On the day after the Feast of the Annunciation, the faithful are gathered today to venerate the Archangel Gabriel.
In Eastern Orthodox Christianity, on the day following a Major Feast Day, the faithful and the clergy usually gather to honor the saints who played a leading role in the celebrated salvation events. It is customary that a liturgical assembly, known as synaxis, is held to honor those saints with the relevant liturgy. Other synaxis are the Synaxis of the Theotokos on December 26, the Synaxis of the Forerunner on January 7, Synaxis of Holy and Righteous Symeon the God-receiver on February 3, and the Synaxis of Archangel Gabriel immediately after the Feast of the Annunciation.
Archangel Gabriel, whose name means “God is my strength,” is the foremost messenger of events related to the Lord’s incarnation and is, therefore, more commonly found in the New Testament. He announced the birth of Saint John the Baptist to his father Zechariah and he was sent to Virgin Mary to bring the joyful news of the incarnation of the Son of God. In the orthodox iconography, the Archangel Gabriel is depicted with a scepter, not a lily, a symbol of the power he received from God to serve the Great Mystery of the Divine Incarnation. Thanks to the cheerful nature of the Annunciation, the face of the Archangel Gabriel is meek, sweet and harmonious.
Source: Church of Cyprus
