Nativity of the Theotokos: Feast Day, Iconography and Traditions
September 8th — the Nativity of the Theotokos, the first great feast of the Church year.
The feast of the Nativity of the Theotokos
The Church year begins on the first of September, and the first of its twelve great feasts falls just a week later. On September 8th we keep the Nativity of the Theotokos — the birth of the Virgin Mary. It is a quiet feast compared with Pascha or the Dormition, and yet everything else depends on it. Before there could be an Incarnation, there had to be a girl born in Nazareth to a couple who had almost given up hope.
Her parents were Joachim and Anna. They were not young. They had been married for decades without a child, and in the Israel of their day that was not merely a private sorrow — it was read as a sign of God's displeasure. Tradition tells that Joachim's offering was once refused at the Temple because he had left no descendant in Israel. He did not argue. He went out into the wilderness and fasted for forty days. Anna, alone at home, walked into her garden, saw a sparrow's nest in a laurel tree with its young inside, and wept that even the birds were more fruitful than she was.
It was in that garden, at the lowest point, that the angel came to her — and separately to Joachim in the desert. They were told they would have a child, and that the child would be spoken of throughout the world. The two of them met again at the Golden Gate of Jerusalem, and the icon of that meeting is one of the tenderest in all Byzantine art: two old people embracing, having each been told the same impossible thing.
This is why the feast matters in Orthodox homes far beyond its place in the calendar. It is the feast of prayer answered late. Families who have waited for a child, or for anything that seemed not to be coming, keep this day with particular attention.
In Byzantine iconography
Every element in an Orthodox icon carries meaning — the colours of the garments, the position of the hands, the objects held, the gold ground that stands for uncreated light. Icons of the Theotokos are the most tightly governed of all: her robes are almost always deep red over blue, the red for her humanity and her royalty, the blue for the divine life she was clothed in. Three stars appear on her — one on each shoulder and one on the forehead — marking her virginity before, during and after the birth of Christ. And she is never shown alone as a subject of devotion in the way a portrait would be; she is shown as the one who holds and points to her Son.
The particular types differ in the relation between mother and Child, and each has its own name. In the Panagia Glykophilousa — the Sweet-Kissing — the Child presses his cheek against hers, and her face carries the knowledge of what is to come. In the Panagia Gorgoypikoos, the "Swift to Hear", she is turned outward toward the viewer, and the name itself is a promise about how quickly the prayer travels. In the Panagia Portaitissa, the Keeper of the Gate of Iveron on Mount Athos, there is a wound on her cheek: the icon is said to have been struck by a soldier, and to have bled.
The gold ground behind her is not decoration and not a background in the ordinary sense. It is not a place. It is light — the uncreated light of God, in which the figures stand. This is why a gilded icon changes as you move past it, and why it looks so different by the flame of a vigil lamp than under an electric bulb. It was made for the lamp.
Traditions and customs
In Greece the eighth of September is a day of panigyria — the village and monastery festivals that mark a patronal feast. Churches dedicated to the Genethlion tis Theotokou hold vigil the night before, and by morning the courtyards fill. It falls at the turn of the season, when the harvest is in and the summer heat has broken, and in many villages the feast doubles as the last celebration before the autumn work begins.
Those named Maria, Despina, Panagiotis and Panagiota keep their name day chiefly on the fifteenth of August, but many families mark this day too, and in some regions it is the older custom. A visit, a small gift, and a plate of something sweet are what is expected.
At home, the day is kept simply. Many families mark it by placing an icon in the prayer corner — such as this Panagia of Tinos, the Megalochari of the great pilgrimage — and lighting a vigil lamp before it. If the household keeps a lamp burning through the year, it is topped up and the wick trimmed for the feast. If it does not, this is a good day to begin.
Choosing an icon as a gift
For name days and feast days, a handmade icon is the gift that outlasts every other. But there are real choices to make, and they are worth understanding before you buy.
Size. A small icon of 7x10cm or 11x15cm sits on a desk, a bedside table, or a shelf in a child's room. Around 20x27cm you have something that holds a wall on its own. Above 30x40cm you are in the territory of a family icon — the one that goes in the main room and is passed down.
Material. Serigraphy on wood is the traditional workshop method and the most durable: the image is printed and finished by hand on a solid panel, and it will not fade or warp. Canvas serigraphy with gold leaf gives a softer, more painterly surface with real depth in the gilding — closer to the look of an old icon. Carved wood adds a recessed border so the image sits within the panel rather than on it. Sterling silver, in 925° or 999°, is the formal choice, and the one most often given for a baptism or a wedding, because it does not tarnish and it reads immediately as an heirloom.
Occasion. For a baptism, choose the child's patron saint, in silver if the budget allows. For a wedding, a pair — Christ and the Theotokos — is the traditional gift, and the couple will hang them together. For a home altar, start with Christ and the Theotokos and add the family's name saints over time. For a house blessing or a new home, the Theotokos alone is the customary gift.
Everything is made to order in our workshop, so allow a few days before dispatch. If you are choosing between two and cannot decide, write to us — we would rather help than have you guess.
Icons for this feast
Every icon in our workshop is made by hand in Greece, in the Byzantine tradition, and shipped worldwide. If you have a question about a particular saint or size, we are always glad to help.