The Feast of the Assumption of the Holy Mother of God, also known as the Blessing of Grapes, will be celebrated by the Armenian Apostolic Church on August 16, 2026.
The feast is the fourth of the five major feast days of the Armenian Church and is considered the oldest celebration dedicated to the Virgin Mary.
According to Church tradition, after the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary lived in Jerusalem under the care of the Apostle John. For many years she regularly visited her Son’s tomb in prayer and fasting. During one of these visits, the Archangel Gabriel appeared to her and announced her forthcoming assumption into heaven.
The tradition further recounts that Gabriel later returned and informed Mary that the time had come for her to join God. He placed a heavenly crown upon her head and revealed the place of her burial in the Garden of Gethsemane.
The feast is observed on the Sunday closest to August 15, falling between August 12 and August 18 each year. It is preceded by a period of fasting and followed by a Day of Remembrance for the Departed.
On the feast day, Divine Liturgy is celebrated in all Armenian churches.
A unique feature of the celebration is the Blessing of Grapes, a tradition rooted in Armenia’s ancient agricultural heritage. After the liturgy, grapes are blessed by clergy, and only then are believers traditionally permitted to eat the season’s grape harvest.
The blessing symbolizes gratitude for the year’s harvest and God’s abundance. Traditionally, wine made from the blessed grapes is preserved until the following year’s feast as a symbol of prosperity and blessing.
