August 19 Orthodox holiday signs and customs. Apple Savior: folk traditions, customs and signs

Apple Savior or the Transfiguration of the Lord is one of the first harvest holidays of the year and the second of the three Spas that are celebrated in August. According to beliefs, on this day autumn begins to come in nature.

When is Apple Spas 2018 celebrated?

From year to year Apple Savior is celebrated on the same day - August 19th. In 2018, this day falls on Sunday.

Why is the Second Spas called Apple

Apple Savior - vernacular name feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord. It is associated with many folk rituals. First of all, Apple Savior means the onset of autumn, the transformation of nature. Previously, before this holiday, it was not supposed to eat fruits, in general, no fruits, except cucumbers. On August 19, they were consecrated in the church, after which all fruits were allowed to be eaten. After consecration, part of the fruits brought should be given a parable, and the rest should be taken to the house where they break the fast.

It is believed that if parents do not eat apples before the Second Savior, then in the next world their children are given gifts, among which are paradise apples. And those children whose parents have tried apples are not handed out. Therefore, many parents, especially those who buried their children, consider it a sin to eat apples before this holiday. Mothers who have lost children bring several apples to the church on the Apple Savior morning, consecrate them, and then take them to the graves of their dead children. If the grave is far away, the consecrated apple can be placed on any children's grave or left in the temple. Previously, consecrated apples were often carried to cemeteries to put to all deceased relatives.

There is also a belief that at the Transfiguration apples become magical. Having bitten off a piece, you can make a wish that will certainly come true.

From that day on, a hot season begins in the orchards, apples are harvested for the future according to a variety of recipes: they are dried, preserved, and soaked. During the holiday, you also need to cook a lot of dishes with apples, bake in the oven or oven with honey, and make pies. Spasov apples were given to the poor and the sick.

On the same day, the mass consumption of peas begins, sometimes even a special "Pea Day" was arranged. With the Apple Savior and the Feast of the Transfiguration, the harvest of spring crops and the sowing of winter crops (rye) began. The healers tried to prepare until this day medicinal herbs, the Hutsuls did not take fire out into the street, in Transcarpathia that day they did not lend fire.

Mass festivities and fairs were timed to coincide with the holiday.

According to popular beliefs, after the Apple Savior, the nights become colder. This holiday is also a meeting of autumn.

"The Second Savior has come - take mittens in reserve."

History of the celebration

The Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord is connected with one of the parables about Christ. Christ, with his disciples Peter, James and John, 40 days before his crucifixion, goes to Mount Tabor, where his future fate is revealed to him as a sacrifice to atone for the sins of mankind. During this, Jesus was illuminated by the brightest light of the Lord, and the disciples saw how Christ was transformed. But he forbade them to tell anyone about this, but ordered them to gather fruits in the garden under the mountain and consecrate them.

The history of the celebration of the Great Savior in Rus' dates back to the 4th century and was not originally connected with Orthodox themes. On this day, people believed in a change in nature and a turn in the calendar for autumn. It was believed that nature is changing and a new time period is coming - autumn.

On this day, it has long been customary to treat everyone with fruits from their lands. For this, baskets with collected fruits were put up at the gates of the house and everyone could treat themselves to them. Those who did not put out treats were considered greedy people and tried to avoid their homes.

The apple - one of the main fruits in Rus' - was endowed with special significance. The people believed that an apple eaten on this holiday would surely give a lot of strength and fulfill their most cherished desire. It was customary not only to eat apples, but also to prepare jams, compotes and pies from them.

An important tradition in Russian villages on this day was the cleansing of fields for the next harvest. On this holiday, houses were decorated with collected ears of corn, which symbolized a rich harvest and a long, well-fed life.

"Apple Spas" - folk traditions of the Feast of the Transfiguration

The Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord in Rus' was also called Apple Savior, Savior, Second Savior, Feast of the First Fruits, Savior on the Mountain, Middle Savior, Pea Day, Second Meeting of Autumn, First Autumn, Autumn.

"The first autumns" - means a meeting of autumn. Summer was waning, the peasants were harvesting in the fields and gardens. Apples were brought to temples for blessing. Above them, the priest read a special prayer - "For the consecration of the beginnings of vegetables (fruits)." From that moment on, believers could begin to eat apples and other fruits of the new harvest.

By this time, apples were ripening en masse in the orchards.

At the Apple Savior, housewives baked apple pies and made jam. Relatives and friends were invited to the meal. There was a tradition to regale the poor - to the glory of God. If someone refused to do this good deed, he was condemned in every possible way:

“And God forbid, do business with them! He forgot the old and the orphan, did not give them from his wealth and small good, did not regard the sick and the poor with his good!

Even on the Transfiguration they sang songs, accompanied the sun in the field.

Customs and signs

The festival is in many ways similar to the celebration of the Poppy Savior, only unlike honey and poppy seeds, apples, pears and plums are lit in churches. In the warm regions of Russia, grapes were ripening at that time, which also had to be consecrated in the church.

It is customary to pray and thank the Lord for a good harvest. According to tradition, people treat each other with apples and honey, and also donate part of their own collection to the needs of the church. In the temple, anyone in need can take advantage of people's donations and take some of the sweet food for themselves.

On this day, you need to go to visit or invite loved ones to your place. Each housewife should have her own personal recipe for apple pie, with which she can surprise guests.

When you finish eating an apple consecrated in the church, you should make wishes. It is believed that it will definitely come true.

Popular belief says that after the Apple Savior, colds come. The weather changes drastically. The night comes much earlier. In Russian villages this day was celebrated not only Orthodox holiday, but also arranged a magnificent celebration dedicated to the meeting of autumn.

Our ancestors closely monitored the weather. If the weather was dry and warm at Apple Spas, we waited warm winter. But if there was a downpour, they were preparing for a harsh winter.

On this day, it is also customary to commemorate the dead by leaving apples on their graves. There is a sign that if the relatives of the deceased ate the fruits of apples before the beginning of the Great Savior, then the reposed souls will not be able to enjoy the celebration and share the joy among themselves.

The girls performed a ceremony to attract love. It was necessary to eat an apple, thinking about the chosen one and imminent marriage. Thus, young ladies lured their lover into sweet captivity, bewitching him to her.

The clergy at Apple Savior sprinkled the earth with holy water. Thus, the soil was prepared for winter sowing.

The second Savior, which is called the Apple Savior, is celebrated on August 19. This event does not go unnoticed among the people. signs and beliefs on which are relevant to this day, is known for the fact that on this day all fortune-telling, as a rule, turns out to be true.

A little about the holiday

Apple Savior is a sign that a warm or hot summer is gradually being replaced by a cooler autumn. On this day it is necessary to harvest. Observant people notice that on August 19 it becomes cool, and birds and animals, sensing the approach of cold weather, begin to behave cautiously and fussily.

The Savior is Jesus Christ, that is, the Savior of the human race. It is thanks to him that the holiday got its name. Traditions, customs, ceremonies and signs on the Apple Savior (August 19) are very diverse. If you are observant enough and believe in magic, you will notice how, by following all the rules, your life will change for the better.

There are many signs that say that luck will soon visit your life. Here are the most popular ones:

• If on August 19 a fly landed on your hand twice, then luck will haunt you for a whole year. It has been noted that even if you do not like flies, you should be patient and wait until the insect flies away.
• If you treat a poor or needy person on this day, then next year you can expect a good harvest.

Many of the signs that exist on Apple Spas are dedicated to women.

Signs for women

A lot of new and even mystical things happen to the fair sex at Apple Spas. Signs for women, the observance of which helps not to commit sins, are as follows:

• As everyone knows, Adam and Eve were expelled from paradise because of one apple they ate. After Easter and before Apple Savior, a woman should not eat apples so as not to violate God's commandment. If a girl breaks this tradition, she will take on a grave sin.
• A woman should not come to church in a skirt above the knee or with her head uncovered. It means disobeying the laws of the Lord.

Such traditions have existed for Apple Spas since ancient times. Signs for women occupy a special place in the celebration of this holiday, since it is the fair sex who are the keepers of the hearth and provide family comfort.

There is also a lot popular beliefs which help to predict the future course of events.

Popular beliefs are not limited to signs for women. For example, there is a tradition that obliges to eat an apple with honey on this day. This will help you improve your health and give you strength for the whole year. Besides:

• On this day, it is customary to harvest peas and apples.
• So that luck pursues you, cook dishes for Apple Spas, which include apples.
• If you do not harvest your grain crops before August 19, then after that day all weather conditions will harm it.
• After August 19, the weather will become much colder.
• If it’s hot on Apple Spas, then the winter will not be very snowy, and if it’s cold, expect cold and snowstorms.

In addition, there are several conspiracies and fortune-telling that young girls often resort to on this day:

• cut the red ripe apple into equal halves, between them put a note with the name of the person you sympathize with. Put an apple on the windowsill and see which half starts to spoil and darken first. If it is right, then the person you are interested in does not have warm feelings for you, and if it is left, then most likely your loved one will soon take the initiative to bring you closer.
• If you want to perform a ritual that will show if your dream will come true, take 3 apples different color. Let one be red, the second yellow, and the third green. Place fruit in one container. Imagine that your wish has come true. Do it in color. After that, take one apple out of the box. If you come across red, then your desire will come true, and this fulfillment will not take long. If the apple is yellow, then you will have to make some efforts to make your dream come true. If you pulled out a green fruit, then your desire is not destined to come true.

You can not only guess at Apple Spas. Signs, conspiracies, as well as rituals are also popular among believers.

Rites and conspiracies for Apple Spas

Signs for the Apple Savior on August 19 boil down to the fact that you can attract luck in your personal life, career and other important areas on your own. You need to do this with the help of such rituals:

• Pick 3 linden branches, put them in a vase next to your bed. After that, for 9 days every morning, take the twigs out of the vase, go around the whole house with them, whipping in the corners. This is how you will attract wealth into your life.
• To bewitch a loved one, take an apple, cut it into equal halves, put a nettle leaf between them, and again combine the parts into one whole. Next, bring the apple to your lips and read the plot: “Fly to me, my fate, like a burning nettle. May it be for the good of you, me and everyone around. After that, hide the apple in a place where no one will find it. Wait until the fruit dries, then bury it in the ground near the house of a loved one.
• To rid your home of bad energy, on August 19, take a large apple and cut it into 2 equal parts, cut the core from one. Next, take a candle, put it on a saucer, light it and go around every corner of your house with it. Wax from the candle will drain, you must drain it into a half of an apple without a core. Cover it with the second part of the fruit and fasten it tightly with threads. After that, take the apple outside and bury it deep in the ground.

Signs for Apple Spas on August 19 are not limited to this. There are several other beliefs that seem to look mystical.

• If the parents, whose child has recently died, do not eat apples before the Apple Savior, then in the next world the baby will get presents in the form of heavenly apples.
• On this day, you need to consecrate peas in the church. Good luck will pursue the one who shares the consecrated fruits with the poor people.

Apple Spas is considered an Orthodox holiday, so people who believe in God observe all the traditions of this holiday.

On August 19, Apple Savior is celebrated - this is a traditional holiday for Orthodox Christians. People are sure that it is after this day that autumn begins, as it gets colder and it often rains. This holiday is celebrated more brightly and beautifully by people who live in the village, where ancient traditions have been preserved.
Traditions and customs of the Apple Savior

This is a big peasant holiday. It was established in honor of the transfiguration of Jesus Christ.
On this day, Jesus first appeared before people. He was surrounded by an unearthly color, which made his clothes snow-white. On this day, all services are also customarily held in white robes. Believers in the Transfiguration repent and strive for spiritual purification. In the people this day is associated with gratitude for the harvest.
They celebrate the Apple Savior in the morning, as soon as the sun has risen ... Fruits, grapes, honey, apples are brought to the church for consecration, and then they were treated to friends, acquaintances, beggars and even deceased relatives. Only after that they could enjoy the taste of fragrant fruits themselves, feast on the first apples. They gave them to the poor, the sick. Those who did not do this were considered unworthy of fellowship.

On this day, it was allowed to work exclusively in the garden, harvesting apples, plums and other fruits, or in the kitchen, preparing various treats and preparations for the winter.

It was forbidden to do other things, there is even such a saying: "Who sews for the Savior - sheds tears until the end of days."

Another folk wisdom prescribed not to eat apples until the second Savior. This is an absolutely correct observation, since only by this time they fully mature and become harmless to the stomach, especially children's.

This wisdom does not refute the presence of early-ripening varieties of apples at the present time, since it also has a sacred biblical meaning, far beyond possible harm to your stomach. A woman who ate an apple after Easter and before the Apple Savior takes upon herself the gravest sin of the foremother Eve, who presented the apple to Adam and thereby violated the main and only commandment of that time. Having eaten the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil, Adam and Eve were expelled from Paradise, which is an edification to all of us.

It was considered a good omen to comb your hair with a comb made of apple wood.. This helped the beauties to acquire a pleasant blush, and this comb also helped get rid of a headache.

Also, asking the apple tree for beauty, the girls tore off the leaves and wove them into their hair. In the evening on Apple Spas, people went out into the street, played games, sang songs, watched the sunset and saw off the summer with the sun.

Signs of Apple Spas

Exists a large number of various signs, as well as customs, the implementation of which believers associate with further well-being and health, both for themselves personally and for their family members.

• Before the Second Savior, they do not eat any fruits, except for cucumbers.
  • Highly interesting sign speaks of imminent success if on that day a fly sat in your hand twice. And this is true, although everyone has their own concepts of success and relationships with flies. However, even if you are not very pleased to see this creature, it is better to be patient at Apple Spas and not drive it away. It should be remembered that success will come only if the flies sit in your hand twice, once is not enough to fulfill your innermost desires.
  • It has long been noticed that the weather on the Apple Spas also determines what January will be like. At the same time, one should not be skeptical about the named sign, based on its literal interpretation. Popular wisdom testifies that if the weather is hot on the second Savior, then January will be with little snow, but if it constantly rains, winter will please with abundant snow cover. Everyone can easily be convinced of the fidelity of signs - it has been repeatedly tested on itself and no mistake has ever been noticed.
  • After the Apple Spas, summer leaves us. Despite the fact that this is a fair observation and, indeed, after August 19 in the morning and evening it is no longer as warm as before, and swimming in reservoirs is simply not desirable, you should not think sadly about the past summer. This is a natural change of seasons, established by nature itself. After autumn, winter and spring next year, you will definitely fall into summer again, so there is no need to despair, everything will definitely come back again.
  • The following folk sign says that before the Apple Savior, the entire grain crop should be completely harvested, for after the 19th of August any rain (the so-called corn-rain) will be especially fatal to the crops left in the field. At the same time, even a small delay, for a few days, can lead to irreparable losses. So, a grain of wheat harvested just a day or two after the second Savior, in case it rained during this time, will be poorly stored, the flour will be covered with mold, and the ears themselves will dry out. The fidelity of this sign has been tested and confirmed by the experience of many generations. That is why housewives often have to throw away flour purchased at the market, because the dough and other dishes in which it is used turn out to be not tasty. Even a fish simply boned in such flour will be practically not edible. And everything is explained very simply - the wheat was harvested after the Apple Savior.
  • It was believed that on this day you must definitely eat at least one apple with honey. and it will provide good health for the whole next year.
  • It is believed that if you treat a beggar with an apple, then the next harvest will be especially plentiful. It is significant that this rite should be performed without waiting for requests from the beggar person himself, seeing whom the faithful had to bring him vegetables and fruits.
    If during the day it was not possible to meet a beggar, this was considered a bad sign and a sure sign that next year there would be a very poor harvest. In order to avoid a bad omen, people took the fruits of their garden and traditionally went to the church, where one could always meet the poor. A folk saying is connected with this ceremony that an apple was saved in Apple and the beggar will eat it.
  • If it rained on Apple Spas, then we should expect a rainy autumn.
  • It was believed that if you sit under an apple tree on the Orthodox Apple Savior, you can experience peace of mind and improve your health.
  • Many are sure that apples are endowed on this day magical powers. If, using the fruits, make a wish, then in the near future it will certainly come true. At the same time, it was necessary to say: "What is contrived - will come true, what will come true - will not be avoided."
  • With the Transfiguration of the Lord, the weather changes.
  • What a day on the second Savior, such is the Protection.
  • Who endured and did not try apples before the Savior, will marry the most ruddy beauty, to the one who ate "sour" before the holiday, destined to marry early and to a whiny wife.
  • Who wants to fly away when, and the crane to the Savior.
  • If August 19 is a dry day, then autumn will be dry, if it is wet, autumn is expected to be rainy, and if there is not a cloud in the sky, wait for a frosty winter.

These are so interesting folk omens we, believing Russian people, have them, and they come from antiquity, from the wisdom of the people.

Divination for Apple Spas

In Apple Spas, you can not only enjoy delicious apples to your heart's content, but also find out your future.

One of the most popular ways to tell fortunes was fortune telling on an apple peel. .

To do this, it was necessary to cut off the entire peel from the apple with one whole ribbon. If the tape was torn, then this meant that in next year the girl will not marry.

If it was possible to cut off the entire peel, it had to be thrown with the left hand over the shoulder and in the resulting pattern they considered their fate.

Nowadays, divination on whole apples is popular.

Everything is quite simple: take a few fruits and write on them the names of the men of interest. Leave signed apples overnight on the balcony or in the garden. In the morning, check what happened to the fruit.

If the apple was pecked by birds, then a person with this name is not capable of a long and serious relationship.

If the birds have eaten most of the apple, be careful, you may have an unfriendly rival.

If the fruit has disappeared, then it’s not your destiny to be with this person.

If the fetus fell to the ground, then this relationship should be interrupted, otherwise it will become painful for both you and your partner.

Divination for an early marriage.

Dilute a fire in the clearing, and bring one consecrated apple with you. Boys and girls participate. Bring an apple attached to a string to the fire and twist it as much as possible. The one from the fortune-tellers whose apple falls in the fire earlier will marry or marry first. And the one whose apple falls last will be left alone ....

On August 19, the Orthodox Church celebrates the Transfiguration of the Lord - the phenomenon of the glory and Divine majesty of Jesus Christ described in the Gospels before the three apostles during prayer on Mount Tabor. This mountain is located in Israel, has a height of 588 meters, is located 9 km from the city of Nazareth. Now there are two monasteries on its top, Catholic and Orthodox.

The Transfiguration of the Lord is the twelfth feast, closely connected with the events of the earthly life of Jesus Christ. While praying on the mountain, Peter, James and John saw how the Teacher was transformed: His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white like light.

The tradition of celebrating appeared in the 4th century, when Empress Elena erected the first temple in honor of the Transfiguration.

August 19: traditions and customs of the day

The Transfiguration is celebrated annually on August 19 according to the new style or August 6 according to the old one. In Rus', the holiday was called "Apple Spas". By this time, apples ripen, which are usually consecrated in the church.

From mid-August, summer is on the wane. Every day the weather is getting cooler, the cranes go to warmer climes. Gradually, autumn comes into its own. The people said: " The Second Savior has come - keep your mittens in reserve ".

The peasants were busy harvesting. The collected apples and grapes were carried to the temple for blessing. Above them the clergyman read a special prayer. From that day on, believers were allowed to eat apples and other fruits of the new harvest.

On the Second Spas, housewives cooked apple jam, compotes, baked pies, which they treated relatives and friends. It was customary to feed the poor. Since the holiday falls on Dormition Fast, meat dishes did not use. In the evening they sang songs, seeing off the sun in the field and saying goodbye to summer. The girls danced around the apple trees and combed their hair with an apple comb.

On the day of the Apple Savior in Rus', fairs were held where apples of the new crop were sold. Gardeners treated the sick and the poor to apples.

August 19: signs of the day

1. People who dream of going to heaven should eat a consecrated apple on Apple Savior. Until that day, apples of the new crop cannot be eaten.
2. Having bitten off a piece of a consecrated apple, you can make a wish that will surely come true.
3. Before you eat apples yourself, you should treat them to someone.
4. What an Apple Savior, so January will be. Also, according to the weather of that day, they judged what the weather would be like on Pokrov. If it is warm and clear, then the winter will be cold and snowy. If it rains, then the autumn months will be rainy.
5. Gardeners on the Second Spas should treat everyone with apples. Then next year will be fruitful.
6. Eating apples with honey will give good health for the whole year.
7. If a fly sits on you twice on this day, you will live in wealth.
8. Parents whose child has died should take apples to his grave.
9. On Apple Savior you can not swear, swear, discuss and condemn people. Housework is also prohibited.

A person born on August 19 will be lucky in every way. He should wear a sapphire as a talisman.

Today, August 19, 2018, the great Orthodox holiday Apple Spas is celebrated - the second in a series of "three Spas". Every year they are celebrated on August 14 (Honey), August 19 (Apple) and August 29 (Nut or Bread).

What kind of holiday is Apple Savior, what does it mean and what is its history

The holiday was established in honor of the memory of the transfiguration of Jesus Christ, which took place on Tabor. The Gospel states: Jesus Christ with three disciples - James, John and Peter - climbed Mount Tabor. Together they began to pray fervently. After some time, the disciples fell asleep, and when they woke up, they saw Jesus Christ transfigured, with a radiant face, in snow-white robes. Then two prophets appeared - Elijah with Moses, and soon the disciples heard a voice from heaven, saying that Jesus Christ is His Son, and He needs to be listened to. As the disciples and Jesus Christ descended from the mountain, Jesus Christ commanded them not to tell anyone what they had witnessed until He died and rose again.

The Transfiguration of Jesus Christ happened 40 days before His death, in February, but they began to celebrate it in August. The holiday had to be postponed so that it would not fall on Great Lent. Now it is celebrated 40 days before the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.

Since the Apple Savior is celebrated on the days of the Dormition Fast, fish dishes, wine and vegetable oil were allowed to be eaten. In churches, the clergy wear all white. The custom of consecrating apples dates back to the 8th century, and now grapes with pears, vegetables, wheat ears with honey are brought to temples for consecration. They say that until the rescue comes, they don’t eat apples - it’s impossible, especially for those whose child has died. After the consecration of apples, they need to be distributed to the needy, the poor.

Traditions at Apple Spas

For the holiday, it is customary to bake apple pies, pancakes from lean dough. Compotes and jams are made from apples. They say that insects are not killed on such a day, and they are not even driven away, otherwise there will be no luck and happiness.

On a public holiday, you cannot:

1. be in a bad mood;
2. engage in physical labor - sewing, knitting, washing, minor chores;
3. speak loudly, laugh;
4. participate in recreational activities;
5. allow quarrels with loved ones;
6. to be angry, to wish evil.

On the morning of Apple Savior, you need to go to church with a basket of apples, symbolizing the harvest, the strength of the soul, bread, symbolizing home and family, horseradish, symbolizing steadfast faith, salt, symbolizing readiness for life's difficulties, baking. Everything that has been consecrated must be eaten. If the leftovers have deteriorated, they are either given to livestock or buried in the garden. The basket is complemented with candles, greens.

What not to do on Apple Spas

There are no overly strict bans on the Apple Savior, and yet the holiday falls on the time of the strict Assumption Fast, which does not welcome the violation of Lenten nutrition.

You can’t eat apples before the Apple Savior, and even on this day, until the fruits are consecrated in the church.

You can not sew, knit, do cleaning and construction work. In general, it is best not to do any physical work other than cooking and harvesting.

Remember that the Dormition Fast is going on until August 27th. Therefore, you can not have fun, and also eat meat, eggs, fatty foods.

Also, do not kill or drive away insects.

On this day, it is customary to treat the children of poor and sick people. The more apples you can distribute, the more kind and generous God will be to you. Good housewives bake apple pies.

The Feast of the Apple Savior, first of all, should remind people of the importance of spiritual transformation.

Signs for Apple Spas

A sign about the weather on Apple Spas: what will be the weather on the Second Spas, this should be expected in the month of January.

If the weather is dry and hot on this day, then autumn will be dry, without rain, warm, and vice versa.

If the leaves on the trees turn yellow, it will be cold soon.

If the wind blows strong, a harsh winter will come.

The cover will be the same as the day of the Apple Savior.

It was previously believed that the weather on August 19 is a mirror image of the weather in January. Any precipitation throughout the day of the holiday suggests snow in winter, but if there is heat on the day of the Apple Savior, then there will be little snow in January.

A sign of good luck: you should expect incredible success and wealth if on the day of the Apple Savior the fly landed on your hand twice.

You will definitely spend the whole next year in abundance if you treat the beggar with apples on the day of the Savior.

Be sure to take out the fruit yourself if you suddenly see such a person on the street. And in the event that during the whole day of the holiday you absolutely do not catch the eye of a needy person, then this is a rather bad omen.

Happy Apple Savior!

Apple Savior: Faithful and Superstitious Traditions

- Is it possible to have an apple now, the Transfiguration is in a week! - the parishioner in the churchyard was indignant last Sunday.

- You can, you can, they are store-bought, so they were consecrated last year, - the gray-bearded priest jokes in response.

Today, the Orthodox celebrate the Transfiguration of the Lord or, as it is often called by the people, the Apple Spas. But such dialogues can be heard on the eve of the Honey Savior (August 14), and on the eve of the Linen or Khlebny (August 29). And to the question: why the Orthodox cannot eat honey or apples until a certain date in the summer, almost no one gives a clear answer. How to distinguish superstition from the true church tradition of celebrating the Apple Savior - in the material of RIA Novosti.

© RIA Novosti / Vitaly Ankov

Orthodox Christians celebrate Apple Savior

Holiday on the wrong day

According to the Gospel, Jesus Christ, together with his closest disciples - Peter, James and John - ascended Mount Tabor to pray. The apostles saw that he was transformed - “His clothes became shining, very white, like snow, as a bleacher cannot bleach on the ground” - and how the prophets Elijah and Moses who appeared to them talked with their Teacher. “And there was a voice out of the cloud, saying: This is my beloved Son, listen to him. When this voice was, Jesus was left alone, ”says the Gospel of Luke.

And when the vision disappeared, Jesus told the disciples that he was going to die and then be resurrected. But he strictly forbade them to tell anyone about it.

It happened 40 days before the death of Christ. Why does the Church celebrate the holiday not in February, but in August?

“The reason is that without rescheduling to another month, this celebration would always fall on the days of Holy Forty Days (Great Lent – ​​ed.), and this would be incompatible with the Lenten service and the sad time of repentance,” explains Protodeacon Dmitry Polovnikov.

The Holy Fathers of the Church called the Transfiguration the day when “the prophets and apostles rejoiced” and decided to celebrate it in August, 40 days before the feast of the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord, when the faithful will again remember the crucifixion of the Savior.

The clergy on this day serve in snow-white vestments. But, despite the holiday, the observance of the Dormition fast is not canceled, although with indulgences - fish, wine and oil (vegetable oil) are allowed.

"In Russia, grapes are tight"

“Everything without a trace that is subject to a person can be consecrated by him; everything that we work on, that we touch, all objects of life - everything can become part of the Kingdom of God, if this Kingdom of God is within us and, like the radiance of Christ, spreads to everything that we touch ... Let's think about it; we are not called to enslave nature, we are called to free it from the captivity of corruption and death and sin, free it and return it to harmony with the Kingdom of God. And therefore, let us become thoughtful, reverent towards this whole created world that we see, and let us serve in it as co-workers with Christ, so that the world reaches its glory and that by us all created things enter into the joy of the Lord, ”the well-known Orthodox missionary of the 20th century explained the spiritual meaning of the feast of the Transfiguration Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh

Back in the 4th century - authentically known time the existence of the holiday - the fruits of the new harvest were consecrated on the Transfiguration. According to one version, this is how the Church supplanted the pagan harvest festivals - in honor of Bacchus-Dionysus, for example.

“In the priestly missal, in the Menologion, the first is a prayer for the consecration of grapes. The fact is that in Greece (read Byzantium) the grapes were ripening just at this time. And a believing person always brought the first fruits to the temple as his sacrifice to God and for the consecration of the entire harvest. The offering and consecration of the firstborn (this applies to both people and animals and various fruits) is a “standard” religious tradition, both for Judaism and for pagan religions, and Christianity could not stay away from expressing gratitude to God for the fruits . It is now that shops offer all the variety of fruits of the world all year round, and before that, what grew up was eaten. So, we must thank God for what has grown,” says Protodeacon Dmitry Polovnikov.

In the churches of the Russian Orthodox Church, after the service, not only apples are consecrated, but also grapes, plums and everything that has grown in the gardens. But why is it all the same "Apple" Spas?

© RIA Novosti / Konstantin Chalabov

Celebration of the Apple Savior in the cities of Russia

The Church does not get tired of repeating: such rituals have nothing to do with either the holiday itself or Orthodoxy. These are just superstitions.

“Superstition - that is, vain, empty faith, faith in emptiness, when supernatural properties are attributed to ordinary objects - is the result of religious ignorance and the loss of a living connection with the Church. Superstitions arise when minor, external, ritual things are put at the forefront, and what is really the main and important thing - the inner content - is simply forgotten, lost, ”warns Metropolitan Anthony of Boryspil and Brovary.

But after all, even in the church one can hear from regular parishioners that eating apples before the Transfiguration is a sin. For greater persuasiveness, Adam and Eveau are cited as an example: they supposedly tasted the forbidden apple - and get out of Eden! Only, it turns out, it's not about the date at all.

“Typicon (liturgical charter - ed.) prescribes to refrain from eating apples until they are consecrated. And the meaning of this prescription is not so much in abstaining from fruits for a certain period, but in the fact that the first fruits of the harvest must first be consecrated and only then consumed. In some monasteries, there is a tradition to consecrate the fruits of the first harvest as soon as they ripen, and then eat them at a meal, without waiting for the Feast of the Transfiguration,” explains Metropolitan Anthony.

“In the Church, everything is meaningful, everything is subject to the gospel logic, it serves the salvation of the human soul. And superstition is always devoid of internal meaning and focuses on external action, with total absence internal content,” he adds.