Three Spas in August: Honey, Apple, Walnut - history, traditions, signs. Three Spas in August: Honey Spas, Apple Spas and Walnut Spas

Savior (short form of the word Savior, Jesus Christ) is called three summer ones dedicated to: Honey Savior, Apple Savior and Third Savior.

The meaning of the word "Savior"

The very name “Savior” indicates that all the mentioned events are somehow connected with the Savior of the world, the Lord Jesus Christ and remind us of the need for Him and hope in His mercy. But the Lord can be called the Savior only by those who are aware of their position as dangerous, disastrous. And if we forget our true position, then we are helped to comprehend the dramatic events and circumstances that surpass our strength and threaten us with many hardships and even ourselves.

Carrying out the Honest Trees for us is not only a rite of worship to the life-giving Cross, not only a manifestation of reverence, but also an occasion to confess our weakness in the face of the greatness and complexity of this world, in which a person without God's help is like a speck of dust in a hurricane whirlwind.

We remember the One by whose power the instrument of execution became the tree of life for the believer. And then even fires, drought, heat - can become a source of life for us, a repentant understanding of the vanity of this world, an awareness of the higher calling of the soul, can become for us the beginning of a real conversion to God.

Honey Spas

Honey Spas - 14 (1) August. On this day, the Orthodox Church celebrates the feast of the All-Merciful Savior and the Most Holy Theotokos. The Dormition Fast also begins - the shortest, but strict almost like great post. Lent precedes the feast of the Assumption Mother of God. And his first day is Origin (or Wear: the word Origin means procession) Honest Trees Life-Giving Cross Lord's. The Cross is brought to the center at Matins: until Saturday evening, all believers can bow to it.

History of Honey Spas

The Feast of the Origin of the Holy Trees of the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord was established in the 9th century in Constantinople: every year a part of the Life-Giving Cross, which was kept in the house church of the Greek emperors, was brought to the temple of Sophia and consecrated water for the healing of diseases. The first day of August was chosen precisely because in this hottest month diseases spread especially, people kissed the Cross on which Christ was crucified, drank the water consecrated by him and.

The feast of the All-Merciful Savior and the Most Holy Theotokos was established on the occasion of signs from the Savior, Holy Mother of God and the Holy Cross during the battles of the holy noble prince Andrei Bogolyubsky (1157-1174) with the Volga Bulgarians.

In 1164, Andrei Bogolyubsky undertook a campaign against the Volga Bulgarians, who were pressing the oppressed inhabitants of the Rostov and Suzdal lands. Hoping for the help of the Queen of Heaven, the prince took with him Her icon, which was brought by him from Kyiv and subsequently received the name of Vladimir. Two in vestments carried in front of the army a holy icon and the Holy Cross of Christ. Before the battle, the pious prince, having communed the Holy Mysteries, turned ardently to the Mother of God: “Everyone who trusts in Thee, Lady, will not perish, and I, a sinner, have a wall and cover in You.” Following the prince, generals and warriors fell to their knees before the icon, and, kissing the image, went against the enemy.

The Bulgarians were defeated and put to flight. According to legend, on the same day the Greek emperor Manuel defeated the Saracens. Indisputable evidence of the miraculousness of both these victories was the huge fiery rays coming out of the icons of the Savior, the Mother of God and the Holy Cross that were in the troops. These rays covered the regiments of the faithful rulers of Greece and Russia and were visible to all who fought. In memory of these wonderful victories, with mutual agreement Prince Andrei and Emperor Manuel and with the blessing of representatives of the highest church authorities, and a feast was established for the All-Merciful Savior and the Most Holy Theotokos.

In the Russian Church, simultaneously with the celebration of the All-Merciful Savior, the remembrance of what happened on August 1, 988 in Rus' is combined, in remembrance of which it is established to perform a small blessing of water on this day. Therefore, among the people this holiday is sometimes called “Wet Spas”.

Finally, the third feast of the day is the memory of the holy Old Testament martyrs of Maccabees, who by the power of faith overcame the temptation of apostasy and, having endured a short-term torment, were vouchsafed salvation and eternal blessed life in the Kingdom of God.

The seven holy martyrs of Maccabees: Avim, Antoninus, Guriy, Eleazar, Eusebon, Adim and Markell, as well as their mother Solomonia and teacher Eleazar, suffered in 166 BC. e. from the Syrian king Antiochus Epiphanes. Antiochus Epiphanes, pursuing a policy of Hellenization of the population, introduced Greek pagan customs. He defiled the Temple in Jerusalem by placing in it a statue of Olympian Zeus, whom he forced the Jews to worship.

The ninety-year-old elder - the teacher of the law Eleazar, who was judged for adherence to the Mosaic law, went to torment with firmness and died in Jerusalem. The same courage was shown by the disciples of Saint Eleazar: the seven Maccabee brothers and their mother Solomonia. They, fearlessly recognizing themselves as followers of the True God, refused to sacrifice to the pagan gods.

The eldest of the boys, who was the first to answer the king on behalf of all seven brothers, was given over to terrible tortures in front of the rest of the brothers and their mother; the other five brothers, one after the other, suffered the same torments. There was a seventh brother, the youngest. Antiochus suggested to Saint Solomon that he should be persuaded to renounce, so that she would have at least last son but the courageous mother also strengthened him in the confession of the True God. The boy endured the torment just as firmly as his older brothers.

After the death of all the children, Saint Solomonia, standing over their bodies, raised her hands with a thankful prayer to God, and died.

The feat of the holy seven Maccabee brothers inspired the priest Mattathias and his sons, who raised an uprising against Antiochus Epiphanes, which lasted from 166 to 160 BC. e. and having won the victory, they cleansed the Jerusalem temple of idols.

Traditions of the Honey Savior

Why is this holiday called Honey Spas among the people? By this time, a new collection is in time, and this, of course, is a gift of God, which is why it is customary to bring the collection for consecration to the temple, thanking God and no longer just as a delicacy, but as a clear, tangible embodiment of God's grace, mercy towards us, worthy of "every condemnation and torment." On the same day, according to a long tradition, a small consecration of water is performed, medicinal herbs and poppy.

After the consecration of honey on this day, everyone was treated to it and, first of all, honey was distributed to the poor. In the old days, they even said that "at first he saved and the beggar will try the medicine."

However, it must be remembered that the consecration of honey on this day is just a pious tradition. Such traditions (such as the consecration of apples on the feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord) are quite natural for the consciousness Orthodox person. The earth and everything living on it produce fruits according to the providence of God, and the person who takes part in the production of these fruits, as a token of gratitude to God for help in this matter, brought the first grown fruits to the temple.

Therefore, in itself, the tradition of consecrating honey on this day is in no way connected with the feast of the All-Merciful Savior. And, of course, this pious tradition should not overshadow the holiday celebrated by the Orthodox Church on this day.

Apple Spas

Fruit. You involuntarily want to remember them when you see apples, pears, grapes at the Transfiguration - brought into the sanctuary of God for consecration.

This is done not only because by this time the fruits are ripening, but also because there is a RELATIONSHIP WITH THE RENEWAL of the creature. They are reminiscent of ruined heavenly bliss, and on the other hand, they comfort us with the promise that in the future world there will be some renewed, wonderful pleasures.

In the lives of the saints, this is often mentioned. Thus, this pious custom is very fitting for the transfiguration of the creature. The very sweetness of delicious fruits speaks of that joy, of that bliss that awaits the righteous in the Kingdom of glory; recalls the spiritual sweetness that the apostle Peter experienced with other disciples on Tabor: God! how good we are!(Mark 9:5). N. A. Motovilov experienced the same thing in a conversation with the Monk Seraphim during his transfiguration. Certainly, The kingdom of God is not food and drink, the apostle Paul says righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit(Rom. 14:17); but a person, in his striving for a figurative, visible understanding of invisible things, and even out of inevitability, because new words are needed for “new” things (cf.: 2 Cor. 12, 4), wants to express spiritual truths by external, understandable rites .

So it is here: the believing Christian depicts the future bliss of the glory of the Kingdom of God under the image of sweet fruits.

And in general, very often in Holy Scripture future spiritual blessings are translated into the language of taste; for example, back in ancient testament king david says: Taste and see that the Lord is good(Ps. 33:9). Therefore, this psalm is now read after the consecration of the five loaves, wheat, wine and oil, and after communion, in the consecration. And the Lord says He will eat - “to drink” “new wine” - “in the Kingdom of the Father” (Matt. 26:29) with the disciples in the Kingdom of God (Mark 14:25′; Luke 13:29), in the Kingdom of Christ (Eph. 5:5; Luke 22:30).

And the most spiritual, the highest, the most incomprehensible - the sacrament of the Body and Blood He gave us under the guise of bread and wine, saying: "eat" and "drink."

AND at holy fathers constantly meet similar images. Saint Macarius of Egypt said that sometimes a person who has been granted the communion of the Holy Spirit feels as if “drunk”, etc. But, of course, all this must be understood in a special, spiritual sense.

After all, Motovilov also talked about sweetness, warmth, fragrance, of course - not bodily, but sensations similar to these. What kind of warmth, when snow fell on him and St. Seraphim by an inch, while all this state continued and while St. Seraphim explained to him everything he was experiencing?! Therefore, the holy fathers very often preface such comparisons with the words: “as it were.” Yes, and about Christ, at the time of His transfiguration, it is said: “as it were the sun”; about clothes: "as if it were snow."

The Transfiguration is celebrated after the harvesting of bread (in the north, and in the south - earlier) after the ripening of the fruits, that is, at the end of labors. And moreover, when everything reaches perfection, maturity. Especially in the south. This is a symbol of perfection, the fullness of the future Kingdom of glory, but after the labors of our life on the cross.

And, of course, this is summer holiday... The Kingdom of God is unthinkable to imagine in the form of winter, cold ... The Kingdom of God is celebrated under the image of warmth: and warm water is poured into Holy Communion with the words: blessed is the warmth of the Holy Spirit, for the Holy Spirit gives life, as if warms with warmth; those who take communion are given “warmth”, the combination of warm water with wine.

But Christmas is celebrated - for humanity died spiritually then, like trees - in winter. And in Bethlehem the “Sun of Truth” shone; this time is the turning point of winter.

Easter - in the spring: the beginning of awakening, revolt, revival, resurrection and nature. And the whole of Pentecost - but the day of Spirits - in warm time Celebrated.

Exaltation - in the fall: darkness, impassable dirt; struggle, asceticism, cross, purification from passions. But what you sow in autumn, you reap!

Epiphany - also in winter: the purity of the water, White snow, ablution from passions, renewal - repentance, confession, dispassion, baptism.

History and traditions of Apple Spas

Transfiguration of the Lord in 2017 (August 19)- the twelfth holiday, which the Orthodox Church celebrates on August 19. In the people it is usually called the Apple Savior.

This event is narrated in three Synoptic Gospels: Matthew (17:1-6), Mark (9:1-8), Luke (9:28-36). Shortly before His suffering (Tradition says that the Transfiguration took place forty days before Golgotha, so the interval between the Transfiguration and the Exaltation of the Cross is forty days) Christ took the three apostles - Peter, James and John - to a mountain in Galilee (according to Tradition - Mount Tabor), where, praying, he was transformed: His clothes and face shone with a white light. The prophets Moses and Elijah stood near Christ and talked with him.

In inexpressible joy, the apostle Peter simply turned to the Lord: “Master! it's good for us to be here; Let's make three tabernacles, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." At this moment, the apostles are overshadowed by a bright cloud, from which the voice of God is heard: “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; Listen to him."

Descending from the mountain, Christ did not tell his disciples about the wondrous phenomenon until His Resurrection.

The feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord has been celebrated since the 4th century - the time when the holy Empress Elena built the Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord on the site of the event.

The theological content of the Transfiguration of the Lord is difficult to overestimate. An outstanding Byzantine theologian and one of the greatest Orthodox saints of the 14th century, Saint Gregory Palamas formulated the doctrine of the Tabor Light - one of the manifestations of grace through which a person unites with God. Hesychasm is based on this teaching - the Eastern Christian practice of the so-called noetic prayer.

The controversy of St. Gregory with another theologian of that time, Varlaam, revealed serious contradictions between Orthodox and Western theology. Barlaam, an opponent of St. Gregory, later converted to Roman Catholicism and became Bishop of Ierak, his teaching was adopted by the Roman Catholic Church.

The popular name for the feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord is Apple Spas. On this day, according to tradition, the fruits of the new harvest are consecrated. According to the charter, it is supposed to consecrate grapes, but in Russia, where grapes do not ripen, apples. On the basis of statutory requirements, a pious folk custom do not eat new harvest apples until the Transfiguration, the so-called "apple fast".

According to the rules of the Dormition Fast, on the sixth day of which the holiday falls, fish is allowed to be eaten on this day.

Walnut Spas

After the Dormition, many people believe that the most spiritually difficult days begin - “Theotokos, they say, is not on earth until Her Christmas.” They say it's hard on the soul, on the heart. These are probably the remains of the cult of Mokosha, who was a whimsically merciful and subtly cruel goddess.

“I saw that the Lord is for us everything that is good and comforting to help us. He is our garment that covers and envelops us according to His love, embraces us, becomes our refuge, surrounds us on all sides according to His love, which is so tender that He will never leave us. So in all this I saw that He is all that is good, as far as I understand.

And in this He showed me something small, no more hazelnut lying in the palm of my hand. In this smallness, I saw three things: first, that God created the world, second, that God loves it, third, that God preserves it,” said Juliana of Norich.

For her, the nut was a symbol of the whole world, not witchcraft, but loved by God.
. Truly, not only an apple, but also a simple nut can be taken in hand, like the world.

Taken in hand the whole world like a simple apple.
Divine services solemn zenith,
Light in the round temple under the dome in July,
So that full chest we sighed out of time.
(O. Mandelstam)

Do not be afraid, says the One who was nailed to the tree, and let all the oak trees rejoice today. For after He became a curse, nothing is cursed.

Films about the Savior:

Transfiguration. Orthodox calendar

The Orthodox world celebrates Apple Savior on August 19

Orthodoxy, 14 August. What Savior?

In August, the Orthodox celebrate Honey, Apple Savior

Apples on the table, honey in a jar, fresh bread right there, hot pies, hazelnuts ... All this is nothing but symbols of the beautiful Spas. The holidays of the Savior are special, because they are named in honor of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Honey Spas (August 14) - the first Spas

In Christianity, the Honey Savior is called the feast of the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord. Many centuries ago, in the summer heat of August, in Constantinople, crowds of people died from diseases. In order to heal the people, a piece of the cross on which Jesus was crucified was taken out of the cathedral and carried around the city. That's where the name came from.

But in the world Spas is called Medovy: beekeepers are just beginning to harvest honey. Be sure to carry it to the church - to consecrate. On the evening of that day, in the villages and villages, children would definitely drop in at the apiary - to eat honey. They said that "on the First Spas, even a beggar will try a honey." And so it was. Everyone was welcome on this day. The hostesses baked honey cakes, buns, pies, made pancakes with honey.

Since the holiday coincided with the beginning of the Dormition Fast, Lenten meals were also preferred. For example, they made a lean honey gingerbread.

Recipe for honey gingerbread on Honey Spas

Mix 150 grams of sugar with 250 grams of honey and 130 milliliters of water. Boil and leave the syrup to cool. At this time, sift 500 grams of flour. Add to it syrup, 50 grams of margarine, a pinch of cinnamon and a pinch of soda slaked with vinegar. Knead the dough. Roll out cakes from it, using a fork, pierce each one in several places. Put the cakes in the oven for half an hour at a temperature of 180-200 degrees.

This Savior has other names. For example, Wet, because since ancient times in Rus' it was customary to perform a small blessing of water on this day. Or Poppy - on this day they began to collect ripe poppies. What sweet buns with it turned out!

Apple Spas (August 19) - the second Spas

Seeing off the summer always began on the day of the celebration of the Apple Savior. The nights were getting colder, the warmth was gone. The first apples appeared, and how sweet they were! Perhaps their taste was sweet also because until that day the Orthodox had not eaten apples. But on this day they gathered bulk crops, carried them to the church to consecrate, and only then broke the fast.

Mothers who lost their children brought apples to their graves. It was believed that if a mother did not try an apple before the Apple Savior, then her child in the next world would eat heavenly apples that day. Young girls could be seen near the apple trees. They lean against them and stand, whispering about something. And all because, according to ancient belief, on this day one could ask the apple tree for beauty and long youth.

Housewives begin to cook apple jam, marshmallow, compotes. And there will be a few fruits left - they will definitely bake them.

Recipe for apple jam, which was cooked on Apple Spas

Choose 3-4 large apples with sourness. Wash, dry, cut off the “lid”, carefully remove the core through it. Put inside any berries (blueberries, raspberries, strawberries). Top with honey and close with a cut "lid". Put in the oven and bake at 180 degrees until done.

What does this holiday mean in Christianity? On August 19, the great Transfiguration of the Lord is celebrated. Jesus Christ with three of his disciples ascended Mount Tabor that day and was transformed there - he shone all over, his clothes turned white, prophets appeared around him. The transfiguration was evidence of God's miracle and its power.

Nut Spas (August 29) - the third Spas

By the celebration of the Nut Savior, forest nuts are ripening. They, like honey with apples, are usually taken to the temple for consecration. Especially briskly on this day, our ancestors traded in linens and fabrics, which is quite understandable - the second name of the holiday is “The Savior on the Linen”.

It was given in honor of the celebration of the transfer of the Image of the Lord Not Made by Hands to Constantinople. There was a lot of bread on the tables on the day of the Nut Savior, because the harvesting of grain was just finishing. Leave a half-eaten crust or, God forbid, drop bread crumb it was considered from the table that day terrible sin. They treated bread sacredly, revered it especially.

In August we celebrate three wonderful holidays- three Spas. They are not the same in their significance, however, for all three Spas, the reasons for celebration are associated with the Savior.

The first Savior is called "The Origin of the Trees of the Cross of the Lord." This celebration is celebrated on August 14th. In the royal treasury in Constantinople in the church of Hagia Sophia, a relic was kept - particles of the wood of the cross on which Christ was crucified. These particles had miraculous power, and could stop epidemics in Byzantium. At the hottest time, the clergy took these particles out of the temple and walked with them through the streets of the city, heading towards the reservoirs. This Savior is difficult to attribute to the holidays, because on this day the Assumption Fast begins. It runs from 14 to 27 August. In its severity, it is the same as Great Lent. You can not eat meat or dairy. The first Spas is also called "honey": the honeycombs are filled with honey, it's time for the bees to settle down for the winter. Therefore, you can try fresh honey. The first Savior has another name - "Poppy": at that time, poppies ripened in the south of Rus'. On the same day, the memory of the seven saints of the Old Testament - the martyrs of Maccabees is celebrated.

Transfiguration of the Lord - Second Savior

This holiday is also called the Apple Savior in Rus'. It is celebrated annually on August 19th. Its main rite is the consecration of fruits and cereals in churches. According to tradition, people brought selected apples for sprinkling with holy water, the aroma of which fascinated all those present in the church, as in the Transfiguration corners of Eden. It was believed that the apples were already ripe by this day and they could be eaten. Until August 19, it was not allowed to eat ripening apples - it was considered a sin. Apple Spas continues for nine days. You can eat apples, treat each other with them, whom you happen to meet, cook various dishes from them, and make winter preparations. You can finally let go. For example, apples in honey: boil two peeled and chopped apples for 5 minutes in 50 grams of water, to which 0.1 grams should be added. citric acid, two tablespoons of honey or 40 grams of sugar. After the mass has cooled, remove the apples on a saucer, and add 2 tablespoons of tart wine to the cooled honey syrup. Before serving, pour apples with this syrup.

Of the three holidays that are called Spas (they got such a name because they are dedicated to the miraculous deeds of the Savior), only this holiday, or the Second Spas, is among the "twelfth holidays." It is dedicated to decisive events to convince the disciples of Christ that before them is the Savior. Having ascended the mountain with his disciples, Christ, and soon His face and clothes shone. The prophets Elijah and Moses appeared to Him, who had long since left the world. The heavenly voice of the Lord resounded: "This is my beloved Son."

On August 19, 1456, the invincible Turkish army was defeated by the Orthodox Serbs near the walls of Belgrade. Since then, the Second Spas began to be celebrated as a great holiday.

It is also called "dozhinki", because. the harvesting of bread, or "bread" ends. And since nuts are ripening by this time, this Spas also bears the name "nut". The Church calls this holiday "The Transfer of the Image of the Lord Not Made by Hands." The true origin of this holiday takes us to a distant history. The prince of Edessa, Abgar, fell ill with leprosy. He was treated for quite a long time, but all to no avail, until he heard about a miracle worker from Palestine. It was Jesus Christ. The prince sent a messenger to him. After washing, Christ wiped his face with a towel, on which the image of the face of the Lord was imprinted. The messenger took this towel to the prince, and only one touch of this towel eased the suffering of the prince, and then healed him completely. The towel (ubrus) of Christ became a banner on the gate tower of Edessa, as it saved the lord. Thus, the custom was born to protect the gate towers of Christian cities with images of Christ, icons of the Savior (Savior). Therefore, the gate tower of the Moscow Kremlin is called Spasskaya. From here another name of the holiday originates - “The Savior on the Canvas”.

Like many, Spas also received their signs:

First Spas

Poppies are harvested on Maccabees. On the First Savior, holy wells, holy wreaths of bread. Roses are blooming, good dews are falling. From the First Savior, the dew is good. Prepare the threshing floor and barns. Pasha under the winter, this winter. Break the honeycombs. On the First Spas, horses (all cattle) are bathed.

Second Spas

The Savior has come - it's an hour for everything: the fruits are ripening. Spas came - take mittens in reserve. Before the Second Savior, they do not eat any fruits, except for cucumbers. On the Second Spas, fruits and honey are illuminated. Apples are eaten from the Second Savior. From the Second Savior, sow winter. See off the sunset in the field with songs. Cut honeycombs, remove fruits.

Third Spas

The end of the harvest. Birthday sheaf (last). They say: “Stubble, stubble, give me my snare: to the pestle, to the threshing, to the threshing, to the crooked spindle.” Swallows fly away three times, three Spas.

Find out what you need to do these days!

In August, many nations celebrate holidays associated with the end of the harvest. There are such holidays Orthodox tradition. Established them 950 years ago, Prince Vyshgorodsky Andrey Bogolyubsky and they were called Spas. Since then, every year Orthodox world notes - Honey, Apple and Walnut Spas. Many signs and traditions are associated with this bright holidays. How to mark them correctly? What can and cannot be done these days?

The Days of the Savior are special, because they are named after Jesus Christ, who, as is commonly believed in Orthodoxy, died on the cross for human sins, and saved human souls from the flames of hell. The symbols of these bright holidays are fragrant honey, ripe apples, hazelnuts and fresh bread on the table. Find out the dates and signs of the three Spas in August 2018

First Spas: Honey or Poppy (Makovey)

It is celebrated on August 14 and is called the feast of the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord. This is due to the fact that many centuries ago in Constantinople, people began to die en masse in the August heat from an unknown disease. In order to save the people from the disease, it was decided to carry around the city a piece of the cross on which the Savior was crucified. That is how the name Spas appeared.

In the people, the holiday on August 14 is usually called Honey Savior , since it is at this time that the collection of honey begins in apiaries. In the evening on Spas, it was customary to try the first honey. On this day, the hostesses baked pancakes with honey, gingerbread, buns and pies and treated them to everyone who entered the house. The proverb is connected with this: “On the First Spas, even a beggar will try honey.” Since the holiday coincided with the beginning of the Dormition Fast, the treats were Lenten.

August 14 is also the day of remembrance of the seven Old Testament martyrs Maccabees. The people rethought the name of the holiday and associated it with poppy seeds, which ripen by this time. Therefore, this Spas is often called Macavey and they bring poppy heads to the church to bless, bake pastries and pancakes with poppy seeds and honey.

Second Spas: Apple

It is customary to celebrate the Second Spas on August 19, it is with him that the farewell to summer begins. It is called apple, since it was at this time that the collection of apples began and the Orthodox were forbidden to eat them before the Savior. It was possible to taste sweet fragrant apples not earlier than August 19 and after their consecration in the church.

Mothers who lost their children brought consecrated apples to their graves. It was believed that if a mother did not taste apples before the Savior, her child would eat heavenly apples.

Also near the apple trees one could see young unmarried girls. Leaning against the apple tree, they whispered to her for beauty, unfading youth, and a good groom.

At this time, the housewives began to cook apple jam, marshmallow, compotes and baked apples.

Third Spas: Nut or Bread

Nut Spas is celebrated on August 29. This holiday was founded in honor of the celebration of the transfer of the Image of the Lord Not Made by Hands to Constantinople.
At this time, nuts are sung in the forest, which, after harvesting, are customarily illuminated in the temple. Also on Spas, it was customary to trade and buy fabrics for needlework in winter time. Therefore, among the people this holiday is also called the Savior on the Canvas.

On tables in Walnut Spas there was a lot of bread and other pastries, because the grain harvest had just ended. bad omen on this day, it was considered to leave a half-eaten crust on the table or drop a piece of bread on the floor.

The Orthodox have three holidays in August, three Spas, named after the Savior, the first - "Savior on the Water" on August 14, the second - "on the hill" on August 19, the third - "on the canvas" on August 29. In the article we will tell you in detail about the three Spas in August and where they came from.
The origin of the feast of the first Savior and the Most Holy Theotokos dates back to 1164, to the victory of the Volga Bulgars by the holy prince Andrei Bogolyubsky with the help of the Vladimir icon and the cross. The first Savior is celebrated on August 14 and is called Savior on the water, wet or. In the temple on this day it is supposed to bless water, honey and poppy seeds, believers take communion. Poppy is associated with the commemoration of the martyrs of Maccabees, who gave their lives for Rus'. In 988, on August 1 (according to the old style), the Baptism of Rus' took place. Since then, according to tradition, at this time, old wells were cleaned or new ones were consecrated, then a religious procession was made to rivers, ponds, lakes to consecrate water. After that, they bathed themselves and bathed cattle in order to wash away sins and be healthier. Later, the "wet Spas" did not bathe.
This Spas is also called Medovy due to the fact that by this day the combs in the hives are already filled with fresh honey and it's time to start collecting. Only from the honey Savior was it allowed to eat honey consecrated by the church. Honey was believed to have healing power and is suitable for the treatment of many diseases.
The Second Savior - Apple, is celebrated on August 19 and is called the Transfiguration of the Lord God and our Savior Jesus Christ.
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. To maintain faith in His disciples, when they see 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 appeared to them, Elijah and Moses, and talked with Him about what was waiting for Him. At the same time, the hearts of the disciples were filled with extraordinary joy. On August 19, people dressed in white go to Christian churches for the divine liturgy - this is the color of the Transfiguration.
Apple Savior symbolizes the transformation of nature before the onset of autumn. It is believed that from mid-August the nights become cold. By folk omens, apples finish ripening only by the day of the Savior - until then, you can only collect carrion, and very religious people 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 paradise apples). And 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 break different fruits new crop, including apples. In general, fruits are harvested in order to consecrate: in Russia these are apples, and the first Christians traditionally brought grapes to the altar. In the villages, it is customary to cook apple jam, bake pies with apples and treat them to all neighbors and acquaintances. Apples consecrated in the Transfiguration had special power- people, biting off and swallowing the first piece, made wishes - it was believed that they would come true. They also say about the 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 customary after the church service to distribute consecrated apples to all those present at it. They handed them home for the sick and infirm, treated all the holy fools and the homeless, gave them to the poor and destitute. According to legend, two birds fly to the apple tree from the Garden of Eden: Alkonost and Sirin, the bird of joy and the bird of sorrow. The Sirin bird is the first to fly towards the apple tree and peck at the apples, flapping its wings covered with dead dew. Therefore, the one who picks an apple ahead of time can get exactly the one that got that dew. Alkonost-bird arrives on the day of the Savior, shakes off living dew from its wings. And all the apples on the trees from that day on are transformed, become healing, life-giving power appears in them.
The girls, picking the first apple and biting it, made wishes about love.
August 29 - the third Savior, popularly called walnut, and also bread or linen, the Savior not made by hands. Nut - because nuts ripen around this time. From August 29, it was allowed to eat this year's nuts. Spas is called bread because the Assumption of the Most Holy Theotokos was celebrated the day before, and with it they finished reaping bread. On this day, pies were baked from new flour.
August 29 at Orthodox Church a great holiday, the transfer from Edessa to Constantinople in 944 of the miraculous image of Jesus - a piece of matter with which, according to legend, the Savior wiped his face, and on which his image remained. In Rus', the image of Christ was treated with great respect. On this holiday they traded in canvases and canvases. One of the most strict posts has ended,