If we forget to pray to Mary, we lose our identity

Since the recent war against Isis, more and more women in Syria—grandmothers, young mothers, and girls—have been wearing a piece of clothing known as “Mary’s dress” during the month of May each year. This garment is a blue dress belted with a white drawstring at the waist that symbolizes the doves of peace. Before being worn, the whole outfit must receive the blessing of a priest.

For Maha, a 45-year-old mother who lost her son at the front, Mary is the obedient and patient mother: "She stands half way between heaven and earth. She understands us because she has given life and she is made of flesh. She has experienced giving birth, and suffering, as we humans. Everyone knows about the relationship between mothers and their children in eastern families. This is even truer when the mother is the Virgin Mary. If we forget to pray, we lose our identity."

"Mary suffered too as a mother. She accepted to lose her son, Christ, by embracing the will of God. Wearing this dress gives me strength and serenity. I feel much closer to my son, where Jesus and Mary watch over him."

Syria has been at war for more than seven years. It is a bloody and deadly war, and mortars have not spared the Christian neighborhoods of cities like Damascus, Aleppo, Homs and so many others. But despite all this, the large presence of the faithful at the various religious ceremonies has grown steadily. Most of them are convinced that God won’t abandon them, that we have only been put to the test. Their faith has been tested through suffering. 

Aleteia (May 23, 2018)