Last August 15 was a day dedicated to spirituality and veneration in Colombiasince it was celebrated Assumption of Mary Day. This annual religious festival commemorates the momentous moment in which the body of Mary, mother of Jesus, was raised to heaven at the end of her life on Earth. This belief, rooted in the Christian tradition, maintains that due to her fundamental role in the history of salvation as Mother of the Redeemer, the Virgin was freed from the decay of the grave and ascended body and soul to heaven.
Will this August 21 be a holiday?
Because the commemorative holiday coincided with a working day, the holiday was moved to August 21, following the provision of Law 51 of 1983. This law establishes that when a holiday of this type does not fall on a Monday, it is postponed to the nearest Monday. In fact, the regulations guarantee all workers, both in the public and private sectors, the right to paid rest on various civil or religious holidays, including August 21, as well as other specific days throughout the year.
Thus, regardless of religious convictions and despite the fact that Colombia is governed as a secular State according to the Political Constitution, all those people who are part of a company or employer have the right to paid rest next Monday, August 21. In addition, following the provisions of the legislation, the economic compensation corresponding to this holiday must be calculated in the same way as that of a Sunday rest day, without allowing deductions for absence from work.
How is this date observed in Colombia?
In Colombia, this day is characterized by reflection, prayer, and spiritual connection. Followers congregate in churches and cathedrals to participate in special ceremonies honoring the Virgin Mary, acknowledging her essential role in the Christian faith and her influence on redemptive history. The Day of the Assumption of Mary, with its deep religious and spiritual significance, continues to be an occasion for union and devotion throughout Latin America.
What is the historical origin of this festivity?
The origins of this celebration date back to the first centuries of Christianity. Initially called the “Commemoration of Mary” in the fourth century, this date commemorated the Virgin’s ascent to heaven. As time passed, this holiday evolved, and in the 6th century it was known as the “Dormition of Mary”, to later adopt its current name of “Assumption” in the 7th century.
The apocryphal stories that relate the assumption of Mary arose between the 4th and 5th centuries, one of the most influential being the Book of Saint John the Evangelist in the Byzantine East. It was not until the 12th century that the doctrine of the Assumption was fully developed. Important theologians such as Saint Thomas Aquinas and the treatise “Ad Interrogata”, attributed to Saint Augustine, supported the belief in the bodily elevation of Mary.
The official proclamation of the dogma of the Assumption occurred in 1950 through the apostolic constitution “Munificentissimus Deus” of Pope Pius XII. The Immaculate, the ever Virgin Mary and Mother of God, was honored with this tenet of faith, confirming that her body and soul were taken to heavenly glory at the end of her earthly life.
In 1997, Pope Saint John Paul II highlighted the uniqueness of this dogma by stating that Mary experienced the glorification of her body in advance, in contrast to the rest of humanity, whose bodily resurrections will occur at the end of time.