The celebration of the Assumption of Mary is dedicated to the memory of the death of the Mother of God Mary and Her bodily ascension to heaven. This holiday in the Catholic Church has the status of a celebration (the highest degree in the hierarchy of Catholic holidays) and is celebrated annually on August 15.
It has various names in the East and West. The Greeks called it «Koimesis» — «Dive into sleep» (from Church Slavonic — dormition). In the West, the Latin name «Assumption» — «take», «acceptance» has taken hold, so among Russian Catholics of the Latin rite, the name «Assumption», established in the Russian tradition, is used along with the name «Taking the Blessed Virgin Mary into heavenly glory».
Early Christian monuments contain various and often contradictory information about where and for how long Our Lady lived after the end of Christ's earthly life.
Information about the death and burial of the Mother of God is also inaccurate. Most texts mention the following plot: after the ascension of Jesus Christ to heaven, the Virgin Mary lived in Jerusalem under the care and care of John the Theologian, praying while waiting to meet the Son. Three days before the death of the Virgin Mary, the Archangel Gabriel appeared to Her and announced the imminent transition to blessed dormition. She called on all the apostles to say goodbye to them.
According to the wishes of Our Lady, Her body was buried in Gethsemane near Jerusalem, between the graves of her parents and Joseph the Betrothed. Three days later, the Apostle Thomas, who was absent from Jerusalem on the day of Her death, came to the grave, but instead of the body of the Virgin Mary, there were roses in the tomb.
The bodily taking of the Mother of God into heaven, as well as her freedom from original sin, is the dogma of the Catholic creed. And although people believed in Her Dormition for centuries, this dogma was officially formalized only in 1950.
Like other holidays of veneration of the Mother of God, on this day it is mandatory for believers to attend mass and perform prayers.
In some Western European countries, this day is a national holiday and a day off.
The Russian Orthodox Church celebrates the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Ever-Virgin Mary according to the new style — on August 28.