In August, the Orthodox will remember the Savior three times. Honey Saved Honey Saved and the beginning of the Assumption Lent

950 years ago, Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky established the celebration of three great Spas - Honey, Apple and Walnut. Since then, Orthodox Christians celebrate these holidays every year.

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.

Savior is another name for Jesus Christ. It is not often that there are sources that call Jesus by this name. But the Honey, Apple and Nut Spas, which in 2017 will be celebrated in August, originated precisely from one of the names of the Savior.

Every year, the Orthodox Church celebrates three Spas - Honey, Apple and Walnut. These holidays are non-transferable, that is, from year to year they are celebrated on the same dates.

The Orthodox Honey Savior will be celebrated on August 14, 2017. This is the first of three Spasov. He is also called the Savior on the Water and Makovey. It is believed that Honey Spas is the end of summer. From this day, preparations for the winter begin. One of the products that is customary to harvest for future use is honey.

On August 14, you need to go to the temple for a service, as well as in order to consecrate fresh honey. After the honey has been consecrated in the temple, it can be eaten.

The Second Spas is Apple. It is also called the Middle or Great. As usual, in 2017, the Orthodox will celebrate the Apple Savior on August 19. On this day, fresh harvest apples are consecrated in temples. After which they are allowed to eat.

According to tradition, festivities are organized on this day, a variety of treats are prepared from apples. Apple cakes are served to poor people.

Third Savior - Nut .. Nut Savior is not celebrated by the people as widely as Honey or Apple. This is probably due to the fact that it falls on the peak of the harvest.

On Nut Spas it is also customary to go to church. Freshly harvested nuts and dishes prepared using them are consecrated on this day. On this day, Christians thank God for a rich harvest. It is customary to leave part of the consecrated dishes in the church, and the rest, bringing home, is eaten at a festive family dinner.

The tradition of celebrating the Honey, Apple and Walnut Spas in August originated in antiquity and has survived to this day.

Each of the three Saviors has its own traditions. One of the traditions is to prepare dishes for the holidays using symbolic products. On Honey Spas, dishes are prepared using honey. On Apple Savior they prepare pastries with apples. And on Nut Savior, nuts are certainly added to the dishes.

Like any church holiday, Honey, Apple and Walnut Spas must be met with a pure soul!

Dates of the celebration of Spasov in 2017

The Eastern Slavs have a tradition to call the holiday of the Ascension (Ascension Day), which is associated with the completion of spring work and the transition to the summer period, namely the Savior or Spasovday.

As mentioned, there are only three Spasov, the date and days of the celebration of which are the same every year, these are imperishable. In 2017 Honey Savior will take place on August 14, Apple - August 19, and Third, Walnut - August 29.

Honey Spas in 2017 - First

Otherwise, Honey Savior is called Makovei - in honor of the seven martyrs of the Old Testament Maccabees. During this period, poppy seeds ripen, from which milk was made, and also eaten along with pastries.

The third name of the honey Savior is on the water. On this day, they began to clean the wells, preparing for autumn and winter. Honey Savior - the end of the summer period. It's time to harvest. One of the main products that were stocked up for the winter was, of course, honey. By the time of the Honey Savior, the hives are already filled with this healing delicacy, and beekeepers are rushing to get it in the winter. On this day, you should go to church and illuminate the honey of the new harvest. After that it can be eaten.

Apple Savior in 2017 - Second

When the Second Savior comes - Apple (Middle, Great), then nature turns around to autumn, and the nights become longer and colder. A new period in nature is coming. For people, this means a new harvest. The fruits of ripe apples ripen everywhere, and after the consecration of the new harvest in the church, they can be eaten.

According to the Slavic tradition, festivities were organized on this day. It is customary to treat everyone with apple pastries, especially the poor, orphans, and the poor. Parents whose child died were in no case allowed to eat the fruits of the apple tree until the Savior came. After lighting the apples in the church, the parents had to bring the first apples to the child's grave or leave them on any children's grave. If this cannot be done, then just leave it in the church.

The Apple (second) Savior falls during the Dormition Fast. But in honor of the onset of the great twelfth feast of the Transfiguration, on this day it is allowed to eat wine and fish.
Before the onset of the Apple Savior in Rus', almost no fruits were eaten, except for cucumbers. Only after the illumination of vegetables and fruits in the church, on August 19, they were allowed to be eaten.

Nut Spas in 2017 - Third

The Third Spas - Walnut is not so common, because since ancient times it was considered a semi-holiday. From the moment of the Third Savior, an active trade in fabrics began - the time of fairs. On this day, the grain harvest ended and the sowing of winter crops began. Despite the fact that the date of the Nut Savior falls at the time when the Assumption Fast ended, it was not often celebrated, because this time is the peak of the harvest.

The power of the nut, which gives health and longevity, has long been familiar to all lovers of this product. The hostesses stocked up plenty of walnuts so that they would be enough not only for the winter, but also for the spring - for a while. Walnut perfectly replenished strength, replaced meat and dairy products. On this day, it is customary to thank God for the harvest, for daily bread, to shine a nut and food cooked with it in the church. Part of the food was left in the church or distributed on the porch, the rest was eaten at the family table.

Every year the Orthodox Church celebrates three Spas - Honey, Apple and Walnut. These holidays are non-transferable, that is, from year to year they are celebrated on the same dates. Honey Spas 2017 will come on August 14, Apple Spas on August 19, and the third, Nut Spas, on August 29.

950 years ago, Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky established the celebration of three great Spas - Honey, Apple and Walnut. Since then, Orthodox Christians celebrate these holidays every year.

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.

Other names for the First Spas are Poppy Spas and Wet Spas. On this day, a small water blessing is held, when water in wells and reservoirs is blessed. The people called Honey Spas so because it was believed that from that day on, 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. But you can eat it only after consecration, i.e. not earlier than Honey Spas. On the feast of the Honey Savior, it is customary to treat each other with honey, bake honey cakes, cakes and gingerbread.

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, the children would definitely drop in to 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.

On August 14, you need to go to the temple for a service, as well as in order to consecrate fresh honey. After the honey has been consecrated in the temple, it can be eaten.

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, and the prophets appeared around him. The transfiguration was evidence of God's miracle and its power.

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.

According to folk tradition, apples and other fruits are blessed on the Second Spas, which are not supposed to be eaten until that day. On the Feast of the Apple Savior, people treat each other with fresh apples and a variety of apple dishes.

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. Leaving a half-eaten crust or, God forbid, dropping a bread crumb from the table was considered a terrible sin that day. They treated bread sacredly, revered it especially.

Nut Spas is not celebrated by the people as widely as Honey or Apple. This is probably due to the fact that it falls on the peak of the harvest.

Spas in 2017: Honey, Apple, Walnut

In the last month of summer, three especially revered and beloved holidays are held at once. The traditions of the August Spas originated in ancient times and are observed every year.

Three summer Spas were originally devoted to harvesting, and after the adoption of Christianity, they were timed to coincide with church celebrations. Therefore, each Savior - Honey, Apple and Walnut - corresponds to one of the Orthodox holidays called to glorify the Savior, which explains the origin of the name. The series of Spas combined Christian and folk customs, which for several centuries intertwined and became inseparable from each other. Ancient traditions are revered to this day.

Honey Spas in 2017

Honey Savior is celebrated every year on the same day - August 14th. The Church on this date celebrates the Origin of the honest trees of the Life-Giving Cross. The word "origin" in this case has an unusual meaning - it means "exodus", "removal". The fact is that the holiday originated in Constantinople several centuries ago and was dedicated to the removal from the royal treasury of a piece of the cross on which the Savior was crucified. At that time, epidemics of serious illnesses raged, and believers, relying on Divine help, kissed the Cross. And today, the culmination of the church service is the removal of the Cross to the center of the temple, so that every believer can touch the shrine. Also this day is the beginning of the Dormition fast.

In the folk calendar, this holiday is dedicated to the collection of honey. It is believed that it is at this time that the cells are filled to the maximum. The collected delicacy is certainly consecrated in the church, and the housewives on a holiday try to cook as many dishes as possible with honey. They don’t forget about poppies either: in some localities, the Honey Spas is called Makovei, because the poppy ripens on this day, and August 14 is the day of memory of the holy martyrs Maccabees, whose name in the popular mind is identified with the name of the plant.

Apple Spas in 2017

The second August Spas falls on August 19th. Believers on this day celebrate the Transfiguration of the Lord - a great Christian holiday dedicated to the memory of the appearance of the divine essence of the Savior. According to the gospel story, during prayer, together with the disciples, Christ was lit up with an unearthly light, and the voice of the Lord was heard from Heaven, announcing that this was His Son.

On Apple Spas, they began to say goodbye to summer and prepare for autumn. Until that moment, apples were not usually eaten: this was considered a bad omen, and the fruits did not have the same taste properties that they acquired by August 19. On this day, it was customary to consecrate apples and everything that the earth bestowed in the church.

According to tradition, on this day they prepared lenten dishes from apples, they began to make preparations for the winter. Young girls performed a small ceremony on the holiday - they asked the apple tree for beauty, blush and long youth.

Nut Spas in 2017

Nut Savior is celebrated on August 29, the day after the feast of the Assumption of the Virgin. The Third Spas marks the final transition from summer to autumn: at this time, the August field work was completed and winter crops were sown. On August 29, for the first time, bread was baked from a new grain crop, which is why the holiday is also called the “Bread Savior”. By this time, the hazelnuts, which were collected and consecrated during the church service, were finally ripening. According to the weather, they guessed what autumn would be like, so many signs and traditions of the Nut Savior were born.

The end of summer gives us three Spas: Honey, Apple and Walnut. Great days are named after Christ the Savior. They are celebrated in August: 14 - Savior on the water, 19 - Savior on the mountain and 29 - Savior on the canvas.

Spasovki is a kind of fusion of paganism and Christianity, which has become a tradition. The first harvest was offered to the deities and "saved" (survived by eating the gifts of summer). This custom was layered on the Orthodox holidays of the Origin of the Cross of the Lord, the Transfiguration and the Image Not Made by Hands.

Honey Spas in August 2017

A Christian holiday that does not pass by date is celebrated on August 14 - this is the First Savior, Savior on the Water or wet Savior, poppy or honey Savior.

This day has absorbed a series of important Christian events:

the tradition of carrying out the Cross of the Lord;
feast of the small blessing of water;
commemoration of the martyrs of Maccabees;
the beginning of the Dormition fast.

Spas is called honey among the people, because the time has come to cut the filled honeycombs and collect honey from a new crop. And poppies - because poppy heads are filled with ripened black seeds, and the Orthodox remember the seven Maccabees who died for their faith in the one God.

The beekeepers have been inspecting the hives since morning. From the most generous honey reserve, they broke out the “first honeycomb” and carried it to the church in a new wooden vessel for blessing. Believers scattered the seeds of the already consecrated poppy in the corners of their house, protecting their home from the evil eye and damage, quarrels, hunger and an unkind guest. Boys and girls danced round dances, loudly deducing "Oh, poppy on the mountain."

The Savior is also called wet in honor of the small blessing of water. The priests made a procession to the rivers and lakes to bless the water. The Orthodox bathed and washed the cattle - they washed away sins and prayed for health. After that day, they no longer entered the water, they knew that summer was drawing to a close. At this time, it was customary to clean and consecrate the wells.

Not forgetting the beginning of a strict fast, special pies were baked for the Honey Spas - “machniks” and “makantsy”, rolls, buns and gingerbread with poppy seeds and honey, cooked “sochivo” - wheat porridge with walnuts, raisins, honey and poppy seeds. A sweet mass of honey and poppy seeds was prepared for pancakes - “poppy milk”. They ate honey with bread, boiled sbiten and mead.

Apple Spas in 2017

The celebration of the middle, second or apple Savior, the first autumn, the Savior on the Mountain, the Savior-Transfiguration, the main of all Spasovok, begins on August 19. Another national harvest festival is timed to coincide with the Christian day of the Transfiguration of the Lord.

At the hour of prayer on Mount Tabor, Jesus showed his disciples his divine essence, and this event is solemnly celebrated by believers on August 19. The liturgy is performed in the temples, the priests spend it in snow-white robes, symbolizing the divine light of the Transfiguration.

In the Mediterranean at that time, grapes were ripening, considered one of the images of Christ, and it was he who was carried to the temple for consecration. And the Slavs brought apples to the church, and it was possible to taste the ripened fruits only after the service. The consecrated apples were shared with everyone who was nearby. It was believed that everyone on this day should definitely enjoy the benefits and taste of the fruit. Apples were given to the poor, sick and orphans. Ripe fruits were carried to the cemetery and laid on the graves.

It was customary to sprinkle spikelets and grains of new bread with holy water; the Orthodox cherished these "firstfruits" until the next sowing.

Traditionally, on the Apple Savior, the girls, holding hands, danced around the apple tree and combed their hair with a comb carved from the wood of this tree. In the evening, waiting for sunset, the villagers went out into the fields to spend the summer and meet the autumn. If in the first autumn days there was clear weather without rain, then people said that the autumn would be dry, and the winter would be harsh.

In the Middle Spas, the festive table was, of course, dominated by dishes from apples. Melting in the mouth apples from the oven with honey and spices, delicious apple cakes, soaked fruit and fragrant sweet fruit jam, pies and buns were in abundance on every table.

Nut Spas 2017

The miraculous, canvas, bread, nut or small Spas is celebrated on August 29. The Third Savior is celebrated from the day of the return of the miraculous cloth with which Jesus wiped his face. The towel with the face of God (the image not made by hands) appeared on the fabric was stolen by the Muslims, but on August 29 the Byzantine emperor ransomed it and transferred it to Constantinople.

The people called Spas the bread one, because by this day the grain harvest was over, and the first bread was baked from it. The Slavs carried it to the temple for consecration. The rest of the bread was wrapped in linen and hidden behind an icon in their home. The Orthodox believed that the blessed bread would give grace to the house and save it from troubles and hunger.

The Savior was also called walnut, since the first walnut collection on the day of the small Savior was also consecrated in the temple. They guessed on nuts: they said a wish and cracked the shell to find out if it would come true. If the kernel was large and tasty, then the wish will come true, and if the nut is empty or the kernel is rotten or shrunken, then the dream is probably not destined to come true. By the harvest of nuts, it was determined whether the next year's cereals would succeed. In the nut Spas, hazel branches were collected, amulets, talismans and bath brooms were made from them.

Spas on August 29 was also called canvas: remembering the Christian component of the holiday, canvases and linen were sold at numerous fairs.

On the Small Spas, dug wells were consecrated, they walked around them, “closing” the fertile time of the year. They cleaned the holy springs, drank plenty of spring water. They saw off the swallows and cranes, said goodbye to the summer.

On the eve of the last Savior, believers celebrated the Assumption of the Most Holy Theotokos and the end of the Assumption Fast, so there were no longer any restrictions on meat, fish, vegetable and flour dishes. Celebrating the small Spas, they baked the first loaf from the grain of the new crop, prepared dishes with the addition of nuts and cooked bread kvass.