The Most Holy Theotokos is revered in our Church above all saints and even angels. The feast in honor of Her Introduction to the temple is one of the 12 main holidays of the Orthodox Church. Interestingly, the circumstances of the celebrated event are not reflected in any of the Gospels included in the New Testament. Everything we know today is based on Sacred Tradition.
When the Blessed Virgin Mary turned three years old, Her parents Joachim and Anna decided to fulfill their vow and dedicate Her to God. They came to the Jerusalem temple. Many icons of the holiday depict this very moment: the Blessed Virgin ascends the steep steps of the temple, where She is met by the high priest. Then She enters the Holy of Holies, where only the high priest had the right to enter and only once a year. In the following years, the Virgin lived at the temple — here She studied the Holy Scriptures, prayed to the Lord and engaged in needlework.
The Feast of the Introduction to the Temple of the Theotokos is the latest among the twelve. Until the eighth century, the commemoration of the introduction of the Virgin Mary into the temple was the content of the feast of the Nativity of the Virgin, as indicated by the 2nd canon of the Nativity of the Virgin, compiled by St. Andrew of Crete (1 Canto, 2nd troparion: "Holy of Holies, in the holy sanctuary the Infant is entrusted to be brought up by the hand of Angels. We'll celebrate it all right at Christmas Her"; Canto 6, 1st troparion: "I am the Holy of Holies, Your parents are chaste, Pure, put you in the temple of the Lord, be brought up honestly and be prepared for His Mother"; Canto 6, 3rd troparion: "I hear David singing to You: the virgins will be brought after You, they will be brought in Tsarev Temple. And with him, You and az, Daughter of the Tsar, I sing praises").
A separate celebration of the Introduction of the Virgin into the temple originated in the VIII century and specifically in Constantinople. This holiday is mentioned mainly in Byzantine sources and in its worship there are hymns only by Constantinople authors.
At the same time, at an early stage, the holiday did not yet have a solemn divine service, and it did not immediately become generally recognized. Of the sources of the VIII century, only the Sinai Gospel of 715 and some (far from all) mention the feast of the Introduction The months are long; also, two sermons on the feast of the Introduction of St. Herman of Constantinople belong to the VIII century. Further, in the oldest manuscript of the Charter of the Great Church — the Patmos list of the IX century, the holiday is only indicated, but no chants or readings are indicated. Thus, in the VIII–IX centuries, the feast of the Introduction of the Virgin into the temple was only approved in the annual circle of worship.
In the X and especially in the XI century, the holiday already acquires solemn worship, pre-celebration and post-celebration, that is, the main features inherent in great holidays. The day of the pre-celebration is already mentioned in the 1st edition of the Studio Charter — the Studio-Alexiev Typicon, that is, November 20 begins to be celebrated as the pre-celebration of the Entrance of the Virgin already in the X century. At the same time, the duration of the celebration increased gradually: in the Studio-Alexiev Typicon, 1 day of celebration is indicated, in the Euergetid (the last third of the XI century) — 2 days, and in the Typicons of the beginning of the XIV century, 3 days of celebration are already assigned. Interestingly, in all studio Typicons, the giving of the feast is not mentioned; the Feast of the Entrance of the Virgin receives the day of giving (and, accordingly, 4 days of celebration in general) only in the lists of the Jerusalem Statute of the XIV century.