Apple Savior: an Orthodox holiday with pagan roots. Apple Spas: why you can’t eat apples before it
Christians of the Eastern Rite celebrate the Second, or Apple Spas August 19. For consecration on this day, believers bring apples, pears and other fruits to church in a basket. This is one of the 12 largest church holidays.
When is Apple Savior celebrated:
Apple Spas traditions:
Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord, or more popularly known as the Second Savior or Apple Savior Eastern Slavs, has been known since ancient Russian times and the dead are usually commemorated on this day. Traditional dish On this day, baked apples are served, and pies and strudels with apple filling are also prepared.
The whole family was treated to blessed apples brought from the church.
Also, in some places, a tradition has been preserved among women whose children have died not to eat apples until the Apple Savior.
What is sacred on Apple Savior:
Grape;
Peaches;
Ears of rye or wheat.
What not to do at Apple Spas:
On this day you cannot do anything around the house except cooking. Leave cleaning, sewing, washing, etc. for another day. It is also believed that insects should not be killed on this day.
Signs for Apple Spas:
Apple Spas means the onset of autumn and the transformation of nature. It is believed that the nights become colder after the Savior. In central Ukraine, from this day on the nights can be noticeably cold, which is why they say: “The Savior has come, prepare mittens in reserve!”
It is also believed that if the weather is dry and warm on this day, then it will be autumn, and vice versa, if it rains, it will be rich in precipitation.
One of the three August holidays is popularly called Apple Savior. It is celebrated annually in the second ten days of August; its date does not change, like some other Christian holidays. By church calendar this day is called the Transfiguration of the Lord. What date is Apple Spas in 2017? There is only one answer: August 19 - the same as in any other year.
This day is also called differently among the people. He is revered as the Savior on the Mountain, because the Gospel describes how the Savior climbed the mountain to pray. It is also called medium Spas because it is in the middle between honey and nut Spas. The day of August 19 is called the holiday of first fruits because the fruits ripen by this time. They also call it Osenins because with this holiday comes a meeting with autumn.
History of the holiday: apple Savior or Transfiguration of the Lord
The Gospel tells that Jesus Christ, accompanied by his disciples Peter, John and James, went to pray on a mountain in Galilee. It was there, at the top during prayer, that a transformation took place: the savior’s face began to glow, and his clothes suddenly became dazzling. white and began to shine. This happened when a divine voice was heard and a bright cloud appeared, bringing the Old Testament prophets, Elijah and Moses. Jesus talked with them for a long time about the Exodus. From that moment on, he knew about his painful death, and went his way to the end: he died and rose from the dead.
Orthodox people in Palestine in the 4th century began to celebrate the holiday after the Church of the Transfiguration was built on Mount Tabor. According to one version, it was here that Jesus prayed with his disciples.
According to the Gospel, Christ prayed forty days before Easter, therefore, the event took place in February, but on these days it passes Lent, for this reason, the date of the holiday was set by the Orthodox Church on August 19, during the Dormition Fast.
The Transfiguration of the Lord is one of the great Orthodox holidays. A solemn liturgy is held, for which the priests dress in snow-white robes. Along with church rituals, the people created their own rituals. Among Orthodox Russian people, the holiday got its name - the apple Savior and was especially loved by the people, and in 2017 it is also celebrated widely.
Signs, rituals and folk customs for the Apple Savior
The name is due to the fact that the apples were just ripening on this day. They were brought to church to be blessed and only after that were they allowed to eat the fruit. Orthodox people They also saw transformation in this custom. Unripe apples are sour and sharp in taste; when they ripen, they become filled with juice. Likewise, a person in earthly life is sinful and ugly, but turning to moral principles, he touches the divine light, his spirit brightens and transforms.
Before the Savior, eating an apple was considered a sin. People believed that in the next world, heavenly apples were distributed to children. Parents of deceased children carried fruits to their graves on this day.
People believed that on the day of the Second Savior, apples had miraculous powers. Tasting the fruit for the first time fresh harvest, made a wish and expected it to come true.
From Apple Spas they began to collect fruits and prepare them for the winter. Peasants especially loved soaked or dried apples, and in addition they made jam, compotes, and syrups.
For the holiday, fairs with fun festivities were organized. Immediately after the prayer services, they tried to harvest the apples in order to sell part of it at the fair in time. The so-called “meals” also began. Right on outdoors A long row of tables was set up near the temple, and the whole world gathered for a festive meal, which turned into general fun.
People noticed that after the Feast of the Apple Savior, the air temperature at night dropped sharply, indicating the approach of autumn. That is why the holiday was also called Oseniny. It was believed that summer ends on this day. As soon as the sun set below the horizon, chants began about the approaching autumn. It was not for nothing that people said: “The apple Savior has come - summer has left us.”
The Day of the Apple Savior is also mentioned in the folk calendar: if it is hot on this day, then January will have little snow, but if it rains, there will be a lot of snow in winter.
A cheerful sign has been preserved in folk beliefs to this day: if a fly lands on someone’s hand twice, this is a sign of great success. Everyone had to be patient that day; they didn’t even brush away flies so as not to scare away their luck.
What to cook for Apple Spas
Both in the old days and today, on this holiday, housewives prepare various dishes with apples, as well as other fruits, mushrooms and berries collected from the forest, garden or vegetable garden. A mandatory treat is baked goods - pancakes and pies.
A popular dish was one of the varieties of vinaigrette. The main ingredient in it was, of course, apples. They were peeled and cored, only the pulp was chopped. In addition, boiled prunes were added. Traditionally, potatoes boiled “in their uniforms”, cooked beets and sauerkraut, preserved from the previous harvest. All ingredients were thoroughly mixed, grated garlic was added for spiciness. The dish needed to be salted and seasoned vegetable oil homemade, but in modern version You can also use mayonnaise.
Dumplings with apples tasted interesting. To prepare them, you kneaded a simple dough and rolled it into a layer, after which you put apple filling in piles and covered it with a second layer of dough, cut out the dumplings in any way, for example, using a small glass. The filling was made from apples, cut into small slices, and sugar. Approximately 150 grams of sugar were added to one kilogram of apples and cooked until the fruit became soft, then cooled. The dish was prepared in the same way as traditional dumplings - they were placed in small portions in boiling salted water and cooked over low heat for about seven minutes until they floated to the top, after which they were caught with a slotted spoon and served to the table, poured with sour cream.
IN last month Summer, Orthodox believers celebrate three major holidays, three Saviors - Honey, Apple and Bread. Find out how these holidays are celebrated and what traditions should be followed.
Honey Spas
The very first Spas of August is invariably celebrated August 14 and coincides with the beginning of the Dormition Fast. From that day on, beekeepers began collecting honey from overcrowded hives. Then they took the delicacy to the church to illuminate it, only after that they tasted the honey and treated it to loved ones. This is where the first, most famous name of Spas comes from - Honey.
By August 14, the collection of poppies began, from which various treats were made for the festive table, so Spas received its second name - Poppy or Macabey. Poppy Spas folk tradition associated with the church day of commemoration of the seven Old Testament martyrs of the Maccoves.
On this day they asked the Lord and Saints for good harvest and not a hungry winter. They blessed water in springs and collected herbs for amulets. Spas was celebrated modestly, because by the beginning of August it was still full swing Work was going on related to the harvest and there was no time for a magnificent holiday. After a hard time working day celebrations were held, accompanied by dancing and songs, and on the table there were treats with honey and poppy seeds, as well as mead.
Apple Spas
Harvest festival celebrated annually August 19 and dedicated to the greater church date- Transfiguration of the Lord.
According to legend, from that day on nature turned towards autumn and turned away from summer. The earth was transformed and gave people a new harvest of fruits. Apples collected at the end of summer were taken to church to be blessed and then used to prepare Lenten treats.
Some of the blessed apples were taken to the cemetery and placed on the graves of deceased relatives and close people. They illuminated the ears of grain, which were therefore well stored until next year.
Girls charmed apples to get married and be happy this year. While eating the fruit, they made a wish for the groom, saying: “What is wished for is far-fetched! What is far-fetched will come true! What will come true will not pass!
Despite the fact that work in the fields was still ongoing, the Apple Savior was especially revered, so folk festivals were organized with songs and dances.
The third one was saved in August
The third Savior of August, which is popularly called Bread or Nut Spas, timed to coincide with the church holiday in honor of the acquisition of the Image of our Savior Not Made by Hands, Christ.
August 29, on the Feast of the Savior, bread baked from flour of the new harvest was blessed. Bread was served on festive table and treated them to close people and neighbors. The oldest man in the family should try the bread first.
On the Third Spas, people went into the forest to collect nuts, after which they harvested They poured it onto the canvas, and next to it they laid a tablecloth on which there were treats. The holiday was celebrated outdoors with a larger circle of guests.
Three Spas in August - important holidays for everyone Orthodox man. They contain centuries-old traditions that should be remembered. We wish you good luck and don't forget to press the buttons and
11.08.2015 01:20
Every year in August it is customary to celebrate the Savior - folk and Orthodox holidays. After learning more about the latter...
August 14 Russian Orthodox Church notes the Origin (destruction) of the trees of the Holy Cross. People call the first day of the Dormition Fast the Honey Savior. IN different regions Honey Spas is also called First Spas, Poppy Spas, Wet Spas, Spas on the Water, Lakomka, Honey holiday, Honeybreaker, Bee Festival, Farewell to Summer, Spasovka, Maccabee.
They call it Honey Spas because the honeycombs in the hives are full by mid-August, and beekeepers begin collecting honey. It was believed that if the beekeeper did not break the honeycomb, the neighboring bees would take out all the honey. According to tradition, it was allowed to eat honey consecrated by the church from this day on. Honey was eaten with bread or various dishes. Housewives baked honey gingerbreads, pancakes with poppy seeds and honey, pies, buns, buns with poppy seeds. The villagers knew that honey had special powers and was suitable for treating many diseases.
August 14 is also the day of remembrance of the seven Old Testament martyrs of the Maccabees. And, as has happened more than once in Russian history, Christian customs have uniquely overlapped with Russian customs and rituals: the day of remembrance of the Maccabees merged with the ancient Russian rite of seeing off summer and is celebrated among the people as the Macabei holiday - poppy seeds are always present in the dishes served at the festive table , which by this time matures.
Savior on the Water The Honey Savior is named in honor of the small consecration of water. In Rus' it was customary to perform procession on natural bodies of water for the blessing of water. After the procession they bathed in water and bathed livestock to wash away sin and be healthier. It was also at this time that new wells were blessed and old ones were cleaned.
After the Honey Savior, we no longer swam: summer is ending, the water is blooming, the birds are falling silent, the bees are not getting ready, rooks gather in flocks and are preparing to fly away, roses are fading, the departure of the first swallows and swifts is celebrated. For the peasant it is a time of suffering, field work, haymaking, harvest. Peasants are preparing threshing floors, barns for the new harvest of bread, and arable land for winter crops. The farewell to summer begins with Spas. They say: The Savior has everything in stock: rain, buckets, and gray weather. The weather of this day is used to judge what the third Savior will be like.
Sayings and signs of Honey Savior
- On the first day of the Savior, bless the wells, bathe the horses in the river, pinch the peas, prepare the threshing floor, and plow for the winter.
- Plow this winter, this winter.
- On Maccabees they collect poppies.
- Rain on Maccabee - there are few fires.
- Roses are fading, good dew is falling.
- From the first rescue the dew is good.
- The first time he saved the deer wet his hoof (the water was cold).
- The bee stops carrying a honey bribe.
- Wring (cut) the honeycombs.
- Whatever the Maccabees believe, break the fast.
- The first Savior is to stand on the water, the second Savior is to eat apples, the third Savior is to sell canvases on the green mountains.
Apple Spas
On August 19, 2017, the Russian Orthodox Church honors the Transfiguration of the Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ. The popular name of the holiday is the Great Spas or Apple Spas. Numerous events were dedicated to the celebration of the Apple Savior folk rituals. By folk signs, Apple Spas means the onset of autumn and the transformation of nature. It is generally accepted that nights after August 19th become much colder. Before the Savior, it is not allowed to eat apples or dishes made from apples. But on this day, on the contrary, apples and other fruits of the new harvest are supposed to be picked and blessed.
Depending on the region, Apple Spas is also popularly called Spas, Second Spas, Feast of First Fruits, Spas on the Mountain, Middle Spas, Pea Day, First Autumn, Autumn, Transfiguration.
Apple Spas is also called the “first autumns,” that is, welcoming autumn. It is believed that this holiday is intended to remind people of the need for spiritual transformation. According to tradition, on this day they first treated relatives and friends with apples, as well as orphans and the poor, as a remembrance of their ancestors who had fallen asleep in eternal sleep, and only then ate them themselves.
In the old days, all believers certainly celebrated the Apple Savior, baked pies with apples, cooked apple jam and treated each other to it. And in the evening everyone went out into the field to celebrate the sunset with songs, and with it the summer.
Sayings and signs of the Apple Savior
- What a second Savior, so is January.
- What is the day on the Second Savior, such is the Intercession.
- A dry day foreshadows a dry autumn, a wet day foretells a wet one, and a clear day foretells a harsh winter.
- On this day they see off the sunset in the field with songs.
- Meeting autumn - Autumn.
- On the second Savior, apples and honey are blessed.
- On the second day, the Savior and the beggar will eat the apple.
- Until the second rescue, they do not eat any fruits except cucumbers.
- Whoever wants (to fly away), and the crane to the Savior.
- When you eat the first apple, “what is far-fetched will come true, what will come true will not pass away.”
- The Savior has come - it’s only an hour.
- The second Savior has arrived, take mittens in reserve.
- On the second Spas, take the golitsa in reserve.
- From the second saving, sow winter crops.
- If the sowing of rye occurs during the midnight (northern) wind, then, according to a sign, the rye will come out stronger and larger in grain.
- If, when sowing rye, a fine rain falls, like beads, then it is God who gives the news about the harvest; and if it starts to rain, then it’s better not to continue sowing, but rather turn the shafts home.
Nut Spas
On Khlebny Spas they bake pies from the new bread. The ears of the new harvest were also blessed on the Savior. People said the Savior - we have plenty of bread, the Third Savior has stored up bread. From Spas, which was the border between the summer and autumn cycles of work, in some places they began sowing winter crops and digging early potatoes. The harvesting of hazelnuts also began with the third Savior. For the festive table, housewives prepared baked goods and other dishes with nuts. In most villages in Russia there were no events on this day. big holidays, as preparations began for the completion of summer field work before the onset of rains. But in the cities from this day the Great Day festivities begin. Fairs were held at the Third Spas, canvases and linen were traded, which is why Saps is also called Kholshchev.
On the third Spas, you notice the departure of birds, especially swallows and cranes. It is believed that swallows fly to three Spas. If the crane flies to the third Spas, then it will be frosty on Pokrov. People considered Spas to be the day of departure of storks. It was noticed that if storks began to prepare for departure a week before Spas, then the winter would be early and frosty, and the spring would be warm; if after the Savior, the autumn will be warm, the winter will be late, and the spring will be cold. The departure of storks indicated the approach of winter, and the sayings reminded us that the Savior has come - and summer is from us, Savior - take mittens in reserve.
Sayings and signs of the Nut Savior
- The Third Savior saved bread.
- The Third Savior is good - there will be kvass in winter.
- The harvest for nuts is the harvest of bread for the next year.
- There is no harvest for nuts two years in a row.
- If the crane flies to the third Spas, then it will be frosty on Pokrov.
- Swallows take flight.
- Swallows fly away three times, three times the Savior.
- As Eudokei believes, so does the third Savior.
- First Spas - standing on the water; the second Savior - they eat apples; third Spas - they sell canvases on the green mountains.
- To look up to Peter's days, to fence up to Ilyin, to sow to the Savior.
In the last month of summer, Orthodox believers celebrate three major holidays, three Saviors - Honey, Apple and Bread (Nut).
Honey Spas
The very first Spas of August is invariably celebrated on August 14 and coincides with the beginning of the Dormition Lent.
The basis of the first Savior is a holiday with long name- The Coming of the Honest Trees Life-giving Cross The Lord's.
The tradition of celebrating it came to us from Constantinople - it was here that part of the cross on which Jesus was crucified was kept. Once a year, the relic was taken out of the temple and they walked with it in a religious procession around the capital “to consecrate places and ward off diseases.” Later, such processions spread to Rus', only our ancestors wore the most ordinary cross.
Time passed and a new celebration joined the Feast of the Holy Cross. And it all started with a miracle...
In 1164, completely independently and at a considerable distance from each other, the Byzantine Emperor Manuel and the Russian Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky defeated their enemies. And there was one and the same sign for both winners: from the cross of Christ, icons Our Lady of Vladimir and the image of the Savior, who were among the army, emanated a radiance. Manuel and Andrey sent messages to each other about their glorious victory and amazing spectacle. Imagine their amazement when it turned out that a miracle had been sent down to both of them at once! In honor of this great event, the date of the first Savior was set. Soon two celebrations - the Feast of the Cross of the Lord and the Savior - merged into one.
The first Spas has several names: Spas on the water, Wet, or Honey. In the temple on this day it is necessary to bless water, honey and poppy seeds, and believers take communion.
August 14, 988 (August 1, old style) is celebrated as the day of the beginning of the Baptism of Rus'. Since then, according to tradition, at this time old wells were cleaned or new ones were blessed, then a religious procession was made to rivers, ponds, and lakes to bless the water. After that, they bathed themselves and bathed the cattle in order to wash away their sins and be healthier.
This Spas is also called Honey Spas due to the fact that by this day the honeycombs in the hives are already filled with fresh honey and it’s time to start collecting. Only with honey Savior It was allowed to eat honey consecrated by the church.
They say that even the air itself is saturated on the day of the First Savior honey aroma. After all, the First Savior is a honey holiday, it is a holiday for beekeepers. Only after consecration is the first honey ready for consumption. Russians have long respected honey, because it is one of the healthiest and most delicious products. According to legend, a honey drink cured Ilya Muromets himself from paralysis.
Part of the honey was necessarily left in the church, part was used to treat the poor, and was also distributed to the homes of poor neighbors.
From this day on, beekeepers began collecting honey from overcrowded hives. Then the delicacy was taken to the church to be blessed, only after that they tasted the honey and treated it to loved ones. This is where the first, most famous name of Spas - Honey - originates.
By August 14, poppy harvesting began, from which various treats were made for the festive table. This is how Spas received its second name - Poppy, or Makovey. Folk tradition associated the Poppy Savior with the church day of remembrance of the seven Old Testament martyrs of the Maccabees.
On this day they asked the Lord and the saints for a good harvest and a hungry winter. They blessed water in springs and collected herbs for amulets.
The Savior was celebrated modestly, because by the beginning of August work related to the harvest was still in full swing - and there was no time for a magnificent holiday. After a hard day of work, celebrations were held, accompanied by dancing and songs, and treats with honey and poppy seeds, as well as mead, were on the table.
Apple Spas
The harvest festival, which is celebrated annually on August 19, is timed to coincide with a major church date - the Transfiguration of the Lord.
According to legend, from that day on nature turned towards autumn and turned away from summer. The earth was transformed and gave people a new harvest of fruits. Apples collected at the end of summer were taken to church to be blessed and then used to prepare Lenten treats.
On this holiday - the day of the Transfiguration of the Lord - the unification of the divine and human principles in the person of Jesus Christ is glorified. According to legend, to maintain faith in His disciples, when they saw His suffering, Jesus Christ showed them His divine face.
Shortly before the crucifixion, Jesus Christ ascended a high mountain with three disciples: James, Peter and John, to pray. Suddenly they saw that Jesus seemed to be transformed: His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became snow-white. Then two prophets, Elijah and Moses, appeared to them and had a conversation with Him about what awaited Him. At this, the hearts of the disciples were filled with extraordinary joy.
Since then, on August 19, people go to Christian churches to celebrate divine liturgy people dressed in white is the color of the Transfiguration.
Apple Spas is a symbol of the transformation of nature before the onset of autumn. It is believed that from mid-August the nights become cold. According to popular belief, apples finish ripening only on the Day of the Savior - until then you can only collect carrion, and believers do not eat apples at all until this day.
There is a belief that if parents do not eat an apple before the Second Savior, in the next world their children will be given gifts (including heavenly apples). But if the parents ate apples, then no. Therefore, most parents whose children have died consider it a great sin to eat apples before August 19th. And from this day on, you can pick various fruits of the new harvest, including apples.
In general, fruits are collected in order to bless: in Russia these are apples, and the first Christians traditionally brought grapes to the altar.
In villages it is customary to make apple jam, bake pies with apples and treat them to all neighbors and acquaintances. It is believed that apples blessed on the Transfiguration have special power: people, biting and swallowing the first piece, made wishes - it was believed that they would definitely come true.
They also say about Apple Spas - “the first autumns,” that is, the sign of autumn. This holiday is a reminder of spiritual transformation each of us.
Previously it was accepted after church service distribute blessed apples to everyone present. They handed them over to homes for the sick and infirm, treated all the holy fools and the homeless, and gave them to the poor and destitute.
According to legend, two birds fly to the apple tree from Garden of Eden: Alkonost and Sirin, the bird of joy and the bird of sadness. The Sirin bird is the first to fly to the apple tree and peck at the apples, flapping its wings covered with dead dew. Therefore, whoever picks an apple ahead of schedule, you may come across exactly the same one that was hit by that dew. The Alkonost bird flies to the Day of the Savior, shakes off the living dew from its wings. And from this day on, all the apples on the trees are transformed, become healing, and, according to legend, a life-giving force appears in them.
As we see, religious traditions are closely intertwined with pagan rituals. This holiday conventionally draws a line between the summer season and autumn, which is generous with gifts and brings with it the transformation of nature. The name of the holiday comes from the name of the Savior, who at the cost of his life brought hope for people who believed in him. eternal life and the grace of forgiveness.
On this day, some of the blessed apples were carried to the cemetery and placed on the graves of deceased relatives and close people. Ears of grain were also blessed, which were therefore well preserved until the next year.
Girls charmed apples to get married and be happy this year. While eating the fruit, they made a wish for the groom, saying: “What is wished for is far-fetched! What is far-fetched will come true! What will come true will not pass!
Despite the fact that work in the fields was still ongoing, the Apple Savior was especially revered, so folk festivals were organized with songs and dances.
The third one was saved in August
The third Savior of August, which is popularly called Bread, or Nut.
The holiday is celebrated on August 29. It was believed that by this day the hazel had ripened (it was collected in the forest and also blessed in churches), and the first bread was baked from the grain of the new harvest.
From August 29, it was allowed to eat this year's nuts. It was believed that the very first collection of hazelnuts must be blessed in the church and distributed to the suffering and poor in order to gain grace and health in the future.
The Savior is called Bread because the day before the Dormition was celebrated. Holy Mother of God, and they finished reaping bread with him. On this day, pies were baked only from new flour.
There is also a church name - Savior of the Image of Christ the Savior Not Made by Hands. IN Orthodox tradition this story is connected with the sick king of Edessa, Abgarius, and Thaddeus’ visit to him after the artist he sent failed to depict Christ. Then Christ washed his face, wiped it with the cloth on which the imprint remained, and handed it to the artist. This miraculous image subsequently worked miracles more than once, healing people, until it was lost during the Fourth Crusade.
As the names suggest, the main dishes on this holiday are freshly baked bread from the new harvest flour and nuts. Bread was served on the festive table and treated to close people and neighbors. The oldest man in the family had to taste the bread first.
On the third Spas, people went into the forest to collect nuts, after which the entire harvest was poured onto a canvas, and a tablecloth was laid next to it, on which there were treats. The holiday was celebrated outdoors with a large circle of guests.
On this holiday they traded canvases and canvases. One of the most strict posts, Uspensky, during which even vegetable oil could be eaten only on weekends and which was observed from August 14 to 28. But this was not a burden, because it was allowed to eat berries, fruits, and mushrooms.
Based on materials from sites Dailyhoro and " Scarlet Sails»
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