The Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Ever-Virgin Mary is one of the twelve most important holidays in Orthodoxy. It is celebrated in memory of the end of the earthly life of the Mother of Jesus Christ. The Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary is a holiday with a fixed date. It is celebrated annually on August 28 (August 15, old style), after the completion of the two-week Dormition Fast. According to legend, after the death and resurrection of her Son, Mary remained in the care of John the Theologian. She spent the last years of her earthly life in Jerusalem, going to pray at Golgotha, Gethsemane, and the Holy Sepulcher. 3 days before her death, Archangel Gabriel appeared to Mary and said that she would have to leave this world and meet her Son. He gave her a branch of paradise, signifying triumph over death and corruption. Mary told John the Theologian about this event, and he told the Apostle James. On the appointed day, all the apostles gathered in Jerusalem, although before that they had been in different countries, preaching the Word of God. They all met to say goodbye to Maria. At the appointed hour, Jesus Christ himself with the angels descended from heaven, illuminating the upper room in which his Mother lay with a wonderful light. Mary said a prayer and joyfully surrendered her soul into the hands of the Lord, after which the singing of angels began. After the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin, her body was buried in Gethsemane, in the cave where her parents and Joseph the Betrothed rested. The entrance to the cave was closed with a huge block of stone. Apostle Thomas was unable to attend the burial of the Mother of God. He arrived in Jerusalem only on the third day after the death of Mary. Thomas tearfully asked the apostles to allow him to say goodbye to her remains. Having opened the coffin, the apostles did not find Mary’s body. This meant that the Blessed Virgin was resurrected and ascended to heaven. In the evening of this day, the Mother of God with the angels appeared to the apostles and said that she would always be with them. There is information about the celebration of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the 4th century in Byzantium. It was ranked among the important church holidays during the reign of the Byzantine Emperor Mauritius in 595. The Feast of the Assumption occurs during the period when the peasants were finishing their harvest. On this day, the tradition of consecrating ears of corn and seeds has been preserved so that there is always an abundance of food on the table. People together prepared various treats, baked pies, and treated the poor. From the Assumption they began to prepare fruits and vegetables for the winter, asking the Mother of God to help with this. With the Most Pure One (another name for the holiday), the time for matchmaking and engagements began. It is generally accepted that Indian summer began with the Assumption. People used the weather on Holy Day to determine what kind of autumn awaited them: On the Most Pure One it was forbidden: For many atheists, it is unclear why it is necessary to celebrate death, because this is the saddest event that causes fear and panic among people. In fact, the Feast of the Assumption makes you look at death differently. Its meaning is to show people that death is not the complete end of the life of the soul. She is just the completion of the earthly path, a test that must be endured in order to gain eternal life. The Dormition of the Mother of God instills joy in the hearts of believers because through death Mary gained eternal life and the opportunity to be with her Son.

Spozhinki (Dozhinki, Oseniny, Obzhinki) - the day of the end of the harvest. The Slavs, depending on the territory of their residence, celebrated it at different times, sometimes even twice. Among the Eastern Slavs, it fell on the 28th of Serpen (August) according to the new style. In the era of dual faith, Spozhinki began to be called Dormition in honor of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which falls on the same day. Some sources contain the name Gospozhinki, which appeared in honor of the Lady, that is, the Mother of God. This holiday was very important for the Slavic farmers. Together with Spozhinki, the summer suffering ended: until that day it was necessary to reap - to squeeze out the bread. On this day, one should thank the gods and spirits for the harvest. The last sheaf was reaped carefully and respectfully, without saying a word. According to legends, he was possessed by the very spirit of the field and harvest, called Veles. This sheaf was respected by the pagans: it was dressed up in an elegant sundress and a cotton scarf, and sometimes in a painted shirt. He was seated at the table and thanked for the treats. They also approached him with a request to protect future harvests. Also, several unharvested ears of corn were left on the field, which were braided and tied with a bright ribbon. This was called "Veles beard curling." Salt and bread were placed in the “beard”. So the pagans thanked Veles for teaching people agriculture. The owners of the field prepared a meal consisting of porridge, richly flavored with butter, fresh honey, apples and scrambled eggs. It was forbidden to eat beef, because one of the images of Veles is a bull. They treated everyone who helped with the harvest. Future harvests depended on the host's hospitality and hospitality. Young people on the street organized festivities and games, dances and songs. Women went to the compressed field and rolled around it, asking for women's health and a healthy pregnancy. Interestingly, the Spozhinka holiday is associated not only with the harvest. In Ukraine, unmarried girls waited with bated breath for this day, because after it it was customary to send matchmakers. From Ozhinok the “rowan nights” begin, when thunder and lightning frighten all living things. According to the signs of the Slavs, the young Indian summer begins from this time. After accepting Christianity on this day, the Slavs pray to the “Increase in Mind” icon and ask for help in their studies. In churches, loaves baked from newly ground flour are blessed. Blessed bread is considered healing.

“I have a dream,” Martin Luther King used this phrase repeatedly in his 1963 speech. The preacher and black civil rights activist spoke on August 28 on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in front of 250 thousand Americans. “I have a dream,” King repeated periodically, like a mantra. The civil activist expressed hope that the day will come when people in the United States will be free to express their will, regardless of race, religion or skin color. In honor of this significant event, a holiday was established - Dream Day. Dream Day is celebrated in many countries around the world. The aspirations of Martin Luther King came true - in his country, blacks received access to education, skilled work and other benefits on an equal basis with white people. Civil rights were eventually extended to immigrants who came seeking a better life in the United States. The rigid class system collapsed, people became equal before the law regardless of ethnicity, income level and other differences. The ideas of the US Declaration of Independence about individual freedom and the pursuit of happiness have come true. 30 years before King's famous speech, historian James Truslow Adams decided to encourage his fellow citizens and instill in them faith in the best, despite the Great Depression. He wrote in his book about "...the American dream of a country where every person's life will be better, richer and fuller, where everyone will have the opportunity to get what they deserve." But in addition to civil liberties and rights, people have personal aspirations and hopes. Dream Day is dedicated to a person’s dream, which, like a guiding star, guides him along the road of life. Each of us has both immediate desires and ambitious plans. Dreams accompany people throughout their lives - from childhood to old age. Goals and aspirations change depending on age, breadth of outlook, interests and level of spiritual development. Altruism and the desire to help others are no less important than big earnings and career advancement. The founders of charitable organizations that collect donations to realize the aspirations of people in need of outside participation are convinced of this. According to one version, the initiator of the establishment of the international holiday was the Dream Day Foundation, which helps seriously ill children. In 1996, the organization donated $3,000 to the St. Jude Cancer Research Center. The foundation regularly helps families with terminally ill children. Long before its opening in 1977, another organization, Make-A-Wish, began conducting similar activities. The Make a Wish Foundation makes dreams come true for children whose years and even months of life are numbered. In addition to collecting donations, participants in youth movements and public organizations take to the streets in honor of the holiday to hold various events and flash mobs. They declare themselves to be brave, searching and active people who have faith that their goals will definitely be achieved. Voltaire argued: “A person must dream in order to see the meaning of life.” This is what Dream Day calls people to do.

In 2017, the world's largest fried cutlet was listed in the Guinness Book of Records, weighing 332 kilograms. It was prepared in honor of the holiday celebrated on August 28 by chefs from Kostroma. Residents and guests of the city owe the appearance of this unusual celebration on the calendar to the manufacturers of semi-finished products, who in 2007 held an advertising campaign dedicated to cutlets. Lovers of beef and pork, fish and vegetables liked the idea, because the well-known dish is on the menu not only for meat eaters, but also for vegetarians. Since 2011, on August 28, Kostroma has annually celebrated Cutlet Day. Residents of other regions of Russia also enjoyed the funny celebration. In honor of the holiday, they not only make the Tsar Cutlet, trying to break the record of a product listed in the Guinness Book weighing more than 3 tons and measuring 2.74 by 2.13 meters. Professional and amateur chefs compete in preparing delicious semi-finished products that meet the standards. A proper cutlet made from minced pork, fish, beef or chicken, as well as from duck or rabbit, should weigh no more than 75 grams, and according to the GOST in force in the USSR, no more than 50 grams. It is not easy to meet all the requirements for minced meat consistency, taste and other parameters. The winner of the competition will receive a prize - a cup in the shape of a cutlet. The achievements of semi-finished products manufacturers from Kostroma are included in the Russian Book of Records. In 2017, the Kotletar company launched a cutlet into space. The culinary masterpiece was placed in a special capsule equipped with a thermometer, a video camera and equipment to monitor its movement. Participants in the celebration could personally watch the cutlet rise into the sky on a weather balloon. According to the organizers of the action, the semi-finished product was supposed to freeze naturally, reaching the upper layers of the atmosphere, where the temperature drops below 0 °C. The flight of the culinary product lasted 13 hours, after which the balloon burst at a temperature of -42 °C, and the cutlet descended to the ground by parachute 200 km from Kostroma. Members of the commission that monitored the experiment arrived at the site and recorded the natural freezing of the semi-finished product. The cutlet was made according to a new recipe - with the addition of venison. It was not by chance that the semi-finished product was launched into space - in weightlessness, calorie consumption is much higher than on Earth. Therefore, the astronauts’ menu after German Titov’s flight included entrecotes, beef tongue and cutlets. The festival of taste, held at the end of August, is eagerly awaited not only by the chefs of Kostroma, but also by connoisseurs of their culinary talent. According to tradition, every year the masters prepare the Tsar Cutlet, which is a symbol of the celebration and decoration of the event. In the evening, after competitions and competitions and the presentation of prizes, everyone can taste this masterpiece, choosing the sauce and side dish to their taste. This is how one of the most fun and delicious holidays in Russia ends - Cutlet Day in Kostroma.

In Rus', wood has long been used for construction and was the main material for the manufacture of tools, doors, window frames, furniture, parquet, dishes and other household utensils. The process was carried out by master woodworkers. "The necessary workers are joiners and carpenters!" - wrote V. Mayakovsky in 1928 in the poem “Who to be?” The work of representatives of this profession is now in demand no less than a hundred years ago. Carpenters made frames for stagecoaches and carriages, sculptures and frames for icons, and decorated huts, royal mansions and churches with skillful carvings. Today, jigsaws, screwdrivers, CNC machines for carving and laser engraving have come to the aid of the master, who previously used a plane, saw and clamps in his work. In recognition of representatives of the ancient craft, a professional holiday was established. August 28th is Carpenter's Day. The celebration appeared in the Russian holiday calendar in 2000. In honor of Carpenter's Day, fairs, exhibitions of products from furniture and interior items to works of decorative and applied art, master classes and other events are held. Their participants demonstrate various carving techniques (through, sculptural, relief, etc.), and give lectures in educational institutions that train woodworking specialists. The holiday is an excellent occasion to congratulate professionals and amateurs who do carpentry in their free time. The ancient Egyptians are considered the founders of the craft. Back in the 15th century. BC. they used various technologies for processing wood imported from Lebanon, Nubia and Phenicia, from which they made furniture and interior decoration items. The Egyptians made sailing boats and large sea vessels with a displacement of up to 80 tons from the forest. The ancient Greeks used a prototype of the modern lathe to create convex and concave wood products. In addition to shipbuilding, the Hellenes were engaged in the manufacture of carved furniture of original shapes. The craftsmen of Ancient Rome made beds, cabinets, tables and chairs from wood, decorating them with ivory, stones and bronze details. Representatives of the Scandinavian peoples were fluent in artistic carving. Europeans living in the north had woodworking skills more than a thousand years ago. The Drevlyans, Krivichi and representatives of other Slavic tribes have long lived in forests. Therefore, in the valleys of Lake Ilmen, the Volga and Don rivers there were large settlements with solid wooden huts, mansions, outbuildings, and carved idols of pagan deities. In Kievan Rus, most churches were built from unhewn logs. Architects built churches from logs and decorated them with carvings and other decor. Carpenters were engaged in rough processing of wood, carpenters - finishing: they chiseled, sanded, planed and sanded. Craftsmen used up to 27 types of wood. They used pine, willow, ash, elm, apple, oak, maple, rowan, aspen, as well as imported species: cedar, walnut, fir, boxwood, yew, etc. Russian carpenters and joiners knew many technological operations - cutting, turning and drilling of workpieces, building up and joining parts. The descendants of the ancient masters were left with ancient buildings as a souvenir - examples of wooden architecture. Unfortunately, this historical heritage is quickly being lost. Today you rarely see a residential building from the 14th-16th centuries. However, in museums and antique stores you can still find antique furniture and other interior items made from mahogany and other valuable species. These products are hundreds of years old. The secrets of craftsmanship and the basics of carpentry, which grew out of carpentry, are passed on from generation to generation. Specialists are trained in woodworking and furniture production in educational institutions located in different parts of Russia. All representatives of the most ancient and respected profession, from students to masters, are congratulated on August 28 on Carpenter's Day.

Kingdom Proclamation Day

Catholic Saint Augustine's Day (Feast of Saint Augustine Of Hippo)

In the folk calendar, this day is better known as Obzhinki. In Orthodoxy, the holiday is one of the twelve - the most important events that are directly related to the earthly life of Jesus Christ himself and his mother. On the night of August 28, an All-Night Vigil is held. On the eve, church parishioners light candles and pray for the well-being of their loved ones.

Pout Day

Feast of the Icon of the Mother of God of Mozdok (Iveron)

Feast of the Tupichevskaya Icon of the Mother of God