The Assumption of Mary is a Roman Catholic feast on August 15 that celebrates the Virgin Mary’s heavenly birthday. In other words, it commemorates her death.
The ancient stories were written as poetry to inspire understanding, not to be taken literally. One of the interesting things about the veneration of the Virgin Mary is that it came from the people, not from the Church.
The story is that the Virgin Mary was so good that not just her soul, but her entire body was taken up into heaven to live forever with her son. The idea that when the Virgin Mary died, her body and soul went to heaven, expresses the divinity of women and how we all carry our mother’s spirit inside of us.
Celebrating the Assumption of Mary is a Modern Practice
The Assumption of Mary is a major feast day and a Holy Day of Obligation in the Roman Catholic Church.
The celebration was defined by Pope Pius XII in 1950.
The Feast is Celebrated Around the World
The Assumption of Mary is practiced in Catholic communities around the world. It is an official holiday in Chile, Colombia, France, Italy, Paraguay, Portugal, Romania, and Spain.
In Spain and Italy, The Feast of the Assumption marks the start of the summer holidays. In France everybody goes on holiday. Everywhere you go shops put handwritten notes on their windows saying when they will return. Even the homeless go somewhere.