Dormition of the Mother of God
15 August 2026 — May your heart be calm and bright today. Happy feast day!
The Dormition of the Mother of God is observed on 15 August. The Church remembers the end of the earthly life of the Virgin Mary and her passing into eternal life. It is one of the oldest and most honoured Marian feasts in Christianity, and it closes the Dormition Fast, which begins on 1 August. In Bulgaria the day is deeply cherished, often called Golyama Bogoroditsa, the Greater Feast of the Mother of God (as distinct from the Lesser one on 8 September). People attend the liturgy and make pilgrimages to monasteries such as Bachkovo and Troyan. They bring flowers and herbs to be blessed, and light candles and oil lamps. In many places a votive meal, called kurban, is shared for health, and food is offered to neighbours and guests. Village and monastery fairs are held on this day. The date is fixed in the civil calendar and marks mid-August, when summer begins to turn toward autumn and the nights grow longer. Around this time the sky is lovely for watching, and the Perseids, a meteor shower known as shooting stars, are usually active.
Flying across the sky: An ethereal, bluish-silver figure made of luminous dots and thin connecting lines, like a constellation drifting across the sky: a small oil lamp with a softly glowing flame, beside a loose bouquet of wildflowers
Sources
Positions in Astronativa are astronomically exact. The interpretation is for inspiration. · Glossary · Terms · Privacy · Thank you