Dormition Holy Mother of God is included in the list of the twelve most significant holidays for Orthodox believers. This day honors memory Mother of God. In the Orthodox calendar, the Day of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary falls on August 28 according to the new style.

Those believers who celebrate this day are commanded by the church to fast for 2 weeks. This is done following the example of the Mother of God herself, who adhered to strict fasting and spent her days in unceasing prayer in last days before His Assumption.

Earthly life and Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The life of the Mother of God is described in Holy Scripture. After the death and miraculous Resurrection of the Savior, she remained in the city of Jerusalem until the very beginning of the great persecution of Christians. When the persecution began, Mary moved to Ephesus, who accompanied her John the Theologian. The Blessed Virgin Mary often visited Mount Athos, and blessed her in the future for preaching the Gospel word. The Mother of God visited Cyprus several times righteous Lazarus.

Shortly before her death, the Most Holy Theotokos returned back to Jerusalem. Here she visited all the places that had a direct connection and significance for the life of Her Son. All this time the Mother of God spent in constant prayer.

One day when She was staying on the Mount of Olives, appeared to her and told her that Her death would occur in three days. She will leave this earth and will be ascended to heaven to her Son. The Mother of God conveyed this news to the Apostle John, who passed it on to the Apostle James. In turn, Jacob notified the entire Church of Jerusalem about the imminent death of the Mother of God. Subsequently, this legend about the Dormition of the Holy Mother of God was preserved and transmitted by the Jerusalem Church.

The Most Holy Theotokos bequeathed all her modest property to the widows who served her. Her desire was, after her death, to be buried in Gethsemane next to her parents, the Righteous Joachim and Anna.

On the day when the death of the Mother of God occurred, all the apostles gathered in Jerusalem to say goodbye to her. They came from different parts of the world, so they wandered the earth, bringing the Word of God to people.

The departure of the Mother of God from earthly life was accompanied by a bright, unspeakably wonderful light. At that moment, Christ himself appeared before Mary, surrounded by numerous angels. She turned to her Son with a prayer and a request to bless those people who honored Her memory. In addition, she asked her Son to protect by Her Power from the temptations of Satan and various ordeals. After this, Mary gave her soul into the hands of the Lord in peace and grace.

For three days and nights, all the apostles remained at the tomb of the Mother of God and offered psalms. Three days later a sign and consolation came to them - they saw the image of the Mother of God and they heard Her words calling to rejoice and rejoice. From this day on, the Mother of God will be with everyone in all sorrows and joys all days.

After these comforting words, the body of the Mother of God was transferred to heaven.

Dormition of the Virgin Mary - history

Christians began to celebrate the Dormition of the Mother of God in ancient times.

1. The first mentions of the establishment of this memorable day were found in the writings of Blessed Jerome, Augustine, and Gregory. In addition, indications of this fact are found in the works of the Bishop of Tours.
2. In the 6th century AD, the Byzantine emperor Mauritius defeated the Persians. This happened on August 15, 595. The celebration of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary was timed to coincide with this day. Soon this event turned into one of the leading and significant church holidays.
3. It should be noted that in different places this holiday was celebrated in different dates- from January to August. The Roman Church celebrated the day of the death of the Virgin Mary on January 18, and in August the date of the “Assumption of Our Lady into the heavens of God” was celebrated.
4. The final date for the celebration of the Assumption was determined on August 15 only in the 9th century.

The main purpose of this solemn date was to preserve and glorify the blessed memory of the Mother of God and her reunion in heaven with Her Son.

The meaning and purpose of the Feast of the Assumption

The Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary is one of the twelve feasts Orthodox calendar.

1. To celebrate this day with dignity, Christians on the eve spend 2 weeks in strict prayers. This fast is usually called the Assumption Fast or the Fast of the Most Holy Theotokos. This fast continues from August 1 to August 14. In terms of its severity, fasting ranks first after Lent. At this time, it is forbidden to eat fish, but boiled food without adding vegetable oil is allowed. On Saturdays and Sundays it is allowed to add vegetable oil to food.
2. The Dormition Fast was established in imitation of the Mother of God, who spent her entire life in fasting and prayer. This fast, according to available historical documents, has been observed since the 5th century.
3. In the 12th century, the observance of this fast was prescribed by the Council of Constantinople. On the Feast of the Transfiguration, eating fish was allowed.
4. For some people it may not be clear that the day of the death of the Mother of God is celebrated as a holiday. Indeed, in human consciousness, death is always associated with grief, loss, longing and sorrow for the departed. Any person since ancient times has seen in death something great and incomprehensible, one of the greatest mysteries of the earthly world. human existence. At all times, this phenomenon caused involuntary awe and confusion.

From a believer's point of view Orthodox Christian, everything that exists has a vital basis. AND You need to be afraid not of death itself, but of unseemly and wrong actions, which can fill our earthly life. Based on this conviction, a true Christian believer understands death not as complete completion life path man, but only as a difficult and serious test that is necessary for the transition to eternal true existence. It was through death that the Mother of God gained the opportunity to be close to Her Son. And this brings joy to the hearts of all Orthodox Christians.

If a person is deprived of faith, he can spend his entire earthly life in painful anticipation of his own end as a symbol of the complete collapse of his essence. A believer prepares for death as the beginning of a new stage in the life of his soul.

However, it would be a big mistake to believe that death in the eyes of Christians is a joyful and gracious phenomenon. She appeared in this world as a result of the fall of the first people and the violation of the Will and Law of God.

Initially, according to the teaching Christian Church, God did not want people to die, but they deliberately doomed themselves to such an end because of the weakness of their spirit and flesh. However, even here the Creator showed untold mercy and made the death of man only a stage on the path to the Almighty.

In the 5th century, stichera dedicated to the Dormition of the Virgin Mary appeared. They were written by the Patriarch of Constantinople. In the 8th century, 2 canons were written, created by Saints John of Damascus and Cosima the Mayan.

1. Usually in the icon the Mother of God is depicted in the very center on her deathbed. Weeping apostles stand around her. A little further from the funeral bed stands Christ with the soul of the Mother of God. Icon painters often depict her as a swaddled baby.
2. In the 11th century, this image was somewhat expanded and supplemented, as a result the so-called “cloud type of Assumption iconography” was created. This option can be seen in Macedonia in the Church of Hagia Sophia on frescoes.
3. The apostles were depicted at the top of the “cloud” composition. They all fly on the clouds to the deathbed of the Mother of God.
4. In Russia, the most ancient “cloud” icon is considered to be an image painted at the beginning of the 13th century. This icon was created in the Desyatinny Monastery in Novgorod. At the top of this image is a blue sky with golden stars. Against the background of the sky, angels carrying away the soul of the Mother of God. Today this ancient icon is in Tretyakov Gallery.
5. As a symbol of prayer offering to the Creator, many icon painters depict lit candles at the deathbed of the Mother of God.

Today, pictures dedicated to the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary can be found in large quantities on various Christian sites and on the Wikipedia portal.

One of the oldest shrines is located in Jerusalem - Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. Inside this temple there is an ancient Jewish tomb where, according to legend, the body of Mary was located before she was ascended to heaven.

The Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary is one of the 12 main Orthodox celebrations, Mother of God holiday. In 2019, it is celebrated on August 28. Complete church name holiday - Dormition Holy Lady our Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary. It is dedicated to the memory of the death of the Mother of God. The word “dormition” does not symbolize the death of an ordinary person, but the ascension of spirit and body to God.

History of the holiday

After the Ascension of Jesus Christ into Heaven Holy Mary remained in the care of the Apostle John. When King Herod began the persecution of Christians, the Mother of God and John settled in Ephesus. There she prayed daily and asked the Lord to quickly take her to him. One day Archangel Gabriel appeared to her and informed her that after three days she earthly life will end.

Before her death, the Virgin Mary wished to see all the apostles who preached Christianity in different cities. Her wish came true. The apostles gathered at the bed of the Mother of God, where she humbly accepted death. The coffin with the body of the Mother of God was buried in a cave. The apostles remained at its foot for three more days and prayed. The Apostle Thomas was late for burial. He was allowed to open the entrance to the tomb and venerate the holy remains. There was no body in the cave. The apostles were convinced of the bodily ascension of the Mother of God into heaven.

Traditions and rituals of the holiday

The Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos is celebrated in the Orthodox Church with special solemnity. The holiday has 1 day of pre-celebration and 8 days of post-celebration. The clergy wear blue clothes.

On the eve of the holiday, the Shroud, on which the face of the Mother of God is depicted, is brought to the center of the temple. Then it is done all-night vigil, during which stichera and canons are sung, paremias are read, and the troparion to the Dormition of the Mother of God is performed. On the 2nd or 3rd day of the holiday, in many cathedral and parish churches the Rite of Burial of the Mother of God is performed. During Matins, during the Great Doxology, the clergy go to the Shroud of the Most Holy Theotokos located in the center of the church and burn incense on it. Then they carry it around the temple. After this, the clergy anoint the parishioners with blessed oil (oil).

The Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary is preceded by the strict Dormition Fast. On August 28, parishioners break their fast. Housewives prepare festive dishes that are served to families and those in need.

By folk tradition, On August 28, people harvest vegetables and fruits and make preparations for the winter. In Rus', on this day, guys got married.

What not to do on the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary

On the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, you should not wear new or uncomfortable shoes, otherwise you will feel discomfort all year long.

You cannot swear, offend your neighbors, refuse to help those in need, be rude or be in a bad mood.

In Rus', people compared the Mother of God with Mother Earth. On this holiday it was forbidden to walk barefoot and stick sharp objects into the soil. These actions harmed the land and led to crop failure.

Signs and beliefs on the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary

• Rainy weather on the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary foreshadows a dry autumn.
• If the holiday coincides with Indian summer, then the winter will be frosty and with little snow.
• A girl who does not find a boyfriend before the Assumption will be unmarried until spring.
• Finishing previously started tasks or helping a friend on this holiday is a good omen.
• If you rub or wound your leg on the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, then life difficulties and failures are expected ahead.

The Dormition of the Virgin Mary is celebrated annually on August 28. Historical event This memorable day is colored with both sadness and joy. It was on this day that the Most Pure Virgin ended her life’s journey and was finally reunited with her Son.

Dormition Holy Virgin It is considered one of the most important Orthodox holidays. This festival is related to history, which is not written about in the Bible, but is nevertheless known to everyone, thanks to the stories of church ministers.

The Dormition, or in other words the death, of the Mother of God is a holiday of happiness and joy. But not everyone understands how such a sad moment can serve as an asset for Orthodox Christians. To do this, you should turn to the origins of the life of the Mother of God and learn the truth of the Christian faith.

Life of the Virgin Mary

After the crucifixion of Christ, few words are said about the Virgin Mary in the Bible. What is known is that after the Ascension of Jesus into the Kingdom of Heaven, she lived in the capital of Israel until the persecution of the Christian people began. John the Theologian, who was entrusted by Christ himself to protect and care for the Mother of the Lord, helped her move to Ephesus. Every day, the Ever-Virgin visited Bishop Lazar the Four-Day, and also visited Mount Athos, which she later designated as a place for prayer and turning to God.

Before her death, the Blessed Virgin returned to Jerusalem. There she devoted herself to prayer every day and went to those places that were connected with the life of her Son Jesus Christ. In her prayer requests, the Mother of God begged for a meeting with her Son in heaven.

Before her death, the Mother of God herself left all her savings to her maids - widows. And she gave them instructions to bury her next to her parents at the foot of the Mount of Olives, in the village of Gethsemane.

History of the Feast of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary

On the day when the Virgin Mary died, all the residents of the capital came to say goodbye to her. All preachers and believers gathered under one roof with the news that the hour of death had struck for the Mother of God. Everyone watched her dormition; everyone came to say goodbye to the Blessed Virgin. The news of the death of the First Mother spread throughout the world, because the miracle that happened that day amazed even the most strict and godless person.

The Mother of God departed from the world of the living with a light, bright, dazzling and pure; she was surrounded by angels, among whom Christ himself appeared before her. Mary turned to her Son with a request for the salvation and blessing of all those who are next to her on this day and who pray for her. The Virgin Mary also appealed to Jesus in prayer to protect her by the power of the Lord God from demons and Satan, and then, in happiness and ecstasy, she completely surrendered into the hands of the Lord. Jesus Christ personally lifted his mother in his arms into the Kingdom of Heaven.

For three days and three nights, the apostles sang biblical psalms near the tomb of the Blessed Virgin. And only on the third day did they receive true and complete peace from the Image of the Holy One, which appeared to them in the face of the Mother of God and her speech. She demanded to rejoice and rejoice, to sing in spirit, since from now on she will be next to everyone, forever protecting and patronizing. After the resurrection, the Mother's body left this world, going to the Lord in heaven.

Many people may think that it is completely absurd to celebrate the day of the Assumption, that is, the day when the Mother of God died. After all, for most people, death is nothing more than pain, suffering and sadness. But true believers know the truth: death is just the beginning eternal life. Only after repose begins a real, happy life in heaven, next to our Lord. Christians know that it is not death that brings suffering, but the actions that people do while living on earth.

The Feast of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary makes us understand that the Virgin Mary left this world in joy and with peace in her soul. That life is just a difficult but forced path to gain eternal and true life. Therefore, the Dormition of the Virgin Mary is a blessed holiday for Christians, because only through death do we know true happiness. We wish you a great mood and strong faith. Be happy and don't forget to press the buttons and

Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary- This is the great twelfth impermanent holiday.
Christians have been celebrating the Feast of the Dormition of Our Most Holy Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary since the 4th century. Installed in memory of her repose (ascension). Before the Feast of the Assumption, Christians fast; the Assumption Fast runs from August 1 to August 15, according to the old style, and from August 14 to August 14, according to the new style.

On the feast of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos, the Holy Church remembers the righteous death of the Mother of God - an event colored at the same time by sadness about the end of the life journey of the Representative for the human race and joy about the union of the Most Pure Mother of the Lord with Her Son.
We know about the earthly life of the Most Holy Theotokos after the Death on the Cross and the Resurrection of the Savior from Holy Tradition. Until the persecution brought by Herod against the Church, the Most Pure Virgin remained in Jerusalem, then she moved with the Apostle John the Theologian to Ephesus. While living here, She visited the righteous Lazarus in Cyprus and Mount Athos, which she blessed as her destiny. Shortly before her death, the Mother of God returned to Jerusalem.
Here the Ever-Virgin often stayed in those places with which they are associated major events in the life of Her Divine Son: Bethlehem, Calvary, Holy Sepulcher, Gethsemane, Olivet. There She prayed earnestly. According to legend, the Jews attempted to kill Her, for which purpose, by order of the high priests, a guard was placed at the Holy Sepulcher, but at the right moment the soldiers’ vision was taken away, and they could not see the Mother of God.
Once, during a prayer on Olivet, Archangel Gabriel announced to the Mother of God about Her impending death in three days and presented a luminous branch of paradise - a symbol of victory over death and corruption. The Most Holy Theotokos told the Apostle John the Theologian about what had happened, and he informed the Apostle James, the brother of the Lord, and through him the entire Church of Jerusalem, in which the tradition of the Dormition of the Mother of God was preserved. Before her death, the Mother of God bequeathed Her meager property to the widows who served Her and ordered Her to be buried in Gethsemane, next to the graves of Her righteous parents and the righteous Joseph the Betrothed.
On the day of the Dormition of the Mother of God, miraculously in Jerusalem, almost all the apostles who had previously dispersed were gathered to bid farewell to Her. different countries with the mission of preaching the Word of God. The Apostle Paul arrived later than everyone else. Only Apostle Thomas was absent.
Suddenly an unspeakable light shone, darkening the lamps; The roof of the upper room opened, and Christ Himself descended with many angels. The Most Holy Theotokos turned to the Lord with thanksgiving prayer and asked to bless all those who honor Her memory. She also prayed to Her Son to protect Her from the dark satanic power, from airy ordeals. Then the Mother of God joyfully surrendered Her soul into the hands of the Lord, and immediately there was a angel singing.
From Her fragrant body the sick immediately began to receive healing. The solemn transfer of the Most Pure Body from Jerusalem to Gethsemane began. Peter, Paul and James, together with the other apostles, carried the bed of the Mother of God on their shoulders. The Apostle Peter began singing the psalm “In the exodus of Israel from Egypt,” and solemn hymns began to sound. A cloudy circle in the form of a crown appeared above the bed, illuminated with radiance. This crown floated over the procession all the way to the burial place. The procession was also followed by Jews who did not believe in Christ.
The high priests sent their servants to disperse the procession, kill the apostles and burn the body of the Mother of God, but the angels struck the blasphemers with blindness. The Jewish priest Athonia (according to other legends, Jephonios or Zephaniah), who tried to overturn the bed of the Mother of God, was punished by an angel who cut off his hands, and received healing only after sincere repentance. Those who were blind also repented and received their sight.
For three days the apostles remained at the tomb of the Mother of God, chanting psalms. Angelic singing was constantly heard in the air. As St. Philaret of Moscow says, the apostles received complete and complete consolation “when, on the third day after Her Dormition, for the sake of Thomas, who was late for Her burial, opening Her tomb, they did not find Her most pure body, and after that they saw Her in the glory of the resurrection and from Her she heard a word of consolation: “Rejoice, for I am with you all the days.” The body of the Mother of God was raptured into heaven.
The Church calls the death of the Mother of God the Dormition, and not death, because death, as the return of its dust to the earth, and the spirit to God, “Who gave him,” did not touch our Gracious Intercessor. “The laws of nature are defeated in You, Pure Virgin,” the Holy Church sings in the troparion of the holiday, “virginity is preserved at birth, and life is combined with death: remaining a Virgin at birth and living at death, You always save, Mother of God, Your inheritance.” She only fell asleep, only to awaken at the same moment to an ever-blessed life and, after three days, with an incorruptible body, to move into a heavenly, incorruptible dwelling. She fell into a sweet sleep after the heavy wakefulness of Her many-sorrowful life and “resigned to the Belly,” that is, the Source of Life, as the Mother of Life, delivering with Her prayers the souls of earth-born from death, instilling in them with Her Dormition a foretaste of eternal life.
In the 5th century, a temple was erected at the burial site. There is a legend that earlier St. Equal to the Apostles Helena built a basilica here. In 614, the temple was destroyed, but the tomb of the Mother of God was preserved. It is here, according to tradition, before the Feast of the Dormition from Little Gethsemane near the Church of the Holy Sepulcher procession of the cross Orthodox Christians carry the Shroud of the Most Holy Theotokos along the same path as the apostles once carried the body of the Mother of God to burial.
In Gethsemane (the sacred place where the event of the Assumption took place), the rite of Burial is served on August 14 according to the old style, on the eve of the Assumption, but preparations for it begin long before that.

People call the feast of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary the Second Most Pure, and the feast of the Assumption is called the First Most Pure; these names come from the translation from the Church Slavonic language of the expression Holy Virgin, which means “the Most Pure”.
Proverbs have been preserved that certainly used to help the peasant both in the field and in everyday life: “Look at the days until Peter, harrow until Ilyin, sow until the Savior”, “To plow until the Assumption - to press an extra hay”, “From the Assumption the sun falls asleep”, “ On the Assumption, pickle the cucumbers, chop the cabbage on Sergius”, “Winter this three days before the Assumption and three after the Assumption”, “Plow before the Assumption - press the extra hay”, “The Most Pure Mother sows, and the Veil collects.”

On August 15 (28), the “young Indian summer” began, which lasted until the day of Ivan Lent (August 29 / September 8). Dormition was the last day of the swallows' departure; and also, by popular ideas, from Assumption Day the frogs' mouths become overgrown and they stop croaking.

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The Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary is one of the twelve main holidays in Russian Orthodox Church. It was installed in memory of the death of the Mother of God. Christians are led to it by the two-week Dormition Fast, which in severity can be compared with Great Lent. Let's talk about the history of the holiday.

Celebration date

Orthodox Christians celebrate the Feast of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary every year at the same time - August 28 (new style). And for Catholics - August 15, according to the old style.

History and meaning

After the Ascension of the Lord, the Mother of God remained in the care of the Apostle John the Theologian, to whom Jesus Christ bequeathed to take care of Her as his own mother.

For the closest disciples of Jesus Christ and all believers, She was a consolation and edification. The apostles wrote down everything that the Mother of God told about Her life and the life of Her son.

One day, when the Most Holy Mary was praying on the Mount of Olives, the Archangel Gabriel appeared to Her with a heavenly date branch in his hands and brought the news that in three days Her earthly life would end and the Lord would take Her to Himself. The Mother of God was delighted with this news: She realized that she would be able to meet her son.

After the death of the Mother of God, the apostles buried Her body in Gethsemane. Everyone was present at the ceremony except Apostle Thomas. On the third day, when Thomas arrived at the Mount of Olives, he wished to see Her tomb. They opened it, but the body of the Mother of God was no longer in it, only the shroud lay there.

That same evening, the Mother of God appeared to the apostles, surrounded by angels, and said: “Rejoice! I am always with you all the days and will always be your prayer book before God.”

Name of the holiday

The full name of the holiday is the Dormition of our Most Holy Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary.

"Dormition" is an outdated word. Translated into modern language it means “death”.

Traditions and signs of the holiday

On this day in Orthodox churches Festive liturgies are held. Believers bring flowers to the icon with the image of the Virgin Mary and kiss it.

The Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary marks the end of the summer harvest. On this day it is customary to go to church and bless bread. In this case, under no circumstances should you drop even a crumb of consecrated bread onto the floor.

Earlier unmarried girls We were looking forward to the holiday, since it was from this day that it was customary to start engagements in order to have a wedding in the fall. They said that whoever they don't woo will spend the whole winter as a girl.

It is believed that early Indian summer begins on August 28th. According to the sign, what the weather is like on the Assumption, the same awaits us in the fall. Also, if the weather is good on this day, then the winter will be warm, and the next year will be fruitful.

Alena Filippova

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