Today Apple Savior is an important national holiday of the Transfiguration of the Lord. Timed to coincide with the first harvest. What date do Christians celebrate the Apple Savior? Traditionally, the date of the celebration falls on August 19. According to popular beliefs, it was from this day that nature made a U-turn from summer to autumn. How was the Apple Savior celebrated? Traditions true and superstitious will be described in the article.
History of the holiday
The Feast of the Apple Savior was originally celebrated in Ancient Russia and was dedicated to the pagan Slavic god Spas. They honored God by offering gifts, the fruits of the earth. The Slavs believed that the first fruits should be donated to Mother Nature, thereby receiving a blessing for a rich harvest. To do this, fruits were distributed to neighbors, thrown into water and fire.
It was customary for the pagan Slavs to celebrate several Spas, whose names and time of celebration were associated with the ripening of various gifts of the earth. Today, Honey, Apple and Nut Spas are traditionally celebrated. They are meant to remind of the greatestnatural power and the values that it bestows on people.
Other names
The holiday has many names. He was nicknamed the Feast of the First Fruits, Autumn, the Second Savior. The Christian church gave the holiday a name based on biblical motives - the Savior on the Mountain. This is connected with the ascent of Christ with his disciples to the sacred Mount Tabor, where, according to the Bible, during prayer, the face of Jesus changed and the robes acquired a snow-white color. And this became a sign of the great destiny of the future Savior of mankind. The church calendar timed the celebration of the Savior to the great deeds of the son of God. The very concept of "savior", which has become a separate definition, has the same root as the word "savior".
Traditions and customs of the holiday
During the holiday, believers put on their best clothes, preferably in light colors, and come to churches for services dedicated to the Apple Savior (a photo of this action can be seen in the article). On this day, the sacrament of confession and communion, festive prayers are held. After the liturgical rites, the fruits brought are consecrated. The roots of this custom come from the times of the Old Testament, when grapes and ears of corn were brought to the temple for blessing.
Due to the rare growth of the vine on the territory of Russia, the people replaced the grapes with apples, the harvest time of which coincided with the Apple Savior. So apples became the personification of the holiday.
Traditionally it is believed that eating apples becomes possible only afterthe rite of their consecration conducted by the minister of the church.
Ancestors piously believed that dead children would be treated in another world with ripe fragrant apples. Parents of dead children took apples to the graves of their offspring who died in infancy. According to modern traditions, lit apples commemorate relatives and friends who are no longer on earth.
It used to be a belief that in order to bless the harvest, it is necessary to invite a church minister right into the field.
On the holiday, household chores were not allowed. Sewing, knitting, cleaning was not supposed to. Only cooking was allowed, as well as work on harvesting ripe cereal crops from the fields.
The bright, festive day of the Savior was widely celebrated with festivities, they said goodbye to summer, and met autumn. It was customary to organize fairs. On them, ripe apples were sold in whole carts, while it was customary to bid. It was believed that if there were a lot of apples, it was necessary to distribute as many as possible to those in need. And the more generosity is shown, the more luck and we alth fate promises. And those who forgot about such a custom, our ancestors considered evil, greedy and crafty.
Signs and superstitions
Our ancestors had many signs and superstitions associated with the onset of the Savior, and some of them have survived to this day. Attention to signs, following them made it possible not only to predict the weather in the coming year, but also to prevent possible difficulties in everyday life and family life. Signs became an echo of long-term observations of the connection between natural phenomena and people's behavior with events,occurred on a public holiday.
Weather and harvest
It was believed that with the onset of Apple Spas, the weather changed, transformed. The weather on that day determined what kind of winter it would be. The rain that was falling that day promised to be wet and cold for the winter months. And the clear warm weather marked a snowy winter, without hard frosts.
After the Transfiguration of the Lord, the weather will change dramatically - the nights will become noticeably colder and longer. Now we understand that such weather changes are connected precisely with the change of season. But it was more convenient for our ancestors to live according to established signs.
Yellowed leaves on the trees meant that soon we had to wait for severe cold weather.
Starlings sitting in large numbers on tree branches promised January to be harsh.
The behavior of the bees on that day determined what the coming autumn would be like. A speck of fine rain and bees gathering in a swarm spoke of an autumn that was dank and saturated with rain.
All grains were tried to be removed from the fields before the date of the Savior. It was believed that the first rain that fell could destroy the entire crop. The sign is directly related to the onset of the rainy season.
Superstitions about the first apple eaten
Ancient folk belief said that by the first apple eaten on the day of the Savior, you can determine what the next year will bring, what it will be like. The sour taste of the fruit promised future sorrows and misfortunes, and the sweet one foreshadowed many joyful and blessed events. If the apple was soursweet taste - the family will be calm and okay.
For unmarried girls, the very first apple eaten was a symbol of the fulfillment of cherished desires. And they thought of a kind, caring groom, a happy marriage and he althy children. And it was believed that the wish will come true, if the soul is bright, and the petition comes from the depths of the heart.
Wish fulfillment superstitions
Young girls asked blooming apple trees to give them beauty and tenderness, wove wreaths of ears of corn and wild flowers, adding foliage from an apple tree to them.
There was a popular belief that insects should not be driven away on the day of celebration, let alone killed. So it was possible to frighten off luck, because an ordinary fly that crouched twice granted success in business, fulfilled its plan.
Another belief said that with the last bite of the consecrated apple on Apple Savior, a secret wish should be conceived, and it should come true.
Superstitions about prosperity
If on this day the bees begin to flock to honey, then the year will be rich.
It was customary to distribute the gifts of the unborn harvest to the poor, orphans and other needy. Such deeds promised the giver to live in abundance and not need the whole next year. The people trusted this rule and always followed it.
It was also believed that an eaten whole apple and not even a single seed left behind would bring prosperity and prosperity, success and good luck to the house.
Apple Spas: a description of rituals for well-being
Another old custom says that in the center of one of the halvescut in half a consecrated apple, you need to put a white candle from the temple and walk with it throughout the house, performing the rite of purification. It was customary to speak every corner and drive a candle clockwise, outlining a circle three times. At the same time, they read prayers and asked for the protection of the home from adversity. They asked God for peace and harmony in the family. Then the wax from the burnt candle was placed in the second half of the apple, both halves were tightly tied together and buried away from their home. And only after finishing the cleansing ritual, it was possible to start preparing treats for the festive table.
If suddenly the family had unforeseen monetary expenses and debts, then in order to overcome these difficulties, it was necessary to take the three most ripe apples and go to the temple. There, give two of them to those who ask on the porch, and the best thing is to eat it yourself, while silently pronouncing a request for solving financial difficulties.
Prohibitions on the day of the Savior
It was forbidden to sew on the holiday, it foreshadowed to grieve and shed tears throughout life.
It was not customary to cut hair on this day, it was considered a work that could not be done on a church holiday. In addition, the waning moon meant slow hair growth, which was a sign of illness.
There was a belief that the parents of deceased children should not eat apples before the Savior, otherwise they would not be treated to juicy fruits in the next world.
It was also believed that women who ate the fruit of the apple tree before the holiday, take on the sin of the mother of all mothers Eve.
There was a ban on eating meat, eggs and fatty foods. It was desirable to eat lenten dishes. Also, all activities intertwined with harmful addictions were prohibited.
The worst omen was to quarrel on this bright day and wish evil in the midst of a quarrel. Evil wishes sent to the offender could return a hundredfold as a boomerang.
What is customary to cook for the holiday?
Apple Savior in 2018 will also be celebrated by believers on August 19th. On this day, it is customary to cook pastries with apple filling. The addition of honey and nuts was always welcome. Since ancient times, pancakes, pies, baked apples, rich fruit jelly and compotes have been baked on this day. Traditionally, they went to visit, treated each other, and in the evening they organized festivities and said goodbye to the summer.
The main treat was honey-baked apples. In houses with great prosperity, it was customary to add raisins, nuts, cottage cheese to this dish. Cooked traditionally in a Russian oven. But even now, such a treat can be enjoyed using a modern oven or even a microwave.
Another obligatory attribute of the festive table is an apple pie or a traditional charlotte in our understanding. This pie is rich in recipes, but most often for its preparation you will need egg whites mixed with sugar, a little flour and the main ingredient - slices of bulk fragrant apples. And the more stuffing, the more tender and brighter the taste of the jellied pie.
Simple and affordable for cooking in our timethe dish is pancakes with apples. By adding grated apple pulp to the most ordinary dough, you can get fragrant, golden "suns" of lush pancakes, which will appeal even to children.
From that day on, housewives began to make winter apple preparations: they cooked compotes and jams, made jam, pressed juice. Apples were cut into thin slices or slices and left to dry and dry.
Even our ancestors appreciated their wonderful properties in apples. They knew about the benefits of eating these fruits both during the ripening period and in winter in the form of blanks. After all, it is a well-known fact that with proper storage, some varieties can be eaten fresh even in winter. This fruit is rich in vitamins, he althy fiber and valuable nutrients. And at the same time a very low-calorie product. The acidic content of apples aids in the digestion of proteins and fats, thereby helping to control weight.
