Orthodox Church marks Bogorodichni Zagovezni on July 31

On July 31 the Orthodox Church celebrates the feast known as Bogorodichni Zagovezni, the final day of permissive eating before the two‑week Dormition fast that begins on 1 August and ends on 15 August with the Feast of the Dormition. The day signals the transition from ordinary daily life to the fasting period leading up to the major feasts of the Transfiguration (6 August) and the Dormition of the Theotokos (15 August).

Traditions include the last consumption of meat, dairy, cheese and eggs, prayers to Saint Eudoxius the Righteous for family harmony, and folk beliefs that the weather on 31 July foretells the agricultural season. Couples are said to receive blessings for marriage stability, and believers seek spiritual preparation by avoiding excess food, alcohol, loud entertainment and major household cleaning.