The traditions of the Russian Orthodox Church are often a mixture of folk traditions, paganism, folk ideas about the earth and man’s place on it, and Christianity. Fortunately, such an explosive mixture turns every Orthodox Christian holiday into an exciting, mysterious phenomenon, in which, in addition to a mixture of paganism and Christianity, the missionary purpose of our church is often present.
But many parishioners often do not understand the meaning of the holidays and do not know the history of their origin. The wonderful August holiday of the Apple Savior, which also has another name - the second Savior - is one of those beloved, but little understood by parishioners. Meanwhile, this holiday originates from the New Testament, because it is there that such a great event in the life of Jesus Christ as the transfiguration is described.
We will celebrate the Transfiguration of the Lord by celebrating Apple Day on August 19, 2020. The day of celebration of this event has remained unchanged since ancient times: the church has not decided for a long time what date the Apple Savior is in 2020 or in any other year.
40 days before his crucifixion, Jesus revealed his true divine identity to three disciples. A divine transformation took place, which united deity and man in the person of Jesus Christ.
The Church decided to take such a bright holiday away from the days of Lent, so as not to darken the joy of believers, because on these days it is customary to mourn and pray. Thus, the ancient tradition of celebrating the pagan festival of the harvest and ripened fruits, patronized by the god Savior, was observed. And our story came full circle: the Savior and the Savior met.
During the celebration, parishioners bring apples and other fruits grown with their own hands to church and bless them. It is believed that eating fruits before this holiday is sinful. Children whose parents do not violate this prohibition will receive apples of heaven in the afterlife - this is how a believer can be rewarded for his obedience.
Consecrated fruits can work miracles and become magical. Only after consecration the church allows the processing of the fruits of agriculture to begin: making jam, drying, baking pies. Such dishes should also be on the holiday table.
We should not forget that this holiday also carries a wonderful tradition of Orthodox charity: one must generously share apples and other fruits, take them to the cemetery, to the graves of one’s relatives, to abandoned, forgotten graves. It is considered a special honor to give apples to the poor and needy.
The bright holiday of the Apple Savior can be a wonderful beginning for children and youth to become acquainted with the church and the Orthodox faith.
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What date is Apple Spas?
Apple saved in 2020, like every year, on August 19th. On this day the Church celebrates the twelfth feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord God and our Savior Jesus Christ. Three evangelists report about the Transfiguration of the Lord - Mark, Matthew and Luke.
“And after six days Jesus took Peter, James and John, and led them alone up to a high mountain, and was transfigured before them. His clothes became shining, very white, like snow, as a bleacher on earth cannot bleach. And Elijah appeared to them with Moses; and talked with Jesus” (Gospel of Mark, 9:2-13).
In the Orthodox Church, the Transfiguration of the Lord (Apple Savior) is celebrated on August 19 (this is an enduring holiday), and not in February or March, 40 days before Easter, as described in the Gospel. This is due to the fact that in this case the holiday would coincide with the time of Lent. Moreover, the Transfiguration in the church calendar stands 40 days before the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, celebrated on September 14, when the Church again remembers Christ’s passion and His suffering on the cross. “Before its designation as a separate holiday, the commemoration of the Transfiguration was undoubtedly associated with the Easter cycle, which is still indicated by the troparion and kontakion of this day: “... may they see You crucified”” (Archpriest Alexander Schmemann).
Apple Spas August 19
On this day in Orthodoxy there is a great holiday - the Transfiguration of the Lord. It was erected in honor of the event described in the Gospels, how Jesus Christ revealed his divine nature to three disciples, while remaining in his human form: “...His face shone like the sun, his clothes became white like light. Two Old Testament prophets appeared - Moses and Elijah - and talked with the Lord about His imminent departure. A cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came from it: “This is My beloved Son, in Him I am well pleased; listen to Him.”
Thus, this holiday is in honor of the union of the Divine and the human in the person of Jesus Christ. At the end of the festive liturgy, the consecration of the fruits of the earth takes place. Initially, these were grapes from a new harvest. However, in places where grapes were not grown
Lenten apple pie
- Take 1 large apple. Peel and seed and grate into a bowl using a coarse grater.
- Then add 0.5 cups of sugar there and stir. Pour in 0.5 cups of vegetable oil and mix again.
- Then add 1.5 cups of flour, 1 teaspoon of baking powder and knead the dough thoroughly. It should be quite thick.
- Then prepare the caramel for the filling. To do this, place 2 tablespoons of sugar, 2 tablespoons of honey and 1 tablespoon of water in a deep small frying pan or saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring, 3-4 minutes until the sugar dissolves. Pour the caramel into the mold.
- Peel and seed 2 large apples, cut into slices and place on caramel. Place the dough on the apples.
- Bake in an oven preheated to 200 C for 40-45 minutes. Turn the form over
onto a plate so that the apples are on top and the dough is on the bottom. Let the pie cool and serve.
Why Spas Yablochny?
“...The Second Savior, which is here tomorrow, is the apple one, the Transfiguration Savior, apples are sprinkled. And why? And here. Adam-Eve sinned, the serpent deceived them with an apple, but it was not known from sin! And Christ ascended the mountain and sanctified it. That's why they began to be careful. And whoever eats before sprinkling will get a worm in his stomach, and cholera will happen. And as soon as it is sprinkled, there is no harm...” (Ivan Shmelev “The Summer of the Lord”). Of course, this is a popular belief that has no theological interpretation, and certainly not associated with the Fall. The folk tradition of blessing apples on this day in Rus' appeared along with the introduction of the Greek calendar of festivities. On the day of the Transfiguration of the Lord, the Greeks blessed “new fruits of the vine,” i.e. grapes that were ripe by this time. Since grapes are a rare guest on the table in our latitudes, they were replaced with apples. And they strictly followed the rule - do not eat apples or dishes made from them until the Apple Savior.
Signs for Orekhovy Spas
Like all Orthodox celebrations, the Nut Savior has its own signs, thanks to which the great-grandfathers in Rus' could easily predict the future weather:
- On August 29 there was a thunderstorm - autumn promises to be warm;
- the cranes have flown to warmer climes - frost will hit on October 14;
- If you hit a nut, expect trouble.
It’s also good to get rid of the evil eye and damage in Orekhovy Spas. To do this, you need to eat the first nut you find yourself, and give the second one to the first person you meet.
When preparing the publication, the source https://www.1rre.ru/ was used
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Is it possible to eat apples before the Apple Savior?
The tradition of abstaining from eating apples until the Feast of the Transfiguration (Apple Savior) has its own long history. Its roots go back to the Old Testament. The people of that time thanked God for all his gifts to man, be it agricultural harvests, fish catches or livestock, and sacrificed part of them. At the same time, there was no pagan symbolism in this, no desire to appease God. Sacrifice to God was an expression of man's gratitude.
Later, in early Christian times, when man's lifestyle was mainly agricultural, there were various rites of consecration. Now they are mostly forgotten. Nowadays, only honey and grapes (apples) are solemnly consecrated by the Church.
Whether it is worth observing this rule now (of course not out of superstitious ideas) is an open question. But, indeed, in the Typikon there is an indication of “abstaining from eating fruits until they are consecrated” for monks. This rule can be called the implementation of the unwritten principle: “first to God, then to us”
Other traditions are also associated with Apple Savior - after the holiday, people generously shared the harvest: they distributed it to the sick, orphans and the poor, treated relatives and neighbors - and only lastly ate it themselves.
The beginning of the Assumption Fast. Honey Spas. Orthodox calendar for August 14
August 14 (August 1 according to the “old style” - the church Julian calendar). Friday of the 10th week after Pentecost (tenth week after the Feast of the Holy Trinity, otherwise known as Pentecost). In church tradition, today is always the beginning of the Dormition Fast . This is one of the four long Orthodox fasts, during which believers abstain from entertainment and fast food (food of animal origin).
The Assumption Fast is quite strict. Despite its brevity (two weeks), it is in many ways reminiscent of Lent. But if the latter is the preparation of Christians for the events of Holy Week, and, accordingly, the Bright Resurrection of Christ - the Easter of the Lord - then the Dormition Fast prepares us for the great twelfth feast of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary (August 28, according to the “new style”).
As the Church Charter prescribes, today at the meal boiled food without vegetable oil . In real modern life, statutory strictures are rarely observed, but church-going Christians need to be aware of this ideal of observing fasting, and coordinate any relaxations with their confessor.
On August 14 in the Orthodox calendar there is a celebration of the Origin (destruction) of the venerable trees of the Life-giving Cross of the Lord , as well as the Feast of the All-Merciful Savior and the Most Holy Theotokos and the memory of a number of Old Testament and Christian saints. Let's talk briefly about these celebrations and the saints of God.
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Origin (wear) of the Honest Trees of the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord . One of the most beloved holidays among the Russian people, often called the First or Honey Savior . On this day, millions of Orthodox Christians bring all kinds of vessels with honey to churches for consecration. However, not everyone remembers that the holiday itself is associated not only with the new harvest of the most beloved Russian delicacy - honey - but also with the great church holiday of the Origin or, in other words, the Destruction of the Venerable Trees of the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord .
In Rus', on this day they always remembered her Baptism by Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir, as well as the Russian victories over the Volga Bulgars won by the holy noble Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky. Initially, this holiday is associated with the tradition of religious processions with the Life-giving Cross of the Lord, the 9th century As the Greek Book of Hours testifies to this:
Due to illnesses, which very often occurred in August, the custom was established in Constantinople from ancient times to wear the Venerable Tree of the Cross on roads and streets to consecrate places and to ward off illnesses...
In ancient Constantinople, it was customary to perform these religious processions for two weeks until the very feast of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Throughout this time, a special fast, the Assumption Fast, has been established in the Church since ancient times. Short but strict.
Photo: www.pravoslavie.ru
From August 14 to August 27 inclusive, Orthodox Christians should abstain from any food of animal origin: meat, eggs and dairy products. Even fish is blessed to be tasted only once - on the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord on August 19. And, of course, on the eve of the great feast of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we should limit ourselves not only in food, but also in entertainment, paying as much attention as possible to prayer and good deeds.
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Feast of the All-Merciful Savior and the Most Holy Theotokos . This Russian Orthodox holiday is directly related to the previous one. It was installed on the occasion of signs from the icons of the Savior, the Most Holy Theotokos and the Holy Cross during the battles of the blessed Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky with the Volga Bulgars in 1164 AD.
The Seven Holy Martyrs of the Maccabees: Abim, Antoninus, Gurias, Eleazar, Eusevo, Alim and Marcellus, their mother Solomonia and their teacher Eleazar . These Old Testament saints suffered in 166 BC . In those days, the wicked pagan Syrian ruler Antiochus Epiphanes introduced Hellenistic idolatrous customs into Jerusalem and all of Judea and even desecrated the Old Testament Temple of the Lord, where he erected a statue of Olympian Zeus, whom he forced the Jews to worship. Many Jews fell away from God in those years, but there were also those who showed steadfastness in the faith. Among the latter was the 90-year-old elder Eleazar, who was subjected to torture, during which he died. Also courageously refused to sacrifice to idols were the disciples of the holy elder - the seven Maccabean brothers and their mother Solomonia. They all suffered martyrdom, but these holy sufferings inspired Judas Maccabee, who rebelled against Antiochus Epiphanes and won a victory, cleansing the Jerusalem Temple of idols.
Martyrs of the Maccabees. Photo: www.pravoslavie.ru
Martyrs Leontius, Attius, Alexander, Kindei, Minsitheus, Cyriacus, Mineon, Katun and Eucleus of Perga (Pamphylia) . These saints suffered for Christ and His Church in the Pamphylian city of Perga during the reign of one of the most fierce persecutors of Christians - the pagan emperor Diocletian ( 284-305 AD ). The martyrs decided to destroy the temple of Artemis, for which they were thrown to be torn to pieces by wild animals, who miraculously did not even touch the saints. This miracle brought many pagans to Christ. The holy sufferers themselves were beheaded by the sword.
Discovery of the relics of St. Sophia of Suzdal . The holy remains of this great Russian saint of the 16th century from the Nativity of Christ were discovered in 1995 . They were transferred from the monastery tomb to the Intercession Cathedral of the Suzdal Intercession Monastery. The relics turned out to be incorrupt, but soon after the opening they decayed and crumbled. Now they are stored in a closed container.
Venerable Sophia of Suzdal. Photo: www.pravoslavie.ru
Hieromartyr Demetrius Pavsky, presbyter . Saint the 20th century , who suffered during the years of Soviet atheistic persecution. Glorified among the new martyrs and confessors of the Russian Church, as well as the new martyrs who shone in the land of Belarus (23 holy martyrs of Minsk).
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Congratulations to Orthodox Christians on the beginning of the Dormition Fast, today's holidays and the memory of the saints of this day! Through their prayers, Lord, save and have mercy on us all! We are happy to congratulate those who received names in their honor in the Sacrament of Holy Baptism or in the rank of monastic tonsure! As they used to say in Rus' in the old days: “To the Guardian Angels - a golden crown, and to you - good health!”
To our departed relatives and friends - eternal memory!
Poems about Apple Savior
Boris Pasternak "August"
AUGUST
As promised, without deceiving, the sun penetrated early in the morning with a slanting strip of saffron From the curtain to the sofa.
It covered the neighboring forest, the houses of the village, my bed, my wet pillow and the edge of the wall behind the bookshelf with hot ocher.
I remembered why the pillow was slightly moistened. I dreamed that you were walking through the forest one after another to see me off.
You were walking in a crowd, separately and in pairs, Suddenly someone remembered that today is the sixth of August in the old days, the Transfiguration of the Lord.
Usually light without flame comes from Tabor on this day, and autumn, clear as a sign, attracts the eyes to itself.
And you walked through the small, beggarly, naked, trembling alder forest, into the ginger-red cemetery forest, burning like a printed gingerbread.
The sky was adjacent to its silent peaks, And the distance echoed with the voices of cocks in a drawn-out manner.
In the forest, as a government surveyor, Death stood in the middle of the graveyard, Looking into my dead face, To dig a hole according to my height.
The calm voice of someone nearby was physically felt by everyone. Then my visionary voice sounded untouched by decay:
“Farewell, the azure of Preobrazhenskaya and the gold of the second Savior, soften the bitterness of the fateful hour with the last feminine caress for me.
Goodbye years of timelessness. Say goodbye to the abyss of humiliation. Challenging woman! I am your battlefield.
Farewell, the spread of the wingspan, the free perseverance of flight, and the image of the world revealed in the word, and creativity and miracle-working.”
Alexander Blok "Transfiguration"
On the bright day of the Transfiguration, the spirit of a madman is struck: Out of captivity, out of confusion, he heard Your Voice.
Now mournful, now poor, In the bosom of the Eternal Father, Near You, in the pale azure Thirsts for a new end...
Sergei Yesenin “Transfiguration”
The hour of Transfiguration is ripening, He will come, our Bright Guest, To remove the rusted nail from crucified patience.
From morning to noon, With thunder singing in the sky, He will fill our everyday life with milk like buckets.
Nut Spas: what not to do on this day
There are a number of prohibitions on Nut Spas:
- You cannot refuse work and be lazy, because during the Third Savior people were harvesting and preparing for winter.
- It is imperative to help those in need and we must not refuse children, the poor and the sick.
- During the Third Savior, you cannot go into the forest without some kind of amulet, because there you can meet evil forces.
Crafts from apples for Apple Saving
Crafts from apples and paper for children for Apple Spas
To make a paper apple you will need a cardboard toilet paper roll.
Paper apple
- Our apple will be made of paper, so we will need colored paper, glue, and scissors.
- Cut reddish colored paper into long strips 2 cm wide. Fold the first 2 strips with a cross and glue them in the center. Glue subsequent strips to them, also fixing them in the center.
- Raise the ends of the strips and glue them together. The apple is ready.
- Now you need to make a leaf. Let's fold a small rectangle of greenish paper diagonally like an accordion.
- Use scissors to “round off” the ends of the accordion. Let's unfold it - a corrugated leaf comes out. Cut out a stem from brown paper.
- Glue the leaf and stem to the apple. Cut out a caterpillar from greenish paper and insert it between the reddish stripes. We will thread a thread loop into the apple stalk.
The third one was saved in August
The third Savior of August, which is popularly called the Bread or Nut Savior, is timed to coincide with the church holiday in honor of the discovery of the Image of our Savior Not Made by Hands.
On August 29, the Feast of the Savior, bread baked from flour from the new harvest was blessed. Bread was served on the festive table and treated to close people and neighbors. The oldest man in the family should try the bread first.
On the Third Spas, people went into the forest to collect nuts, after which the entire harvest was poured onto a canvas, and a tablecloth was laid next to it with treats on it. The holiday was celebrated outdoors with a larger circle of guests.
Three Saviors in August are important holidays for every Orthodox person. They contain centuries-old traditions that should be remembered.
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