The Dormition Fast is observed in preparation for the great feast of the Dormition (Assumption) of the ever-Virgin Mother of God. We celebrate her participation, body and soul, in the heavenly glory of her Son, the Giver of Life. In the Eparchy of Van Nuys, the Dormition Fast is minimally observed by fasting from meat on Wednesdays and Fridays from August 1 to August 14, the Vigil of the Dormition of the Mother of God.