Feast of the Annunciation

Feast of the Annunciation
The Annunciation by Paolo de Matteis.
Observed by	Christianity
Type	Christian
Date	25 March
Frequency	annual
Related to	Christmas Day, Lady Day, March equinox

Part of a series on the
Mariology of the Catholic Church
Immaculate Conception by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo (c. 1675)
Overview Prayers Antiphons Titles Hymns to Mary Devotional practices Saints Societies Consecrations and entrustments Veneration
Titles of Mary Theotokos (Mother of God) Mediatrix Mother of the Church Our Lady of Good Counsel Our Lady of Mount Carmel Our Lady of Sorrows Our Lady of Victory Our Lady, Star of the Sea Queen of Heaven Queen of Peace Queen of Poland Refugium Peccatorum (Refuge of Sinners) Untier of Knots Virgin of Mercy
Prayers and hymns Angelus Fátima prayers Flos Carmeli Hail Mary Hail Mary of Gold Immaculata prayer Magnificat Mary, Mother of Grace Memorare Sub tuum praesidium Marian hymns
Devotional practices Acts of Reparation Consecration to Mary First Saturdays Rosary Seven Joys of the Virgin Seven Sorrows of Mary Three Hail Marys
Movements and societies Sodality of Our Lady Congregation of Marian Fathers Company of Mary (Montfort) Marianists (Society of Mary) Marist Fathers Marist Brothers Schoenstatt Movement Legion of Mary World Apostolate of Fátima (Blue Army) Mariological Society Our Lady's Rosary Makers Marian Movement of Priests Fatima Family Apostolate Queen of Angels Foundation
Apparitions Approved, with widespread liturgical veneration endorsed by the Holy See: Fátima Three Secrets of Fátima Guadalupe Knock La Salette Lourdes Miraculous Medal Walsingham Dowry of Mary
Key Marian feast days Mother of God (1 January) Candlemas (2 February) Annunciation (25 March) Assumption (15 August) Nativity (8 September) Holy Name (12 September) Presentation (21 November) Immaculate Conception (8 December)
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The Feast of the Annunciation (Greek: Ο Ευαγγελισμός της Θεοτόκου, romanized: O Evangelismós tis Theotókou, lit. 'the Annunciation of the Mother of God') commemorates the visit of the archangel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary, during which he informed her that she would be the mother of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. It is celebrated on 25 March; however, if 25 March falls either in Holy Week or in Easter Week, the feast is postponed to the Monday after the Second Sunday of Easter.

Other names for the feast include the Solemnity of the Annunciation, Lady Day, Feast of the Incarnation (Festum incarnationis), and Conceptio Christi (Christ's Conception).

The Feast of the Annunciation is observed almost universally throughout Christianity, especially within the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, Anglicanism, and Lutheranism. It is a major Marian feast, classified as a solemnity in the Catholic Church, a Festival in Lutheranism, and a Principal Feast in the Anglican Communion. In the Eastern Orthodox Church, because it announces the incarnation of Christ, it is counted as one of the eight great feasts of the Lord.^[1] The importance attached to the Annunciation, especially in the Catholic Church, are the Angelus and the Hail Mary prayers, the event's position as the first Joyful Mystery of the Dominican Rosary, the Novena for the Feast of the Annunciation,^[2] and the numerous depictions of the Annunciation in Christian art.