View source for Māras

{{Unsourced|date=August 2023}}
{{Baltic religion}}
'''Māras''' ({{IPA|lv|mɑːras̪|}})  or '''Māra Day''' ({{langx|lv|Māras diena}}; sometimes referred to as the '''Great Māra Day''' or '''Mother Day''') was a [[Latvians|Latvian]] festival, devoted to [[Māra]], an ancient deity, and was celebrated on [[15 August]].  According to the [[Sun|solar]] calendar, Māras marks the midpoint between [[Jāņi]], which is summer [[solstice]], and [[Miķeļi]], which represents the end of the harvest season. The actual date, likely, is the result of [[Christianity|Christian]] influence, identifying Māra with [[Virgin Mary]], whose devoted holiday ([[Assumption of Mary]]) is observed on 15 August.

==See also==
* [[Māra]]
* [[Virgin Mary]]
* [[Dormition of the Mother of God|Assumption of Mary]]

{{latvia-stub}}
{{reli-festival-stub}}

{{Latvian seasonal mythological holidays}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maras}}
[[Category:Christianity in Latvia]]
[[Category:Public holidays in Latvia]]
[[Category:August observances]]
[[Category:Summer holidays (Northern Hemisphere)]]