Forefeast of the Nativity of our Lord - Troparion & Kontakion
Troparion — Tone 4
Prepare, O Bethlehem, for Eden has been opened to all! / Adorn yourself, O Ephratha, for the Tree of Life blossoms forth from the Virgin in the cave! / Her womb is a spiritual paradise planted with the Divine Fruit; / if we eat of it, we shall live forever and not die like Adam. / Christ is born to raise up again what fell in former times, His image.
Kontakion — Tone 2
He who holds the earth in the hollow of His hand / now is beheld in Bethlehem wrapped in swaddling bands. / We offer pre-festal hymns to His Mother, who maternally rejoices / having held to her bosom the Son of God.