Happy New Year!

The Annunciation by Fra Angelico. Convent of San Marco, Florence, Italy. It’s even more amazing in person.

It’s Lady Day, also known as the Feast of the Annunciation, when the angel Gabriel visited the Virgin Mary and announced to her that she would bear the Son of God (as Theotokos) and be His mother.

In England, Lady Day marked the start of a new year from the twelfth century until 1752, when it adopted the Gregorian calendar.

I love that the new year fell on Lady Day. In Talithia, the New Year falls on the first day of spring, which is also known as Lady Day, and is Aeodhan’s birthday. Lady Day in Talithia is a different celebration from that of the real world, but it perfectly fits into its milieu.

We live in the real world, though, so Happy Medieval New Year! And Happy Lady Day!