How many days is the Assumption of the Virgin celebrated. What absolutely can not be done on the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The Day of the Assumption is marked with the death of the Blessed Virgin Mary. According to the legend, the Holy Virgin prayed to quickly be next to the Lord in heaven. During another prayer, the Archangel Gabriel came to the Mother of God and said that death would soon come. Then Mary called the apostles and asked them to pray for her death. Soon her wish was granted: the Virgin gave up her spirit to heaven.

The celebration has 9 pre-holiday days - this is Assumption Fast. It lasts from August 14 to 27, when the body and mind reach spiritual enlightenment.

History, meaning of the holiday

The history of the celebration of the Assumption Day begins in the 6th century. For the first time, the celebration began to be celebrated during the reign of the Byzantine emperor Mauritius. Until the 6th century in Constantinople, the day of the Assumption was celebrated secretly, without the participation of the church.

The holiday is of great importance for believers. In terms of significance, the Assumption Fast and the day of the Assumption can be compared with Great Lent and Easter. On the day of the burial of the Mother of God, there is a special Service - the priests go to the shroud with the face of the Virgin Mary, lying in the middle of the temple, read prayer petitions, and then carry the mantle around the shrine.

Traditions

It has always been customary to go to church on the holiday, pray for the health of loved ones, ask the Mother of God to protect your home and family. Believing peasants necessarily observed the Dormition Fast before the celebration, during which it was forbidden to eat meat and dairy products of animal origin.

On the eve of the holiday and on the very day of the Assumption, it was forbidden to swear, swear, drink, walk and have fun. They celebrated the celebration in the family circle, be sure to set the table. It was not forbidden to drink some red wine.

Since the church celebration was already closely intertwined with Russian customs, it was believed that it was impossible to insert sharp shovels, pins, pegs into the soil during the Assumption. This was the expression of disregard for the earth, because it should also rest.

Interesting!

In the common people, the day of the Assumption was called "Master's Day."

Do's and Don'ts

During the celebration it is not forbidden:

• do household chores;
• work;
• drink:
• eat any food.

This day is a great celebration, so during its celebration a person should not feel constrained and feel uncomfortable.

It is forbidden to commit bad deeds, lie, keep bad thoughts in your head.

Signs

Since ancient times, Christians have believed that if you wear tight shoes on the day of the Assumption of the Virgin, then the year will be bad. In order not to bring disaster to their homes, people took out old worn-out shoes from the closets - they did not squeeze their legs.

Most other signs are related to the weather:

• If the weather is warm for the celebration, then the Indian summer will stand out with frosts;
• If it is rainy, then the autumn will be dry;
• If a rainbow appeared in the sky, it was a good omen and promised a warm autumn;
• A lot of cobwebs on the branches speak of a frosty winter.

In Rus', it was customary to get married for the dormition, they said: “The Most Pure One has come - the unclean is bringing the matchmakers,” so unmarried girls were looking forward to the onset of the holiday in order to get married as soon as possible.

Any Christian knows that on holy holidays it is necessary to attend church and the Assumption Holy Mother of God also implies attendance at the service. But what cannot be done on the feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary is a more complicated question, because. Many different signs are associated with this day.

The history of the appearance of the holiday of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Twenty-four years, according to the holy books, the Holy Virgin lived on this earth after Her Son was crucified on the Cross.

All this time, the Mother of God was a real Mother for the sick, who received help from Her and were cured. People came to Her with joy and their misfortune, and Saint Mary helped them. She helped in many matters, all people found comfort in the Mother of God - the poor, the sick, the destitute, the suffering.

All the time of her earthly life, she, like the apostles, was a true preacher of the teachings of her Son, Jesus Christ.

Archangel Michael announces the Dormition And once, at the age of about seventy, She was on the Mount of Olives and prayed to the Lord, Archangel Michael appeared to Her, who told Her joyful news for Her. She has three days left on this earth, after which the Mother of God will depart to the Lord and will finally be able to meet her beloved Son.
Saint Mary returned back to the house of the Apostle John, who, by order of Jesus Christ, took care of Her as of her own mother, informed him about this and called all the apostles to say goodbye to them and give them a blessing. Having learned about the reason why the Mother of God asked them to come to Her, the apostles, of course, were very upset, but She began to console them and promised that She would pray to the Lord that He would continue to help His disciples and support them.

Three days have passed and now the moment has come, which the Archangel announced.

The Descent of Christ on the Assumption of the Mother of GodThe Mother of God was lying on a bed, which was decorated with flowers, and the house was on fire a large number of candles.
In the morning, at nine o'clock, a wonderful unusual light suddenly appeared in the house. The roof of the house opened and Jesus Christ Himself appeared, approaching His Mother. At this moment, the Most Holy Theotokos

“Sleeping like a sweet dream, I betrayed His most holy soul in my hands”

Immediately, after the Dormition of the Mother of God, unusual cases began to occur - everyone who touched the bed of the Reposed Mother of God received healing from their illnesses. Those who were blind began to see, and those who did not hear anything got rid of their deafness. Then the apostles lifted the body of the Mother of God, carried it out of the house and, singing sacred songs, carried it to the burial cave. Having buried the Mother of God, the entrance to the cave was closed with a huge stone.

Three more days passed when the Apostle Thomas arrived, who was in a hurry to the Dormition from distant India. When he learned that he was late and would no longer be able to say goodbye to St. Mary, he was very upset. In order to somehow console him, the apostles decided to give Thomas the opportunity to say goodbye and, going up to the cave, rolled away the boulder from the entrance.

Entering the tomb, the apostles saw only captives in which the body of the Virgin was buried, and in the cave there was a wonderful fragrance. Then everyone understood that the Most Pure Mother had risen, and Her body, after a three-day sleep, ascended incorruptibly into the Divine Kingdom.

On the same day Heavenly Queen consoled her beloved apostles, appearing before them surrounded by angels.

Rejoice! I am always with you

Such were Her words to them. And the apostles asked her:

Holy Mother of God, help us

The Assumption of the Most Holy Theotokos is one of the dozen most important church holidays. According to legend, Mary's earthly life lasted 72 years, and before her death, the archangel Gabriel appeared to her and announced her imminent death. Three days after the death of the Virgin, it was discovered that her crypt was empty.

Christians consider the Dormition to be a dual holiday: on the one hand, they mourn for the Mother of God, on the other hand, they rejoice at her meeting with the Creator and the forthcoming eternal life. Therefore, the holiday is called the Assumption - not death, but the transition from earthly life to eternal.

Now believers celebrate the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin on August 28, according to the old style - on the 15th. In Syria, where the tradition of celebrating the Assumption appeared for the first time, the holiday long time celebrated on December 26th. For two weeks before the Assumption, believers observe fasting, the day before is pre-holiday, and the next 8 are post-holiday.

What do they pray for in front of the icon "Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary"

It is useful for a Christian to pray before the icon of the Assumption of the Most Holy Theotokos if he has a fear of death. After all, for someone who truly believes, death is actually just a stage of transition from the present life to eternal.

Holy Mary, through any of her images, helps to heal people, about not going astray on the path of salvation on the path of life. Through the icon "Assumption", the Mother of God is thanked in prayers for Her high patronage and protection.

The spiritual meaning of the feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

In Orthodoxy, they don’t talk about the death of the Mother of God, Her death is considered a resettlement to His Son, our Lord, and in the Church this is called “Assumption”. Holy Mary only fell asleep, so that after three days She woke up and moved to a heavenly dwelling.
After her hard life full of labors, the Mother of God

"passed away to Life"

to the Source of all Life. She prays for us, who live on earth, so that we can save our souls, so that with her Dormition instill in us confidence in the just and eternal Kingdom of Heaven, where the soul of every Christian should strive

Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary: what can not be done on this day?

One of the most famous prohibitions is that you cannot walk barefoot on the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Dew on this day symbolizes the tears of Mary, so wet her feet to troubles and misfortunes. In addition, on the Assumption, you can’t stick anything into mother earth, otherwise you can offend and upset her.

It is undesirable to cook food on the feast of the Assumption - this must be done in advance. In general, on this day, you should not pick up piercing and cutting objects. Even believers try to break bread, not cut it. But what you should do for the holiday is to pickle cabbage and cucumbers. They will turn out tasty, fragrant and will definitely last until spring.

It is not worth working on the feast of the Assumption. The only exception is the work that cannot be postponed, as well as deeds to help others. But if the work begun in advance is completed precisely on the Dormition, this is a very good sign that promises good luck.

Ancient beliefs say that you can’t wear bad shoes on the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin - old, uncomfortable, rubbing corns. If you neglect this sign, your future life will be overshadowed by various difficulties and problems.

An unmarried girl who dreams of finding family happiness cannot talk to anyone in the morning on the Dormition. Before starting to communicate with relatives, the girl should wash herself with icy water, saying a conspiracy to herself three times: “Blessed Mother of God, you crown everyone, unite families, help me find a groom. In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen".

What can be done on the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary?

In the villages, on the Feast of the Assumption of the Most Holy Theotokos, it was customary to finish the harvest, and dress up the last sheaf as a maiden and put it under the icons. On this day, they also prepared mead, picked apples and pears, and organized wide festivities.

A person who fasted before the Assumption could afford all the festive dishes on this holiday. And, besides, he could believe that the "evil one" would not come close to him for a year.

On the Dormition, bread was always brought to the church. The consecrated edge acquired excellent taste and medicinal qualities. But when eating this bread, it was impossible to drop even one crumb on the floor.

Christians also looked closely at the weather for the Assumption - signs for this holiday were considered very accurate. The sun and fine weather promised a rainy and cold autumn, but the bad weather for the holiday promised fertile and dry weather until the very cold.

The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in 2018 is one of the most important church holidays in 2018. The date of the holiday remains unchanged every year and occurs on August 28. According to the annals, it was on this day that the mother of Jesus Christ, Mary, died. In Orthodoxy, the Assumption of the Virgin is sometimes called the second Easter.

The meaning and history of the holiday of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in 2018

The name of the feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary has in itself special meaning. So, literally, “assumption” is translated as “peaceful death”, that is, on this day it is customary to celebrate the date of the death of St. Mary. But at the same time, the Orthodox call the Assumption of the Virgin just a holiday. This is due to the fact that the fact of the reunion of the mother of Christ with the Lord in the spiritual sense, and not the physical fact of death, is noted.

According to legend, after the crucifixion and subsequent resurrection of Jesus Christ, Mary remained to live in Jerusalem, coming daily and praying over the tomb of the Lord. Until her last breath, the Mother of God knew that her death would not be the end of her life and that she would be able to see her son, so she was waiting for this moment with joy.

It is still not known for certain how Mary died, and what happened to her after that. The legends describe that at the age of 70, during a prayer, the archangel Gabriel appeared to Mary and announced an imminent meeting with God. After three days, the saint really died, having had time before that to say goodbye to her loved ones and relatives.

The burial of the Most Holy Theotokos was performed in a cave, which, after the ceremony, was securely walled up with stones. Three days later, the tomb was opened, but only burial clothes remained of Mary. Therefore, they say that the son of the Most Holy Theotokos - Jesus Christ, took to heaven not only the soul, but also the body of his mother.

When and how is the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary celebrated in 2018

The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary is one of the twelve main holidays of the Orthodox Church. It comes after the strict Assumption Lent, which lasts for two weeks - from August 14 to 27.

In Jerusalem, not far from the suburb of Gethsemane, on the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Special Service burial of the Mother of God. At this ceremony, the priests appear in blue cassocks, as a sign of heavenly purity and purity. The beginning of the service lies in the all-night vigil, and after that, a procession is made around the church with a shroud depicting the face of the Virgin.

A special rite on the day of the Assumption of the Most Holy Theotokos is the performance of the Great Doxology. It tells the story of the birth of Jesus Christ, transmitted earlier by an angel to the shepherds in Bethlehem.

The feast of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos has one day of fore-feast and nine whole days of after-feast.

As for eating, despite the fact that the Assumption Fast is coming to an end on August 28, if the feast of the Assumption of the Virgin falls on Wednesday or Friday, then believers can only eat a little fish. But if the date is celebrated on any other day of the week, then you can eat absolutely all foods, including meat. In 2018, the Assumption of the Most Holy Theotokos is a non-fasting day.

Folk traditions and signs, in the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in 2018

The feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary is rich in traditions and special customs. So, starting from this very day, it is customary to celebrate the completion of the harvest. On August 28, believing peasants bring spikelets of fresh harvest to the church, consecrating them and thereby blessing the peasant labor. It is noteworthy that the same ceremony is usually carried out in a country like Greece - the only difference is the subject of consecration - vegetables and fruits are used there.

In the old days, believers prepared very carefully for the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos. Fresh rams were prepared everywhere, the meat of which was then used to prepare festive dishes. Also on the table were a variety of pies, mead and beer.

On this day, it is customary to harvest vegetables for the winter in order to provide themselves with supplies for the cold period.

Unmarried girls on this day can start looking for a betrothed-mummer in order to have time to get married before next spring.

It is customary to pay attention to the weather conditions in the Assumption of the Holy Mother of God. So if on the street good weather, then in mid-September there will be rainy days.

It is contraindicated to quarrel on the Dormition, but it is advisable to give your love and kindness to people.

Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary following the feast of the bright Christ's Resurrection more than others was revered by the Russian people.

"Theotokos Easter" - that's how it was called in Rus'. And this is no coincidence. Through Her Dormition, the Mother of God became even closer and dearer to Christians, for she became an Intercessor, zealous for them before the throne of God.

During His execution, Jesus Christ, seeing the Mother of God standing nearby and the Apostle John, whom he especially loved, said to His Mother: “Woman! behold, thy son,” and to John: “behold, thy mother” (John 19:25-27). From that time on, the Apostle John took care of the Mother of God until the end of Her life. From now on, we know about the earthly life of the Virgin only from the Apocrypha. She lived in the house of the Apostle John the Theologian in Jerusalem, becoming a common Mother for all the disciples of Christ, and on the day of Pentecost, like them, she received the gift of the Holy Spirit.

The Mother of God led a closed, secret life, but many knew about Her great wisdom and came from distant lands to talk with Her. Like the apostles, she planted and established Christian Church By your presence, word and prayers.

So about ten years passed, and when the Jewish king Herod began persecuting the Church, the Mother of God, together with the Apostle John the Theologian, moved to Ephesus, which fell to him by lot for the gospel sermon. While living here, She visited the righteous Lazarus in Cyprus and Mount Athos, blessing her as Her inheritance.

The reverence of ancient Christians for the Mother of God was so great that they preserved everything about Her life that they could only notice from Her words and deeds, and even conveyed to us about Her appearance. “She was a Virgin not only in body, but also in soul, humble in heart, prudent in words, prudent, reticent, a lover of reading, industrious, chaste in speech. to avoid boasting, to be sane, to love virtue. When did She even offend her parents with her facial expression, when she was at odds with her relatives? When she was proud before a modest person, laughed at the weak, evaded the poor? She had nothing stern in her eyes, nothing imprudent in words, nothing indecent in actions: her body movements are modest, her tread is quiet, her voice is even, so Her bodily appearance was an expression of the soul, the personification of purity. She was at rest, in spirit She was awake, repeating what she had read in a dream, or thinking about the implementation of the intended intentions, or devising new ones. Ma only went to church, and then accompanied by her relatives. However, although She appeared outside Her house accompanied by others, She herself was the best guardian for Herself; others guarded only her body, and she guarded her manners herself.

According to the tradition preserved by the church historian Nicephorus Callistus (XIV century), the Mother of God "was of medium height or, as others say, somewhat more than average; hair is golden-shaped; eyes are quick, with pupils, as it were, the color of an olive; eyebrows are arched and moderately black, her nose is oblong, her lips blooming, full of sweet speeches; her face is not round and not sharp, but somewhat oblong; her hands and fingers are long ... She maintained decency in conversation with others, did not laugh, did not get indignant, and especially did not get angry; completely artless "Simple, She did not think of Herself in the least, and, far from effeminacy, She was distinguished by complete humility. Concerning the clothes that she wore, She was content with their natural color, which even now proves Her sacred head covering. In short, in all Her actions, a special grace".

Struck by Her beauty even in his advanced years, the disciple of the Apostle Paul, the Greek Dionysius the Areopagite, testified that if he had not professed the One God, he would have decided that before him was a “beautiful goddess.”

Shortly before Her death, the Mother of God returned to Jerusalem. She often visited those places that were closely associated with Her Son: Bethlehem, Golgotha, the Holy Sepulcher, Gethsemane, Olivet. There She prayed earnestly, and over time, more and more often that the Son would take Her soon to Himself in heaven. According to legend, the Jews tried to kill Her, for which, by order of the high priests, guards were placed at the Holy Sepulcher, but at the right moment, the soldiers lost their sight, and they could not see the Mother of God.

The Blessed Virgin expected the end of her earthly days calmly and even with joy - after all, She knew that there, in Heaven, she would meet Her Son and Her God. Once the Mother of God was in deep prayer on the Mount of Olives. Suddenly, the Archangel Gabriel appeared before Her and informed Her that in three days Her earthly life would end, that it was pleasing to the Lord to take Her to Himself. To commemorate his words, the archangel handed the Mother of God a luminous branch of paradise - a symbol of victory over death and decay - (Dimitry of Rostov clarifies that it was a branch from a date palm tree), and indicated to carry it in front of the coffin during burial. With heavenly news, the Mother of God returned to Bethlehem with three virgins who served Her (Sepphora, Evigaea and Zoila). The Mother of God, having come home, joyfully informed her betrothed son John about this, and he informed the Apostle James and through him the whole Church of Jerusalem. The Mother of God commanded to bury Herself in Gethsemane, next to the graves of Her righteous parents and righteous Joseph the Betrothed.

On the day of the Dormition of the Theotokos, in a miraculous way in Jerusalem almost all the apostles, who had previously dispersed different countries to preach the Word of God. Later than all the Apostle Paul arrived with his disciples: Dionysius the Areopagite, Hierotheus, Timothy and others from among the 70 apostles. She called each of them to Her by name and blessed. Only the Apostle Thomas was absent.

The third hour arrived, when the Dormition of the Mother of God was to take place. Many candles were burning. The holy apostles with hymns surrounded the splendidly decorated bed, on which the Blessed Virgin Mary reclined. Suddenly an unspeakable light shone, darkening the lamps; the roof of the upper room was 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 His Son to protect Her from the dark satanic power, from air ordeals. Then the Mother of God joyfully gave Her soul into the hands of the Lord, and immediately angelic singing was heard.

There are many versions regarding the age of the Virgin at the time of Her Assumption, but it is most likely that She lived for about 72 years and died about A.D. 57.

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, along with the other apostles, carried the bed of the Mother of God on their shoulders, and St. John the Theologian walked in front with a heavenly radiant branch. The Apostle Peter began singing the psalm "In the Exodus of Israel from Egypt", solemn hymns sounded. Above the bed appeared a cloudy circle in the form of a crown, illuminated by radiance. This crown floated over the procession to the very place of burial. The procession was 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 Athos (according to other legends, Jethoniy or Zephaniah), who tried to overturn the bed of the Virgin, was punished by an angel who cut off his hands. Seeing such a miracle, Affonia repented and with faith confessed the greatness of the Mother of God. He received healing and joined the host of those who accompanied the body of the Mother of God, becoming a zealous follower of Christ. The repentant of the blind also received their sight.

For three days the apostles stayed at the tomb of the Mother of God, singing psalms. On the fourth day, the absent Apostle Thomas returned to Jerusalem and was very sad that he could not say goodbye and bow to the Mother of God. The apostles, taking pity on him, decided to go and roll away the stone from the grave cave in order to give him the opportunity to say goodbye to the Mother of God. But, to their amazement, the body of the Virgin was not in the cave, only funeral clothes remained. Returning home, the astonished apostles fervently prayed to God that He would reveal to them what had become of the body of the Mother of God. And through their prayers, a miracle happened.

In the evening of the same day, the Mother of God Herself appeared to them and said: “Rejoice! I am with you - all the days; and I will always be your prayer book before God. This delighted the apostles and all who were with them so much that they raised the part of the bread supplied for the meal in memory of the Savior (“the part of the Lord”) and exclaimed: "Holy Mother of God, help us." This was the beginning of the rite of offering panagia - the custom of offering a piece of bread in honor of the Mother of God, which is still preserved in monasteries. That is why the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos is not a cause for sorrow, but a holiday. After all, “with you” means that She is with all of us, too, “for all the days” ...

The Lord, by His special consideration, slowed down the arrival of St. Thomas to the day of the repose of the Most Pure Theotokos, so that the tomb would be opened for him, and the Church, thus, was convinced of the resurrection of the Mother of God, just as earlier, through the unbelief of the same Apostle, she was convinced of the resurrection of Christ. There is an Orthodox tradition that on the third day after the burial, the Mother of God appeared to the Apostle Thomas and threw Her belt from Heaven to comfort him.

Since then, the Church has been celebrating this event. Everything in it is a remembrance of the earthly life of the Mother of God, sadness and joy, because this is also the day of Her birth for eternal life, where She is placed above the angelic ranks, the day of testimony that the promises of the Lord are immutable, about life and about the miracle of the Resurrection ...

The feast of the Assumption of the Mother of God has been established by the Church since ancient times. In the 4th century, it was already widely celebrated in Byzantium. At the request of the Byzantine emperor Mauritius, who defeated the Persians on August 15, on the day of the Assumption of Our Lady (since 595), the holiday became a church-wide one. The main purpose of establishing the holiday was the glorification of the Mother of God and Her Assumption. To this main goal in the IV-V centuries. another one joins - the denunciation of the delusions of heretics who encroached on the dignity of the Mother of God, in particular, the delusions of the Collyridians, heretics of the 4th century, who denied the human nature of the Blessed Virgin (as a result of which they also denied Her bodily death).

The death of the Blessed Virgin Mary is called dormancy because She “as if for a short time fell asleep, and, as if from a dream, she woke up to eternal life,” because death, as the return of the earth to her dust, and the spirit to God, did not touch Her. She only fell asleep in order to awaken at the same moment to an eternally blessed life and after three days with an incorruptible body to move into a heavenly incorruptible dwelling.

Place of the Assumption of the Virgin in Jerusalem

According to legend, before her death, the Most Holy Theotokos lived in the house of the Apostle John the Theologian. Here she passed away.

In 1910, on this site, on the top of Mount Zion, a German Benedictine abbey was built - the monastery of the Assumption of the Virgin (Dormitsion).

In the crypt of the temple, in the center of the hall, there is a sculpture of the Virgin, reclining on a stone.

Tomb of the Virgin

The most pure body of the Mother of God was buried, as She requested, in the tomb where her parents Joachim and Anna, as well as Joseph the Betrothed, had previously been buried. The tomb of the Virgin is located in Gethsemane, at the foot of the western slope of the Mount of Olives, in the Kidron Valley, in Jerusalem (East Jerusalem). In the 5th century, a temple was erected on the burial site. There is a legend that before St. Helena Equal to the Apostles a basilica was built here. In 614 the temple was destroyed, but the tomb of the Mother of God was preserved.

In 681, the tomb of the Virgin was opened by decision of the Sixth Ecumenical Council. According to legend, a belt and burial shrouds were found in it.

Now the cave church of the Assumption of the Virgin stands above the tomb.

Church of the Assumption of the Virgin in Gethsemane, facade of the XII century

Most of the modern building dates back to the time of the Crusaders. This is an underground temple, which leads to 50 steps, with aisles of Sts. Godfathers Joachim and Anna and Joseph the Betrothed, located on the sides of the stairs.

Staircase, view from the entrance to the church

The temple has a cruciform shape: in the center is the tomb of the Virgin with two entrances, at the end of the cave there is an altar. In a stone kivot - miraculous icon Mother of God of Jerusalem in Russian letters.

Tomb of the Theotokos (cuvuklia), view from the west. To the left of the entrance is the Armenian throne

The temple belongs to the Greeks and Armenians. It is here, according to tradition, before the feast of the Assumption from Little Gethsemane, near the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, that the Orthodox carry the Shroud of the Most Holy Theotokos in procession along the same path that the apostles once carried the body of the Mother of God to burial.

Veneration of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Rus'

The Holy Patriarch of Jerusalem Juvenaly (420-458) confirmed before Emperor Marcian (450-457) the authenticity of the legend about the miraculous ascension of the Mother of God into Heaven and sent to his wife, Saint Pulcheria (+ 453; Comm. 10 September), the funeral sheets of the Mother of God, which he took from her tomb. Saint Pulcheria laid these shrouds in the Blachernae church. In 866, the Russian fleet approached Constantinople, and the city was besieged by pagans. The emperor and the Patriarch of Constantinople prayed all night in the Blachernae Church, and then plunged the funeral robe of the Mother of God into the sea. Suddenly a storm arose and scattered the Russian ships in different directions. Rus' suffered a defeat, which marked the victory of Christianity.

It was this event that contributed to the special veneration by the Russians of the Mother of God, her Assumption and robes. The Mother of God became the patroness of the Russian army, and the Feast of the Intercession, dedicated to the robes of the Mother of God, is a holiday that until the 19th century. celebrated only in Russia.

The Blachernae Monastery itself, the Intercession and Assumption acquired a special "military", "protective" significance for Rus'. That is why, since the time of St. Prince Vladimir, the main churches of the main cities of Rus' have been dedicated precisely to the feast of the Assumption of the Most Holy Theotokos: the cathedral Kyiv temple, Tithe Church.

Similarly, the construction of St. Sophia Cathedrals, adopted from Byzantium, gradually passed into the tradition of building cathedrals in honor of the Assumption. Among the famous Assumption churches and monasteries today we can name Holy Dormition Kiev-Pechersk And Pochaev Lavra, Holy Dormition Pskov-Caves Monastery, Pyukhtitsky Assumption convent, Assumption Cathedrals in Vladimir, in the Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra, Assumption Church of the Novodevichy Convent .

Erected in the 15th century by the outstanding architect Aristotle Fioravanti, the majestic Assumption Cathedral in the Moscow Kremlin became the main cathedral of the Russian land. Here, in front of the miraculous icon of the Vladimir Mother of God, most revered by Russians, weddings for the great reign and the kingdom, the coronation of emperors took place. Immediately, the rite of "delivery" of metropolitans and patriarchs was performed.

Celebration of the Assumption of the Virgin in Greece

In Greece, the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary is celebrated almost as widely as Easter. At the center of celebrations Tinos island, and his miraculous icon of the Mother of God "Tinos" : miraculous healings, volleys from ship cannons, flowers and flags, military bands and religious processions.

A solemn procession leaves the temple, the icon is hoisted onto a stretcher carried by sailors

Everyone passing under the icon tries to touch it with his hand or attach some object to the icon.

Under the numerous gifts with which the believers decorated the icon in gratitude for the miracles, it is difficult to discern the plot of the icon - the appearance of the Archangel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary with the good news. Nevertheless, every year on the feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, thousands of people flock to the Greek island of Tinos to kneel from the port to the temple and touch the miraculous icon.

There is a straight road from the port to the temple on the hill. Along the roadside, a path made of a material like carpet was laid especially for pilgrims. Sometimes parents take sick children on their backs so that they can be healed.

In Greece on the island of Kefalonia , or "Island of Miracles", as it is called, every year on August 15 to the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, in the village of Markopulo, where miraculous icon of Panagia Fedus (translated as "Virgin of the Serpent"), crawl Poisonous snakes. Believers call them "the snakes of the Virgin Mary", because on this day they are harmless. They do not exceed one meter in length, they have a cross on their head, as well as on the tip of the tongue. According to tradition, if snakes do not appear, this is a bad sign. This happened twice - in 1940 before the start of the Second World War in Greece and in 1953 - before the devastating earthquake.

Villagers notice snakes on the eve of the holiday, often gather with the priest in advance, read prayers and expect the appearance of snakes. Small snakes crawl here, and they are brought to the temple for Divine service. They are collected, put on the neck and stroked. Orthodox Greeks believe that this touch brings happiness. During the festive service, snakes are placed on the icon of the Mother of God, and they lie there quietly throughout the not-so-short service. According to ancient tradition, snakes are left in the church all night.

Snakes are mentioned in Christian books, mostly with a negative connotation, but Kefalonia is practically the only place in the world where these reptiles seem to be rehabilitated in the eyes of believing Christians.

Troparion, tone 1
In the Nativity you preserved virginity, in the Assumption of the world you did not leave the Mother of God; Thou hast reposed to the stomach, Mother of the Life of the Life, and by Thy prayers you deliver our souls from the death.

Kontakion, tone 2
In prayers, the unsleeping Mother of God and in intercession, the immutable Hope of the coffin and mortification cannot be held back: as if the Mother’s Belly to the stomach, put it in the womb of the ever-virgin Indwelling.

August 28, 2018: Assumption of the Virgin
The full name of the holiday is the Assumption of the Blessed Lady of our Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary.

What does the word "Assumption" mean?
"Assumption" is an obsolete word. Translated into modern Russian, it means "death, death."

What is the Assumption of the Virgin

The full name of the holiday is Dormition of Our Most Holy Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary. This is one of the twelve Orthodox holidays. The Twelfth Feasts are dogmatically closely connected with the events of the earthly life of the Lord Jesus Christ and the Theotokos and are divided into the Lord's (dedicated to the Lord Jesus Christ) and the Theotokos (dedicated to the Mother of God). Dormition - Mother of God holiday.

Holiday celebrated in Russian Orthodox Church August 28, new style (August 15, old style), established in memory of the death of the Mother of God. Christians are led to it by the two-week Assumption Fast, which is comparable in severity to Great Lent. Interestingly, the Assumption is the last twelfth holiday of the Orthodox church year (ending on September 13 according to the new style).

When is the Assumption of the Theotokos celebrated?

The Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary is celebrated on August 28 according to the new style. He has 1 day of prefeast and 9 days of afterfeast. Prefeast - one or several days before a big holiday, the divine services of which already include prayers dedicated to the upcoming celebrated event. Accordingly, the afterfeast is the same days after the holiday.

What can you eat on the Assumption of the Virgin

On August 28, on the feast of the Assumption of the Mother of God, if it falls on Wednesday or Friday, you can eat fish. In this case, the conversation is postponed to the next day. But if the Dormition falls on other days of the week, then there is no fasting. In 2016, the feast of the Assumption is not a fast day.

Events of the Assumption of the Virgin

Everything that we know about the death of the Mother of the Lord Jesus Christ is gleaned from Church Tradition. In the canonical texts, we will not read anything about how and under what circumstances the Mother of God departed to the Lord and was buried. Tradition is one of the sources of our doctrine, along with Holy Scripture.

From the New Testament we learn that the Savior, crucified on the cross, asked his closest disciple, the Apostle John the Theologian, to take care of Mary: Seeing the mother and the student standing here, whom he loved, he says to his Mother: Woman! Behold, your son. Then he says to the student: behold, your mother! And from that time on, this disciple took her to him(John 19:26-27). After the crucifixion of Christ, the Mother of God, together with the disciples of her Son, remained in prayer and fasting. On the day of the Descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles (Pentecost), she also received the gift of the Holy Spirit.

In written monuments, starting from the 4th century, we find references to how the Mother of God lived on. Most authors write that she was bodily raptured (that is, taken) from earth to heaven. It happened like this. Three days before her death, the Archangel Gabriel appeared to the Mother of God and announced the upcoming Assumption. At that time she was in Jerusalem. Everything happened exactly as the Archangel said. After the death of the Most Pure Virgin, the apostles buried her body in Gethsemane, in the same place where the parents of the Virgin and her husband, righteous Joseph, rested. Everyone was present at the ceremony, except for the Apostle Thomas. On the third day after the burial, Thomas wanted to see her coffin. The coffin was opened, but the body of the Virgin was no longer in it - only her shroud.

The history of the celebration of the Assumption of the Virgin

Reliable information about the history of the feast of the Assumption begins only at the end of the 6th century. Most church historians believe that the holiday was established under the Byzantine emperor Mauritius, who ruled from 592-602. Most likely, until that time, the Assumption was a local holiday in Constantinople, that is, not a general church holiday.

Icon of the Assumption of the Virgin

Traditionally, icon painters depict the Mother of God in the center of the image - she lies on her deathbed, on either side of her are weeping apostles. A little behind the bed stands the Savior with the soul of the Mother of God, depicted as a swaddled baby.

In the 11th century, an expanded version of the iconography of the Assumption, the so-called "cloudy type", spread. We can see it, for example, in a fresco from the church of Hagia Sophia in Ohrid in Macedonia. In the upper part of such a composition, the apostles are depicted flying to the deathbed of the Mother of God on the clouds. The most ancient example of the “cloudy Assumption” in Rus' is an icon from the beginning of the 13th century, which comes from the Novgorod Tithes Monastery. In the upper part of the icon there is a blue semicircular segment of the sky with golden stars and figures of angels carrying away the soul of the Mother of God. This image is currently stored in Tretyakov Gallery.

Often, icon painters depict one or more burning candles near the bed of the Virgin, which symbolize prayer to God.

Church of the Dormition

The Feast of the Assumption has one day of forefeast and 9 days of afterfeast. Prefeast - one or several days before a big holiday, the divine services of which already include prayers dedicated to the upcoming celebrated event. Accordingly, the afterfeast is the same days after the holiday.

The celebration of the holiday takes place on September 5 according to the new style. And the Dormition of the Mother of God is preceded by a two-week Assumption fast. It runs from 14 to 27 August.

There is a special Service for the burial of the Mother of God. It is performed in the likeness of the Matins service on Great Saturday; during it, they read the 17th kathisma - "Blessed are the Immaculate." Currently, the rite of the burial of the Mother of God can be seen in many cathedral and parish churches on the second or third day of the holiday. Worship begins with all-night vigil. At the great doxology, the clergy of the temple come out to the shroud lying in the middle of the temple with the image of the Mother of God; incense to her, and then carries her around the temple. After that, all worshipers are anointed with oil (consecrated oil). And finally, litanies are read (a series of prayer petitions) and dismissed (the blessing of those praying to leave the temple at the end of the service).

The Stichera of the Dormition was written by Patriarch Anatoly of Constantinople in the 5th century. And in the 8th century, Cosmas of Mayumsky and John of Damascus wrote two canons of this holiday.

Prayers of the Assumption of the Virgin

Troparion of the Dormition of the Theotokos

In the Nativity you preserved virginity, in the Assumption of the world you did not leave the Mother of God, you reposed to the stomach, Mother of the Life of the Life, and with Your prayers you deliver our souls from death.

Translation:

At the birth of Christ, you, Mother of God, preserved your virginity and did not leave the world after your repose; You have passed to eternal life, Mother of Life, and with Your prayers you deliver our souls from death.

Kontakion of the Assumption of the Virgin
voice 2:

In prayers to the Unsleeping Mother of God and in intercession, the immutable hope / coffin and mortification cannot be restrained: as if the Mother’s Belly to the stomach, put it into the womb of the ever-virgin.

Translation:

The Mother of God, tireless in prayers and unchanging hope in intercessions, the coffin and mortification did not hold back, for she transferred Her to life, as the Mother of Life, Who dwelled in Her ever-virgin womb.

Magnification of the Assumption of the Virgin

We magnify Thee, Immaculate Mother of Christ our God, and gloriously glorify Thy Assumption.

Translation:

We magnify You, Immaculate Mother of Christ our God, and gloriously glorify Your Dormition.

Metropolitan Anthony of Surozh: Sermon on the Dormition of the Mother of God

Today we celebrate our patronal feast; we all stand before the one and only throne that exists: the throne on which our God sits; but as stated in Holy Scripture, God rests in the saints: not only in holy places, but in the heart and mind of those purified by feat and grace, in the life and in the very flesh of the saints.

And today we celebrate the day of the Assumption of the Most Holy of all saints - the Mother of God. She fell asleep with the sleep of the earth; but just as She was alive to the very depths of Her nature, so She remained alive: a living soul, ascended to the throne of God, alive and resurrected in Her body, to which She now stands and prays for us. Truly She is the throne of grace; The Living God dwelt in Her, He was in Her womb, as on the throne of His glory. And with what gratitude, with what amazement we think of Her: the Source of life, the Life-Giving Source, as the Church calls Her, glorifying Her in one of the icons, the Life-Giving Source, the Mother of God, ends Her earthly life, surrounded by the tremulous love of all.

But what does she leave us? Only one commandment and one marvelous example. Commandment - those words that She said to the servants in Cana of Galilee: Whatever Christ says, do it ... And they did; and the waters of ablution became the good wine of the kingdom of God. She leaves this commandment to each of us: understand, each of us, the word of Christ, listen to it and do not be only a listener, but fulfill it, and then everything on earth will become heavenly, eternal, transfigured and glorified ...

And She left us an example: it is said about Her in the Gospel that every word about Christ and, of course, every word of Christ She put into Her heart as a treasure, as the most precious thing that She had ...

Let us also learn to listen in the same way as one listens with all love and all reverence, to listen attentively to every word of the Savior. The Gospel says a lot; but the heart of each of us responds first to one thing, then to another; and what my or your heart responded to is the word spoken by the Savior Christ to you and me personally ... And we must preserve this word as the path of life, as a point of contact between us and God, as a sign of our kinship and closeness with Him.

And if we live like this, listen like that, put the word of Christ in our hearts like they sow seed on plowed land, then what Elizabeth said to the Mother of God when She came to her will be fulfilled over us: Blessed is she who believed, for everything will be fulfilled, what was said to you from the Lord ... May it be with us; may the Mother of God be our example; Let us accept Her only commandment, and only then will our glorification of Her by us in this holy temple, which is given to Her as a dwelling place, be true, because then we will worship God in and through Her both in spirit and in truth. Amen.

Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin

For six centuries, bishops, metropolitans and patriarchs were elevated to the rank of bishops, metropolitans and patriarchs in the Assumption Cathedral in the Kremlin, state acts were announced, prayer services were served before military campaigns and in honor of victories.

The first stone building of the cathedral was laid in 1326. This was done personally by the first Moscow Metropolitan Peter and Prince Ivan Kalita. At the end of the 15th century Grand Duke Ivan III Vasilyevich ordered to rebuild the cathedral, in 1479 the Italian architect Aristotle Fioravanti worked on this project.

The modern appearance of the cathedral was determined by the middle of the 17th century. It was then that the murals and iconostasis that have survived to this day were created. In front of the iconostasis are the prayer places of the king, queen and patriarch. Also in the XIV - XVII centuries The Dormition Cathedral in the Kremlin was the tomb of the metropolitans and patriarchs of the Russian Orthodox Church.

After the revolution of 1917, the temple became a museum. Worship services began again in 1990.

Assumption Cathedral in Vladimir

The Assumption Cathedral in Vladimir was built in 1158-1160 at the behest of Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky of Vladimir. Initially, the cathedral was built of white hewn stone, it was single-domed with three small narthexes and towers at the western corners.

In 1185-1189, under Prince Vsevolod the Big Nest, the narthexes and towers were dismantled and replaced with high galleries. The cathedral was rebuilt - in particular, it became five-domed.

The painting of the cathedral has survived to this day only in fragments. The painting of 1161 includes the figures of the prophets between the columns in the northern gallery, the painting of 1189 includes the figures of Artemy and Abraham in the southwestern corner of the ancient part of the cathedral.

In 1408, the Assumption Cathedral in Vladimir was painted Reverend Andrew Rublev and Daniil Cherny. Separate images of a large composition have been preserved. doomsday", which occupied the entire western part temple, and a few more frescoes. It was for the iconostasis of this cathedral that the icon painters created a grandiose deesis tier and icons of the festive row, which are now kept in the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow.

Folk traditions of the celebration of the Assumption

The Orthodox feast of the Assumption of the Most Holy Theotokos coincided in time with the harvest. At this time of the year, the Russian peasants were busy harvesting. That is why, in the popular mind, agricultural customs were superimposed on the church traditions of the Assumption.

At Eastern Slavs the so-called "Obzhinki" were timed to coincide with the Dormition. Obzhinki - the feast of the harvest of bread. In addition, this day was called "Lady", "Lady", "Lady's Day" - these words reflected the veneration of the Virgin, to whom believers refer as the Lady, Lady.

The next day after the Dormition - August 29 - they celebrated the “Nut (or Bread) Savior”. It was named so in honor of the tradition of collecting nuts at this time of summer. By the end of August, they also began to pick mushrooms, and made vegetable and fruit preparations for the winter. They tried to sow winter crops: "This winter is three days before the Dormition and three after."

« Nut, or Bread, Savior "

"Nut, or Bread, Savior" - this is how the simple Russian people called the feast of the Transfer from Edessa to Constantinople of the Image Not Made by Hands of the Lord Jesus Christ, which is celebrated on August 29 (according to the new style). This holiday fell on the first day after the end of the Dormition Fast, that is, the day after the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos.

"Nut (or Bread) Savior" was named so in honor of the tradition of collecting nuts at this time of summer and completing the harvest of bread.

Sermon on the Dormition of Our Most Holy Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary

Saint Theophan the Recluse
After the death of Jesus Christ on the Cross, His Most Pure Mother lived for about fifteen years in Jerusalem, in the house of the holy Apostle John the Theologian, to whom the Lord Himself entrusted Her from the Cross. The time has come for her to move to the heavenly abode of her Son. When the Mother of God was praying on the Mount of Olives, the legend tells, the Archangel Gabriel appeared to Her, bringing a date branch, and announced Her death in three days.

The Most Pure One was overjoyed to hear such news, and began to prepare. By the day of Her repose, at the command of God, miraculously appeared in Jerusalem, except for the Apostle Thomas, all the apostles scattered for preaching throughout the world. They were witnesses of Her peaceful, quiet, holy and blissful death. The Lord Jesus Christ Himself, in heavenly glory, surrounded by countless angels and righteous spirits, appeared to receive the soul of His Most Pure Mother and with glory lifted Her up to heaven.

This is how the Most Holy Virgin Mary ended her earthly life! With lit lamps and the singing of psalms, the apostles carried the body of the Mother of God to Gethsemane, where Her parents and Joseph were buried. The unbelieving high priests and scribes, struck by the grandeur of the funeral procession and embittered by the honors given to the Mother of God, sent servants and soldiers to disperse the mourners and burn the very body of the Mother of God.

The excited people and warriors rushed at the Christians with fury, but were stricken with blindness. At this time, the Jewish priest Athos passed by, who rushed to the tomb with the intention of throwing it to the ground; but as soon as he touched the bed with his hands, an angel cut off both his hands: their severed parts hung by the bed, and Athos himself fell to the ground with a cry.

The Apostle Peter stopped the procession and said to Athos: "Make sure that Christ is the true God." Athos immediately confessed Christ as the true Messiah. The Apostle Peter ordered Athos to turn to the Mother of God with fervent prayer and attach the remains of the hands to the parts hanging by the bed. By doing this, the hands grew together and healed, and only signs remained at the cut-off site. The blinded people and the soldiers repentantly touched the bed and received sight not only of the body, but also of the soul, and all reverently joined the procession.

On the third day after the burial of the Mother of God, the Apostle Thomas, who was absent, by the will of God, arrived and wished to see Her coffin. At his request, the coffin was opened, but the body of the Mother of God was not found in it. On the evening of the same day, during their meal, the apostles saw in the air the Most Holy Virgin in heaven, alive, with many angels. Standing and indescribably radiant with glory, the Mother of God said to the apostles: “Rejoice! I am always with you"; the apostles exclaimed: "Most Holy Theotokos, help us." This appearance of the Mother of God completely convinced the apostles, and through them the whole Church, of Her resurrection. In imitation Virgin Mary, who often visited the places that Her Son and God sanctified with the feet of His most pure feet, a custom arose among Christians to visit holy places.

Screensaver: Jaime Serra. Assumption of the Virgin (detail). 1361-1362