Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Ever-Virgin Mary among the Orthodox

The Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Ever-Virgin Mary is one of the twelve most important holidays in Orthodoxy It is celebrated in memory of the end of the earthly life of the Mother of Jesus Christ The Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary is a holiday with a fixed date It is celebrated annually on August 28 (August 15, old style), after the completion of the two-week Dormition Fast According to legend, after the death and resurrection of her Son, Mary remained in the care of John the Theologian She spent the last years of her earthly life in Jerusalem, going to pray at Golgotha, Gethsemane, and the Holy Sepulcher 3 days before her death, Archangel Gabriel appeared to Mary and said that she would have to leave this world and meet her Son He gave her a branch of paradise, signifying triumph over death and corruption Mary told John the Theologian about this event, and he told the Apostle James On the appointed day, all the apostles gathered in Jerusalem, although before that they had been in different countries, preaching the Word of God They all met to say goodbye to Maria At the appointed hour, Jesus Christ himself with the angels descended from heaven, illuminating the upper room in which his Mother lay with a wonderful light Mary said a prayer and joyfully surrendered her soul into the hands of the Lord, after which the singing of angels began After the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin, her body was buried in Gethsemane, in the cave where her parents and Joseph the Betrothed rested The entrance to the cave was closed with a huge block of stone Apostle Thomas was unable to attend the burial of the Mother of God He arrived in Jerusalem only on the third day after the death of Mary Thomas tearfully asked the apostles to allow him to say goodbye to her remains Having opened the coffin, the apostles did not find Mary’s body This meant that the Blessed Virgin was resurrected and ascended to heaven In the evening of this day, the Mother of God with the angels appeared to the apostles and said that she would always be with them There is information about the celebration of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the 4th century in Byzantium It was ranked among the important church holidays during the reign of the Byzantine Emperor Mauritius in 595 The Feast of the Assumption occurs during the period when the peasants were finishing their harvest On this day, the tradition of consecrating ears of corn and seeds has been preserved so that there is always an abundance of food on the table People together prepared various treats, baked pies, and treated the poor From the Assumption they began to prepare fruits and vegetables for the winter, asking the Mother of God to help with this With the Most Pure One (another name for the holiday), the time for matchmaking and engagements began It is generally accepted that Indian summer began with the Assumption People used the weather on Holy Day to determine what kind of autumn awaited them: On the Most Pure One it was forbidden: For many atheists, it is unclear why it is necessary to celebrate death, because this is the saddest event that causes fear and panic among people In fact, the Feast of the Assumption makes you look at death differently Its meaning is to show people that death is not the complete end of the life of the soul She is just the completion of the earthly path, a test that must be endured in order to gain eternal life The Dormition of the Mother of God instills joy in the hearts of believers because through death Mary gained eternal life and the opportunity to be with her Son