August 15 – "summer Easter" in Greece, the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The Virgin Mary after the end of the earthly life of Jesus Christ for some time was in Jerusalem. John the Theologian took care of her, since opponents of the Christian faith constantly encroached on the Most Holy Theotokos. One day the Virgin Mary went to the Holy Sepulcher to say prayers. There, the archangel Gabriel appeared to her and told her the good news of the imminent reunion with her Son. In commemoration of his words, he handed the Mother of God a palm branch (according to another version – a white lily). Returning home, Mary prayed to the Lord, asking her to gather all the apostles in order to say goodbye to them. A miracle happened, and from afar the apostles came to the Most Holy Theotokos. The disciples of Christ surrounded the bed of the Mother of God. Just as the hour of the Dormition had come, suddenly a bright light lit up the room. Jesus Christ appeared before the Apostles, surrounded by angels and archangels. The Virgin Mary asked her Son to receive Her spirit, and at the same moment she departed into another world – without suffering, as if in a dream. That is why the Greek word for the holiday is koimesis.

The burial of the Blessed Virgin took place in Gethsemane, near Jerusalem. After three days, the apostle Thomas, who had been absent earlier, came to visit the tomb of the Virgin. However, he found the burial place empty – only roses filled the crypt. This meant only one thing – the Blessed Virgin ascended to heaven in bodily form, just like her Son Christ. Since then, the Orthodox celebrate two important events on the same day – the Dormition and the Ascension of the Mother of God. The exact date of the celebration was determined in 595 AD. and marked the victory of the Byzantine emperor Mauritius over the Persians.

The celebration of the day of the Assumption of the Virgin takes place magnificently, with all honors, representing events not only of a religious, but also of a cultural nature, in which thousands of believers from different parts of Greece and from abroad take part.

In island Greece, the largest pilgrimage is made to the miraculous icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary the Annunciation or, as it is also called, Megalokhari – Great Joy, located on one of the most famous Cycladic islands – on the island of Tinos, which in the minds and hearts of the Greek people is completely identified with the Holy Virgin Mary and the day of Her Assumption. Every year on August 15, thousands of pilgrims come here, many of whom rise to the temple on their knees to fulfill their vow to the miraculous image of Panagia.

The procession with the epitaph (the Sepulcher of the Most Holy Theotokos) and the magnificent litany, which is performed by walking around the streets of the city, create an atmosphere of piety, full of religious awe and reverence. On the eve of the holiday, the women of Kasos gather in the courtyard of the church to cook the famous tiny cabbage rolls (casiotiques dolmades), which, combined with meat, pilaf and fried potatoes, make up the traditional dishes of the holiday. After the meal, the fun begins, where the “protagonist” is the traditional lira of Kasos.

On the day of the holiday, real fun is kindled to the sounds of the lyre and mantinadas (poetic rhymed improvisations from 2 quatrains), filling the entire neighborhood with the sounds of music.

However, the main prayer performed on this day is “η Υπεραγία Θεοτόκε, σώσον ημάς”.