With hymns and honors, with glory and joy, the Church today celebrates one of the greatest feasts of Christianity.

In Greece, in particular, Orthodox Greeks cast off all gloom, “clothe themselves” in light, love, and optimism, and celebrate on August 15th the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos, aptly called “the Easter of summer,” in an especially emphatic way. In their thousands, they venerate her holy icons with profound reverence, ask for her intercessions, place their hopes in her, pray, hymn, and rejoice. For her Dormition is not a mournful event, because the Virgin Mary “was translated to life.”

“Death is no longer death. Death radiates eternity and immortality. Death is no longer separation, but union. It is not sorrow, but joy. It is not defeat, but victory. This is what we celebrate on the day of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary, as we foreshadow it, taste it beforehand, and enjoy it even now, in the dawn of the mystical and eternal Day,” according to Protopresbyter Alexander Schmemann, one of the great figures of 20th-century Theology.

Her image is venerated by our devout people, who feel the Virgin Mary as the mother of all humanity, as an intercessor to her Only-begotten Son and Word of God, and as a helper in every difficult moment of earthly life.

Church Tradition

The New Testament provides no information on the Dormition of the Theotokos. We learn of it from the accounts of significant church fathers, such as St. John the Theologian, Dionysius the Areopagite, Modestus of Jerusalem, Andrew of Crete, Germanus of Constantinople, John of Damascus, and others, as well as from the related troparia of church hymnography. These texts preserve the “ancient and truest” tradition of the Church regarding this Theotokian event.

According to church tradition, she fell asleep in the house of the Evangelist John, where the mother of the God-Man lived. After she closed her eyes, the Apostles carried her bier to the Garden of Gethsemane, where they buried her.

The love and remembrance of the Church are not focused on the historical and factual context, nor on the date and place where the Mother of all mothers completed her earthly life. Instead, the Church enters into the essence and meaning of her death, commemorating the death of her whose Son, according to the Christian faith, defeated death, rose from the dead, and promised the final resurrection and the victory of immortal life.

In the Dormition, the joyful mystery of this death is fully revealed and becomes joy, because the Virgin Mary is one of us. Death itself becomes triumphant life. Thus, in the feast there is neither sorrow, nor funeral lament, nor grief, but only light and life.

Hymnography

Church hymnography is very rich in the characterization of the Virgin Mary, and full of praises and hymns to her person.

The greatest encomium of the Most Holy Theotokos, however, is the Akathist Hymn — the pinnacle of hymnography dedicated to her — as it narrates in a poetic and lyrical way the entire plan of salvation.

Epithets

The epithets of the Virgin Mary are countless: Mary brought into the world the Savior of humankind, hence her title as Panagia (All-Holy) and as Theotokos (God-bearer).

But there is also a multitude of “Theotokonymia” — as they are called — depending on her attributes or gifts, from the place or manner in which her icon was found or where her church is located, from the architectural style of her church, from the iconographic type of her depiction, from the age of her icon, from her beauty and grace, from her praises, from the time her church celebrates, etc.

She is celebrated every year, according to the New Calendar today, on August 15th, and on August 28th according to the Old Calendar (Old Calendarists).

In other Orthodox and Catholic countries of the world, her Dormition is honored in a less emphatic way, in most of which August 15th is an official holiday, as in Greece.

Indeed, Protestant denominations consider the Dormition of the Theotokos a secondary feast, because it is not based on biblical references.

This difference is evident in Germany, where August 15th is an official holiday only in the Catholic states of Saarland and Bavaria.

Fasting

According to Orthodox tradition, a fasting period is customary for this feast, established in the 7th century. Initially, it was divided into two periods — one before the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Savior, and the other before the Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos. In the 10th century, they were combined into a single fast lasting 14 days, starting on August 1st.

During this fast, oil is not consumed except on Saturdays and Sundays, while on the Feast of the Transfiguration fish is allowed. On the Feast of the Dormition, all foods are permitted, unless it falls on a Wednesday or Friday, in which case only fish is allowed.

Famous Celebrations

Tinos – The largest pilgrimage takes place here. The celebration of the Virgin Mary was established by Royal Decree in 1836 to last eight days, until the “Nine Days of the Theotokos” on August 23rd, when hymns and encomia are sung before the epitaphios and the icon in an atmosphere of emotion. At the same time, Greeks also honor those who perished when the Italians torpedoed and sank the Elli in the harbor on the Virgin’s feast day.

Panagia Soumela – A symbol of Pontic faith, this is a national pilgrimage centered on her icon (attributed to the Evangelist Luke), the cross of Emperor Manuel Komnenos, and the holy Gospel of Father Christopher, also a gift of Emperor David Komnenos. Here, on the slopes of Mount Vermio, thousands of pilgrims — along with representatives of federations and Pontic associations from Greece and abroad — participate in religious services and cultural events.

Paros – The Virgin of Ekatontapyliani is celebrated here. The church, known both as “Katapoliani” and “Ekatontapyliani,” is located in the island’s capital, Parikia. According to tradition, Katapoliani has ninety-nine visible doors, while the hundredth is closed and invisible; it will appear and open when the Greeks take back Constantinople. Other legends speak of Saint Helen, who, on her way to the Holy Land to find the True Cross, came to Paros and prayed in a small church at the site. She vowed that if she found the Cross, she would build a great church there. Her prayer was answered, and she built the magnificent church of Ekatontapyliani — later mostly destroyed, likely by fire, and rebuilt under Justinian in the mid-6th century. It is also said that Saint Constantine, her son, completed her vow, as she did not live to finish it.

Kozani – The celebration at the historic monastery of Panagia in Mikrocastro, in the municipality of Voio, is distinctive. Every year, thousands venerate the Virgin’s icon, dating to 1603 (recent research dates it to the 13th century). Pilgrims from all over Greece visit to venerate her icon. A notable custom is that of the “horsemen of Siatista,” which attracts thousands of visitors: riders from Siatista and surrounding areas visit the monastery on their beautifully adorned horses. This festival, rooted in Ottoman times, was an occasion for the enslaved to show their pride and desire for freedom, and it has been characterized as a festival of bravery and daring.

Skiathos – On the evening before the feast, the epitaphios of the Virgin is brought out to the moving melody of the Encomia of the Theotokos, sung together by all the islanders.

Patmos – Known as the “island of Orthodoxy” and home to the historic Monastery of the Apocalypse, the epitaphios is carried by monks through the island’s alleys while the bells ring without cease.

Zagorochoria – Famous throughout Greece for their August 15th festivals, the celebrations for the Dormition last three days, offering the chance for grand festivities with traditional Epirote music.

Thasos – In the village of Panagia, after the procession of the icon (accompanied by a large band), the faithful gather in the church courtyard for a festive meal of potatoes, rice, and beef stew.

Lesvos – The Virgin of Agiasos offers one of the most beautiful festivals of the Eastern Aegean. Many pilgrims, starting from Mytilene, walk 25 kilometers to the church courtyard, where they spend the night. In the picturesque town of Agiasos, one experiences the full atmosphere of an authentic island festival.

Karpathos – In the village of Olympos, the Virgin is honored in the most devout manner. The services are deeply connected to mourning for the Virgin who has “departed.” The highlight is the traditional Kato Horos dance, begun by the men with slow, solemn steps in a spirit of reverence, followed by women in stunning traditional festive costumes.

Kefalonia – Near the village of Markopoulo, the “little snakes of the Virgin” attract thousands of pilgrims each year. According to legend, these harmless little snakes appear on the church dome and are said to be nuns of an old monastery in the area, who, to avoid falling into the hands of pirates, prayed to the Virgin to transform them into snakes.