Published on 28.08.17 00:22

Dormition Holy Mother of God 2017: traditions and customs of the holiday, signs of what not to do, and much more, read in the TopNews review.

When is the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin in 2017?

The Orthodox Church celebrates on August 28, 2017 one of the twelve main holidays of the year - the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. On this day, Christians remember the death of the Virgin Mary, and the word "assumption" here means not death, but ascension to God.

Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary 2017: the history of the holiday

After Jesus Christ ascended to Heaven, the Virgin Mary remained in the care of the Apostle John. The beginning of the persecution of King Herod against Christians forced the Mother of God and John to settle in Ephesus. There the holy Virgin knelt in prayer, asking God to take her intcbatch to herself, and then one day the Archangel Gabriel appeared to her and told her that her earthly life would end in three days.

Before her death, the Virgin Mary gathered all the apostles. They gathered near her bed, where she accepted death. The coffin with the body of the Virgin was buried in a cave, and the apostles remained at its foot for another three days and prayed. The Apostle Thomas was late for the burial. He was allowed to go into the tomb and worship the body of the saint, but there was nothing inside, which marked the ascension of the spirit and body of the Virgin.

Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in 2017: traditions and rituals of the holiday

The Day of the Assumption of the Most Holy Theotokos is especially solemnly celebrated by the Church. This feast has one day of pre-feast and eight days of post-feast. On the Assumption, representatives of the clergy wear blue clothes.

On the eve of the Assumption of the Most Holy Theotokos, the Shroud with the face of the Mother of God is brought to the center of the temple, after which an all-night vigil is performed, during which stichera and canons are performed, proverbs are read, and the troparion to the Assumption of the Mother of God is performed. On the second or third day of the holiday, in many cathedral and parish churches, the rite of the burial of the Mother of God is performed. In the morning, the clergy go to the Shroud of the Most Holy Theotokos located in the center of the temple and incense it, after which the shrine is carried around the temple, and the priests anoint the parishioners consecrated oil(oil).

Before the Assumption of the Most Holy Theotokos, Christians observe the Assumption fast, and on August 28 they break their fast. getting ready festive dishes, which is served to the family and the needy.

According to folk traditions, on this day, Christians gather vegetables and fruits, prepare for the winter, and guys today traditionally marry.

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

It is believed that new or uncomfortable shoes should not be worn on the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, otherwise discomfort will be felt all year round.

On this day, you can not swear, offend others, refuse to help those in need, be rude and be in a bad mood.

People in Rus' compared the Mother of God with Mother Earth, therefore, on the Assumption of the Most Holy Theotokos, one should not walk barefoot and stick sharp objects into the soil. It was believed that this could offend the Earth and bring crop failure.

Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary: signs and beliefs

By folk omens, rain on the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin portends a dry autumn. If the holiday coincides with "Indian summer", expect frosty and little snow.

It was believed that a girl who did not find a boyfriend before the Assumption would sit in the girls until spring.

It was considered a good omen to complete the work started earlier or to help a friend.

If on the day of the Assumption of the Most Holy Theotokos you rub or injure your leg, then life's difficulties are expected ahead.

Prayer for the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

"Oh, great Virgin Mary, we pray to you, please hear us, deliver us from fears and horrors, from all evil spirits and evil. Save our house, our city and our country. All the righteous call on your name and pray to you. Save us from troubles, from sickness, from the flood, from the invasion of our enemies, from fires and misfortunes. Have mercy on us and forgive all our sins. May we glorify your name, and your Son Jesus Christ. Deliver us from torment, O Holy Virgin Mary. Let us rejoice in reunion Yours with Your Son in Heaven! May there be peace on earth and may your name famous! In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. From now on and forever. Amen!"

On August 28, 2017 (August 15, old style), Orthodox Christians celebrate a great holiday - the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which is one of the 12 most important church holidays. The holiday is dedicated to the glorification Mother of God.

How to celebrate the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the history of the holiday, traditions and signs, as well as where to watch the All-Night Vigil online - we will tell you all this below.

According to church tradition, after the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Mother of God lived in Jerusalem. When the pagan persecution of the Church began, she, together with the Apostle John the Theologian, moved to Ephesus, and shortly before her death she returned to Jerusalem again. Most Mary spent her time in prayer at the Holy Sepulcher. Once, during such a prayer, the archangel Gabriel appeared to her, who revealed that in three days she would die, and presented her with a branch of paradise as a symbol of victory over death. After the death of the Mother of God, all the apostles scattered around different countries, ended up in her house and were present at the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. Only the Apostle Thomas was missing.

The apostles buried the body of the Mother of God in a cave and closed the entrance to it with a massive stone. On the third day, Thomas joined the apostles and persuaded them to open the cave in order to say goodbye to the Mother of God. But the Blessed Virgin was not in the cave. The apostles found only her clothes. After death, the Mother of God resurrected like Christ and ascended to heaven.

The late Byzantine historian Nicephorus Kallistos wrote that the feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos was established at the end of the sixth century by Emperor Mauritius. But there is also evidence that the feast was celebrated in the churches of Constantinople as early as the fourth century.

How to celebrate the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in 2017: traditions and signs

The Assumption of the Most Holy Theotokos 2017 is preceded by a two-week strict Assumption Fast, and on the eve of the holiday, an all-night vigil is held in churches. On the morning of the Assumption of the Most Holy Theotokos, the Divine Liturgy is served. On the third day, the rite of burial of the shroud is performed (the burning of incense with the help of a censer in which incense is burned). The shroud depicts the Mother of God lying in the tomb. Then it's done procession with a shroud around the temple.

The Assumption of the Mother of God is considered a joyful holiday. It should not be considered a day of mourning for the deceased, but a holiday of victory over death. The name of the holiday comes from the word “sleep” and means that the Mother of God remained uninvolved in death after her body died.

Priests perform a festive Divine service on the Dormition of the Mother of God in blue vestments. The day of the Dormition of the Mother of God coincides with the day of the end of the Dormition fast.

Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin: service in churches

August 27, 2017, on the eve of the feast of the Assumption of Our Most Holy Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus' performed an all-night vigil at the Cathedral Church of Christ the Savior in Moscow. A shroud depicting the Dormition of the Mother of God was taken out of the altar. The service was accompanied by choral singing.

On Monday, August 28, the Primate of the Russian Church will celebrate the Divine Liturgy at the Patriarchal Dormition Cathedral in the Moscow Kremlin.

All-night vigil and Divine Liturgies are held on the feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in all Russian churches.

Every year, faithful followers of the Orthodox Church celebrate the feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary on the twenty-eighth of August, in 2017 this date falls on the first working day of the week, that is, Monday. Ancient legends tell modern people that on this day the apostles from different countries of the world once gathered in Jerusalem to perform the burial ceremony of the Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ. She finished her earthly life and reunited with the Lord in the kingdom of heaven.

As for the Catholic and Protestant churches, the feast of the Assumption of the Mother of God, according to their calendar, is celebrated on August 15th. Before the Dormition, a two-week fast is obligatory observed, in which no meat food can be eaten, but fish is allowed.

After Jesus Christ was crucified, buried and resurrected in the thirty-third year of his earthly life, he went to Heaven, and the woman who gave birth to Him remained to live on earth next to the apostle John. In those years, there were strong persecutions against Christians, which forced the Mother of God and John to move to the place of Ephesus, where Mary constantly prayed, kept strict post. Once, during one of the prayers, the Archangel Gabriel came to her, who said that after three days the human path of the Virgin Mary would be over.

How to pray to the Mother of God for the Assumption

The Mother of God had three more days left, next to her bed she gathered the apostles and accepted death. The body of the Virgin Mary was buried in a cave, and the apostles prayed at the foot of this place for another three days. The Apostle Thomas was farthest of all and he was late for the burial, they let him inside so that he bowed to the body of the saint. But there was no body in the coffin - not only the spirit, but also the body of the Mother of God ascended to heaven. What date did all these events take place, the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary - August 28, including the Orthodox celebrate this holiday in 2017.

What not to do on the feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary:

This big celebration Orthodox Church, so that, exactly on his day, they do not work. It’s clear that this will be a working Monday and you can’t refuse your duties, but here’s the housework and garden work to be postponed.
Do not pick up objects that prick and cut. In Rus', on this day, they broke bread only with their hands, and using a knife on the day of the holiday was considered very bad omen who prophesied sickness.
Don't make fire to avoid danger.
Do not walk barefoot, so as not to collect the disease. The dew on this day symbolizes the tears of nature because the Mother of God has left the earth.
In no case should you start or maintain quarrels with relatives or strangers.
Don't shave.
Do not wear old, uncomfortable shoes.
Try not to drop bread and even crumbs.

What does the traditional Icon of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary look like?

Signs and traditions in Rus' in honor of the Assumption Day

The people believed that after the last summer holiday in the church calendar, Indian summer already begins with the Dormition. It lasts throughout September and, in Rus', they said: See off the Dormition, and meet autumn.

If the weather for the holiday is good, then the Indian summer will be cool. But, judging by the fact that today it is raining and cloudy outside the window, it is possible that September in 2017 will still be warm. Great sign- see a rainbow in the sky. If there are a lot of cobwebs in the air that day, this is a sign of a frosty winter with little snow. On this day, it is already necessary to have time to complete the harvest, but leave the last sheaf in the fields, and bring a few spikelets from it to the temple and consecrate. The time for mushrooms, berries and nuts is already beginning, you can safely go to the forest.

If it rains on the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, then, as our ancestors emphasized with their observations, the autumn will be dry. If the holiday coincides with a snowy summer, then there will be very little snow in winter. The girl who does not find a boyfriend before the Assumption will walk in the girls until spring. A great sign is to complete some long-started business. If you hurt or rub your leg on this holiday, then difficulties are expected in the near future.

How to celebrate the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the history of the holiday, traditions and signs, as well as where to watch the All-Night Vigil online - we will tell you all this below.

Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary 2017: the history of the holiday

According to church tradition, after the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Mother of God lived in Jerusalem. When the pagan persecution of the Church began, she, together with the Apostle John the Theologian, moved to Ephesus, and shortly before her death she returned to Jerusalem again. Most of the time Mary spent in prayer at the Holy Sepulcher. Once, during such a prayer, the archangel Gabriel appeared to her, who revealed that in three days she would die, and presented her with a branch of paradise as a symbol of victory over death. After the death of the Mother of God, all the apostles scattered over different countries ended up in her house and were present at the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. Only the Apostle Thomas was missing.

How to celebrate the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in 2017: traditions and signs

The Assumption of the Most Holy Theotokos 2017 is preceded by a two-week strict Assumption Fast, and on the eve of the holiday, an all-night vigil is held in churches. On the morning of the Assumption of the Most Holy Theotokos, the Divine Liturgy is served. On the third day, the rite of burial of the shroud is performed (the burning of incense with the help of a censer in which incense is burned). The shroud depicts the Mother of God lying in the tomb. Then a procession with a shroud around the temple is performed.

Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin: service in churches

On August 27, 2017, on the eve of the feast of the Assumption of Our Most Holy Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus' celebrated an all-night vigil at the Cathedral Church of Christ the Savior in Moscow. A shroud depicting the Dormition of the Mother of God was taken out of the altar. The service was accompanied by choral singing.

On Monday, August 28, the Primate of the Russian Church will celebrate the Divine Liturgy at the Patriarchal Dormition Cathedral in the Moscow Kremlin.

The All-Night Vigil and Divine Liturgies are held on the feast of the Assumption of the Most Holy Theotokos in all Russian churches.

What does the word "Assumption" mean?

"Assumption" is 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.

The holiday, which is celebrated in the Russian Orthodox Church on August 28 according to the new style (August 15 according to the old style), is 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 September 13, 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

Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Early 13th century, Novgorod. State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow

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 service of Matins Holy 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 moved to eternal life Mother of Life, and by 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

There was a direct patristic life. The corporal comes, says: volunteers are needed to dig a trench, you are a volunteer ... Here's the first thing: your will is completely cut off and completely absorbed by the wise and holy will of the corporal

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 Fountain of Life, 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.

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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

MaterialAugust 28 Orthodox Church celebrates one of the main holidays - the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It has been noticed that in Rus' it is in honor of the Assumption that most cathedrals and temples are consecrated. Why exactly this event in the life of the Mother of God had such an impact on Russian church building was told by Natalya Eduardovna Yufereva, Candidate of Philological Sciences, Senior Lecturer at the Department of Cultural Studies of PSTGU

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 mid-seventeenth 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 Assumption Cathedral in the Kremlin was the burial place 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 by order Vladimir prince Andrei Bogolyubsky. 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 Big Nest the narthexes and towers were dismantled and replaced with tall 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 Dormition Cathedral in Vladimir was painted by St. Andrei Rublev and Daniil Cherny. Separate images of a large composition have been preserved. doomsday”, which occupied the entire western part of the 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, made vegetables 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

After death on the cross Jesus Christ, 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 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.