March 25--The Feast of the Annunciation

March 25 is the Feast of the Annunciation by the Angel Gabriel to Mary; it is also called the Feast of the Incarnation: this is the moment at which God came into the world as Man--He took flesh in the womb of the Virgin.

This is so major a feast that for a long time March 25, rather than January 1, was the first day of the new year.

Here are the words of the great prayer spoken in response to Gabriel by Mary:

My soul doth magnify the Lord.
And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
Because he hath regarded the humility of his handmaid;
for behold from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
Because he that is mighty,
hath done great things to me;
and holy is his name.
And his mercy is from generation unto generations,
to them that fear him.
He hath shewed might in his arm:
he hath scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart.
He hath put down the mighty from their seat,
and hath exalted the humble.
He hath filled the hungry with good things;
and the rich he hath sent empty away.
He hath received Israel his servant,
being mindful of his mercy:
As he spoke to our fathers,
to Abraham and to his seed for ever. (Douay-Rheims translation)

There are many beautiful musical settings for this prayer, known as the Magnificat.

Along with a discussion of the history of the feast, A Continual Feast (pp. 248-9) has a delicious Swedish recipe for waffles, the traditional dish for this feast, going back hundreds of years.