When is St. Mary's Day?
Also known as Mariamoba, St. Mary's Day is a public holiday in Georgia celebrated annually on August 28th. In Georgia, Mariamoba is a national holiday and an official day off, with state institutions and banks closed across the country.
The Feast of the Assumption of Mary is an important day in the Orthodox Church. It is one of the Twelve Great Feasts of the Orthodox Church and is the principal feast of the Blessed Virgin, the mother of Jesus Christ.
Note that this holiday is observed on August 15th in some parts of the Orthodox Church, such as Greece.
Traditions of St. Mary's Day
As one of the most important religious holidays in Georgia, all churches in the country hold special ceremonies and religious services to mark the day. Many Georgians will go to church to light candles and pray. It is also a popular holiday to visit friends and family. The Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, His Holiness Ilia II, will give a special liturgy.
On this day, the Church commemorates the righteous passing (Dormition) of the Mother of God—an event tinged with both sorrow, as it marks the conclusion of the Virgin Mary’s earthly journey, and joy, as it represents her reunion with her Son. The feast is preceded by the two-week Dormition Fast.
The Church's official doctrine of the Assumption says that at the end of her life on earth Mary was assumed, body and soul, into heaven.
Some mistakenly believe Mary "ascended" into heaven, which is incorrect. It was Jesus Christ who ascended into heaven, by his own power. But Mary was assumed or taken up into heaven by God.
In the early Christian centuries relics of saints and those who gave their lives for the faith were jealously guarded and highly prized. While many cities claim the mortal remains of saints, both famous and little-known, there are no records of Mary's bodily remains being venerated anywhere.
Georgia holds a special reverence for the Virgin Mary: according to Christian tradition, the country is considered one of the designated “Lots of the Virgin Mary,” allotted to her for the propagation of Christianity. In May 2019, the Georgian authorities instituted a state holiday commemorating Georgia’s status as the “Lot of the Mother of God.”
