“Summer Pascha” - The Dormition of the Theotokos

On August 15, the Orthodox Church celebrates the Dormition (Falling-Asleep) of the Theotokos, the Virgin Mary’s repose and assumption into glory. This feast commemorates the death, resurrection, and glorification of Mary, the Mother of God. According to ancient tradition, the Apostles were miraculously gathered to her bedside, and Christ received her soul as she “fell asleep” in death. Three days later, when Apostle Thomas arrived and her tomb was opened, Mary’s body was found missing, taken up by her Son into heaven as a foretaste of the resurrection promised to all the faithful.

Thus, the Dormition is a paradox of sorrow turned into joy: even as we remember the Virgin’s death, we celebrate her passage into Life in Christ’s Kingdom. Orthodox Christians lovingly call this feast the “Summer Pascha,” because it echoes the glory of Easter affirming that in Christ, death is not an end. In the Dormition, we see Mary as the first and greatest disciple, sharing fully in her Son’s victory over death and enthroned with Him in As one hymn of the feast proclaims: “In falling asleep you did not forsake the world, O Theotokos. You were translated to life, O Mother of Life…”. This “falling-asleep” of Mary is a feast of hope for all of us – a promise that those who “hear the word of God and keep it” will share in eternal.

Liturgical Celebration and Traditions

How do we celebrate the Dormition? The feast is one of the Twelve Great Feasts of the Church and is prepared for by a two-week fast. From August 1–14, Orthodox Christians observe the Dormition Fast, abstaining from meat, dairy, and (on most days) even fish, wine, and oil, a strict fast similar to Great Lent. This period is a time of increased prayer and repentance: many parishes serve the beautiful Paraklesis (supplicatory canons to the Theotokos) on these evenings, entreating the Virgin’s comfort and intercession as we approach her feast. The fast is brightened on August 6 by the Feast of Transfiguration, when fish, wine, and oil are allowed in celebration of the Lord’s glory. In keeping with the joyful reverence of this season, the faithful often bring flowers and herbs to church, which are blessed on Dormition as a sign of creation’s beauty and a tribute to the Ever-Virgin who is called the “Flower of Incorruption”.

On the eve of August 15, Vespers and an All-Night Vigil usher in the feast. In many communities, especially in the Greek and Slavic traditions, a special “Burial” service of the Theotokos is held during the vigil, modeled on Holy Saturday: a richly embroidered Epitaphios (shroud icon) of the Theotokos depicting her lying in state is adorned with flowers and carried in procession. The clergy and faithful follow, bearing candles and chanting hymns of lamentation (similar to the Lamentations of Holy Friday) intermixed with the hopeful refrain “Alleluia.” This moving procession winds around the church as mourners sing “O marvelous wonder! The Source of Life is laid in a tomb, and the tomb becomes a ladder to heaven”. Just as with Christ’s Pascha, the paradox of Dormition is evident: a funeral procession that overflows with resurrectional hope.

Hymns and Scriptures of the Feast

From the very hymns and readings appointed for August 15, the Church teaches us the meaning of the Dormition. The Troparion (main hymn) of the feast proclaims the central truth in simple poetry:

The Church’s hymnography insists that death could not conquer Mary, because Christ, the Divine Life, had made her womb His dwelling and her soul His own. Just as Christ said “Blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it” (which a woman in the crowd exclaimed of Mary), so we see in Mary the supreme example of one who heard, obeyed, and thus shares fully in the blessed Life of her Son.

The Dormition Icon: A “Theology in Color”

The icon of the Dormition is one of the most beloved and theologically rich icons of the Church, often called a true “theology in color.” In every Orthodox icon of the Dormition, the Theotokos is shown lying on a bier (funeral bed), peaceful in repose, with the Apostles gathered around her in reverence.

The Apostle Peter is often depicted censing at her head, and Apostle Paul bowing at her feet, while the other disciples, hierarchs, and angels stand in awe. At the center stands Jesus Christ in radiant glory, encircled by a mandorla (almond-shaped aura of light). In His arms, He holds a small, infant-like figure clothed in white, this is the soul of the Theotokos, pure and spotless, which He has come to receive. This profound image shows that Mary’s death is not an end but a birth into new life: the Mother who once cradled Him as an infant is now herself carried by Christ, the Divine Son, into eternal life.

The icon depicts Christ personally carrying His mother’s soul to glory. The posture of the Apostles expresses both grief and reverence; according to tradition, they were borne “on clouds” from the ends of the earth to be present at the Theotokos’ passing. Their gathered witness in the icon underlines that Dormition is an event at the heart of the apostolic faith. Often angels are shown above, and sometimes Old Testament prophets or saints, all joining in the heavenly honor of the Mother of God.

A striking detail in some Dormition icons is a figure, a Jewish priest named Jephonias, shown being restrained or whose hands are being severed by an angel as he tried to touch the holy bier. This comes from an ancient story that a man irreverently rushed to push over the Virgin’s body, and an angel defended her, later healing the man when he repented. This dramatic vignette (found in certain iconographic versions) teaches the sacredness of the Theotokos’ body and the need for pious respect before the mysteries of God. It also highlights that Dormition, like the Resurrection, was witnessed only by believers.

Spiritual Significance for the Faithful

As we celebrate this great summer feast, let us remember that the Dormition is ultimately a feast of Christ’s victory and the destiny of His Church. We grieve not as a final farewell, but with the “bright sadness” of hope. We sing “Memory Eternal” to the Theotokos even as we know she lives forever in Christ. We fast and then we feast, experiencing the truth that through sacrifice comes life.

In the Dormition of the Mother of God, the Church sees the brilliant dawn of the Age to Come: one of us, a human being, already fully glorified in soul and body, worshiping God face to face. This is our calling as well!

May the Mother of God, who has “not abandoned the world” in her , ever intercede for us that we too may walk the path of holiness and join her in the Kingdom of her Son.

Blessed Feast of the Dormition!