The Dormition of the Theotokos

The falling-asleep of the Mother of God, death met not with fear, but with hope.

The Dormition of the Theotokos, kept on August 15, is the feast of the falling-asleep of the Virgin Mary, with the apostles gathered at her side, and of her being taken up to her Son. It is prepared for by the two-week Dormition Fast, and on the Old Calendar it is kept on August 28.

In 2027 the Dormition of the Theotokos falls on Sunday, August 15, on the New Calendar, and on Saturday, August 28, on the Old Calendar.

Reckoning the date…

Next in the calendar: New Calendar, August 15, 2027 · Old Calendar, August 28, 2027

The Dormition, the word means falling asleep, keeps the end of the earthly life of the Virgin Mary. The Church holds that she died as all people die, but that her Son received her soul and raised her body to be with Him, the first of the redeemed to share fully in the life of the age to come. In her, the promise of the Resurrection is already kept.

The feast is a quiet triumph over the fear of death. She who bore Life in her womb does not meet death as an enemy but falls asleep in peace, and is awakened. The Church looks to her not as a rival to Christ but as the first and greatest of those saved by Him, the sign of what redemption finally means for every human person.

The Dormition falls on August 15 and is preceded by a two-week fast, the Dormition Fast, so that the faithful prepare for her feast as they would for the Lord's own. It closes the church year, which will begin again in September, and so the whole cycle ends in hope.

Questions about the Dormition

When is the Dormition?

On August 15, or August 28 on the Old Calendar, after the Dormition Fast from August 1 to 14.

What does Dormition mean?

Falling asleep. The Church speaks of the death of the Mother of God as a falling-asleep, for she passed from this life to her Son, and her hymns proclaim that she was taken up to Him.

Who was present at the Dormition?

By tradition the apostles were gathered from every place to be with her, all except Thomas.

Is there fasting on the Dormition?

The fast ends with the feast. When the Dormition falls on a Wednesday or Friday, fish, wine, and oil are allowed.

When is the Dormition of the Theotokos in 2027?

In 2027 the Dormition of the Theotokos falls on Sunday, August 15, on the New Calendar, and on Saturday, August 28, on the Old Calendar.

What are the readings for the Dormition of the Theotokos?

For the feast:

At the Liturgy, the Epistle is Philippians 2.5-11 and the Gospel is Luke 10.38-42, 11.27-28.
The Matins Gospel is Luke 1.39-49, 56.
At Vespers, the readings include Genesis 28.10-17, Ezekiel 43.27-44.4, and Proverbs 9.1-11.

On the day itself the calendar also lists that weekday's or Sunday's readings, and any other saint's.

More questions about the Orthodox Church, answered ›

The saints of August

Name days on this feast: Maria, Mary, Panagiota and Panagiotis

The saints of August, day by day ›

In Orthros

The Dormition Fast is shaded on the calendar and the feast is kept with its hymns and catechesis in Orthros, free to read, each with its source named.