More than two thousand years before Italians began leaving their bustling cities for beaches and vacation resorts every August, Roman Emperor Augustus was already encouraging his subjects to take a break during the hottest month of the year, not...
An incredible scene was captured during a traditional summer festival (panigyri) near Mylopotamos, Crete on August 15th.
A video shared on social media by Cretan musician Petros Maroulis shows partygoers carrying an elderly woman on a sunbed so she wouldn’t...
Every August 15, Siatista in the Kozani regional unit of northern Greece comes alive with the sound of horses, bells, and traditional music as horsemen set out on a pilgrimage to honor the Virgin Mary.
The striking tradition, known as...
The people of Greece observe the Dormition of the Virgin Mary, or Panagia—meaning "All-Holy" or "Full of Grace"—with numerous customs and festivals starting on the eve of August 15.
Deeply revered as the mother of Jesus and considered a spiritual...
In Orthodox tradition, August 12 is linked to the final days of the Virgin Mary before her Dormition, celebrated a few days later on August 15. Three days prior to her death, the Archangel Gabriel appeared to Mary and...
As August begins, the bells of village churches ring for the first Paraklesis services, pilgrims begin making their way to shrines dedicated to the Virgin Mary, and Orthodox Christians embark on a two-week period of prayer and fasting, known...
For the third consecutive year, the historic Panagia Soumela monastery in Turkey’s Black Sea region (Pontus) will not host a Divine Liturgy on August 15 on the occasion of the Dormition of Virgin Mary. Turkish authorities have denied permission...
For Greeks, August 15 is one of the most important holidays on the calendar, but it is an especially huge day in Tinos. It's vacation time for most working Greeks, and a celebration of all the Marias, Marios, Panagiotis,...
