Annunciation

The Annunciation is a Christian biblical event in which the angel Gabriel visits the Virgin Mary to reveal that she will conceive Jesus by the Holy Spirit. It is described in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 1, verses 26–38, and is central to the Christian understanding of the Incarnation.

According to Luke, Gabriel appears to Mary in Nazareth, greets her, and announces that she will bear a son who will be called the Son of God. Mary asks how this will occur, and the angel replies that the Holy Spirit will come upon her and that the child will be holy and called the Son of God.

Mary is then depicted as giving her consent, saying, "Be it unto me according to thy word." Her fiat is regarded in Christian tradition as a model of faith and obedience, opening the way for the Incarnation, in which God becomes flesh in Jesus.

The Annunciation holds significant theological importance in many Christian traditions. It underscores the belief in the divine origin of Jesus and supports Mary’s special role in salvation history, including the later doctrine of the Theotokos, or God-bearer. The event also marks the moment when God’s plan for the Incarnation begins to unfold in human history.

Liturgically, the Annunciation is celebrated as a feast in Western Christianity on March 25, nine months before Christmas. In the Orthodox and some Eastern traditions, the feast is observed on or near the same date, with variations depending on calendar systems.

In art and music, the Annunciation has been a prolific subject, depicted by numerous artists and composers who explore themes of divine communication, obedience, and the mystery of the Incarnation. Related scriptural announcements, such as Gabriel’s visit to Zechariah, appear in the same gospel account.