Assumption of the Blessed Virgin: signs and traditions. On the Bans on the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

On August 28, Orthodox believers celebrate the holiday - Assumption Holy Mother of God 2017. On this day, the Dormition Fast ends in honor of the transition of the Virgin from one life to another. tells about the history and main traditions of the holiday.

Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary 2017: holiday traditions

According to church legend, the Mother of God knew exactly the time of her death and prepared for this day with prayer and fasting. Subsequently, the fast was called Assumption, and every year all believers adhere to it, paying tribute to the Virgin Mary.

According to legend, on this day the apostles gathered in Jerusalem to perform the rite of burial of the Virgin Mary.

Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary: holiday traditions

On this day, be sure to attend the liturgical service in the church, as well as light a candle.

Harvest ended on the Dormition. In honor of the holiday, it was customary to bake pies and gather guests in the house.

There is a sign that on this day it is easy for young girls to find a betrothed with whom she will spend her whole life. Traditionally, on the Assumption, the guys went to woo those whom they would like to marry.

On the Dormition of the Theotokos, people went to church to bless the ears and seeds, and then they baked bread, which they distributed to the poor and needy.

Also on this day, the housewives began to make preparations for the winter.

An important and solemn day in the Orthodox world is the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. For believers, this is really a holiday, since the Mother of God was accepted into heaven.

For Orthodox people death is not the end of life, but the liberation of the soul from sins, resurrection, purification, therefore the Dormition is really a holiday and every believer should know its date. The Virgin Mary prayed that she would soon see her son and be near him all the time. Her prayers were answered and one day she was taken up to heaven. We offer you to learn the history of the holiday, its traditions and find out the answer to the question: what date is the Assumption in 2017.

When will the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin in 2017

Every year the holiday is celebrated on August 28 and this year there will be no exception. The day precedes the Dormition fast, it lasts 14 days. This post was considered easier, because in his days you can afford potatoes, fresh vegetables, fruits, mushrooms. At the same time, the Dormition Fast is no less strict. Within its framework, they did not arrange any festivities, folk spectacles and other fun.

If you carefully study history, you can understand that a lot was written and said about the Virgin Mary in the period before the conception of Jesus Christ and before his crucifixion. When he was crucified on the cross, his mother did not leave him, she held his hand and felt all his suffering. The Virgin Mary believed that only the body had died and that very soon she would meet her son.

Years passed, Mary lived in the care of John's family, but Mary did not have peace. She often came to the place where her son was tormented, visited the cave where he ascended and asked for death in order to meet her son. And the Lord heard Mary and in an instant all the disciples of Jesus Christ gathered around her from all over the world, they suffered, feeling that the Virgin Mary would soon leave. Mary promised to pray for everyone and protect them.

In an instant, it became too light in the room, Christ appeared with angels and symbolically took her soul to take her to heaven. Maria died sleeping. For her it was a joyful event, she fell asleep, hence the “assumption”. Mary was taken to the tomb, where her husband also rested. The apostles remained near the tomb for three days and prayed. The Apostle Thomas did not have time for the burial and was very saddened by this. Then the other apostles allowed to bow to the Mother of God and opened the entrance to the tomb. Opening the coffin, they saw that Mary's body was not there. She, like her son, ascended to heaven. It is believed that Mary did not die, but fell asleep and woke up for eternal life. The apostles raised their heads to the sky and saw smiling Mary there, who once again promised to pray for everyone. It was a miracle, just like the virgin birth.

It is worth noting that the holiday itself was previously called not the Assumption, but “Memory of the Blessed”, later it was called the “Feast of the Death of the Mother of God”.

Feast of the Assumption - signs, customs, traditions

In Orthodoxy, the feast of the Assumption of the Virgin belongs to the Twelve and has certain rules and traditions. On this day, as on other major church holidays can not work, although there are some points that we will talk about later.

Before this day comes, it is necessary to fast, attend church, take communion, and repent. On the day of the Assumption, they pray to the Mother of God, asking for health, well-being, family happiness. The girls asked the Virgin Mary to send them a good groom, a child. If Assumption falls on Friday or Wednesday, then you can taste some fish. The conversation will be rescheduled for the next day. If the date of the holiday falls on some other day, then you can do whatever you want.

On this day, it is customary to gather with the whole family, spend time with mothers. It is not customary to grieve, swear, be offended on the Assumption, on the contrary, on this day they give each other happiness, kindness, smiles, good mood.

On this day, according to custom, the harvest ended, so the Assumption also celebrated the end of a successful harvest. We thanked the Mother of God for good harvest and wealth in the house. Seeds and ears of corn are brought to the church for the Dormition in order to consecrate them. There was a tradition to dress up a sheaf in a dress and put it under an icon.

Previously, it was believed that it was with the Assumption that the Indian summer begins, so they carefully watched the changes in the weather. If a rainbow appeared on August 28, then wait for a warm autumn. But if the weather is good on this day, then the Indian summer will not be very warm.

If you notice a lot of cobwebs in the house or barn, then this means that the winter will be without snow and frosty.

We looked at the Assumption for water: if she worries, then wait for windy autumn, and snowy winter. If you already noticed frost on August 28, then expect early frosts, autumn will be short.

From Assumption, they began harvesting various nuts and mushrooms for the winter. By the way, if the Dormition is foggy, then expect a good harvest of mushrooms. Hostesses on the Dormition always salted cucumbers for the winter. It was believed that they would not be covered with mold and would be well preserved.

The girls had a sign that if you do not look after yourself a groom in the Assumption, then you can sit all winter for a boyfriend. The guys tried to make an offer to the chosen girl as soon as possible in order to have time to get married.

The church does not support all sorts of divination, but on this day, young women divined in sand and wax to see their future. Women on this day lay down on the ground and rolled on it, asking them to return their strength and good spirits.

After the Assumption - August 29 is celebrated Walnut Spas. They call it bread. It is by this day that the nuts are fully ripe and can be harvested. In addition, on this day they baked bread and pies from the new harvest.

What is not done on the Dormition?

As with many church holidays, there are certain prohibitions on the day of the Assumption.

Firstly, on this day, in no case do they quarrel with loved ones, especially with mothers.

It is believed that you can not walk on the Assumption with bare feet. People have noticed that this can lead to illness. On this day, comfortable shoes were worn that could not rub or put pressure on the feet.

According to different sources, there is also different information about whether it is possible to work on this day. Some sources say that it is absolutely impossible, while others say that on the contrary, all important things are completed on this day. Especially, you can work if the activity is related to helping people.

They do not take piercing objects on this day - it was believed that this could lead to trouble. Thus, neither knives, nor scissors, nor needles were used on the Dormition. And on this day it was impossible to stick a knife into the ground.

It was considered a serious sin on this day to drop bread or crumbs of bread that had been consecrated in the church.

There was a belief that the girls were not supposed to cut their hair on the Assumption, let alone throw it away. It was believed that such actions could cause the tears of the Mother of God.

In order not to attract various misfortunes and illnesses to your home, you cannot kindle a fire on this day.

Interesting facts about the feast of the Assumption of the Virgin

The Feast of the Assumption is dedicated to many icons, paintings, poems, songs. Temples are named after this day. settlements, streets. By the way, Asuncion - the capital of Paraguay - is named after the Assumption of the Virgin, because the word is translated from Spanish as "assumption".

Michelangelo da Caravaggio painted the painting "The Death of Mary" commissioned by the papal lawyer Laerzo Cherubini. It was intended for the family church of Santa Maria della Scala. The clergy rejected the picture because of the inappropriate posture of the Virgin Mary, and also because she was depicted dead, and not a woman who was miraculously raised to heaven, beautiful and peaceful. But Rubens saw in the picture one of the best works Michelangelo.

The largest altarpiece in Venice is Titian's "Assumption of the Virgin". The picture consists of several levels, has bright shades, unusual postures and actions of the apostles and the Virgin Mary. This work immediately attracted the attention of many people, and Titian became very popular.

The classic icon dedicated to the Assumption looks like this: in the center of the canvas is a bed covered with a purple veil, on it lies the body of the Mother of God, the apostles stand around. Behind the bed is Jesus, who holds the holy soul of Mary in his hands. In addition, angels fly over the Virgin Mary and the Savior, who are a witness to this important event. It is believed that this is the simplest ancient image of the Assumption. Later, the creators of the icons began to expand the storyline.

Descriptions of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary are recorded in the form of apocrypha. The Bible does not contain such information.

The Catholic Church talks about the Dormition with an emphasis on the ascension of the Mother of God into heaven and her coronation as Queen of Heaven. At the burial place of the Virgin in Jerusalem, solemn events are held on the day of the Assumption.

The Assumption of the Most Holy Theotokos is celebrated by all Christians of the world. This is one of the most significant Christian holidays, which is celebrated in memory of the day when the Mother of God died. Consider when the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in 2017, the history of this day, its features in the Orthodox and catholic faith.

Date of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin according to the new style

The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary falls on August 28. Despite the fact that the holiday is celebrated on this day, it has one day of forefeast and ten days of feast. This means that the day before the holiday, divine services are already held in the temples, which are dedicated to this particular day. This also applies to congratulations. This is nine days after the holiday, when churches continue to hold services that are dedicated to this particular holiday.

The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary is celebrated in memory of the death of the Mother of God. This holiday is the last great Orthodox holiday a year, and is included in the twelve largest and most revered holidays. The name of the holiday is explained by the fact that Assumption is translated from Old Russian as death.

After the death of Jesus Christ, the Mother of God missed him very much. She spent most of her time praying at the site of her Son's ascension. Unexpectedly for the Mother of God, Gabriel appeared before her and said that the Mother of God would repose in the Lord in three days.

The Most Holy Theotokos was extremely happy about this news, because she missed Jesus. However, she wanted to have time to say goodbye to the apostles before her death. The problem was that by that time the apostles were preaching Christianity all over the world. Therefore, the Mother of God prayed to the Lord that he would help to gather all the apostles. The Lord heard her prayers, so on the day when the Mother of God was to repose to the Lord, all the apostles gathered around her bed. However, the Apostle Thomas did not have time to return until that moment.

When her time has come, a blinding light will fill the visitation, and the Lord will take her soul. The body of the Mother of God remained on the bed, but it seemed to the apostles that she had simply fallen asleep.

They buried the body of the Mother of God in the tombs, where her husband Joseph and her parents had already rested. And only three days after the burial of the Most Holy Theotokos, Thomas arrived in Jerusalem. He was extremely upset that he did not have time to say goodbye to the Mother of God, so he asked the other apostles to show him the grave. When they arrived, they saw that the tomb was open. The body of the Virgin was gone, and in its place lay only the shroud in which it was wrapped.

The apostles were extremely surprised at the loss of the body of the Mother of God. However, that same evening, she appeared to them surrounded by an angel, and said that she would stay with them forever.

Therefore, this holiday once again reminds every Christian that his goal on earth is to prepare the soul for a meeting with the Lord. And everything worldly and empty can only distract from the desire for eternal life. Therefore, the life and death of the Most Holy Theotokos is a guide and an example for every person.

Assumption of the Blessed Virgin: a Catholic holiday

Catholics celebrate the Assumption of the Virgin on August 15. Previously, the holiday was called in translation into Russian "transition to heaven", and now it is called "bodily elevation to heaven."

According to the Catholic faith, after the Mother of God ascended to heaven, she appeared before Christ as the Queen, and took patronage over all of humanity, protecting it before the Lord. In many Catholic countries, this day is one of the most important holidays of the year. In connection with this holiday, the day is even an official holiday.

Therefore, in connection with this holiday, every Catholic believer must attend church to listen to the festive service. On this day, it is customary to bring the fruits of the first harvest as a gift to the chapels in order to thank the Mother of God for her patronage over every person on earth. On this day, Catholics decorate their homes with meadow flowers and herbs. in small towns and major cities there are theatrical performances and performances that glorify the life and ascension of the Virgin.

The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in 2017 is approaching. All over the world this holiday is one of the most important for Christians. Cause he glorifies life and death Mother of God. The holiday gives an opportunity to reflect on the fact that the death of a person is only a transition to another world, where the soul can unite with the Lord.

Every Orthodox people knows that the Assumption Fast is a multi-day fast, which was established in honor of the Assumption of the Most Holy Theotokos back in the days of early Christianity. The first mention of it dates back to 450, and you can find them at St. Leo the Great. Every year, including 2017, Dormition fast begins on August 14 and ends on the 27th. The first day is the day of the Transfiguration of the Lord, and the last day is the feast of the Assumption of the Most Holy Theotokos.

Despite the fact that it is not as popular as the Great, people close to the church try to comply with all its canons. Do not think that fasting is something difficult to accomplish. Quite the opposite. Every year, more and more people prefer to maintain such small pauses in their lives, abstaining from some dishes and products.

It is believed that during such food "breaks" a person merges even more with nature, tunes in to a harmonious existence and approaches God. Evil thoughts, sins and deeds fade into the background, and a happy life begins to be seen on the horizon.

During any fast, you should devote less time to cooking various dishes, let go of gluttony and indulge in pure thoughts. Modest food for several weeks can be a real test for the hostess. But even these sufferings will be rewarded with spiritual purity and tranquility.

Although the Dormition fast is considered strict, in fact it is not so terrible. The end of summer is a pleasant period when there are always fresh vegetables, fruits and greens at home. Therefore, you can combine business with pleasure, significantly expand your diet with delicious lean dishes and saturate your body with vitamins.

The people often associate the Assumption Fast with the Honey, Bread and Apple Savior, because it is at this time that they are celebrated.

Daily food calendar

This fast is as severe as the Great Fast, so it has certain rules to follow.

Based on the monastic charters:

• on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays - dry eating;
• on Tuesdays and Thursdays - boiled food (meat is excluded);
• on Saturdays and Sundays - wine and vegetable oil are allowed;
• on the first day of fasting, the feast of the Origin of the honest trees is celebrated Life-Giving Cross Lord's. In the people this day is better known as the Honey Savior. It is allowed to eat honey gingerbread, pancakes with poppy seeds and honey, rolls, buns and pies.
• August 19 - Transfiguration of the Lord or Apple Spas. Fasting people can eat fruits and vegetables that have ripened by this time, as well as fish products.
• The Assumption Fast ends with the feast of the Assumption of the Most Holy Theotokos (August 28) and it is necessary to try to smoothly exit the fast. If this day falls on Wednesday and Friday, then the breaking of the fast will be only the next day. And if on any other day, then for the holiday you can please yourself with fish dishes.

You should not get carried away with permitted foods, because fasting is, first of all, humility (even food) and repentance. Due to the fact that the Assumption Fast takes place at the end of summer, many farmers harvest their crops, so it is very easy to bear. Even those people who do not own land plots, can please themselves with ripe fruits and vegetables bought in the store, because they are all on store shelves in a pleasant abundance.

How to diversify your menu in the post

Very often people are mistaken, thinking that fasting is expensive and tasteless. It is much more expensive to buy sausage or sausages every day. Even lean dishes can be delicious, the main thing is to show a little imagination. It is necessary to prepare for Great Lent in advance, thinking through each dish, and the Assumption Lent has never caused problems with the menu.

For example, you can prepare a nutritious and tasty dish- porridge. Cereals have always been considered useful product You just need to know how to cook them. Using spices and seasonings, you can easily treat yourself to a fragrant porridge with vegetables.

Due to the fact that during this period there are a lot of vegetables and herbs, any housewife can cook a delicious vegetable soup, and the abundance of seasonal vegetables will significantly diversify the diet of the whole family and eat a new dish every day. Do not forget about mushrooms, because they are healthy and rich in protein and trace elements.

Apples are the staple of this post. You can bake them, make pies and bagels with apples, salads, compotes, jelly ... In general, a skilled chef will be able to cook a tasty and lean dish from this fruit.

Lent is a wonderful time that allows a person to forget about the joys of the earth for a few days, and remember about spiritual feelings. During such abstinence, many of us understand the true meaning of our lives and try to convey this idea to loved ones.

Traditions of the Dormition Fast

1. Among the main traditions of the Dormition Fast, one can single out the consecration of honey. It is carried to the church for the first Honey Savior, and only after the Savior is over, this honey can be eaten.
2. During the Assumption of the Savior, they also bring a fresh harvest of apples and grapes to the church and sanctify these gifts of nature.
3. Mushroom dishes are traditional dishes of the Assumption Savior. At this time, it was customary to go to the forest for mushrooms, and then cook healthy dishes from them.

Video rubric

Metropolitan Anthony (Pakanich) on the hidden meaning of the feast of the Assumption of the Most Holy Theotokos.

The holiday is celebrated annually on the same day - August 28. Since the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary falls on Monday in 2017, then, according to the Charter Orthodox Church, this day is not fasting. Any food is allowed.

Prohibitions

There are many superstitions and folk customs associated with the Dormition. Many of them "forbid" people to do ordinary household chores. The accustomed pagan horror stories bring confusion into the minds of even Orthodox people who have been going to church for years.

This day is no different from other days, except that we especially revere the Most Holy Theotokos, glorify Her Dormition.

“The laws of nature are defeated in You, Pure Virgin, virginity is preserved in birth, and life is combined with death: remaining a Virgin after birth and Living after death, You always save, Mother of God, Your inheritance,” is sung in the troparion of the holiday.

The main thing that every believer should take away from this event is the possibility of the victory of life over death, good over evil, faith over unbelief. This is what the Holy Church speaks to her children through the festive service.

The image of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos is the quintessence of earthly life, it is a personal Pascha… It is a return to God.

Performing various miracles, the Lord pointed out that the true miracle for a person is the return to God, deification, because our true homeland is Heaven, and not this temporary earth.

In early Christian writings, it is emphasized: "The immortal soul dwells in a mortal dwelling - so Christians are in the midst of a corruptible world, waiting for heavenly incorruption."

Earthly life is given to man as a kind of examination before entering Eternity. And how a person prepares for this exam depends on his future immortal life.

Metropolitan Anthony of Surozh said that the main criterion for the latter doomsday that awaits each person before entering Eternity, there will be only love. It will not be asked from a person how many prayers he read, how many fasts he observed, how many bows he made. Each of us will be asked whether we helped our neighbor, whether we fed the hungry, whether we clothed the naked, because depending on how we showed our love for our neighbors in our lives and to what extent, God will also testify to His love for us. . And if there was no love in us, we, unfortunately, will not be able to enter into the love of God and abide in it.

This is what the feast of the Dormition of our Most Holy Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary reminds us of, being in essence a feast of the greatest joy, the affirmation of eternal life with Jesus Christ.

History of the holiday: what happened on this day

After the ascension of Christ the Savior, the Most Holy Theotokos lived in Ephesus in the house of the parents of the Apostle John the Theologian.

Holy Virgin day and night she prayed to meet her Divine Son as soon as possible. And then one day, during a solitary prayer, the Archangel Gabriel appeared to the Mother of God with the news that in three days the end of her earthly life would come and she would meet with the Lord.

Before going to another world, all the apostles miraculously found themselves near the bed of the Mother of God, where she, praying, was waiting for the long-awaited Meeting. And the Lord himself with a host of angels appeared to take her soul.

The apostles buried the body of the Virgin in a cave in Gethsemane and spent three days near the cave in prayer. The late Apostle Thomas was very lamented that he did not have time to bow to the holy remains of the Ever-Virgin. The apostles decided to open the grave slightly to comfort Thomas. Having opened the coffin, everyone was amazed: the body of the Virgin was not found. Thus, they were convinced of Her miraculous bodily ascension to Heaven.

On the same day, the Blessed Virgin appeared to the apostles and said: “Rejoice! I am with you all the days."

Recorded by Natalia Goroshkova