Marian feast days in the

liturgical year The liturgical year, also called the church year, Christian year or kalendar, consists of the cycle of liturgical seasons in Christian churches that determines when feast days, including celebrations of saints, are to be observed, and whi ...

are celebrated in honour of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The number of Marian feasts celebrated, their names (and at times dates) can vary among Christian denominations.

History and development

Early history

The earliest feasts that relate to Mary grew out of the cycle of feasts that celebrate the Nativity of Jesus Christ. Given that according to the

Gospel of Luke The Gospel of Luke), or simply Luke (which is also its most common form of abbreviation). tells of the origins, birth, ministry, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ. Together with the Acts of the Apostles, it makes up a two ...

(), forty days after the birth of Jesus, along with the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple, Mary was purified according to Jewish customs, the ''Feast of the Purification'' began to be celebrated by the 5th century, and became the ''Feast of

Simeon Simeon () is a given name, from the Hebrew ( Biblical ''Šimʿon'', Tiberian ''Šimʿôn''), usually transliterated as Shimon. In Greek it is written Συμεών, hence the Latinized spelling Symeon. Meaning The name is derived from Simeon, s ...

'' in Byzantium.''The Cult of the Virgin Mary in Anglo-Saxon England'' by Mary Clayton 2003 pp. 26-37 The origin of Marian feasts is lost to history. Although there are references to specific Marian feasts introduced into the liturgies in later centuries, there are indications that Christians celebrated Mary very early on. Methodius, a bishop (died 311) from the 3rd and early 4th century, wrote:

And what shall I conceive, what shall I speak worthy of this day? I am struggling to reach the inaccessible, for the remembrance of this holy virgin far transcends all words of mine. Wherefore, since the greatness of the panegyric required completely puts to shame our limited powers, let us betake ourselves to that hymn which is not beyond our faculties, and boasting in our own unalterable defeat, let us join the rejoicing chorus of Christ’s flock, who are keeping holy-day ... We keep festival, not according to the vain customs of the Greek mythology; we keep a feast which brings with it no ridiculous or frenzied banqueting of the gods, but which teaches us the wondrous condescension to us men of the awful glory of Him who is God over all ... Do thou, therefore, O lover of this festival ...

A separate feast for Mary, connected with the Christmastide, originated in the 5th century, even perhaps before the

First Council of Ephesus The Council of Ephesus was a council of Christian bishops convened in Ephesus (near present-day Selçuk in Turkey) in AD 431 by the Roman Emperor Theodosius II. This third ecumenical council, an effort to attain consensus in the church th ...

of 431. It seems certain that the sermon by

Proclus Proclus Lycius (; 8 February 412 – 17 April 485), called Proclus the Successor ( grc-gre, Πρόκλος ὁ Διάδοχος, ''Próklos ho Diádokhos''), was a Greek Neoplatonist philosopher, one of the last major classical philosophe ...

before

Nestorius Nestorius (; in grc, Νεστόριος; 386 – 451) was the Archbishop of Constantinople from 10 April 428 to August 431. A Christian theologian, several of his teachings in the fields of Christology and Mariology were seen as contro ...

(the Archbishop of

Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth ( Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis ( ...

whose

Nestorianism Nestorianism is a term used in Christian theology and Church history to refer to several mutually related but doctrinarily distinct sets of teachings. The first meaning of the term is related to the original teachings of Christian theologian N ...

rejected the title of

Theotokos ''Theotokos'' (Greek: ) is a title of Mary, mother of Jesus, used especially in Eastern Christianity. The usual Latin translations are ''Dei Genitrix'' or '' Deipara'' (approximately "parent (fem.) of God"). Familiar English translations are ...

) which began the controversy that led to the council was about a feast for the Virgin Mary. In the 7th and 8th centuries four more Marian feasts were established in the Eastern Church. Byzantine

Emperor Maurice Maurice ( la, Mauricius or ''Mauritius''; ; 539 – 27 November 602) was Eastern Roman emperor from 582 to 602 and the last member of the Justinian dynasty. A successful general, Maurice was chosen as heir and son-in-law by his predecessor ...

selected August 15 as the date of the feast of Dormition and Assumption. The feast of the Nativity of Mary was perhaps started in the first half of the 7th century in the Eastern Church. In the

Western Church Western Christianity is one of two sub-divisions of Christianity ( Eastern Christianity being the other). Western Christianity is composed of the Latin Church and Western Protestantism, together with their offshoots such as the Old Catholic ...

a feast dedicated to Mary, just before Christmas was celebrated in the Churches of

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard language, Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the List of cities in Italy, second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 ...

and

Ravenna Ravenna ( , , also ; rgn, Ravèna) is the capital city of the Province of Ravenna, in the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy. It was the capital city of the Western Roman Empire from 408 until its collapse in 476. It then served as the ca ...

in Italy in the 7th century. The four Roman Marian feasts of Purification, Annunciation, Assumption and Nativity of Mary were gradually and sporadically introduced into England and by the 11th century were being celebrated there.

Development of feasts

Over time, the number and nature of feasts (and the associated Titles of Mary) and the venerative practices that accompany them have varied a great deal among diverse Christian traditions. Overall, there are significantly more titles, feasts and venerative Marian practices among

Roman Catholics The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

than any other Christians traditions.''Encyclopedia of Catholicism'' by Frank K. Flinn, J. Gordon Melton 2007 , pp. 443–444 Some differences in feasts originate from doctrinal issues – the

Feast of the Assumption The Assumption of Mary is one of the four Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church. Pope Pius XII defined it in 1950 in his apostolic constitution '' Munificentissimus Deus'' as follows: We proclaim and define it to be a dogma revealed by G ...

is such an example. Given that there is no agreement among all Christians on the circumstances of the death, Dormition or

Assumption of Mary The Assumption of Mary is one of the four Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church. Pope Pius XII defined it in 1950 in his apostolic constitution '' Munificentissimus Deus'' as follows: We proclaim and define it to be a dogma revealed by ...

, the feast of assumption is celebrated among some denominations and not others. In his early years,

Martin Luther Martin Luther (; ; 10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German priest, theologian, author, hymnwriter, and professor, and Augustinian friar. He is the seminal figure of the Protestant Reformation and the namesake of Luther ...

used to celebrate the Feast of the Assumption, but towards the end of his life he stopped celebrating it. While the Western Catholics celebrate the Feast of the Assumption on 15 August, some

Eastern Catholics The Eastern Catholic Churches or Oriental Catholic Churches, also called the Eastern-Rite Catholic Churches, Eastern Rite Catholicism, or simply the Eastern Churches, are 23 Eastern Christian autonomous ('' sui iuris'') particular churches of ...

celebrate it as Dormition of the Mother of God, and may do so on 28 August, if they follow the

Julian calendar The Julian calendar, proposed by Roman consul Julius Caesar in 46 BC, was a reform of the Roman calendar. It took effect on , by edict. It was designed with the aid of Greek mathematics, Greek mathematicians and Ancient Greek astronomy, as ...

. The

Eastern Orthodox Eastern Orthodoxy, also known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity, is one of the three main branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholicism and Protestantism. Like the Pentarchy of the first millennium, the mainstream (or " canoni ...

also celebrate it as the Dormition of the Mother of God, one of their 12

Great Feast In the Eastern Orthodox Church, the feast of the Resurrection of Jesus, called Pascha (Easter), is the greatest of all holy days and as such it is called the "feast of feasts". Immediately below it in importance, there is a group of Twelve Great ...

s. The

Armenian Apostolic Church , native_name_lang = hy , icon = Armenian Apostolic Church logo.svg , icon_width = 100px , icon_alt = , image = Էջմիածնի_Մայր_Տաճար.jpg , imagewidth = 250px , a ...

celebrates the Feast of Dormition not on a fixed date, but on the Sunday nearest 15 August. Moreover, the practices apart from doctrinal differences also vary, e.g. for the

the feast is preceded by the 14-day Dormition Fast. Feasts continue to be developed, e.g. the feast of the Queenship of Mary was declared in the 1954 in the papal encyclical '' Ad Caeli Reginam'' by pope

Pius XII Pius ( , ) Latin for "pious", is a masculine given name. Its feminine form is Pia. It may refer to: People Popes * Pope Pius (disambiguation) * Antipope Pius XIII (1918-2009), who led the breakaway True Catholic Church sect Given name * Piu ...

. The initial ceremony for this feast involved the crowning of the Salus Populi Romani icon of the Virgin Mary in Rome by Pius XII as part of a procession in Rome, and is unique to Roman Catholics. Other differences in feasts relate to specific events that occurred in history. For instance, the Feast of Our Lady of Victory (later renamed Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary) was based on the 1571 victory of the

Papal States The Papal States ( ; it, Stato Pontificio, ), officially the State of the Church ( it, Stato della Chiesa, ; la, Status Ecclesiasticus;), were a series of territories in the Italian Peninsula under the direct Sovereignty, sovereign rule of ...

against the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

in the

Battle of Lepanto The Battle of Lepanto was a naval engagement that took place on 7 October 1571 when a fleet of the Holy League, a coalition of Catholic states (comprising Spain and its Italian territories, several independent Italian states, and the Sovere ...

, is hence unique to Roman Catholics.

In the Catholic Church

The most prominent Marian feast days in the

General Roman Calendar The General Roman Calendar is the liturgical calendar that indicates the dates of celebrations of saints and mysteries of the Lord (Jesus Christ) in the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church, wherever this liturgical rite is in use. These cel ...

are: * January 1: Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God * May 31 (in some locations July 2): The Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary * Monday after

Pentecost Pentecost (also called Whit Sunday, Whitsunday or Whitsun) is a Christian holiday which takes place on the 50th day (the seventh Sunday) after Easter Sunday. It commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and other followers o ...

: The Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church * 1 day after the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus: The Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary * August 5: Saint Mary of the Snows * August 15: The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary * August 22: The Queenship of Mary * September 8: The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary also known as

Marymas The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Nativity of Mary, the Marymas or the Birth of the Virgin Mary, refers to a Christian feast day celebrating the birth of Mary, mother of Jesus. The modern canon of scripture does not record Mary's bir ...

* September 12: Most Holy Name of the Blessed Virgin Mary * September 15:

Our Lady of Sorrows Our Lady of Sorrows ( la, Beata Maria Virgo Perdolens), Our Lady of Dolours, the Sorrowful Mother or Mother of Sorrows ( la, Mater Dolorosa, link=no), and Our Lady of Piety, Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows or Our Lady of the Seven Dolours are names ...

* October 7: Our Lady of the Rosary * November 21: The Presentation of Mary * December 8:

The Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary There are a number of Roman Catholic religious orders or congregations with Immaculate Conception in their name. Several of them are discussed here. Order of the Immaculate Conception of Our Lady (The Conceptionists) Founded in 1484 at Toledo, ...

Note: Solemnities and feasts are in bold face. Memorials are in regular face. Optional Marian memorials in the General Roman Calendar are: * February 11: Our Lady of Lourdes * May 13: Our Lady of Fatima * July 16: Our Lady of Mount Carmel * December 10: Our Lady of Loreto * December 12:

Our Lady of Guadalupe Our Lady of Guadalupe ( es, Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe), also known as the Virgin of Guadalupe ( es, Virgen de Guadalupe), is a Catholic title of Mary, mother of Jesus associated with a series of five Marian apparitions, which are believed t ...

There are many more Marian commemorations celebrated in various localities, but not included in the General Roman Calendar. During the month of May, May devotions to the Blessed Virgin Mary take place in many Catholic regions. There is no firm structure as to the content of a May devotion. It includes usually the singing of Marian anthems, readings from the

Scripture Religious texts, including scripture, are texts which various religions consider to be of central importance to their religious tradition. They differ from literature by being a compilation or discussion of beliefs, mythologies, ritual pract ...

s, a

sermon A sermon is a religious discourse or oration by a preacher, usually a member of clergy. Sermons address a scriptural, theological, or moral topic, usually expounding on a type of belief, law, or behavior within both past and present contexts. E ...

or a presentation by local choirs. The whole

rosary The Rosary (; la, , in the sense of "crown of roses" or "garland of roses"), also known as the Dominican Rosary, or simply the Rosary, refers to a set of prayers used primarily in the Catholic Church, and to the physical string of knots or ...

is prayed separately and is usually not a part of a Marian devotion, although Hail Marys are included. The devotion was promoted by the Jesuits and spread to Jesuit colleges and to the entire Latin Church and since that time it has been a regular feature of Catholic life. Marian devotions may be held within the family, around a "May Altar" consisting of a table with a Marian picture decorated with many May flowers. The family would then pray together the

. May devotions exist in the entire Latin church and since that time have been a regular feature of Catholic life. Traditionally, the month of October is "

month" in the Catholic Church, when the faithful are encouraged to pray the rosary if possible. Since 1571, Mary, Queen of the Holy Rosary, is venerated on October 7. In 2005

Pope Benedict XVI Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the sovereign ...

stated:

In the Eastern Orthodox Church

Among the most prominent Marian feast days in the

and Greek-Catholic liturgical calendars are: * February 2 Purification of the Most Holy Theotokos * March 25 Annunciation of the

* March 30 The Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary * Fifth Saturday in Lent Saturday of the Akathist Hymn * Bright Friday Feast of the Mother of God, the Life-Giving Spring * July 2 The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae * July 25 Dormition of the Righteous Anna, the Mother of the Most Holy Theotokos * August 15 Dormition of the Mother of God * August 31 The Placing of the Cincture (Sash) of the Mother of God * September 8 Nativity of the Theotokos * September 9 Afterfeast of the

Nativity of the Mother of God The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Nativity of Mary, the Marymas or the Birth of the Virgin Mary, refers to a Christian feast day celebrating the birth of Mary, mother of Jesus. The modern canon of scripture does not record Mary's bi ...

, Holy and Righteous

Ancestors An ancestor, also known as a forefather, fore-elder or a forebear, is a parent or ( recursively) the parent of an antecedent (i.e., a grandparent, great-grandparent, great-great-grandparent and so forth). ''Ancestor'' is "any person from w ...

God In monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Oxford Companion to Philosophy'', Oxford University Press, 1995. God is typically ...

Joachim Joachim (; ''Yəhōyāqīm'', "he whom Yahweh has set up"; ; ) was, according to Christian tradition, the husband of Saint Anne and the father of Mary, the mother of Jesus. The story of Joachim and Anne first appears in the Biblical apocryphal ...

and Anna * October 1 Protection of Our Most Holy Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary * November 21 The Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple * December 9 Feast of the Conception of the Most Holy Theotokos * December 26 Synaxis of the

Note: Feasts ranked among the twelve Great Feasts are in bold face. Minor feasts are in regular face. Feast days are also established for famous icon of Mary. Purification of the Most Holy Theotokos is also considered as Feasts of Jesus Christ. Protection of Our Most Holy Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary in Russian Church is treated as twelve Great Feasts. In 10th century Visitation of Mary was commemorated on 1 April.

In the Oriental Orthodox Church

In the

Coptic Orthodox The Coptic Orthodox Church ( cop, Ϯⲉⲕ̀ⲕⲗⲏⲥⲓⲁ ⲛ̀ⲣⲉⲙⲛ̀ⲭⲏⲙⲓ ⲛ̀ⲟⲣⲑⲟⲇⲟⲝⲟⲥ, translit=Ti.eklyseya en.remenkimi en.orthodoxos, lit=the Egyptian Orthodox Church; ar, الكنيسة القبطي� ...

rite St. Mary is commemorated on the 21st of each Coptic month (Generally the 30th/31st of each Gregorian month). * January 22 Wedding at Cana * January 29 Dormition of Saint Mary, the Theotokos * April 2 Apparition of Saint Mary in the Church of Zeitoun * April 7 Annunciation of the Birth of Christ * May 9 Birth of Saint Mary * June 1 Entry of the Lord Christ into Egypt * June 28 Commemoration of the First Church for the Virgin Mary in the City of

Philippi Philippi (; grc-gre, Φίλιπποι, ''Philippoi'') was a major Greek city northwest of the nearby island, Thasos. Its original name was Crenides ( grc-gre, Κρηνῖδες, ''Krenides'' "Fountains") after its establishment by Thasian col ...

* August 13 Annunciation of the Birth of Saint Mary * August 22 Assumption of the Body of Saint Mary * December 13 Entrance of Saint Mary into the Temple at Jerusalem In the Syriac Orthodox rite St. Mary is commemorated on the following 8 Major feast days: * January 15 Virgin Mary of the Sowing * March 25

Annunciation of the Virgin Mary The Annunciation (from Latin '), also referred to as the Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Annunciation of Our Lady, or the Annunciation of the Lord, is the Christian celebration of the biblical tale of the announcement by the ang ...

* May 15 Feast of the Virgin Mary of the Harvest * August 15 Dormition and Assumption of the Virgin Mary * September 8

Nativity of the Virgin Mary The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Nativity of Mary, the Marymas or the Birth of the Virgin Mary, refers to a Christian feast day celebrating the birth of Mary, mother of Jesus. The modern canon of scripture does not record Mary's bi ...

* December 26 Glorification of the Mother of God In the

Malankara Orthodox The Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church (MOSC) also known as the Indian Orthodox Church (IOC) or simply as the Malankara Church, is an autocephalous Oriental Orthodox church headquartered in Devalokam, near Kottayam, India. The church serve ...

church St. Mary is commemorated on the following feast days: * January 1 Virgin Mary, Mother of God * January 15 Virgin Mary of the Sowing * March 25

* May 15 Feast of the Virgin Mary of the Harvest * August 15 Assumption of the Virgin Mary (preceded by 15 days of lent) * September 8 Nativity of the Virgin Mary(preceded by 8 days of lent) * December 26 Glorification of the Mother of God

In the Anglican Communion

In calendars throughout the

Anglican Communion The Anglican Communion is the third largest Christian communion after the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches. Founded in 1867 in London, the communion has more than 85 million members within the Church of England and oth ...

and Continuing Anglican churches, the following Marian feasts may be observed, although the practice of different provinces varies widely: * February 2

Purification of the Blessed Virgin The Presentation of Jesus at the Temple (or ''in the temple'') is an early episode in the life of Jesus Christ, describing his presentation at the Temple in Jerusalem, that is celebrated by many churches 40 days after Christmas on Candlemas, o ...

* February 11 Our Lady of Lourdes * March 25 Annunciation of Our Saviour to the Blessed Virgin Mary ( Lady Day) * May 1

Queen of Heaven Queen of Heaven ( la, Regina Caeli) is a title given to the Virgin Mary, by Christians mainly of the Catholic Church and, to a lesser extent, in Anglicanism, Lutheranism, and Eastern Orthodoxy. The Catholic teaching on this subject is express ...

* May 31 Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary * August 15 The Blessed Virgin Mary or "The Falling Asleep of the Blessed Virgin Mary" * September 8 Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary * October 15 Our Lady of Walsingham (Catholics feast on September 24, as of 2001) * December 8 Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary

In Lutheranism

Lutherans tend to de-emphasize the importance of Mary out of respect for the centrality of Jesus, yet many or all of the traditional medieval Marian days are retained. Due to disagreements about the perpetual virginity of Mary, many Lutherans avoid using the traditional title of "Blessed Virgin Mary" to preface the feasts or don't celebrate them, although many still retain the title and continue the observances (the

Book of Concord ''The Book of Concord'' (1580) or ''Concordia'' (often referred to as the ''Lutheran Confessions'') is the historic doctrinal standard of the Lutheran Church, consisting of ten credal documents recognized as authoritative in Lutheranism since ...

also explicitly reaffirms the perpetual virginity of Mary in the Latin form of

's Smalcald Articles, and suggests it strongly elsewhere in the German form). The following are Marian festivals celebrated within the Lutheran liturgical calendar: * February 2 Presentation of the Lord, usually referred to as "The Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Presentation of Our Lord" together (sometimes the order of terms is switched for emphasis), also known as Candlemas * March 25 Annunciation of Our Lord * May 31 The Visitation of the Virgin Mary to Elizabeth * August 15 Mary, Mother of Our Lord (most refer to it simply as St. Mary's Day instead of the Assumption, and some prefer to call it the Dormition) * September 8: The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary also known as

(few observe this) * November 21: The Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (few observe this) * December 8:

( Conception of Mary) (although they almost never use the term "immaculate" and very few observe this due to its Roman Catholic association) When

Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the ''Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard wo ...

worked as ''

Thomaskantor (Cantor at St. Thomas) is the common name for the musical director of the , now an internationally known boys' choir founded in Leipzig in 1212. The official historic title of the Thomaskantor in Latin, ', describes the two functions of cantor ...

'' in Leipzig, three Marian feasts were observed for which he composed church cantatas: * February 2 Purification * March 25 Annunciation * July 2

Visitation Visitation may refer to: Law * Visitation (law) or contact, the right of a non-custodial parent to visit with their children * Prison visitation rights, the rules and conditions under which prisoners may have visitors Music * ''Visitation'' (D ...

References

External links

Comprehensive List of Marian Feasts
{{Authority control