Assumption of Mary: what is celebrated and where is free?

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Assumption Day 2015 in Kochel am See, Bavaria

Christians in the Roman Church have been celebrating the Assumption, the Assumption of Mary, since around the seventh century. In the Eastern Church, the festival was introduced in the fifth century. The physical ascension is not mentioned in the Bible, but Pope Pius XII. in 1950 proclaimed the binding content of faith (dogma) for Catholics that the mother of Jesus Christ was "taken up with body and soul into heavenly glory" at her death.

According to the Catholic faith, the soul of a person lives on after death, while the body is not raised until the last day. Mary's bodily acceptance into heaven is therefore a special feature and symbolizes the redeemed person. For Catholic Christians, Assumption of Mary is the prelude to 30 consecutive days of Mary, which are considered to be particularly beneficial. This phase is then concluded with the name feast of Mary in September.

Where is the Assumption of Mary a public holiday?

Saarland is the only federal state to have made the Assumption of Mary a national public holiday. Otherwise, large parts of Bavaria are also free of work, more precisely: in 1704 of 2056 municipalities. These are the communities with a predominantly Catholic population. Even in large cities like Munich, Würzburg or Augsburg, people can sleep in, while the people of Nuremberg have to set the alarm. According to the Bavarian Public Holidays Act, the basis for determining whether or not a public holiday applies in a municipality is the census.

It can happen that some congregations and their residents lose or win a holiday over the years - depending on whether the number of Catholics increases or decreases significantly. In 2014, based on the 2011 census, three Bavarian municipalities lost their public holiday, and seven gained it. Here you can look up where in Bavaria there is no work on Assumption Day.

In Austria, Assumption of Mary is a national holiday. In Switzerland in several cantons, but sometimes there also depending on the municipality.

How is the festival celebrated?

The Assumption of Mary is an expression of the intense devotion to Mary in the Roman Catholic Church. Especially in rural areas, the holiday is celebrated with numerous folk and religious customs, such as flower and herb consecrations and light processions. Because Mary is there as "the flower of the field and the lily of the valleys". This is also reflected in the holiday designations "Büschelfrauentag" or "Unser Frauen Würzweih".

According to legend, the apostles did not find a body when they opened their grave, but instead found flowers and herbs. The ordinations have been handed down since the ninth century. During the traditional herbal blessing, more than 70 different herbs are collected, bound and then consecrated. Herbal bouquets are often hung at home. They are supposed to protect against misfortune.

aci / dpa