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[[Image:Annunciation.jpg|right|frame|The Annunciation to the Theotokos]]
The '''Annunciation''' (or ''Evangelismos'' in Greek) to the [[Theotokos]] is one of the [[Great Feasts]] of the [[Orthodox Church]], celebrated on [[March 25]] (OS) / April 7 (NS). (Greeks also celebrate Greek Independence Day on March 25. This is one of only two days during [[Great Lent|Lent]], the other being [[Palm Sunday]], when fish is permitted.)
According to the [[Gospel of Luke]] 1:26-38, the [[Archangel Gabriel]] appeared to Mary to announce to her that she would conceive and bear a son, even though she "knew no man." According to holy tradition Mary had come home to her parents when she was only fifteen when she was visited by Gabriel.
This date was selected by the [[Church Fathers]] to be exactly nine months ahead of the [[Nativity]] of Our Lord (or vice-versa?), indicating that Christ was conceived in perfection at that time "of the [[Holy Spirit]] and the Virgin Mary," as stated in the [[Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed]].
Many men and women in Greece are named for this event and celebrate their [[name day]] on this date.
==Celebration of the feast==
The feast of the Annunciation normally falls during the season of [[Great Lent]], but it is still a joyous day. The [[fast]] is lessened, with fish allowed on this day. (This is one of only two days during [[Great Lent|Lent]], the other being [[Palm Sunday]], when fish is permitted.)
If the feast comes on a weekday of Lent, the [[Divine Liturgy]] of the feast is served in the evening with [[Vespers]] (in some traditions). When this happens, the fasting rules for the [[Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts]] are followed. The Divine Liturgy of the Annunciation is the only celebration of the [[Eucharist]]ic liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom allowed on a weekday of Great Lent.
== Greek traditions ==
Many people make a [[pilgrimage]] as a special tribute to the Theotokos on the island of Tinos. Thousands of pilgrims jam the docks and city streets to visit the [[Church of Evangelistria (Tinos, Greece)]] that safeguards a miraculous healing [[icon]] of the Theotokos. Revealed in a vision, it was found buried in a field in 1823, and the church was built to house it. Pilgrims bring items of precious metals and other gifts to leave at the church. On [[August 15]] ([[Dormition]] of the Theotokos) and [[March 25]] the icon is carried through town in a grand procession. Greeks celebrate Greek Independence Day on March 25.
== Hymns ==
