The Annunciation is the Christian celebration of the announcement by the angel Gabriel toMary that she would become the Theotokos (God-bearer). Despite being a virgin, Mary would miraculously conceive a child who would be the called the Son of God. Gabriel told Mary to name her son Jesus, meaning “YHWH delivers”. Most of Christianity observes this event with the Feast of the Annunciation on 25 March, nine full months before Christmas. According to the Bible (Luke 1:26), the Annunciation occurred in “the sixth month” ofElizabeth's pregnancy with the child who would later become known as John the Baptist.
Approximating the Vernal equinox, the date of the Annunciation also marked the New Yearin many places, including England, where it is called Lady Day. Both the Roman Catholicand Eastern Orthodox Churches hold that the Annunciation took place at Nazareth, but differ as to the precise location. The Church of the Annunciation marks the site preferred by the former, while the Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation marks that preferred by the latter.
The Annunciation has been a key topic in Christian art in general, as well as in Roman Catholic Marian art, particularly during the Middle Ages and Renaissance. Beginning in 2010, the Annunciation feast is a national holiday in Lebanon celebrated by both Christians and Muslims by virtue of a governmental decree.
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