Three spas honey apple. In August, there was one more Spas - Orekhovy

In August, three folk holidays take place at once, during which both the covenants of the ancestors and church customs are observed.

Three holidays among the people were timed to coincide with the time of harvest and the end of the season of field work, and after the adoption of Christianity in Russia, church covenants were added to the traditions. According to church canons, each of the Spas is accompanied by services glorifying the Higher Powers, and corresponds to Orthodox holidays. The traditions of our ancestors intertwined with church customs, so each of the Spas - Honey, Apple and Walnut - is the time to observe Christian and folk customs.

Honey Spas in 2018

The date of the Honey Savior falls on August 14, and on this day they begin to collect honey from the hives. By church tradition 14 numbers commit procession with the removal of the cross. This tradition has a colorful history, which was the beginning of the celebration of the honest tree. Life-Giving Cross. In former times, frequent epidemics claimed the lives of many people, and after another plague, a relic was taken out of the Constantinople treasury, which is a particle of the cross on which Jesus was crucified. Many pilgrims touched the shrine, offering prayers Higher Powers and the epidemic subsided. On this day, the Assumption Fast also begins, during which believers ask for forgiveness for their unseemly deeds, eat modestly and daily cultivate the best character traits in themselves.

On a festive day, beekeepers rush to collect honey from honeycombs to take it to the church for consecration. According to legend, this valuable product on the day of the Savior has strong healing properties and is able to overcome any ailments. On this day in the old days, many treats were prepared using honey. They were treated to relatives and friends, and also carried them to churches and temples so that the clergy would distribute delicacies to the poor and the needy. On the 14th, poppies are harvested, so Spas has a second name - Poppy. He was named Makovei with the advent of the Orthodox religion; the name is consonant with the memory of the holy Maccabees, dead by death martyrs.

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Apple Spas in 2018

The Second Spas is dated for August 19. On this day, services dedicated to the Transfiguration of the Lord are held in churches and temples. It was on this day that Jesus Christ showed his disciples the power and majesty of the Lord, having been transformed after they had raised their prayers. He appeared to the disciples in white shining clothes and ordered not to tell anyone about what had happened. The disciples of Christ believed in the true power of the Most High when they heard a voice announcing that Jesus was the son of the Lord.

During the holiday, people begin to prepare for autumn, saying goodbye to warm summer days. At this time, the first harvest of apples is harvested, which are also brought to the church for lighting. Apples have the power of healing and rejuvenation, so the first illuminated fruits are offered to the sick. They are eaten by women who dream of remaining beautiful and producing healthy offspring. During fasting, many dishes containing apples were prepared, preparations were made for the winter, and rituals were performed to attract love using these fruits.

Nut Spas in 2018

During the third Savior, which takes place on August 29, the final change of seasons takes place, and autumn comes. This holiday follows the Dormition of the Mother of God, which is celebrated the day before, and on this day, believers offer prayers to the Higher Powers, asking for blessings on the harvest and well-being in families.

Nut Spas opens the nut harvesting season, and is also the end of the grain harvest. From that day on, in the old days, they began to sow fields free from crops in order to get the first shoots by spring. The second name of the holiday is Khlebny Spas. It was on this day that the first bread was baked from new grain, they were fed to households, as well as domestic animals. Such a ceremony was performed for the fertility of livestock, in order to get a good offspring from them in winter and by spring. Horses were fed with pastries so that they would gain strength for plowing and not let their owners down when planting bread.

August is full of folk holidays, each of which is dedicated not only to the harvest, but also helps to find out what the weather will be like in autumn and winter. In addition, this month there will be many church holidays during which everyone can pray to Heaven to gain good luck and resist evil.

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Three Spas come to the Orthodox in August. All three holidays go one after another: Honey, Apple and Nut Spas. The meaning of each holiday is different and unique, but all of them are related to Jesus Christ, the Savior, and therefore are named in honor of the Lord - Savior.

August 14 celebrate the First Spas - Honey. According to ancient legends, on this day the bees stop carrying honey, and the beekeepers begin to break out the honeycombs.

And it was on this day, having previously consecrated it in the church, that they began to eat honey. All the children gathered near the church or in the apiary to feast on honey. It was impossible to refuse on this day, so honey was generously poured into cups or into twisted leaves. Therefore, you can hear the following saying: "The first Savior is a gourmet." Apple Savior, which is celebrated on August 19, according to church canons, is called the Transfiguration of the Lord, and the last, third Savior, which is called not made by hands, is celebrated by the Orthodox Church in memory of the transfer to Constantinople of the Not Made Image of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Apple Savior is the name of the feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord in the Ukrainian folk tradition. Once upon a time, our ancestors waited until the Second Savior, and only on this day in the early morning they began to pick apples or buy them. Then they sanctified them in the church, after which they arranged a “feast by the mountain”. In addition to apples, pears, plums and grapes are consecrated on August 19, and are also served at festive table raw and cooked. Prepare for the holiday meatless dishes- apple pies, compotes, jams and, of course, apples baked with honey and spices, pears in syrup, etc. Fish are also allowed.

Third Savior - Walnut, Bread - Transferring the Image of the Lord Not Made by Hands. The Church established this feast in honor of the transfer to Constantinople from Edessa of the Image Not Made by Hands of the Lord Jesus Christ.

What does the word "Savior" mean in the name of the holiday?

Savior is an abbreviated form of the word Savior - Jesus Christ. The people call the word Spas three summer holidays dedicated to Jesus Christ (Savior): Honey Savior, Apple Savior and Third Savior (transfer of the Image Not Made by Hands from Edessa to Constantinople).

Walnut Spas, the history of the holiday, traditions, customs

By August 29, they finally kept up hazelnuts that existed even before the Christianization of Russia. Our ancestors collected nuts and held festivities with special rituals - such as making wishes, fortune telling. They tried to collect as many nuts as possible - it was believed that the amount of joy in the family depends on their number. On August 29, the Orthodox Church celebrates the transfer from Edessa to Constantinople of the miraculous image of the Savior - a piece of fabric on which, according to the gospel story, the face of Jesus Christ was imprinted (this happened in 944). Today this fabric is known as the Holy Shroud. In rural life, this holiday was celebrated by trading in linens and canvases. “The First Spas - they stand on the water; the second Spas - they eat apples; the third Savior - canvases are sold on the green mountains.

To understand various signs, one must always look at the meaning of an action or custom. 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 a complete absence of internal content. In order not to become a victim of spiritually harmful superstitions invented by non-church people, it is necessary to go to church and strictly adhere to church tradition.

Traditions and customs

On this day, according to tradition, they finished harvesting bread and baked the first loaf of flour from the new crop. Bread was consecrated in the church and then eaten by the whole family, so the Third Spas was also called Bread.

In the old days, there were such proverbs: “The Third Savior has stored up bread”, “If the Third Savior is good, there will be kvass in winter.”

The rite to keep the remains of the first loaf, wrapped in a linen cloth behind the icon, has been preserved in some villages to this day. People believed that in this way they lured prosperity into the house and protected the family from hunger.

Fairs were organized in many cities and villages on Khlebny or Nut Spas - it was believed that trade on this day would be especially favorable.

At the fairs, one could find an abundance of various fabrics, for which the villagers willingly came, as there was an opinion among the people that on this day something should be purchased from fabrics.

It was not customary to celebrate the Bread (Nut) Spas in some special way, since at that time the suffering was in full swing, and people had no time for entertainment. They attended church in the morning, sanctified nuts, bread, grains and set off to prepare a field for winter crops.

Nevertheless, some festive customs were still observed - they baked bread for the poor, treated relatives and passers-by with nuts, pies with nuts and other gifts of the outgoing summer were served for dinner.

The festive table was supposed to be rich and varied - the Assumption Fast ended on the eve of the holiday, so it was possible to serve fish and meat dishes. According to tradition, it was necessary to try all the dishes in order to next year was joyful and fat.

On this day, it was customary to give symbolic gifts to relatives, friends and colleagues - nuts, hand-baked buns, or linen towels, as fabric products are also directly related to this holiday.

On this day, the hostesses were also engaged in the preparation of medicinal nut tincture. For this, membranes were used walnuts, which were poured with cognac or vodka and insisted in a dark place.

Such a nutty tincture in cold winter was a primary remedy for the treatment of colds - it was added to hot tea.

Bread Spas is also called Nut

From this day on, you can harvest hazel in the forests. It is noticed that by this day the nuts are already ripe. If there are a lot of nuts, there is not enough bread. And vice versa: in the grain year, there are few nuts in the forests. The peasants say that both are not born together in the same year. And two years in a row there is no harvest for nuts.

From this day on, summer is considered completed. The Third Spas is not widely celebrated: there is no time. This is a milestone at which field work must be completed before the rains come.

Apple and Walnut Spas. From year to year, the days on which they fall remain unchanged.

Spas- common name for the three holidays Orthodox Church: The Honest Trees of the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord, the Transfiguration of the Lord and the Transfer of the Image of the Savior Not Made by Hands. It is believed that the name was given in honor of Jesus Christ the Savior.

Honey Spas, August 14 (First Spas, Makovey)

Which came to Ukraine from Byzantium, where in the IX century. during the week, parts of the Holy Cross were worn around Constantinople in order to cleanse the city of epidemics and "evil spirits".

On August 14, it is customary to honor the memory of the seven martyrs of Maccabees, who led the uprising for faith in the one God and were severely punished for this. Our ancestors believed that on the day of the Honey Savior, Vladimir decided to baptize Russia, so in the churches they blessed the water in the Dnieper, bathed cattle, and cleaned wells.

Makovey in Ukraine It's not just a religious holiday. From that day on, they always started autumn field work and honey collection, the swallows began to fly away, and the people were preparing to see off the summer.

According to ancient customs, water, honey and poppy are holy on Makovey. Lenten borscht with mushrooms and "Shulyk" are prepared at home. Bouquets of flowers and herbs are brought to the temple - "poppy seeds". It is believed that if you do not consecrate the flowers on the First Savior, then the economy will not bloom.

See: Honey Savior or Makovey is celebrated by Eastern Rite Christians

Apple Savior, August 19 (middle Savior, Great Savior)

To this day, believers carefully prepare for two weeks, the main thing: you can’t eat apples, especially women (this is how they try to warn against Eve’s sinful act).

The most common belief in our country was one belief: in the next world, children whose parents do not eat apples to this day are given gifts (among them are paradise apples). But for those children whose parents tried apples, no. Therefore, many parents, especially those whose children have died, consider it a great sin to eat an apple before the Second Savior.

On this day, apples have healing properties, you can even make a wish by biting off a piece - all of them will surely come true. Therefore, they, along with other fruits, are sacred and various dishes are prepared from them. Preparations for the winter also begin.

See: How to make a talisman for Apple Spas?

Nut Spas, August 29 (Third Spas, Khlebny Spas)

By the Third Savior, as a rule, they finished the harvest and baked pies from the flour of the new harvest. Therefore, the holiday was called Khlebny. At this time, hazelnuts also ripen and their mass collection begins, which is the reason for the second name.

Spas is a traditional holiday of the ancient Slavs, which has absorbed some pagan and religious components. The first, on August 14, is the Honey Savior or, as it is also called, Makovey. Then, on August 19, Apple Savior, and at the end of summer - August 29 - Walnut Savior. Today, the Savior has become a holiday of the Christian people.

Spas in 2018 - when and how three Spas are celebrated in Ukraine, when the Assumption Fast begins and what traditions it is important to adhere to these days, this will be discussed further in our material.

Medovy Spas or Poppy Spas (Makovey)

Makovei on behalf of the seven martyrs Old Testament- Makoveev. This first Savior is celebrated on August 14th. It is also called Wet, or the Savior on the Water. On this day, it is customary to honor water, bake gingerbread, pies and pancakes with honey and poppy seeds.

In addition, there is a belief that on August 14, you can’t swim in open water, they say, evil forces can be pulled underwater. On this day, water in wells and reservoirs is blessed.

There is a sign: what will be the day of the first Savior, so will the third - Walnut.

Also on this day, the Assumption Fast begins, which lasts until August 27. This is the only multi-day Orthodox fast in honor of the Mother of God and her Assumption. Also, the celebration of the Honey Savior is associated not only with religious events, but also with rural field work. It is believed that the First Spas marks the beginning of the harvest. The ancestors believed that the Honey Savior was the end of summer and preparations for winter had to begin. There is a belief that after the Honey Savior, the bees no longer carry honey. It was on this day that beekeepers took out the first honeycombs from the hives and sanctified them in the church. The honey collected at this time was considered the most healing.

Apple Spas

Ukrainians celebrate the Second Spas on August 19. It is also called Medium or Large. But according to tradition, they begin to prepare for the celebration of the Apple Savior 2 weeks in advance. During this period, it is forbidden to eat apples, especially for women: it is believed that in this case, she takes on the sin of Eve. Also, do not drive away and kill insects. There is a sign that if a fly sat on your hand 2 times, then this is a harbinger of success and prosperity.

Our ancestors believed that on the very day of the Apple Savior, all apples acquire special miraculous properties. Housewives sanctify all fruits, prepare various dishes with apples, and prepare preparations for the winter. It is believed that a wish made before biting an apple will surely come true.

Another sign on the day of the Apple Savior is that if the day is dry, then it promises a dry autumn, and the rains on this day portend a rainy autumn, the clear sun speaks of a harsh future winter.

In addition, the Apple Savior also coincides with the Transfiguration of the Lord. And on this day, the farewell to summer begins.

Walnut Spas

The last, third Spas is celebrated on August 29. This holiday is also called the Canvas Savior and the Bread Savior. At this time, the end of the harvest falls, so the first bread and pies are baked from the grain of the new crop, then it is consecrated and eaten by the whole family.

Another great religious holiday also falls on the last Savior - the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

For a long time, it was believed among the people that walnut branches on this day have a special power. For example, a bath broom made of hazel can cure a person of any disease.

Ancestors believed that after the third Savior, autumn comes.

Three Spas - Honey, Apple and Nut - Ukrainians celebrate in the second half of the last summer month. Three Spas not only remind us of reverence religious customs, but also hint that autumn with its generous gifts is already on the threshold.

The three August Spas must have both a religious and a pagan beginning. Regarding the first root, it is associated with the Savior Jesus Christ, who believed that every person is strong so as not to be tempted to sin and be saved or saved. The second facet concerns folk beliefs, when the ancient Ukrainians invested labor in their land, for which it rewarded them with a rich harvest.

How to celebrate the Honey, Apple and Nut Spas and what signs are associated with these holidays - later in the material.

Honey Savior (Makovey) - August 14

The first Savior is also called Honey, Savior on the Water and Wet. On this day, believers remember the seven Maccabee brothers, their mother Solomonia and teacher Eleazar, who paid with their lives back in 166 BC because they professed faith in the True God.

Today, Christians pay tribute to the martyrs in churches. On this day they bring bouquets to the service - makoveychiki or makoveyki to be sanctified. In the composition of this, there must be several heads of ripe poppy, to which summer flowers are attached. The potion is supplemented with viburnum, symbolizing girlish happiness, oats, which personifies prosperity and a rich harvest, sunflower, which gives the sun and warmth, and even wormwood - a protector from evil spirits, as well as traditional autumn flowers - asters, dahlias, carnations.

You can't throw away poppies. On the contrary, they need to be kept in the house, preferably near the icons, as a talisman. Even today, the house and cattle were showered with the sacred poppy, so that evil bypassed the economy by the tenth road.

Honey Savior - holiday traditions

Interestingly, in such a bouquet, for example, in the Zhytomyr region, they also put carrots, corn cobs, peas, beans and dill. Residents of the Cherkasy region do not go to temples with poppies, they sanctify a wreath of flowers and ears of corn with a candle. In Podolia, believers bring sheaves of herbs and vegetables to the church, with which they go around houses, yards and gardens after the service.

Even on this day, honey is consecrated, they are generously treated to healthy yummy from bees, and pies, dumplings, gingerbread, as well as shulik - baked cakes, which are broken and poured with honey and mashed poppy seeds, are prepared for guests.

Spas on August 14 is also called Water. All because on this day healing properties attributed to water. A little potion, which had previously been consecrated in the church, is thrown into the wells and rivers.

Apple Savior - August 19

This holiday marks the end of summer. Therefore, in ancient times, on this day, people went out to watch the sunset, and, watching how the heavenly body goes to rest, they sang songs, and then said goodbye to the warmth, saying: "In the Apple Savior - summer has gone from us."

But they met autumn: they not only felt its early cold sighs, but also accepted the first gifts. Therefore, when people went to church, they put pears, plums, grapes, peaches, vegetables, sometimes even a bunch of ears of wheat into their baskets. The main attribute of the festive basket was apples, which, as they believed, could not be eaten until August 19, but on this day, and also afterwards, these fruits were consumed in unlimited quantities. Even on the Savior, they were advised to harvest, because they said: fruits, vegetables or grains left after the Apple Holiday will not bring benefits.

On this day, people watched how nature behaves. It was believed that if the weather is dry and hot, such autumn should be expected, and, conversely, if it rains, then the golden time will be rich in rains. A frosty winter on the Second Savior prophesies the sky without a single cloud.

Apple Savior - traditions of celebration

Believers on August 19 celebrate the Transfiguration of the Lord. According to the Bible, it happened on Mount Tabor in Galilee. Then Christ ascended it to pray there with his disciples - Peter, James and John. During the sacrament, the three heirs of Christ saw their Teacher transformed, transfigured - in all Divine, eternal glory. Even before Christ, the prophets Moses and Elijah appeared, who, as the Apostle Luke writes, talked with Him about the future crucifixion on the cross. After that, a bright cloud appeared and covered everyone with its shadow. From it came the voice of God: "This is my beloved son, listen to Him." After such a miraculous event, Christ forbade his disciples to tell anyone about what they saw.

Nut Savior - August 29

On the Third Spas, the people also say Khlebny and Linen.

When many people already learned that Christ was able to heal people, the fame of such skills reached the owner of the Turkish city of Edessa Avgar. He had leprosy, so he sent the painter Ananias to Jesus. He told about the grief and asked to draw a portrait of the Savior. However, the colors on the canvas blurred and it was not possible to depict the face of Jesus. Then the Son of God took a towel, wiped his face with it and gave it to the messenger. He saw the face of Christ on it, went with a cloth to the king, who cured him.