The feast day of the Assumption of Mary, also known as Assumption Day, celebrates the day that the Virgin Mary ascended into Heaven following her death, according to popular Christian belief. It is the principal feast day of the Virgin Mother. It is celebrated annually on or around August 15 by many countries, particularly in parts of Europe and South America. Some countries celebrate the day at other times of the year. This day is also known as the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Dormition of the Most Holy Mother of God (in the eastern countries), or the Feast of the Assumption. In Greece, religious festivals and saints’ days, are always a big deal. They bring families together – the younger members of which are often named after their elder relatives – reinforce the bonds of local communities, resuscitate ageold traditions and buttress the people’s faith. Every saint is revered, but none as gloriously as the Virgin Mary, or “Panaghia” (All-Saintly), is on August 15, the biggest religious event in Greece after Easter and Christmas, a national holiday that is observed by the civil service and private sector. August 15, or Dekapentavgoustos, commemorates the Greek Orthodox Church’s holiest cathedral, the “Panaghia Evangelistria” in Tinos. Dormition of the Virgin. For Greek Orthodox tradition, the “Panaghia” is the mother of all men, a source of protection and comfort. To this day, she is revered and invoked, and asked to perform miracles from the most mundane to the most awesome. Every city, town and village around the country has a church or chapel dedicated to the “Panaghia” and in most she is given a last name indicating either the miracles she is expected to perform or the graces she is endowed with: “Panaghia” the Healer, the Merciful, the Graceful, the Sweet-Talking, the Savior of Souls, the Mistress of the Angels, the Philanthropist etc. The celebration of the Dormition of the Virgin is presided over by the Greek Orthodox Church’s holiest cathedral, the “Panaghia Evangelistria” on Tinos. The Church of “Evangelistria” on Tinos is dedicated to an icon discovered in 1822 after a nun had a vision of the Virgin telling her where the icon was to be found. In some accounts, it is said that the icon was dug up in a field and, as soon as it was brought into the light, a hard protective shield like glass covered it. The men who dug it up chipped away at the shield and each who touched it were healed. Pilgrims flock by the thousands to this Cycladic island each year, crawling or rolling up the steep slope from the port to the imposing church at the top of a hill to offer their prayers and votive offerings (tamata), to entreat a miracle of the “Panaghia”. The tamata can be anything from a simple candle to intricate silver or even gold carvings in representation of the miracle requested. On the islands, the most common tama is that of a ship, a prayer for safe passage.
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The Assumption of Mary
Aug 2012
The day also commemorates the 1940 sinking of the Greek cruiser Elli by an Italian submarine at Tinos's harbor. Elli was a 2,600 ton Greek cruiser named for a naval battle of the First Balkan War in which Greece was victorious.
Many pilgrims make their way to the 800 meters from the ferry wharf to the church on their hands and knees as sign of devotion.
She was sunk during peacetime, on August 15, 1940, 8:25 am while she rode at anchor, by the Italian submarine Delfino near the island of Tinos. The Elli was in Tinos participating in the celebrations. One of the three torpedoes fired hit the Elli under the one operating boiler and she caught fire and sunk. Nine petty officers and sailors were killed and 24 were wounded. The same submarine attempted to torpedo the passenger ships M/V Elsi and M/V Esperos anchored in the port. This attempt failed and only a section of the port's wharf was damaged by torpedoes.
Fragments of the torpedoes were recovered, and identified as Italian in origin. The Greek government however, trying to avoid a confrontation with Italy at the time, announced that the nationality of the attacking submarine was unknown, an act that did not prevent the Greco-Italian War two months later, and did not convince the Greek people who were well aware of the real perpetrator. The ceremonies on Tinos begin with a wreath laid on the evening of August 14 at a monument for the Greek cruiser. An evening service follows. The next day, the matins of Evangelistria Church begin at 2.30am (with a subsequent liturgy), followed by a 7am-feastday service. At 9.30am, another wreath is laid for the Elli—this time at sea. The festivities peak with a procession of the Virgin Mary icon. Military celebrations and traditional events culminate into the evening.
The day also commemorates the 1940 sinking of the Greek cruiser Elli by an Italian submarine on August 15, 1940 at Tinos's harbor.
ISLAND ISLAND OF OF TINOS TINOS PHOTO GALLERY PHOTO GALLERY
Tinos (Greek: Τήνος) is a Greek island situated in the Aegean Sea. It is located in the Cyclades archipelago. The closest islands are Andros, Delos, and Mykonos. It has a land area of approximately 194 square kilometres and a 2001 census population of 8,574 inhabitants
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Aug 2012