Assembly of Mother of God

On the second day of Christmas, January 8, Christians celebrate the Assembly of the Holy Mother of God when they glorify the dignity of God-bearing. There is no accurate information as to when the feast was included in the general practice of the Church. Some holy fathers of the 4th c., such as St. Ambrose, St. Augustine, St. Epiphanius of Cyprus and St. John Chrisostom glorify the Mother of God in their sermons on occasion of Christmas. It is possible that for some time, the mentioned feast and the Day of First Martyr Stephen were marked on one and the same day because only in the 7th c., the day of St. Stephen was carried over to the third day of Christmas.

In general, it is traditional for the Eastern Church to commemorate after the great feast the memory of the persons who played the main role in the events of the feast. "In Christmas, we see next to Christ the Holy Mother of God. Therefore, as early as in the first centuries, the faithful gathered together on the next day after Christmas to thank the Holy Mother of God for giving us the Savior and to honour her as the Mother of God. After this assembly of the faithful, the feast itself was called the Assembly, the Sobor," noted Fr. Yulian Katrii in his book "Know your rite."

During the celebration of the feast of the Assembly of the Mother of God, the Church calls the faithful to glorify the Mother of God: "Come and magnify the Mother of the Savior, who remained the virgin even after the Christmas. Rejoice, the living city of the King and God where Christ stayed and completed the salvation. Let us praise together with Gabriel and glorify together with the shepherds by saying: Mother of God, beg the one incarnate of you for our salvation." (the feast's matins).