Day of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Greece. Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary – “Summer Easter”

August 15 in Greece - Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary - one of the three largest holidays of Greek Orthodoxy, celebrated everywhere and having the richest centuries-old traditions. This day is called “Summer Easter” here.

Much has already been written about this bright holiday, and about the miracles that accompany it, but nevertheless, there remains a lot that has not been told, surprising and unknown.
In the history of any state there are facts that at one time, for various political or other reasons, they tried to silence and cover up, and then they were lost in the avalanche of events that followed them, much more large-scale and catastrophic.

So, in Greece everyone knows, from young to old, that their country entered II world war October 28, 1940 - famous, now celebrated as Public Holiday, the day of “Οχι”, when the ruler of Hellas, Ioannis Metaxas, responded with a decisive refusal to the terms of the Italian ultimatum.

But, I think, even for some of the Hellenes, especially the young, it may be a revelation that the events of the Second World War, which was already in full swing in Europe, reached Greece much earlier, namely on August 15, the same 1940.

By this time, Italy, an ally of Nazi Germany, already dominated the Mediterranean, and Britain, the traditionally dominant “queen of the seas” in this region, daily experiencing destructive German air raids on its territory, fearing an amphibious assault, held most fleet closer to their native shores and could not resist the Italians here.
The Greek navy existed then in its infancy, was very small in number and, carrying out only border patrols of its coasts, could not pose any practical threat.

However, a prominent member of the Fascist Party of Italy, the governor and commander-in-chief of the operation in this region, Cesare Maria de Vechi, with the knowledge of Benito Mussolini, gives the commander of the Italian submarine Delfino G. Aicardi a secret order to secretly attack any ships in the area of ​​​​the Greek islands of Tinos, Syros, Leros with further blocking of the passage of ships through the Corinth Canal.

On August 14, “Delfino” left the naval base on Leros, and by the morning of the 15th, it secretly approached the port of the island of Tinos, a deeply revered place by all Orthodox Christians in the country for the miraculous icon of the Virgin Mary “Megalohari”.

At first, the submarine commander had the intention of attacking the passenger ships Elsie and Esperos, which were sailing with numerous pilgrims to the island to celebrate the Dormition of the Virgin Mary. Such an attack could lead to huge casualties among the civilian population, but Aicardi saw through the periscope the light Greek cruiser Elli arriving at the port of Tinos, which also came to the island to celebrate the Great Day of the Virgin Mary. The halo of a major military victory prevailed over the joy of easy prey in the head of the Italian captain.
And on the embankment a procession with the miraculous icon of the Mother of God was already gathering for the religious procession.

At 8:25 am, the boat fired three torpedoes in the direction of the cruiser, one of which hit the target, and the other two exploded on the embankment. The fuel tanks on the Greek cruiser caught fire and, despite all the efforts of the crew, it sank an hour later. As a result of this attack, 9 Greek sailors were killed and 24 people were wounded.
There were no other victims on the shore, except for one dead woman.

"Delfino" immediately secretly headed towards Syros, but not finding worthy targets there, he went home, and soon the secret mission of the submarine was canceled by the Italian authorities for fear of an international scandal, because Greece at that time still maintained neutrality and participation in hostilities didn't accept it.
Much later, the blame for this attack was placed on the commander-in-chief of the Italians, de Vechi, accusing him of issuing an order without authorization.

Nevertheless, even then, despite all the secrecy of the attack, Greek divers established that the torpedo belonged to an Italian submarine. But the government of I. Metaxas also preferred to keep this secret in the strictest confidence for fear of a military response from Italy and a violation of its neutrality.
And in the Greek press this information was published only on October 30, 1940, two days after that very day “Οχι”. Thus, it was not possible to avoid Greece’s participation in the war, even by hiding the fact of the attack.

In 1950, as reparations for losing the war, Italy gave Greece its light cruiser "Prince Eugene of Savoy", which was renamed by the Greeks "Elli" in honor of the ship sunk off the coast of Tinos, on the Day of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. Since 1951, it has been part of the Hellas naval forces under the Greek flag.
And the ship torpedoed on August 15, 1940, which miraculously changed the target of the Italians, took the fire, which allowed us to avoid terrible casualties among pilgrims and residents of the island, was raised to the surface and, unfortunately, cut into scrap metal. But the remains of the Italian torpedo are still on display in the Piraeus Naval Museum.

So, sometimes, in an incomprehensible way, political and religious events overlap in life. And, celebrating this bright holiday in the life of every true Christian, it is also worth remembering the Greek sailors who died for the sake of other people’s interests and ambitions, and the fact that only the Most Holy Theotokos then saved a crowd of thousands of residents and pilgrims from terrible victims.
I wish you a joyful holiday of the Assumption and peaceful skies, dear readers!

About a little-known historical factEkaterina Aravani told

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Dormition of the Virgin Mary- this is one of the most important religious holidays in Greece, in scale and splendor not inferior to either Christmas or even Easter. "Kimisi tis Feotokou", or "Dekapentaugoustos" as it is called in Greece, is celebrated August 15 in every Church of the Virgin Mary, be it in the center or in the most remote and small village in northern Greece, and even on islands with a permanent population of no more than 50 people!

In general, in Greece, churches and temples of the Virgin Mary are the most common of all, and therefore this holiday is treated here with special awe and respect.

In general, the celebration scenario is the same everywhere, although each church undoubtedly has its own characteristics and traditions.

So, from 1 to 15 August takes place in Greece great post, - this is how the Greeks show their devotion to the Mother of God and prepare themselves for a magnificent celebration . On the day of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary thousands of Greeks go to churches and temples to take communion at the icon, take part in the procession and defend the church service. Traditionally, after the service, all the fun begins - a big holiday " panigiri».

Panigiri- This is something like a one-day festival of folk customs and traditions of Greece. On the streets of every village and city there are concerts, fairs with national dishes, theatrical performances, games, dances and songs - people party “to the fullest” until the morning. At night, the sky is illuminated by bright fireworks, the streets and houses are decorated with hundreds of candles and garlands, the music does not stop until the morning. In villages, bonfires are often lit or theatrical skits on biblical themes are performed.

The most magnificent celebrations August 15th takes place in the Cycladic island, where, along with traditional rituals and services, a procession of the cross on knees is carried out from the center of the island’s capital to the Church of the Virgin Mary (Annunciation). Hundreds of Greeks from different parts of the country come to take part in the celebration in Tinos.

Following Tinos is island with the temple of Ekatontapiliani in the port of Parikia with a bustling fair, music, dancing and island wine. And in the evening, the bay of the village of Naousa is illuminated by dozens of boats with lit torches and festive fireworks.

A big celebration takes place on island. True, it begins not on August 15, but on August 19 and lasts for 6 whole days. During this period, the Phaneromenis Monastery is visited by hundreds of pilgrims from all over Greece, simply watching the holiday, or helping to organize events and festivals.

Others important places of celebration The Assumption of the Virgin Mary is the temple of Panagia Soumela, the Holy Monastery of the Virgin Mary in village Castagna at the foot of Mount Vermio, temples of the Virgin Mary in villages, regions and northern Greece.

Concerning greek islands, then you should definitely visit the Church of the Virgin Mary in the village of Ayaso, the village of Olympos,

Thessaloniki - Suroti - Corfu - Meteora - Zakynthos - Kefalonia - Patras - Veria - Thessaloniki

The group is accompanied by an Orthodox guide and ministered to by a Russian-speaking priest

Price: from 705 euros+air

The tour price includes: insurance, air travel, all transfers according to the program on a comfortable bus, hotel accommodation cat. C, meals according to the program, excursions and Orthodox services Russian speaking guide, tickets for the ferry Igoumenitsa - Corfu - Igoumenitsa, ferry mainland - Kefalonia - mainland, payment for the ferry to the island of Zakynthos, payment for the bridge to the Peloponnese.

Additional charges: Visa; Medical insurance; Air ticket, state tax, which is paid by the guest at the hotel upon check-in (from approximately 10 euros depending on the type of hotel accommodation)

TRIP PROGRAM:

1st dayArrival to Thessaloniki. Meeting at the airport by the host party. Accommodation at the hotel. Dinner.

2nd day Breakfast in the hotel. Thessaloniki is the capital of Northern Greece, a city of three great periods - Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine, a city called the “golden gate of Christianity”. Here, 50 years after the birth of Christ, St. preached. The Apostle Paul created the Christian Church in pagan lands. Visit to the Church of the Holy Great Martyr Demetrius of Thessaloniki, who is the heavenly patron of the city of Thessaloniki. In the Temple of St. Demetrius rest His holy relics, the Holy Martyr Anisia and Gregory Kallidis. Cathedral Gregory Palamas, where His relics rest, the Church of Hagia Sophia - the Wisdom of God, the Church of the Mother of God Achiropiitos. Monastery of St. John the Theologian in Suroti. Transfer to Igoumenitsa. Dinner. Accommodation at the hotel.

3rd day Early ferry to the island. Corfu. Liturgy in the Church of St. Spyridon of Trimifuntsky. On August 11 of every year, a religious procession with the relics of St. Spyridon of Trimythous takes place in Corfu in honor of the liberation of the island from Turkish invaders in 1716. Participation in the procession. Visit to the Church of St. John the Baptist, where St. Fedor Ushakov, burial place of Russian army officer Admiral Ushakov. The Cathedral, where the relics of Empress Theodora, who freed the Church from the heresy of iconoclasm, rest. The temple also contains particles of the relics of the hieromartyr Blasius of Sebaste, bishop of Armenia in the 4th century. Visit to the monument to the righteous warrior Admiral Feodor Ushakov, the legendary Russian warrior who did not lose a single battle and liberated Corfu from the French invaders. Departure by ferry to Igoumenitsa. Dinner. Transfer to Kalambaka, hotel accommodation.

4th dayBreakfast. Pilgrimage program "Meteora" - heavenly monasteries. In the center of Greece, in the north-west of the Thessalian plain, Meteora is located - one of the amazing beautiful places Greece. Huge monolithic rocks over 600m high. rushed high into the sky. On the tops of these rocks, heavenly monasteries were built - the creation of the Lord God and human hands. Visit to three active monasteries. Stop at an icon painting workshop. Transfer to the city of Patras, check-in at a hotel. Dinner.

5th day Breakfast. Ferry to Zakynthos island. Visit the temple of the patron saint of Zakynthos, Agios Dionysius, an 18th century cathedral that is the pearl of the island. The relics of St. Dionysius rest in the temple, and thousands of pilgrims come to venerate them. Visit to the Church of St. Maura, in the temple there is a miraculous Saint icon. The Christian couple Mavtra and Timothy suffered martyrdom in 286, 20 days after their wedding. Visit to the temple in honor of the Mother of God Panagia Anafonitria, in the church there is a miraculous icon of the Mother of God. There was a monastery here, in which Saint Dionysius was abbot. Ferry from the island to the Peloponnese, dinner.

6th day Breakfast. Departure to the island of Kefalonia, visit the temple of the Most Holy Theotokos Fedousa, where on the day of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos poisonous snakes crawl in order to glorify the Mother of God together with all the believers. Visit to the village of Pastra, to the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos Gravagliotissa “Panagia - Krini”, the second miracle on the island of Kefalonia, near whose face dry stems of lilies bloom for the feast of the Dormition of the Mother of God, visit to the monastery of St. Gerasimos, where the incorruptible relics of the saint are located. His ascetic home has also been preserved in the temple. Transfer to the port. Dinner. Ferry from the island.

7th day Breakfast. Visit to the largest Orthodox Church of the Apostle Andrew the First-Called, where the head of the Apostle Andrew and part of the cross on which He was crucified are kept. Transfer to Thessaloniki. Visit to the monastery of Panagia Sumela, which houses the miraculous icon of the Mother of God, the Evangelist Luke. Hotel accommodation, dinner.

8th day Breakfast. Transfer to the airport, flight.

For men (optional), after the pilgrimage program, visiting the monasteries on Mount Athos - for an additional fee

In Greece, the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary is celebrated almost as widely as Easter. At the center of the celebrations is the island of Tinos, and its miraculous icon of the Mother of God “Tinos”: miraculous healings, volleys from ship cannons, flowers and flags, military bands and religious processions

Temple book

Under the numerous gifts with which believers decorated the icon in gratitude for the miracles, it is difficult to discern the plot of the icon - the appearance of the Archangel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary with the good news. Nevertheless, every year on the feast of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary, thousands of people flock to greek island Tinos to make the way on your knees from the port to the temple and touch the miraculous icon. Probably the very first miracle was the miraculous discovery of the icon, after which the plague stopped on the island. And today, numerous pilgrims ask to be healed, repent, or bring their gifts, called “tama,” in gratitude for the miracle. I will say right away that I personally was not able to witness anyone’s miraculous healing, but I was able to get acquainted with the book of records of miracles at the Annunciation Church. This book contains, for example, a note from the mayor of Athens, Spyros Merkouris, dated February 7, 1914. The mayor went to the island suffering from continuous bleeding after an unsuccessful operation he had undergone in Vienna. At night, a woman appeared to Spyros and told the sick man to calm down, because he would be freed from suffering. A week later the mayor returned to Athens completely healthy. In gratitude for the healing, Spyros Mercouris presented the temple with a lamp. In general, the entire temple is an open “book of recording miracles.” So a ship with a golden fish is attached to one of the lamps. This lamp was presented to the temple in 1850 by the crew of an unknown ship. During a storm, the ship received a hole below the waterline and began to sink. The frightened sailors turned to the Blessed Virgin with prayer and were saved. Miraculous Rescue explained when the ship arrived at the port. It turned out that a huge fish had closed the hole in the hull. And to the right of the entrance there is a silver orange tree decorated with golden fruits. This is a gift from the blind Greek George Lambraki. Hearing about healings through prayers in front of the miraculous icon, the Greek asked “ Holy Virgin, restore my sight, and I will bring You the first thing I see as a gift.” George regained his sight, and the first thing he saw was an orange tree in his garden. Then he ordered a silver tree from a jeweler, and presented it as a gift in 1927. Even the churchyard itself is decorated with marble, financed by the Turk Mustafa Agha Kütahici, a Turkish officer serving in Crete who was healed of paralysis in 1845.

Donation by check

It is worth noting that the Annunciation Church is also known for its charitable activities. The temple has an elected Commission of Stewards, which manages all donations. The Chairman of the Commission is the Metropolitan of Syros and Tinos, the remaining members are laymen. Formally, the commission belongs to the Ministry of Education and Religion, to which it reports its expenses, each donor receives a check. Moreover, all sacraments and services in the temple are performed free of charge. Even during the construction of the temple, in 1827, the temple allocated part of the donated money for social needs: the construction of a port and the first secondary schools on the island. It is known that during the Greek War of Liberation, the temple donated all its gold objects to the creation of the navy and the University of Athens. When pensions did not exist in Greece, the Commission paid pensions to priests and teachers who were unable to work due to health reasons. Using church funds, water supply and electric lighting were installed in Tinos, the road from the port to the temple was paved with marble, and a hospital was built. The commission still pays for expensive operations, emergency needs of hospitals, hemodialysis, built and maintains a nursing home with 45 beds, and a summer kindergarten. In addition, the commission maintains a house of arts, which operates a brass band, schools of Byzantine singing and icon painting. Educational grants and prizes are awarded to the best students every year. Individuals are provided with one-time or ongoing assistance. Now the Commission supports about 300 poor families, paying their utility bills and bank loans. The church hotel receives pilgrims for free (with a population of approximately 30 thousand, the island receives about a million people per year). Most of them come to take part in the Mother of God celebrations. The most solemn of them is the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which the Greeks celebrate on August 15.

In the morning, cadets of the naval cadet school - junior officers - line up in front of the temple as a guard of honor. This honor is given to the best in academics and combat training.

The leadership of the Navy lays wreaths at the monument to the battleship Elli, which was sunk in the port of Tinos by a fascist submarine

The history of the icon of the Mother of God “Tinos” is closely connected with the national liberation movement of the Greeks

The miraculous discovery of the icon coincided with the beginning of the liberation uprising, and its leaders considered it a duty to venerate the shrine

Every year, not only naval officers, but also representatives of the Greek government attend the festive service. This year the representative was the Minister of Foreign Affairs. It is quite difficult to squeeze into the temple

During the service and the laying of wreaths, the guard waits patiently at the entrance to the temple

A solemn religious procession leaves the temple, the icon is placed on a stretcher carried by officers

The religious procession goes from the temple along the road to the square on the port embankment

With the help of naval officers, the wide rope of the crowd is turned into a narrow human thread and threaded through the eye of a needle between the ground and the stretcher with the icon.

Everyone passing under the icon tries to touch it with their hand or attach some object to the icon.

In general, the organization of the process resembles a visit to Moscow with the belt of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The religious procession is accompanied by the hooting of Africans, accustomed to the vivid expression of their feelings.

Africans follow the religious procession in a group, singing songs and clapping their hands

In the center of the procession is the Metropolitan of Tinos and Syros with bishops and officials

Two military bands march before the procession

The orchestras play in turns

The orchestras finally meet on the port square, and the conductors have a chance to talk

Two warships are also moored here. During the religious procession they sound long blasts and fire from ship guns.

The square is cordoned off and guarded, but rather symbolically. If desired, both spectators and photographers can move freely

Many spectators gather on the surrounding rooftops. Hospitable Greeks open the doors of their entrances and apartments so that people can climb higher

In many houses, hospitable hosts offer random guests coffee, water, sweets or a shot of anise

The salvos of warships and armed sailors delight little altar boys

After the prayer service in the square and the solemn speech of the first persons, the procession returns to the temple in the same order

People who did not have time to pass under the icon gather under the stairs along which the icon will be carried

At this time, celebrations begin in the city, numerous guests and, first of all, gypsies occupy all the tables in the cafe

Guests from Africa with an umbrella covered with church fabric with crosses. Icons are sewn around the perimeter of the umbrella

The celebrations continue into the evening. When a religious procession passes by their table, pious Greeks postpone their meal and take on the appearance appropriate to the situation

Kirill MILOVIDOV