciation and new beginnings, a number of medieval European kingdoms began their new year on March 25. The idea that the new year begins in March also harks back to the ancient Roman tradition of starting the new year on March 1.

Julius Caesar's (100-44 B.C.) reform of the Roman calendar, resulting in the introduction of the Julian calendar, derailed this old tradition by declaring January 1 to be New Year's Day. In the year 1582 Pope Gregory XIII ordered Christians to adopt the Gregorian calendar, which, among other things, proclaimed January 1 to be New Year's Day (for more on the Gregorian calendar, see Easter, Date of). Roman Catholic countries promptly switched to the new and more accurate calendar. Protestant and Orthodox countries delayed, for fear of seeming to accept the Pope's authority. Great Britain adopted the Gregorian calendar several hundred years later, in 1752. This decision effectively installed the Gregorian calendar in her American colonies as well. Before that time the English recognized March 25 as their official New Year's Day, a custom adopted sometime around the twelfth century in honor of the Annunciation.

The English also invented an informal and affectionate name for the festival, dubbing it "Lady Day." In past times the holiday not only served as New Year's Day, but also as one of the quarter days of the year, days on which rents came due and employers hired and dismissed help. Prophecies Because the date of Easter and its related festivals shift about on the calendar, they may occasionally coincide with the Annunciation. In past times some people found these coincidences ominous. In the Middle Ages a prophecy surfaced warning that the world would end in the year 970, when the Annunciation occurred on Good Friday. Needless to say, that disaster did not occur. Neither did it in the years 981 and 992, when the Annunciation again fell on Good Friday. Several hundred years later an Irish prophecy predicted that the end of the world would occur in the year in which the Annunciation fell on Easter Sunday. Records dating as far back as the early seventeenth century reveal that a variation of this prophecy was known in England in the form of a rhymed couplet: When Our Lord lights in Our Lady's lap, Then let England look for a clap.

(Blackburn and Holford-Strevens, 134) In this instance "clap" means ill fortune. King Charles I did experience serious political defeats in 1627 and was executed as an enemy of the nation in 1649, years in which Easter Sunday and the Annunciation coincided. Nevertheless, other years in which the two festivals fell on the same date - 1722, 1733, 1744, 1883, 1894, and 1951 - proved relatively disaster-free for England. The prophecy can again be tested in 2035 and 2046, when Easter will fall on March 25. When this occurs, however, both the Church of England and the Roman Catholic Church will transfer the celebration of the Annunciation to a different day. Lore and Customs According to the Gregorian calendar system now used throughout the world, the spring equinox falls around March 21. Thus the Annunciation still occurs near the time of the spring equinox. As a result many European folk traditions associate the Annunciation with natural events occurring at that time of year.

For example, the old saying, "When Gabriel to Mary flies, this is the end of snow and ice," reminded farmers to begin sowing their summer crops on the day after the Annunciation. In addition, folk tradition named the Annunciation the "Feast of the Swallows." Around this time of year swallows return to Europe from their yearly migrations to Asia and Africa. An old Austrian saying explicitly linked this event with the Annunciation: When Gabriel does the message bring, Return the swallows, comes the spring." (Slim, 90) This perceived linkage led many people to call swallows "Mary's birds" and sometimes even "God's birds." Folklore followed suit, declaring it bad luck to kill a swallow or to interfere with swallows' nests. As it turns out, swallows have more than just a folkloric connection with the Virgin Mary. When European Crusaders reached the Holy Land in the Middle Ages, they found Nazareth, the town where the Annunciation took place (Luke 1:26), to be a favorite haunt of swallows. While many Europeans associate the Annunciation with the return of a favorite bird, Swedes associate it with a special food.

In Swedish the formal name for the festival is Varfrudagen, "Our Lady's Day." Over time casual pronunciation of this phrase turned it into Vaffeldagen, or "Waffle Day." Swedish tradition therefore proclaimed waffles the specialty of the day. Swedes use special heart-shaped irons to make these waffles, which symbolize the loving heart of the Virgin Mary. Oftentimes the Annunciation falls during Lent. When it does so, Orthodox Christians relax the rules of their strict Lenten fast in celebration of the day. Fish may be eaten and Orthodox churches celebrate the Divine Liturgy, normally forbidden during the weekdays of Lent (for more on the Divine Liturgy, see also Eucharist). When the Annunciation falls during the last week of Lent, that is, during Holy Week and the Triduum, the Roman Catholic Church shifts its observance of the festival to the second Monday after Easter Sunday. Further Reading Blackburn, Bonnie, and Leofranc Holford-Strevens. The Oxford Companion to the Year. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press, 1999. Bradshaw, Paul F. The Search for the Origins of Christian Worship. New York: Oxford University Press, 1992.

Griffin, Robert H., and Ann H. Shurgin, eds. The Folklore of World Holidays. Second edition. Detroit, MI: Gale Research, 1999. Gulevich, Tanya. Encyclopedia of Christmas. Detroit, MI: Omnigraphics, 2000. Niemann, Paul J. The Lent, Triduum, and Easter Answer Book. San Jose, CA: Resource Publications, 1998. Slim, Hugo. A Feast of Festivals. London, England: Marshall Pickering, 1996. Annunciation Lady Day 25th March. Feast of the Annunciation Feast of The Annunciation Day Not many special days have female associations, Lady is special because in the Christian religion, it was the day when Jesus was conceived. The Christmas nativity will be 9 months later. To continue this theme, Lady day is also the feast of the Annunciation. In this context, the word annunciation means announce. When the angel Gabriel pronounced the conception, or incarnation, of Jesus in the Virgin Mary.

Lady Day on 25th March is one of the four Quarter days, the others are: Christmas on 25th December, Midsummer's Day on 24th June and Michaelmas on 29th September. In England, Lady Day was New Year's Day up to 1752. Indeed it is in England that Lady Day still has the greatest significance. Until 1971, Quarter Sessions or Quarter Assizes had a connotation with Quarter days. Nowadays Quarter Sessions have been replaced with Crown Courts. Quarter days were also the traditional day when tenants paid their quarterly rent. Indeed standard leases still have the clause: 'Rent on a lease is payable on the 'usual quarter days' unless the lease states to the contrary. Multiple Origins of Lady Day Once cannot help noticing the proximity of these quarter days to significant solar events. The winter solstice, the spring equinox (Lady Day), the summer solstice and the autumnal equinox. However, the relationship is not precise because the quarter days are on fixed date 4 or 5 days after the more precise solar event.

It's as though our ancient ancestors waited a few days to be sure, and then celebrated the solstice or equinox with a quarter day. Lady Day is another example of the church appending a religious celebration to a pagan festival, the relationship between Halloween and All Saints would be another case in point. In myths described in the Mabinogion Welsh folk tales, Lady Day celebrates the union between the spring Virgin Goddess and the young solar God. In another Mabinogion tale, the spring equinox (Lady Day) is when Llew takes revenge on the evil Goronwy. According to the allegory, Llew lances his bitter enemy with a shaft of sunlight. To return to the Holy Bible, and the Gospel according to St Luke: Luke 1:26 And in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God into a city of Galilee, called Nazareth, To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. Lady Day 6th April - Tax Year Starts in the UK The original Julian calendar, which dated from Roman times, did not take into account the fact that there are 365.24 days in a year.

By the 16th century this discrepancy resulted in the seasons, solstice and other events being out by approximately 11 days. Pope Gregory XIII introduced a more accurate calendar by introducing leap years. For hundreds of years the tax year in England and Wales started on Lady Day 25th March, when the Gregorian calendar was finally adopted 11 days were added to the calendar. To ease the outcry of these 'lost days', the exchequer delayed the start of the tax year in 1753 to 6th April. From that time until this, the term 'Lady Day' is occasionally applied to the 6th of April rather than the Annunciation Day - 25th March. # Ladies Day The other connotation, or corruption of Lady Day is Ladies Day. This seems to be a feature of every major horse race meeting from Ascot to York. Lady day bears as much resemblance to these ladies days as lady does to 'ladette' - nuff said. Summary of Lady Day In view of all that it has going for it, Will and Guy are surprised that Lady Day is so little known, and hardly ever celebrated.

To recap, Lady Day is one of only 4 quarter days during the year, it falls near to the vernal equinox, and crucially, it commemorates Christ's conception. Other 'Lady' Days St Catherine's Day 25th November This is a day with several meanings: arrival of winter in Estonia, the martyrdom of St Catherine by the Romans and Catherinettes Day in France. † International Women's Day 8th March The very first International Women's Day was launched in Germany, by Clara Zetkin, on 19th March 1911 [not 8th March]. The date was chosen because on 19th March in the 1848 revolution, the Prussian king recognized, the strength of the armed people and gave way before the threat of a proletarian uprising. Among the many promises he made, which he later failed to keep, was the introduction of votes for women. If you like this page then please share it with your friends

Question: On what date on the Christian calendar is the day of the Annunciation or Lady Day?
Answer: 25 March