On the 7th of January by the Julian calendar and the 25th of December by the Gregorian calendar, the Holy Orthodox Church celebrates the Nativity of Our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ.  This event split human history in two, BC (Before Christ) and AD (Anno Domini - in the year of our Lord).  The act that we started over from year one is more than convenience.  It is in fact a symbol of the rebirth of all the world and everything in it.  It is a symbol of the beginning of our salvation.  It is the beginning of our spiritual exodus from sinfulness, darkness and death.  Since the exact day of the Nativity was unknown, the Church Fathers chose the 7th of January to coincide with the pagan celebration of Saturnalia. This festival was celebrated to mark when the sun crossed the imaginary line known as the Tropic of Capricorn.  This made the initial conversion to Christianity a simpler transition for some. Foretold by the Old Testament Prophets and long awaited by all of Israel, Christ came into the world.  In His incomprehensible love for humankind, as St. Athanasius the Great said, the Son of God became man so that we could become God.  Jesus became the second Adam, but unlike the first, He submitted to the will of God with His whole being.  His obedience, His willing sacrifice and His resurrection ultimately provided a way to achieve the likeness to God or deification that humanity had lost in the fall.

St. Nicholas was born in Patara in Asia Minor and served as Archbishop of Myra in the 3^rd and 4^th centuries. St. Nicholas is best known for his acts of kindness and generosity. He is also known to have performed many miraculous acts of healing. An established theologian and fervent defender of Orthodoxy, St. Nicholas was unable to bear the blasphemous and heretical words uttered by Arius during the proceedings of the First Ecumenical Council which was held in 325 A.D. St Nicholas actually slapped Arius in the face, and was for this action deprived of the dignity of a bishop. However later St. Nicholas was restored to his bishopric. St. Nicholas icons are striking and easily recognizable. The Saint is always wearing bishop’s liturgical vestments, and he always holds a Gospel book in his hand. The Mother of God is always portrayed above St. Nicholas holding out the Bishop’s Omophor. This signifies the Mother of God’s intercession regarding St. Nicholas’ reinstatement as Bishop. St. Nicholas is the helper of scholars, bakers and even thieves. He is the patron saint of children as well as the patron saint of brides and those who travel.

This feast day is celebrated on the 21^st of November by the Gregorian calendar and on the 4^th of December by the Julian calendar. The parents of the Theotokos, St Anna and St. Joachim, brought their daughter to the Temple in Jerusalem. At the steps of the temple they were greeted by High Priest Zacharias (father of St. John the Baptist) who was entrusted with the care of Mary. Before the disbelieving eyes of the priests and her parents, the three year old girl walked up the steep steps of the Temple reaching the doors without any help. This was an impossible feat for a child of that age. Thus began her first steps in her difficult but remarkable and glorious life. Preparing herself for her service to God and humanity, the Most Holy Virgin spent nine years in prayer at the Temple in Jerusalem.