08/09/2026
Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary September 8
The celebration of Mary’s birth originated in the 5th and 6th centuries in the Eastern Church, stemming from the dedication of the Basilica Sanctae Mariae ubi nata est (now known as the Church of St. Anne) in Jerusalem, traditionally believed to be the home of her parents, Saints Joachim and Anne.
The feast is celebrated on September 8, exactly nine months after the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception on December 8. In the Byzantine liturgical calendar, which began its church year in September, this early autumn date celebrated Mary's birth as the "dawn of our salvation"—the joyful prelude to the coming of Christ.
The canonical Gospels do not record Mary’s birth. Instead, the account is preserved in ancient apocryphal literature, most notably the 2nd-century Protoevangelium of James, which details the lineage and background of her pious parents.
Introduced to Rome by Eastern monks toward the end of the 7th century, the feast spread throughout Western Christendom by the 11th century, becoming a cherished anchor for both spiritual devotion and traditional agrarian harvest celebrations in Europe.