Orthodox Church celebrates Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple
On this day, Orthodox Christians recall how the righteous Joachim and Anna, in fulfillment of their vow, dedicated their three-year-old Daughter to the service of God.
On December 4, 2025, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church celebrates one of the Twelve Great Feasts – the Entry of our Most Holy Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary into the Temple.
The events commemorated on this day are described in the Church’s sacred Tradition.
The parents of the Most Holy Virgin, Saints Joachim and Anna, having prayed for the gift of a child, vowed to dedicate the one granted to them to the service of God. When the Virgin Mary reached the age of three, they resolved to fulfill their promise. Accompanied by relatives and acquaintances, carrying lit candles and singing sacred hymns, Saints Joachim and Anna brought their Daughter to the Temple in Jerusalem.
A steep staircase – fifteen high steps – led up to the Temple. It seemed unlikely that the little Mary would be able to ascend them on her own, but when she was placed on the first step, she, strengthened by divine power, quickly climbed the remaining steps and approached the high priest who awaited her. According to Tradition, this was Saint Zachariah – the future father of Saint John the Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist of the Lord. By divine prompting, he led the Most Holy Virgin into the Holy of Holies, a place where only the high priest was allowed to enter, and only once a year, with the blood of the sacrifice for purification.
The Virgin Mary remained to live in the quarters for virgins adjacent to the Temple. She was raised among devout maidens, studied the Holy Scriptures, engaged in needlework, and remained in constant prayer.
According to Palestinian Christian traditions, the celebration of the Entry of the Theotokos into the Temple was known in the early centuries of Christianity. In the fourth century, Saint Gregory of Nyssa mentions this feast. In the eighth and ninth centuries, it became widespread, and by the tenth and eleventh centuries, it had acquired a solemn liturgical form.
On the feast of the Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple, the festive service consists of a small vespers, an all-night vigil (with a litia), the hours, and the Divine Liturgy. The order of the service differs little from that of the other great feasts of the Mother of God (the Nativity of the Theotokos and the Dormition). The hymns of the feast are sung, and clergy are vested in white and/or blue garments.
The feast falls during the Nativity Fast. The Church’s rule permits the eating of fish on this day.
As the UOJ reported earlier, a Nativity scene with faceless figures of the Theotokos and Joseph was displayed in Brussels.
