One of the leading Orthodox Feasts of all Greeks, the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is celebrated on August 15, while the preparation begins on the first of the month with fasting and continues for fifteen days. The fifteenth of August for the Greeks personifies the Mother of God herself – the saint who has become a symbol of motherhood throughout the world, a saint honored more than any other holy person and yet so accessible to ordinary people. She is the saint, whom we all ask for comfort in our every problem and who never ceases to take care of us, embracing the whole world with her infinite goodness.
According to the tradition, which had been established since the 7th century, the fasting period that precedes the celebration lasts two weeks. The fast is quite strict, even the oil is fasted on all days except Saturday and Sunday. Fish is eaten only on the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Savior.
On the day of the feast, thousands of believers with their souls filled with reverence, exultation and joy worship the miraculous icons of the Virgin Mary, to testify their faith in the Virgin Mary, who before her ascension to heaven had promised that she would not stop caring for people and to intercede with Jesus Christ for the salvation of mankind.
Many legends and many stories were created around the name of Panagia. On the fifteenth of August, all Greeks with deep reverence turn their thoughts to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Official events and festivals are organized throughout the country. Every place in Greece has its own traditions and customs related to the holiday.
The Virgin Mary is present in all the manifestations of the life of the Greek nation and only near her do the faithful find refuge and consolation in the trials that life brings, only near her do the dark clouds of sadness dissolve, pain is forgotten, tears dry and the man lives in peace and joy. The Virgin Mary always led and directed the Greek people in the most critical moments and in the most decisive struggles of the country's turbulent history. The deep faith that the Greek people have towards the Theotokos became the unquenchable spiritual beacon, whose glow illuminates the varied life of the Greeks.
Celebration of the Virgin Mary: customs and traditions
The Dormition of the Virgin Mary is celebrated with great splendor in Greece. Each part of the country has its own traditions for the celebration of the Virgin Mary, while the most famous areas, where the hearts of the faithful beat with particular reverence and rapture on the fifteenth of August, are considered to be the islands of Tinos, Thassos and Patmos, Imathia, Kozani and Ioannina.
Imathia – Panagia Sumela
The Orthodox church of Panagia Soumelas, located next to the village of Kastania, was built by the Pontic refugees in memory of the Soumelas Monastery, which for 16 centuries was the symbol of Pontic Hellenism. Every summer, thousands of Orthodox flock to Imathia to participate in the official procession of the miraculous Holy Icon of the Virgin Mary. The numerous artistic events, organized in the villages, offer all those present a wonderful opportunity to enjoy traditional dances and songs from Pontic bands.
Kozani – Panagia Mikrokastro
The custom of pilgrims on horseback, which is the main feature of the celebration of the Virgin Mary in Siatista, originates from the period of Turkish rule. On the eve of the fifteenth of August, the horsemen with their saddled horses gather in the squares and with the first rays of the sun set off to worship the Holy Icon of Panagia Mikrokastro.
Thassos – Panagia Thassos
Vegetables, rice and beef stew are the essential elements of the traditional meal, which is attended by all the faithful who have flocked to the Holy Church of the Dormition of the Virgin, in Panagia of Thassos – a settlement named in honor of the Virgin. After the procession of the Holy Icon, all the faithful gather in the courtyard of the church, with the aim of igniting the feast, with dances, delicious mezes and local wine.
Tinos – Panagia of Tinos
The island of Tinos is identified with its Virgin Mary. The pilgrimage, which gathers every year thousands of believers from all parts of Greece and from abroad, is considered one of the biggest pilgrimages of Hellenism. The festival that follows lasts nine (9) days.
Right here, in the port of Tinos, on the day of the feast of the Virgin Mary, on August 15, 1940, the Italian submarine "Dolphin"torpedoed the Greek cruiser"Elli».
Patmos – Our Lady of the Saviour
On this island is the well-known monastery of the Apocalypse, and its monks observe the custom of the Epitaph of the Virgin Mary. The tour starts from the church of Megali Panagia, goes to the small square of Diasozousa, to Loza square and ends at Megali Panagia.
In the evening of the same day, a great vigil is held in the church of Panagia Diasozousa. Many people, locals and visitors, come to light a candle in her image.
