The feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord, celebrated on August 6 (19), was greeted with great solemnity in Russia.
… Usually light without flame
It goes on this day from Tabor, And autumn, clear as a sign, It attracts the eyes …
- (B. Pasternak)
The Gospels tell how Jesus Christ, shortly before suffering on the Cross, taking three disciples with him, will go to Mount Tabor, towering over the hills of Galilee. Here the disciples saw the divine Transfiguration of Christ: His face became like the flashing of lightning, and His clothes became white as snow. He stood surrounded by radiance, like the rays of the sun.
The apostles, frightened, fell to the ground. But Jesus, touching them, said: "Get up and do not be afraid!" And when they all went down the mountain together, Jesus forbade the disciples to tell about this event until "until the Son of Man is raised from the dead." The Transfiguration of Christ is the proclamation of the transfiguration of all humanity, redeemed by Christ.
Promotional video:
For the feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord, many fruits and vegetables ripen, the harvest ends. In Russia, this holiday was called the "Apple Savior". On this day, apples and other fruits of the earth were consecrated in churches. After the consecration, part of the fruit was distributed to the poor: "For the Savior, the beggar will indulge in an apple." Of those who did not give apples to the poor or the sick, they said: “God forbid to have anything to do with him! He forgot the old and orphan, did not give them a little good of his wealth, did not look after (shared) his good with the sick and the poor."
Before the Transfiguration, it was strictly forbidden to eat apples (and in general, they tried not to consume any fruits, except for cucumbers). Mothers of dead babies were especially zealous in observing this custom: it was believed that if a mother eats an apple before the Savior, then in the next world the Lord would deprive her child of the pleasure of playing with an apple.
For twenty years, as Dear
Sod blanket
Covered - it's all a pity for the heart!
I pray for him, into the mouth of an apple
I won't take it until the Savior.
- (N. Nekrasov. "Who Lives Well in Russia")
In some villages, the "custom of general breaking down" with peas persisted for a long time. After serving a prayer service in the field, the peasants went to the pea field with the whole village and feasted on green pods until the evening. It was a true holiday for the kids, who dived in green bushes all day and gorged themselves to the point that at the end they crawled from strip to strip on their belly.
Autumn began with the second Savior - the meeting of autumn. In the field, they saw off the sunset with songs, warmed themselves by the fires on a cold night, and danced in circles.
100 great holidays. Elena Olegovna Chekulaeva