Mary Garden
For the feast of the Annunciation, we hosted a sweet activity for the children in our parish - makings the beginning of a Mary Garden! As apart of our parish feast day tradition, for all major feasts we host a church wide potluck, and kids corner. With the help of a friend, we teach the children the significance of that particular feast day and do a special craft.
If you would like to make your own, like the one I made above, I put together the items purchased in my Amazon storefront:
The beginnings of a Mary Garden, which is explained below:
In Medieval Europe, pious Christians loved to find reminders of their faith in nature, and named many plants after Jesus and the Theotokos. It became popular to take these plants and create “Mary Gardens”, gardens full of flowers and herbs that were named after the Mother of God, often with a statue of her at its center. Today, in honor of the day that Mary said yes to God, we planted the start of our own Mary Garden, using seeds of flowers that are named for her. Take good care of it, and watch it grow!
There were four different seeds to choose from:
Mary’s Gold (Marigold): In bloom during the Dormition, these flowers remind us of her crown.
Mantle of the Theotokos (Convolvus): Blue flowers that remind us of Our Lady’s protecting veil.
Our Lady’s Little Glass (Poppy): Long ago, a man’s wagon got stuck in the mud, and he couldn’t get it out. The Theotokos came to him and offered to help him in exchange for a drink. The poor man had no cup for her, but upon hearing this, the Theotokos plucked a flower from the side of the road and used it for her glass instead! This flower came to be known as Our Lady’s Little Glass.
The Virgin’s Star (Daisy): Representing the stars of virginity found on Mary’s veil.
For a list of Mary Garden flowers, check out this blogpost by Fisheaters.com
I printed off this printable to allow the kids to take it home and read more about it. You can print a copy of it through Canva for free:
Roses Bloomed on her Feast:
Throughout history, Mary has been associated with many different flowers- as her Christian virtues are like a sweet fragrance of beauty. But the rose in particular stands out as it is the most beautiful of all, just as our most holy lady is. My girls noticed that our rose bush was blooming today- so fitting for such a special feast! All of creation rejoices!
On this day, the Annunciation, we celebrate the beginning of our salvation and the revelation of the mystery before all ages. For the Son of God becomes the son of the Virgin, and Gabriel proclaims the grace. We also cry out with him, "Hail, O full of grace, the Lord is with you."
Be attentive and see if you can notice roses or other special Mary flowers blooming today!