7 Ways to Celebrate Nativity of the Theotokos
Image courtesy of IG @GeraldineandVirginia
Celebrated September 8th
The Feast of the Nativity of the Theotokos is celebrated each year on September 8th. The Feast is one of the 12 Great Feasts in the Orthodox Church. In fact, it is the first major feast of the Liturgical Calendar. You’ve likely heard of the Nativity before, usually referring to the Birth of Jesus. But have you considered who Mary was before she was chosen to be the Mother of our Lord? The birth and early life of the Virgin Mary is not recorded in the Gospels or other books of the New Testament, however this information has been preserved through Holy Tradition throughout the Centuries. To see her early life, offers us a window into her centrality to the Christian Faith.
In this guide you’ll find simple and easy ideas to celebrate the Nativity of the Theotokos as a family - emphasis on easy! Activity suggestions, book recommendations, song links, and additional information so you can share her story and what this feast is all about!
Living Liturgically
Photo Source: HERE
Here you’ll find 7 easy ideas to celebrate Nativity of the Theotokos as a family - with an emphasis on easy! As a busy mom with 4 little ones, I know how precious your time is, so I hope to simplify how you celebrate feasts together. Perhaps some of these ideas will become new traditions for you and your family for years to come! In this list you’ll find ways to teach your children about the feast. Understanding our faith, especially as a child, is also very important! But all these ideas aside, the most important way we can celebrate any feast is by attending Divine Liturgy!
As a parent, you are laying a foundation for your children that will potentially stay with them for the rest of their life. We see this very evidently in the Scriptures. Proverbs 22:6 says “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.” If we examine the parable of the sower in Matthew 13, Jesus tells us “he who receives the seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.” It should be our desire to cultivate a rich soil in the hearts of our children, lead them, and help them understand what is good and true, so it will stay with them all the days of their life.
So how do we cultivate a rich soil in their hearts? By bringing our children to Church, by praying together in our homes, by reading the Scriptures together, by reading the lives of the saints. Said most simply, by living liturgically. The Church offers us an tremendous gift in the Liturgical calendar. By following the liturgical calendar, each year we have a chance to add another layer of soil, which will hopefully produce very rich soil in time and allows our children to make deeper connections and greater understanding. This will take some intention, especially in our modern day and age. My hope is that this ideas will aid you in sharing more about our faith with your children in a way that is developmentally appropriate, allows for their exploration and participation in the feast, and hopefully brings joy to your home!
Scroll to learn more about Nativity of the Theokotos and find 7 ideas to celebrate this feast with your family
Photo source: HERE
The story of the Nativity of the Theotokos - The story begins with her parents Joachim and Anna. They were descendants of the royal line of King David, they loved one another and tried to please God every day by following God’s commandments and trusting in Him. Their calm and peaceful life was overshadowed by one sorrow; God had not yet granted them a child, which was the desire of their heart. Throughout all the years of their married life, they prayed and asked God to make them parents. After so many years together, they were no longer of childbearing age and had accepted that they would remain childless. They never complained to God or were envious of others. God, seeing their faithfulness, granted them a great miracle - a child! Anna gave birth to Mary. They glorified God, and in gratitude for this miraculous gift, Joachim and Anna decided to dedicate their daughter to God. They raised her until she was 3 years old and then took her to the Temple in Jerusalem and placed her in the care of the high priest.
There are many ways to celebrate this Great Feast with your kids!
Check out this list below for some ideas to help you make this day extra meaningful and even begin some new traditions in your home!
1. Attend Liturgy
If you choose to do one thing, make this your priority! The most important way to celebrate any feasts is to attend Divine Liturgy for the feast! This is how we connect our lives at home with our lives in the church. Our lives ought to be hinged in the Church, as this is where Christ offers us His Life. Jesus tells us “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5) We have to attach ourselves to the vine, as often as we are able. Partaking in the Eucharist, giving thanks to God for all He has given us, this is the Christian life. As a family, prioritize attending Divine Liturgy for the 12 Great Feasts. Check with your local parish to find out when the services are being offered.
2. Host a Birthday Party for the Theotokos
If there is one thing Americans love, it’s a birthday party! In our household, we love hosting a birthday party for the Theotokos for the Nativity. A fun way to help children remember this feast is by celebrating Mary’s “birthday”! Easy ideas include:
Image: IG @GeraldineandVirginia
Bake a Birthday Cake or Cupcakes for the Theotokos! I always love a food connection when it comes to feast days. How do you celebrate birthdays? We usually have birthday cupcakes in our family! A fun way to help children remember this feast is by celebrating Mary’s “birthday” with cupcakes! Optional: decorate the cupcakes with blue frosting, the liturgical color for Mary!
Decorate the table with blue- either blue plates or tablecloth, or flowers and display an icon of the Theotokos on your table!
Invite friends, family and Godfamily to join you!
Make birthday cards for the Theotokos and have your children write her a letter!
Have your children make a flower arrangement for Mary and put it in your icon corner!
3. Wear Blue for the Theotokos!
Wearing blue to liturgy for the Nativity of the Theotokos is a simply way to honor her and celebrate this feast. Blue is the Liturgical color often associated with the Theotokos. It’s said the blue represents her since ‘her womb was more spacious than the heavens!” Blue…heavens/sky…! That’s what helps me remember it!
4. Listen to a Song for Kids about Mary
One of the easiest ways for children to learn is memorization through songs. This is especially true for elementary aged children. Gigi Baba Shadid is a singer/songwriter and she is also a Priest wife and educator at a classical education school. I highly recommend playing this song with your kids a few times before the feast and singing along with them. You’ll be amazed how easily they pick up the words! Check out these songs:
The song “Feasts of Mary” By Gigi Baba Shadid is to help kids learn more about Mary about her Feast Days throughout the year! It begins with the Nativity of the Mary (September 8th) and included are the various feast days surrounding Mary.
“Full of Grace” Also by Gigi Baba Shadid - written with kids in mind, this song is more solemn but a beautiful faith-filled song to the Theotokos. Listen for free on YouTube here.
“Celebrate the Feasts” by Gigi Baba Shadid - all about the 12 Major Feasts for the year. Songs are a wonderful way to help children memorize events and information. This is a great song to play/sing this week!
5. Color the Icon of the Nativity of the Theotokos
If you are searching for a low prep activity, this is it! Print out this free drawing and either color it or bust out the water colors and paint it! If you have an icon on hand, even if it is in a book, show it to them so they can copy the colors. We decided to paint our line drawing using watercolors. I love how they turned out and want to keep them forever! Check out this printable HERE.
6. Make “Queen of Heaven” Cupcakes!
Image source: HERE
I always love a food connection when it comes to feast days. How do you celebrate birthdays? We usually have birthday cupcakes in our family! A fun way to help children remember this feast is by celebrating Mary’s “birthday” with cupcakes! I love the idea of the “queen of heavens” cupcakes decorated with blue frosting and adorned with star sprinkles.
7. Make a Card with the Icon of the Theotokos
For Mary’s birthday, perhaps we can make her a birthday card! This is a wonderful opportunity for your children to honor the Theotokos and share a piece of their time and talents to honor her. Check out this thoughtful lesson and craft by Orthodox Pebbles (pictured above) about the Theotokos, which includes printables to create your own card for the Theotokos. You can find the FREE lesson plan and printables HERE.
Book Recommendations:
Maria: The Mother of God by New Rome Press - If you have not seen this book, I HIGHLY recommend it. First of all, the illustrations are beautiful… enough said! It tells the wondrous story of Maria, or Mary, who became the Mother of God - from her conception to her barren mother St. Anna, to her Falling Asleep. This amazing account of the Theotokos is told through story, hymnology, and captivating illustrations. Perfect for every feast day surrounding the Theotokos.
The Mother of God in Icons by Marina Paliaki - One of our favorites! I love the squishy yet sturdy cover, which makes it a very durable board book. It shared the story of Mary’s life, including events of our Lord like the crucifixion.
“The Story of Mary the Mother of God” by Dorrie Papademetriou. You can also listen to it read aloud in the podcast Readings from Under the Grapevine HERE
Heaven Meets Earth: Celebrating Pascha and the Twelve Great Feasts by Ancient Faith Publishing
Twelve Great Feasts for Children by Exaltation Press
Sing the Festal Hymn of the Feast:
Troparion (Tone 4) –
Your Nativity, O Virgin,
Has proclaimed joy to the whole universe!
The Sun of Righteousness, Christ our God,
Has shone from You, O Theotokos!
By annulling the curse,
He bestowed a blessing.
By destroying death, He has granted us eternal Life.
Kontakion (Tone 4) –
By Your Nativity, O Most Pure Virgin,
Joachim and Anna are freed from barrenness;
Adam and Eve, from the corruption of death.
And we, your people, freed from the guilt of sin, celebrate and sing to you:
The barren woman gives birth to the Theotokos, the nourisher of our life!
Check out this YouTube Video about the Feast
Final Thoughts
When it comes to Major Feast Days, I always prioritize 2 things: (1) Attending the service and (2) telling my children about the feast day prior - or afterwards. Usually this is done by showing them the icon or reading the account from their Children’s Bible. If I can do those two things, I feel a great sense of success! My hope is that these feasts days imprint on their hearts during their childhood and they have a greater love for our Savior as they grow up because of them. Now, if you are able to do those two things, you’re a gold star! Bravo! If you are in a season where you want to go a little deeper and make those connections stronger, I will cheer you on and encourage you on that venture. Some seasons allow for more, especially as children grow older. But if you find yourself in a busy season with littles, rest assured, you have many many years ahead to be able to add more to your plate!