August 28 – Assumption of Mary in Bosnia-Herzegovina

Posted on August 28, 2017

Most Bosnians (about 51%) identify themselves as Muslims, but two of the largest groups of Christians are Roman Catholic (15% of the entire population) and the Serbian Orthodox (31%). Both of these Christian religions celebrate a holy day called the Assumption of Mary, although on different days. Today is the Assumption in the Serbian Orthodox church.

The story behind today's holiday is that Mary, the mother of the religion's central figure, Jesus, either never died but was physically lifted up to heaven...or she died like any normal person but three days later was resurrected (like Jesus) and that resurrected physical body was lifted up to heaven...or some similar story. I gather that different Catholic and Orthodox churches teach different things about Mary's departure from the Earth.

Bosnia-Herzegovina was once part of Yugoslavia and is now considered part of Eastern Europe. 

Its capital, Sarajevo, is famous for blending east and west. There you can see a mosque (Muslim), a synagogue (Jewish), a cathedral (Catholic), and a church (Orthodox) quite close to one another. 



Like nearby Croatia, Bosnia has some wonderful waterfalls, gorgeous gorges, and lovely coast scenery (but only a very short coastline). There are many cool historical buildings, picturesque bridges, and wonderful markets. 
















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