Marian feast days are specific holy days of the liturgical year celebrated by Christians as significant Marian days for the celebration of events in the life of the Blessed Virgin Mary and her veneration.[1] The number of Marian feasts celebrated, their names (and at times dates) can vary among Christian denominations.
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The earliest feasts that relate to Mary grew out of the cycle of feasts that celebrated the Nativity of Jesus. Given that according to the Gospel of Luke (Luke 2:22–40), 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 in Byzantium.[2]
A separate feast for Mary, connected with the "Nativity of Jesus" cycle of feasts, originated in the 5th century, even perhaps before the First Council of Ephesus took place in 431. It seems certain that the sermon by Proclus before Nestorius (the Archbishop of Constantinople whose Nestorianism rejected the title of Theotokos) which began the controversy that lead to the 431 council was about a feast for the Virgin Mary.[2]
In the 7th and 8th centuries four more Marian feasts were established in the Eastern Church. Byzantine Emperor Maurice 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 a feast dedicated to Mary, just before Christmas was celebrated in the Churches of Milan and Ravenna 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.[2]
Over time, the number and nature of feasts (and the associated Titles of Mary) and the veneraive 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 than any other Christians traditions.[3]
Some differences in feasts originate from doctrinal issues - the Feast of the Assumption 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 feast of assumption is celebrated among some denominations and not others.[4][5] In his early years, Martin Luther used to celebrate the Feast of the Assumption, but towards the end of his life he stopped celebrating it.[6]
While the Western Catholics celebrate the Feast of the Assumption on August 15, some Eastern Catholics celebrate it as Dormition of the Theotokos, and may do so on August 28, if they follow the Julian calendar. The Eastern Orthodox also celebrate it as the Dormition of the Theotokos, one of their 12 Great Feasts. The Armenian Apostolic Church celebrates the Feast of Dormition not on a fixed date, but on the Sunday nearest August 15. Moreover, the practices that go beynd doctrinal differences also vary, e.g. for the Eastern Orthodox 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.[7] 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.[8]
Other differences in feasts relate to specific events that occurred in history. For instance, the Feast of Our Lady of Victory (late renamed Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary) was based on the 1571 victory of the Papal States against the Muslims in the Battle of Lepanto, is hence unique to Roman Catholics.[9][10] Note that the Protestant Reformation had already started several decades before the Battle of Lepanto.
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 Scriptures, a sermon, and/or a presentation by local choirs. The whole rosary is prayed separately and is usually not a part of a Marian devotion, although Hail Mary's 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.[11] 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 rosary.[12] May devotions exist in the entire Latin church and since that time have been a regular feature of Catholic life.[13]
Traditionally, the month of October is "rosary 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.[14] Pope Benedict XVI, following all his predecessors, also encourages the rosary during the month of October:
Among the most prominent Marian feast days in the ordinary Roman Catholic Calendar are[16]:
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In the General Roman Calendar of 1962, the Visitation is observed on July 2. Its modern date, May 31, is instead the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Immaculate Heart of Mary is commemorated on August 22 (which in the modern calendar is the Queenship). Friday in Passion Week (the week prior to Holy Week) is observed as the Seven Dolors of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Feast of the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary is celebrated on September 15, and the Motherhood of the Blessed Virgin Mary is October 11, with no celebration of Mary, Mother of God on January 1. The General Roman Calendar of 1954 differs from that in not having the feast of the Queenship of Mary, a feast instituted only in 1955.
Among the most prominent Marian feast days in the Eastern Orthodox and Greek-Catholic liturgical calendars are:
In calendars throughout the Anglican Communion and Continuing Anglican churches, the following Marian feasts are observed:[18]
The following are Marian festivals celebrated within the Lutheran liturgical calendar: