Maria's birthday is 8 September; the feast of the Nativity of Mary. In prayer, it is on that day that Mary is congratulated by visiting her on her birthday. It is also a day to thank Her for the support, comfort, and strength given. It is a special communion between Our Lady and her guests.
The feast of the Immaculate Conception of Mary on 8 December is derived from the feast of the Nativity of Mary on 8 September. Nine months later, it is 8 September and She comes into the world. Mary is born to become the Mother of God and therefore she is immaculately conceived. This means that Mary is born without original sin. The choice of the Nativity of Mary on 8 September is due to the dedication of a Church of St. Anne in Jerusalem on 8 September in the 5th century. The origin of the feast of the Nativity of Mary therefore dates back to the dedication of the Church of St. Anne in Jerusalem. This church holds the tradition as the place of Mary's birth.
Mary is born from the marriage of Anne and Joachim. The names of Mary's parents do not appear in the New Testament. According to Palestinian sources, Mary's birth takes place in the northeastern part of the city of Jerusalem, near the Pool of Bethesda. According to the apocryphal book, which is not an official biblical text, the “Proto-Evangelium” of James, written in the 2nd century, Anne and Joachim are Mary's parents. Apocryphal means hidden and is used to refer to writings that are not in the New Testament. There is no agreement on the year of Mary's birth. A possible birth year is 20 BC.
In the liturgy of the Nativity of Mary, it is evident that the birth festival of the Virgin Mary does not solely concern a human life on earth and thus is not confined to the limited span between birth and death, but also possesses an eternal origin and an eternal purpose.
At the death of Jesus, the Son of Mary, on Good Friday, the Mother stands at the foot of the cross. At that moment she becomes the Mother of all and intercessor with God. After all, the Apostle John also stands at the foot of the cross, and the dying Jesus says to his Mother: “Behold, your son.” Through this, the Mother of God becomes the mother of all people. The feast of Mary's birth, her birthday, gives the Church the reason to see Mary as a prophetess, standing alongside and above the men and women from the history of all peoples.
The feast of the Nativity of Mary is celebrated in the Roman Catholic Church as a feast of Our Lady, and in the Orthodox Church it is the feast of the Nativity of the Most Holy Mother of God.
During the Synod of Salzburg in 799, the feast of the Nativity of Mary was officially established as 8 September and adopted as a mandatory holiday.
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