The Orthodox world today, August 28, celebrates the Feast of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos — Mariamoba. Church services will be held in Orthodox churches in connection with the feast.

The Feast of Mariamoba was preceded by the Dormition Fast.

In the Christian world, the Virgin Mary is venerated above all after the Holy Trinity. Of the twelve Great Feasts of the Orthodox Church, three — the Nativity of the Theotokos, the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos, and the Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple — are dedicated directly to the Mother of God.

According to Church teaching, the Theotokos was informed by the Lord of the day of Her Dormition through the Archangel Gabriel, who appeared to Her while She was praying on the Mount of Olives. The Archangel told the Mother of God that three days later She would depart this life and stand before the Lord. As a sign of this, he gave Her a branch from a date palm planted in Paradise and shining with divine grace. The branch was to be carried to Her tomb.

At the request of the Theotokos, on the day of Her Dormition, the Lord gathered the holy apostles, who had gone to preach in different countries, so that they could say farewell to Her. The Lord also heard the Theotokos’ request that She not witness the horrors of hell, and Her soul was taken into the Kingdom of Heaven by the Lord Himself.

The apostles buried the Most Holy Theotokos in a cave in Gethsemane. The Apostle Thomas was not present at the burial. On the third day, the apostles rolled away the stone at the entrance to the cave and discovered that the Lord had raised the Theotokos from the dead and taken Her bodily into Heaven. This is why the Church calls the passing of the Mother of God the Dormition.