Spas 2021 - Honey, Apple, Third: when they are celebrated, traditions and prohibitions

Spas TV Channel (SPAS TV LLC)
, Russian 24-hour public Orthodox TV channel

• Address:
• legal: Russia, 127427, Moscow, st. Academician Koroleva, 13, seventh floor, office 713
• postal: SPAS TV LLC, 127427, Moscow, PO Box 13

The television channel was created with the blessing of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Alexy II, with funds from private investors.
The founders of the TV channel are the Moscow Patriarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church and SPAS Media LLC. Started broadcasting on July 28, 2005. Initially, the broadcast volume was 16 hours a day (from 8 to 24 hours), then it became round the clock.

The main goal of creating the Spas TV channel is to form a worldview and a system of moral coordinates necessary for the effective development of the state, based on primordially Orthodox values.

The Spas TV channel positions itself as a cultural channel that promotes and cultivates lost spiritual values ​​and educates citizens in the spirit of Orthodox traditions; as a TV channel without violence, murder, vulgarity and propaganda of pleasure; as a TV channel that works to form the national idea and moral foundations of society.

Along with Orthodox themes, the Spas channel presents secular news, educational and informational programs, feature films, political and social talk shows, etc.

The positioning of the TV channel generally coincides with the church-wide trend towards strengthening the social activity of the Russian Orthodox Church and deepening its constructive dialogue with Russian society.

Main activities:

• Informational - coverage of the activities of the Russian Orthodox Church, the Moscow Patriarchate, the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'. Reflection of the attitude of the Russian Orthodox Church to the events of the political, economic and cultural life of Russia
• Educational - spiritual and moral education and religious education of the Russian people, especially children and youth
• Catechetical - assistance to the Russian Orthodox Church in matters of catechesis

Program policy: 60% of the channel's airtime is allocated to public broadcasting (documentaries, educational programs). 40% is Orthodox theme. A significant amount of programs are produced in our own multi-format studio, including live broadcast. The basis of the broadcast consists of self-produced studio programs with a spiritual orientation for an audience of 18+, as well as documentaries.

The channel is broadcast through Russian satellite and cable broadcasting operators. Broadcasting territory: more than 80 large cities of Russia, as well as Kazakhstan, the Republic of Belarus.

Honey Spas: traditions and signs

Honey Spas , which is also called Poppy Spas, Wet Spas, or Spas-on-water , is celebrated in honor of the holiday of the Origin of the Honest Trees of the Life-Giving Cross . In Orthodoxy, the holiday falls on August 14 , this is the time of the beginning of the Dormition Fast , one of the strictest.

On this day, the church remembers the Old Testament martyrs of the Maccabees, as well as all confessors and defenders of the true faith during periods of persecution. By analogy with the name Maccabeus, the first Savior in Rus' was called Makov.

Therefore, honey and poppy seeds were considered the main “birthday people” on August 14, and a variety of baked goods were made with them, usually lenten. The mixture of honey and poppy seeds was called milk of the poppy; this mixture was used to smear the treat or eat it with tea. Honey and poppy seeds, as well as fruits that had ripened by this time, had to be blessed in church before consumption, while they tried not to eat apples (and in the south, grapes) of the new harvest until the Apple Savior.

On August 14, a small consecration of water is performed in Orthodox churches, which is why the holiday is sometimes called the Wet Savior, or the Savior on the Waters. Water on this day is considered healing, therefore, according to tradition, on August 14 it was possible to swim in an open reservoir for the last time. Swimming after this period, according to signs, was considered dangerous.

Also at this time in Rus' they were also working on wells - they repaired old ones and dug new ones.

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Dormition Fast and Three Saviors. How to avoid becoming a victim of superstitions?

– The Assumption Fast is approaching. It is shrouded in signs and superstitions associated with the celebration of the so-called. “three Saviors”. Many Orthodox believe in them and follow folk traditions. With your help, I would like to clarify: what is right and what is categorically bad in these traditions?

– The very name “Savior” indicates that these holidays are associated with the Savior of the world, our Lord Jesus Christ, and remind us of the need to believe in Him. It is noteworthy that in addition to the purely religious context, the celebration of these events also has a dimension of folk life, which is where the names of the three Spases originated.

There are two aspects to this question. On the one hand, the religious traditions that have become part of the flesh and blood of our people indicate that the Orthodox faith has always been an integral part of their life, way of life and worldview. Religion played such a significant role in people's lives that it was reflected in all its most important aspects. A good harvest or drought, favorable climatic conditions or the risk of natural disasters - all this was a matter of life and death. And people placed all their hope in the worries of life on the Lord. They began their work with prayer, served prayer services in the fields, turned to God in difficult circumstances and received real help, as they prayed with all their hearts, with deep faith. Having received a good harvest, people carried a symbolic part of it to the temple as a sign of gratitude to God. It is no coincidence that the people have a proverb: “Without God you can’t reach the threshold.” Our ancestors knew well that any disasters are the result of sin and violation of God’s commandments, and therefore they hurried to the temple, repented, and received communion.

Bringing the firstfruits of the first harvest to God is a custom that dates back to Old Testament times. For many centuries, the people sacredly preserved ancient religious rituals. Popular piety, which has always been associated with deep churchliness, veneration of Orthodox holidays, and preservation of the Gospel ideal of life, has strictly preserved the Christian soul of our people.

On the other hand, it should also be noted the sad fact of the spread of many superstitions associated with the veneration of holidays and saints. 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 secondary, external, ritual things are put at the forefront, and what is truly main and important - the internal content - is simply forgotten and lost.

Take, for example, the tradition of consecrating honey and fruits in the temple on special holidays. What we bring to the temple (in this case, fruits and honey) is of secondary importance, because, in fact, God does not need all this. It’s just that in this way we symbolically express gratitude to the Creator as a Generous Giver of benefits and Provider of our lives. And the main expression of our gratitude lies in repentance, prayer, and communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ. The church people knew this well. And hence the popular piety, based on the reverent fear of God - on Sundays and holidays, leave all earthly worries and come to church for the Liturgy, confess, take communion, and pray to God for yourself and your loved ones. In addition, it should be noted that people brought what they grew with their own hands and obtained with their own labor, and therefore the attitude towards this tradition was probably somewhat different. But when a person sees only the external attributes of a holiday, without understanding its spiritual meaning, without participating in the mysterious life of the Church, he begins to attribute various supernatural properties to these objects and thus falls into gross superstitions.

– For example, on the first Savior, Honey or Maccovey, with which the Assumption Fast begins on August 14, people consecrate honey. It is believed to have healing powers. Please comment and tell us about the meaning of this holiday.

– On August 14, the Church celebrates the Origin (destruction) of the venerable trees of the Life-giving Cross of the Lord. We remember the One by whose power the instrument of execution became a tree of life for the believer. The origin of this holiday is connected with the tradition, which in the 9th century was established in Constantinople in connection with the spread of deadly epidemics at the height of the heat - to wear part of the Life-Giving Cross from the home church of the Greek emperors to the Church of Hagia Sophia in early August. At the same time, they also blessed the water, took to the streets and roads in processions of the cross, and many sick people were healed. To this day, in all Orthodox churches on this holiday the rite of blessing of water is performed.

Also on this day, the memory of the Old Testament martyrs is celebrated - Eleazar, his disciples, the Maccabee brothers and their mother Solomonia, who suffered for the strict preservation of the Law of God. The tradition of bringing a poppy to the consecration is associated with the name of the Maccabean martyrs, which is obviously caused by the consonance of its name with the name of the martyrs. This holiday is popularly called the Honey Savior, since by this time the honey of the new harvest has ripened, which is usually brought to the temple, as a clear embodiment of God’s mercy to us sinners. It must be remembered that the consecration of honey on this day is just a pious tradition that is in no way connected with the holiday of the All-Merciful Savior, and certainly should not overshadow the true meaning of the celebration.

As for the healing power of honey, its beneficial properties are known to everyone. I think no one doubts the usefulness and healing qualities of this product. But to superstitiously attribute some miraculous power to honey consecrated in the temple on this day means to worship the creature, instead of honoring the Creator, Who gave us all these blessings.

Also, August 14 is the beginning of the Dormition Fast, which lasts two weeks until the Feast of the Dormition of the Mother of God. This is a strict fast dedicated to the memory of the Blessed Virgin Mary, who stayed in the temple in fasting and prayer from early childhood. With this fast we must cleanse our souls and, imitating the Most Holy Theotokos, spend this time in prayer, abstinence and contemplation of God.

– The Second Savior, which is called Apple, is celebrated on the day of the Transfiguration of the Lord on August 19. From this day on, apples are allowed to be eaten. People say: After Easter until the Apple Savior, you cannot eat apples. Is it so? And why exactly does the Transfiguration coincide with the Apple Savior?

– The Transfiguration has an important theological meaning, since it shows the state in which we will be after the Second Coming. The glory of the Transfiguration will become the property of those people who will share with the Savior the joy of the Kingdom of God. “The Lord was transformed not without a reason, but in order to show us the future transformation of our nature and His future coming,” wrote St. John Chrysostom. On this day, a Christian must confess and take communion, honor the holiday with prayer in church, so that through participation in this great event he can come at least one step closer to his own transformation.

On this holiday, it is customary to bless apples, grapes and other ripened fruits in the temple. Very often, people far from the Church attribute magical properties to the consecration of fruits, which is a delusion. The meaning of consecration on the day of Transfiguration is only that we bring to God the firstfruits of a new harvest. This tradition dates back to the times of the Old Testament, when God established to bring to the temple everything that appeared first in the field or in the stable - wheat, fruits, a lamb. Christians adopted this tradition and also began to bring the fruits of their labors to the temple. In Palestine, the Feast of the Transfiguration occurred at the time of the ripening of grapes, which were brought for consecration, thereby blessing the new harvest, from which wine was made for the Eucharist. When the holiday came to Rus', instead of grapes, which they had not yet learned to grow, apples were blessed. But the meaning remained the same - to bring to God all the first and best.

The Typikon prescribes to abstain from eating apples until they are blessed. And the meaning of this prescription is not so much to abstain from fruits for a certain period, but rather to ensure that the first fruits of the harvest are first consecrated and only then consumed. Some monasteries have a tradition of consecrating the fruits of the first harvest as soon as they ripen, and then eating them at a meal, without waiting for the Feast of the Transfiguration.

– And on the last, third Savior, Nut, August 29, nuts are blessed in churches... What should the Orthodox do with these traditions? And what do we celebrate on this day?

– Nut Savior is the name given to the holiday in honor of the transfer of the Image of Jesus Christ Not Made by Hands from Edessa to Constantinople. And, of course, it is quite obvious that it is not the nuts that need to be taken care of on this day. In general, the less we pay attention to secondary things that do not affect the salvation of our soul, the better. To understand various signs, you must always look at the meaning of a particular action or custom. In the Church, everything is meaningful, everything is subordinated to the logic of the Gospel, and serves the salvation of the human soul. And superstition is always devoid of internal meaning and is oriented towards external action, with a complete absence of internal content. In order not to become a victim of soul-harming superstitions invented by non-church people, it is necessary to go to church and strictly adhere to church tradition.

– What would you like to wish to all of us at the beginning of the Dormition Lent?

– First of all, I would like to congratulate all Orthodox Christians with all my heart on the upcoming holidays and the beginning of the Dormition Lent. We pray that the Lord will show mercy to our people and “bless His people with peace” (Ps. 28:11). The Church calls us to repentance, because this is the only way to a peaceful life and eternal salvation. “I have offered you life and death, blessing and curse,” we read in the Holy Scriptures. “Choose life, so that you and your descendants may live” (Deuteronomy 30:19).

A person makes his own choice and is responsible for it. And if only we sincerely turn to the Heavenly Father with a prayer of repentance, He will give us everything we need so that we can overcome evil and be reborn to eternal life. This is why we are offered repentant days of fasting, so that through a little spiritual work we become able to feel and accept Divine grace, which transforms a person and the world around him. By cleansing ourselves from the filth of sin and passions, we draw closer to God, which means we return to the Father’s house. “May the Lord of peace Himself always give you peace in everything. The Lord is with you all! (2 Thess. 3:16).

Interviewed by Natalya Goroshkova

Apple Spas: traditions and signs

Apple Spas is the most popular and beloved of all summer-autumn holidays. This is the popular name for the holiday of the Transfiguration of the Lord , celebrated on August 19 . The holiday is dedicated to the appearance of Jesus Christ in a renewed divine form to the apostles. This happened when Christ's disciples were praying on Mount Tabor. The Gospel interpretation of the Transfiguration speaks of the divine trinity, as well as the divine-human essence of Christ.

Starting from the Apple Savior in Rus', according to tradition, it was possible to eat the fruits of the new harvest without restrictions, including apples, which had to be blessed beforehand. According to folk superstitions, eating unconsecrated apples before the holiday was considered dangerous, and this was especially strictly prohibited for women. Superstitious people believed that violating the ban could lead to the death of small children.

On Apple Spas, apples were the main treat, they were given as gifts, they were given to the poor, apple fairs were held in Rus' on this day, and so on. The tradition of giving each other apples and apple pies on this day continues to this day.

The weather at Yablochny Spas was used to predict the coming winter. The signs said - the better the weather on August 19, the warmer and milder the winter will be. On this day, girls told fortunes about good luck, health and future marriage.

Signs on Spas

This holiday can be called pagan. There are several traditions associated with it that appeared in ancient Rus'. Here are some of them:

• baking pies with the whole family;
• lighting of fruits and vegetables in the church;
• prayers to the great martyrs and the Lord.

There are also signs of the Orthodox Savior. They mainly relate to the weather:

• cloudless sky and high temperature of at least 25 degrees - the harvest will be good;
• frequent thunderstorms and rains - you have to go through a difficult period, possible dismissal or loss of a profitable business;
• strong wind - you should prepare for quarrels with loved ones; conflicts will not disappear soon.

You can also tell fortunes in Spas based on animals. It is enough to monitor their behavior. If pets scratch, interfere with sleep or play pranks, then there is a black streak ahead. Problems can arise both at work and in the family.

Do you want to protect yourself from adversity? Contact fortune tellers. Clairvoyants will draw up an individual horoscope and tell you what fate has in store for you. If difficulties arise, the witches will help you deal with them. To do this, magicians perform rituals that protect against adversity.

Nut, or the Third Savior: traditions and signs

Orekhovy, or the Third Savior is celebrated on August 29 , immediately after the feast of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary and the day after the end of the Dormition Fast . The holiday is also called Bread, Linen or Canvas Spas . The holiday is associated with the ritual baking of bread from grain of the new harvest, with traditional crafts, as well as with the beginning of the collection of wild nuts.

The Third Spas in Rus' was considered a harbinger of autumn. On this day, traditionally, trade in handicrafts and homespun hostas began. From this time on, the autumn suffering began. The day was considered a holiday, however, if the Third Savior fell on Wednesday or Friday (as in 2021), meat and dairy were not eaten. On the tables, in addition to the consecrated bread of the new harvest, there were fish, vegetables, fruits, Lenten pastries, and so on.

Read more about the most important summer-autumn holidays and the Assumption Fast in the materials of the Federal News Agency .

Church holiday of the Savior

The name comes from the word “Savior”, that is, it directly points to the Lord God. On holidays, it is important to pray to the Almighty and prove your faith in practice. This means that a person must remember God every day, share his innermost things with him and not hide anything.

As on other days, the believer must keep all covenants. But having sinned on the Savior, a person will face a more terrible punishment, because this is a great holiday. If he disobeys, he will bring trouble on himself and the whole family.

In Spas, people remember the one thanks to whom they live and work on this earth. Orthodox Christians honor the Creator in prayers and also turn to saints. You can ask for help from the Most Holy Theotokos, Matrona Blessed.

Orthodox Savior - ceremonies and magical rituals during this period

In addition to signs, there are many rituals on this holiday. They are usually made with religious items such as candles. Holy water is also used, which carries powerful light energy. This is why it is so effective in performing rituals.

With candle and silk ribbon

This ritual helps to cope with many problems. The main thing is to choose the right shade of fabric:

1. If you feel worse, take a green ribbon.
   This color symbolizes health: both physical and mental. Therefore, after this ritual you will get rid of panic attacks and insomnia. Your vitality will increase and you will have strength for new achievements.
2. Problems with finances - blue.
   Such a ribbon will give you internal energy and also give you good luck. A couple of weeks after the ritual, you will be able to sort out your debts. There will be an opportunity to get a prestigious job or conclude a profitable deal.
3. Difficulty communicating with colleagues or loved ones - brown.
   The color symbolizes calmness, harmony with oneself and others. The ritual will help find a compromise and neutralize long-standing conflicts.

The ritual itself is carried out in the following order:

1. Light a candle and place a ribbon next to it.
   They peer into the flame and say:
   “I turn to the Lord with a candle, I want to solve my problem.
   My soul will not find peace, it is tossing about. Help me, God, save me from vanity. I am ready to pray to you every day until the hardships that darken my life disappear. Yes, hear me, Almighty. In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen .
2. They put out the fire.
   They open the kitchen window and close their eyes tightly. You need to stand in silence for five minutes and think about what you can thank the Lord for. For example, for shelter and loved ones with whom fate brought you together. The more extensive the list, the better. There is no need to skimp on gratitude.
3. They end the prayer with the words: “I kept praying to you, Lord, hoping for salvation.
   And now I’m calm, because I know that you will help. You cannot leave your servant in trouble, it is true what they say. It will be as I pray. In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen .

The ritual can be performed every week for a month. But usually the problems disappear after the first time, and repeated sessions are not required. Have you performed several rituals, but the difficulties have not gone away? Make an appointment with a fortune teller. They will talk about how to follow the signs of the Savior and conduct rituals and magical rituals during this period. Also, clairvoyants will read a prayer for you for good luck in different areas of life: career, love.

With apple and saucer

This ritual is performed only to celebrate the Apple Savior. The ritual will bring happiness to the house and help make a long-time wish come true. Moreover, dreams will come true for all family members. To make your household happy, you need to do the following:

1. Place an apple on a saucer and cover everything with a towel.
   Next, you should open the windows in each room, stand at the sunniest place and say:
   “I am under the sun, as if under the mercy of the Lord.
   I have always served him faithfully and faithfully, and therefore I can enlist support. I want my family not to need anything, to be happy and calm. And I will pray for their health, as well as for the Great Lord. Hear me, Almighty God. In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen .
2. Close the window and turn your back to it.
   Raise your hands high to the ceiling, smile and whisper:
   “From now on I will see my loved ones with a smile on my face, because God will help me.
   I pray that it will always be like this. In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen .

It is enough to perform the ritual once. True, the result may not be noticeable immediately. Minor problems will be solved first, and then global ones. You just need to be patient.

Don't want to wait? Need to sort out problems quickly? Sign up for a consultation with the fortune tellers. Hereditary fortune tellers know how to perform rituals on such a great holiday as the Savior. You will quickly feel relief from their rituals and prayers.