On August 15, millions of Romanians celebrate the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, popularly known as Saint Mary. This holy day, called and “Easter summer”together brings the Orthodox faith, the centuries -old Romanian traditions and the customs customs, kept with sanctity even in 2025.
Icon that illustrates the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, Saint Mary the Great or the “Easter of summer” Photo DMS
In this article you will find out about the significance of the Assumption of the Virgin, the popular traditions, the superstitions of Saint Mary and the gestures that bring luck, health and blessing, for you to celebrate this day as it deserves.
Two holidays of Saint Mary: the Assumption and Birth of the Virgin. What is summer Easter
In the Orthodox calendar, the name of the Holy Virgin Mary resounded twice a year with a special force: on August 15, when the believers celebrate the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, and on September 8, her birthday. Between these two holy terminals is the light history of the most honest woman in Christianity.
“According to the Christian tradition, the Mother of the Lord remained on earth 11 years after the Ascension of Christ. The Archangel Gavriil was the one who brought the news of her move to the immortal life:” These says your son: The time is to move my mother to me. her body. Therefore the icons depicting this huge feast of the Christian world shows it on The Savior Jesus Christ holding in his arms the soul of his beloved mother in the form of a baby. Then, The blinds regained their vision, the deaf began to hear, and the hogs and the sick were healed ”, explained the parish priest of the Cașin Monastery in Bucharest, Gabriel Cazacu, for “Truth”.
The Holy Apostles were brought by the Holy Spirit from all over the world to say goodbye to it. However, the apostle Thomas arrived three days later and, opening the tomb, found only the giulgi – the proof that the body had been raised to heaven.
The Assumption of the Virgin Mary is the oldest holiday dedicated to the Virgin Mary, attested since the 5th century, after the Ecumenical Synod proclaimed her by God. Not by chance theologians call this holiday and “Easter summer”: because it unites on the same day the mystery of death and burial with the joy of resurrection and exaltation to heaven.
The significance of the August 15, the Assumption of the Virgin Mary
In the entire order of the Church, the Mother of God is the only one who receives a job of putting in the grave similar to that of the Savior. Tradition says that, after sleep, her body was raised to heaven, but her tomb, located in the Garden Garden, at the foot of the Mount of Olives, remains a place of honor, along with parents and Joseph.
The people know it under several names: Saint Maria Mare, Sântămaria or Uspenia. No matter how we tell him, August 15 remains a call to faith, hope and joy – a bridge between earth and heaven.
“The Assumption of the Virgin Mary is not a day of mourning, but a feast of the” move to eternal life “, full of light and hope, because, according to the Church’s teaching, The Mother of the Lord She did not know the wickedness of the body, but was raised to heaven by her son, Jesus Christ ”, the priest Gabriel Cazacu also mentioned.
This faith does not bring sadness, but hope in the souls of the believers. By Saint Mary the Great, the good wishes flow to all those who bear the name Maria, Marian or derivatives, and “Happy Birthday” it becomes a gesture of joy and gratitude for the gift of life.
“We say” Happy Birthday “to the loved ones because the Mother of God has not really died. Therefore, the holiday is also called the Easter of the summer. Even if we talk about the Assumption of the Virgin, the Holy Birth of God remains present in the world, prayer, mediators and protectors of the whole human race,” completed the parish of the Cașin Monastery.
Traditions respected by Christians by the Assumption of the Virgin Mary
The habits kept with sanctity of the Assumption of the Virgin transforms the day of August 15 into a unique wrait of prayer, hope and links with the ancestors. “Easter summer” It brings together, and in 2025, old ordinances respected in both villages and cities.
The atmosphere of the holiday is felt in churches, in the courtyards of the households, but also in the rural communities. It is said that this is the day that separates the hot days from the cold ones.
The believers go to the church in this morning to participate in the Holy Liturgy and to worship at the icon of the Virgin. It is the moment when fruit from the new harvest is brought to the altar – grapes, plums, apples – to be blessed, then divided to relatives, neighbors and needy.
In many areas of the country, the women of the new white or scarf, as a sign of soul cleanliness. Also, there is a habit for mothers to put children in the icon, in the hope that they will protect them all year.
In the villages, the unmarried girls lead to the church flowers and leave them to the icon of the Virgin Mary, with the belief that they will be helped to find their bear.
The eve of the Assumption of the Virgin – the day the desire of the heart is fulfilled
On the eve of the holiday, on August 14, the traditions related to the Assumption of the Virgin demand that pregnant women avoid hard work, to have a slight birth and a healthy child. Also, the young people who want to marry the icon of the Virgin Mary with basil water, praying for help in finding the bear.
The commemoration of those who left by Saint Mary the Great and the gifts of autumn
In the morning, women go to church, with grapes, ripe plums and honeycombs, which they share for the souls of the sleeping.
In some regions, the shepherds descend the sheep from the mountain, the men replace their hat with the hat, and the villages become the hosts of the fairs and the autumn delays – another ancient custom related to the traditions of the Virgin Mary.
Superstitions of the Assumption of the Virgin: What is not good to do by Saint Mary the Great
Among the prohibitions of Saint Mary are: do not cut the hair, do not go back, do not light the fire in the stove and not to scalify in flowing water. In the popular faith, these gestures bring bad luck, illness or tears. And of course, on this holy day it is not good to work: whether it is sewing, washed, ironing or working in the field, or in the yard and not even to sleep on the house.
It is also said that if it rains from Saint Mary the Great or blooms the roses, the autumn will be long and gentle, and if it is strong sun, the cold will come faster.
The power of prayer and flowers of the cure of Saint Maria Mare
On the day of the great holiday, it is the last opportunity when flowers with healing powers can be collected. The prayers spoken now, especially in the black fast, have a special power: they drive away the troubles, they heal the diseases and bring peace. This is one of the strongest traditions related to the feast of the Assumption of the Virgin, loaded with a deep spiritual significance.
August 15: The Assumption of the Virgin Mary and the Day of the Romanian Navy – pilgrimages and unique icons
August 15 does not only mark the faith and ancient traditions related to the Assumption of the Virgin, but also has a special significance for sailors. Saint Mary’s day coincides with the feast of the Romanian Navy, an occasion with which the naval crews are commemorated, and the tricolor flag waves at sea and on the ground in respect for those defending the country. On the day of the navy, the Romanian ships march in the ports, the wreaths are deposited and the festive ceremonies are organized.
The only monastery in Romania dedicated to both sailors and aviators-although they are in a county without access to the sea, river or airport, in Valcea-it is The monastery from a wood. Here is kept an ancient icon, unique in the country, painted on both sides and considered miraculous, loaded with mystery and spirituality.
Also on August 15, the pilgrimages acquire a special force, the best known being the one to the Nicula Monastery, a symbol of the Romanian faith and devotion, which attracts thousands of believers eager to pray and feel the deep connection with the tradition.
A start of the season of joy
In the traditional village, August 15 mark the beginning of the wedding season, which lasted until Christmas. Today, although the world has changed, the traditions related to the Assumption of the Virgin remain a bridge between the past and the present, bringing together faith, the ancient habits and the hope of a blessed future.
In 2025, the Romanians continue to honor the day of Saint Mary – the Assumption of the Virgin – with the same respect as once, combining the prayer with the simple, but full of gestures, inherited from the ancestors.
