‘Vavedenje’ - Initiation of Mother Mary

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Significance<br><br>‘Vavedenje’ is an Orthodox

Christian festival celebrated in remembrance of the day of

Mother Mary’s initiation. On this day, Mother Mary at

age three was taken to the Holy Temple in Jerusalem

to be initiated by the head priest there. This

festival is celebrated every year on December 4 in

Orthodox Christianity; it is not celebrated in the

Catholic or Protestant denominations of Christianity.

<br><br>Historical perspective <br><br>Before Mother Mary was born,

Her parents had vowed to The Lord that they would

give their daughter to be in service to Him. When

Mother Mary was three years of age, Her parents took Her

to the Holy Temple in Jerusalem to be initiated into

service to The Lord. Upon reaching the steep stairs of

the Temple, the young Mary joyously climbed on Her

own to the main entrance of the temple without once

looking back at Her parents. The head priest took Her by

the hand and led Her into the sacred altar called

‘The Holiest of the Holy’, where women or ordinary

priests were not allowed and even the head priest was

allowed only once a year. There Mother Mary vowed to The

Lord that she would remain a virgin and be in His

service all Her life. She lived in that Temple for the

next twelve years, at the end of which, She was ready

to be given in marriage. Due to Her vow to remain a

virgin, the priests arranged a marriage with an elderly

man, Joseph, who vowed to take care of Her and remain

in celibacy, despite the marriage vows.<br><br>The

story about Mother Mary’s initiation (Vavedenje) was

first found in early Christian testaments in the 2nd

century AD. It is celebrated in the Eastern Christian

denominations since the 4th century AD and in some Western

Christian denominations since the 14th century

AD.<br><br>Method of Celebration <br><br>Celebration of Vavedenje

consists of going to the church or monastery, attending

liturgy (worship including recitation of holy verses at

the church), lighting candles and singing devotional

hymns in Her glory. Attending church helps one remain

in satsang, an environment conducive to the

experience of God, due to the higher purity (sattvikta)

during worship. The sound energy (naad shakti) from the

recitation of holy verses - full of divine consciousness

(chaitanya) - increases the purity (sattvikta) of the

atmosphere. Monetary offerings are also made to nunneries, as

a part of this celebration. Such offering unto The

Truth (Sat) is an opportunity to perform spiritual

practice of the businessman (vaishya) spiritual

class.<br><br>It is believed that celebrating this day helps

women, who have problems conceiving, to become pregnant.

It is also believed that on this day, if there is

rain, there will be a good harvest that the year,

whereas if there is a great wind, the land will be barren

that year. <br><br>Source www.sanatan.org/weekly