15 August
Feast of the Assumption
(Christian holiday)

15 August – Feast of the Assumption (Nagyboldogasszony)
(Christian holiday – Patronal feast of Hungary)

15 August marks the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, celebrating her being taken up into heaven, body and soul. This day is also the feast of Hungary's patroness, the Virgin Mary. Today, beyond honouring the Mother of Jesus, the celebration extends to all mothers and all women who embody the dignity of womanhood.

The Assumption of Mary (Assumptio Beatae Mariae Virginis) is the most significant Marian feast in the Catholic Church and, at the same time, the feast of Hungary’s heavenly patroness. The oldest name for this celebration was Dormitio (the "falling asleep") or Pausatio (the "resting"), referring to the death of Mary.

The dogma of the Assumption — that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was assumed into heavenly glory, both body and soul — was officially declared by Pope Pius XII on 1 November 1950 in the apostolic constitution Munificentissimus Deus.

According to ancient Church tradition, Jesus did not allow his mother’s body to undergo earthly decay. Instead, shortly after her death, she was resurrected and assumed into heaven. Written records of this belief date back to the 7th century, and Pope Leo IV made the Assumption an official feast in 847.

The first known Hungarian reference to the feast appears in the 1446 Munich Codex as “Marianac fel menbe vetele.” In contemporary understanding, the day honours not only the Mother of Christ but all women who carry the dignity of womanhood.

The story of Mary’s death and assumption was a popular theme in medieval Christian art, religious literature, and devotional songs. Tradition holds that Jesus foretold Mary of her death three days in advance. Her body was laid in a rock tomb on the Mount of Olives, and the apostles gathered from across the world, arriving on clouds to attend her funeral.

Thomas the Apostle arrived three days late and wished to see her body. When the tomb was opened, it emitted a sweet fragrance of balm, but the coffin was empty except for the burial shroud. As the apostles marvelled, they saw Mary being lifted to heaven by angels amid songs of praise.

In Hungary, King St. Stephen established the Feast of the Assumption as a national celebration. Each year, he convened the royal council in Székesfehérvár on 15 August. Near the end of his life, already gravely ill, he offered Hungary to the Virgin Mary on this very day in 1038, the same day he died.

This offering led to the "Regnum Marianum" tradition — the belief that Hungary is the Kingdom of Mary — which held legal and symbolic significance throughout Hungarian history. The Feast of the Assumption remains the most important pilgrimage day to Marian shrines across Hungary, marked by processions, masses, and indulgences.

Among the many Marian feasts in the Catholic Church, the Assumption is regarded as the most intimate and sublime. In Hungarian folk tradition, this day inspired unique customs, such as Mária-virrasztás (Mary vigils), rooted in the belief that one could witness the "woman clothed with the sun" — a vision described in Revelation 12 — at sunrise on this day.

Other customs include preparing a “Mary’s coffin” from flowers and the blessing of herbs and flowers. These blessed items were later placed in coffins, under foundations of new homes, in baby cradles, or newlywed beds — invoking Mary’s protection. It was also believed that the day’s weather foretold the quality of the year’s grape harvest: “If the Assumption shines, the wine will be fine.”

In the folk calendar, the period between 15 August and 8 September (Feast of the Nativity of Mary) is known as “between the two Ladies’ Days” and is considered magical. Herbs gathered during this time were thought to hold special healing power. People also aired out winter clothes to protect them from moths. In terms of fertility rites, hens were placed to brood, and people collected the “eggs between the two Ladies’ Days,” which were believed to keep well preserved in limewater.