Great feasts in the Eastern Orthodox Church

[3] Thus eleven of the twelve feasts were celebrated in the Greek East for some time prior, as most of the hymnographic content is datable to the 5th century.

[4] In Byzantine art a slightly different group were often depicted as a set, omitting the first three in the list above, and adding the Raising of Lazarus, Crucifixion of Jesus, and Harrowing of Hell.

[5] Mary was born to elderly and previously barren parents by the names of Joachim and Anna (now saints), in answer to their prayers.

The Roman Catholic doctrine of the Immaculate Conception also recognizes that Mary was in need of salvation, viewing her as prevented from falling into the scar of sin, instead of being pulled up out of it.

[7] According to Tradition, Mary was taken—presented—to the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem as a young girl, where she lived and served until her betrothal to Joseph.

[12] According to the Gospel of Luke 1:26–38, the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary to announce to her that she would conceive and bear a son, even though she "knew no man."

This date is selected to be exactly nine months ahead of Christmas, indicating that Christ was conceived at that time "by the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary", as stated in the Nicene Creed.

[13] A mere few days before His brutal crucifixion, Jesus was received by adoring throngs at his entry into Jerusalem on the back of young donkey (Gospel of Matthew 21:1–11).

Among the Russian Orthodox, willow branches are substituted in the celebration of this event, owing to the lack of availability of palm trees in Slavic climes.

While the disciples were still looking into the air for Jesus, an angel appeared and told them that the Lord would return again in the same manner as they had seen him go into heaven (Acts of the Apostles 1:9–11).

Fifty days after the Resurrection, on the existing Jewish feast of Shavuot, while the disciples and many other followers of Jesus were gathered together to pray, the Holy Spirit descended upon them in the form of "cloven tongues of fire", with the sound of a rushing mighty wind, and they began to speak in languages that they did not know.

This event shows forth the divinity of Christ, so that the disciples would understand after his Ascension that He was truly the radiant splendor of the Father, and that his Passion was voluntary.