Ozyanskaya Icon of the Mother of God Day 2025: date and history of the holiday

On November 12, Orthodox believers honor the Ozyansky Icon of the Mother of God, one of the most revered images associated with many miraculous healings and cases of deliverance from troubles. This day is celebrated with prayers for health, family peace and well-being at home. The holiday is accompanied by divine services, religious processions and folk traditions preserved since the time of Ancient Russia. Details can be found in the Izvestia article.

The history and miracles of the Ozyansky Icon of the Mother of God

The Ozyansky Icon of the Mother of God is one of the locally venerated holy icons in the Russian Church tradition. Her veneration is associated with divine visions and miraculous healings recorded in parish traditions and regional church chronicles. The exact history of the appearance of the list (variant) of the icon in a particular monastery is often lost in the layers of local chronicles and oral tradition.: As a rule, the image is named after the place of acquisition or monastery — "Ozyanskaya" indicates a connection with the lake landscape or the village of Ozyany.

In the hagiographic and ecclesiastical memory, such icons usually have a complex biography: the original image could originate from ancient lists of the famous icon, then, according to legend, appear to believers in visions, help in trouble or deliver from misfortune.

Over time, a layer of miracle evidence formed around the icon.: stories about healings from serious illnesses, salvation from natural disasters, help in family and social troubles.

The Ozyansky icon was traditionally perceived as the intercessor of the community: petitions were addressed to her for the health, fertility of fields and the well-being of families. During periods of epidemics, crop failures, or wars, local parishes often organized processions with the icon, public prayers, and prayer services dedicated to the icon of Sorokoust. These rituals contributed not only to religious consolation, but also to strengthening social solidarity in difficult times.

In church practice, such icons, even if their origin cannot be documented, receive official status in the parish calendar after the blessing of the diocesan administration and the approval of the veneration charter.

Prayers in front of the Ozyansky icon: about health and family well-being

In traditional prayer practice, addressing the Ozyansky icon includes reading church-wide prayers (troparion and kontakion of the Mother of God, "Hail Mary, Virgin," etc.), as well as short petitions and personal prayers for health and family well-being.

Believers place candles in front of the icon, read akathists, write down the names of the sick for general commemoration in the temple and bring offerings in the form of bread and consecrated products.

Typical petitions from the icon include requests for physical healing from illnesses, for help in childbirth and the preservation of children, for peace and harmony in the family, as well as for help in unresolved life difficulties: financial, legal or relationship-related. In some parishes, there are well—established prayer texts specifically for the Ozyanskaya icon - short petitions that are read during divine services or individually.

It is important to note the pastoral attitude: turning to the icon is not considered as receiving "guaranteed benefits", but as a request for intercession — the prayer of the saint in intercession before God. Therefore, when reciting prayers, priests recommend combining external prayer practice with participation in the sacraments (confession, communion), just deeds and charity towards others. According to the pastors, it is precisely this kind of comprehensive spiritual practice that makes prayer fruitful.

Folk traditions and the spiritual meaning of the holiday

The day of veneration of the Lake Icon in those regions where it is revered as a local shrine is often accompanied by folk traditions that are organically intertwined with the church charter. This may include a festive liturgy, a prayer service with a procession to a nearby lake or spring, festive dinners for parishioners, and fundraising for church repairs.

In rural areas, seasonal rituals were also timed to coincide with such days: thanksgiving prayers for the harvest, consecration of sheaves, commemoration of the dead and special attention to families in need.

Folk signs and rituals associated with the icon often reflect the practical side of faith: when illness set in, the first fruits of the field were brought to the icon as a sign of gratitude for improvement, young families asked for a blessing for the birth of children, and the elders for a peaceful old age.