Easter 2026: The 3rd Salutations to the Virgin Mary on March 13

On Friday, March 13, 2026, the 3rd Salutations to the Virgin Mary will be chanted in churches. Believers gather every Friday of Great Lent to honor the Virgin Mary.

The Salutations are divided into four stanzas, with the entire work being chanted on the fifth Friday. Before the recitation by the priest, the chanters sing the "Canon of the Salutations," a work by Saint Joseph the Hymnographer.

The 3rd stanza focuses on the hymnology of the Theotokos. After the Small Compline, the Canon of the Theotokos and the Kontakion "To the Champion Leader" are chanted. This is followed by the recitation by the priest.

The text describes the Virgin Mary as a source of incorruption and temperance, revealing the Resurrection and the life of the Angels. Believers are called to estrange themselves from the world and turn towards heaven.

The Virgin Mary is considered the key to the kingdom of Christ and the hope of eternal blessings. The mystery of the Theotokos astonishes rhetoricians, while believers praise her as a vessel of wisdom and a treasury of providence.

Watch the 3rd Salutations live from the Holy Isidore Church of Lycabettus.