Why you can't eat apples before August 19. Apple Spas: why you can't eat apples before it

Since August, an active picking of apples begins, but at the same time there is a sign that it is impossible to eat apples until the Apple Savior, but why this ban arose, only a few know. According to church canons, this holiday is usually called the Transfiguration of the Lord. It begins with a divine service where people can consecrate both apples and others. Despite the fact that this is an old holiday, there is still debate over whether it is possible to eat apples before it or not, so try to dot the “i” s.

Can you eat apples before Apple Savior?

Although there are various disputes about this, there is still a ban on the use of these fruits. In addition, it is worth noting that if a person breaks a taboo, then he will certainly be punished.

Since ancient times, it was believed that a person who brings apples to the temple for consecration, thereby shows the Lord the results of his work and asks for blessings. Only after this does the believer receive permission to partake of the fruit. At the same time, you first need to treat people in need with apples, and only then you can eat on your own. By the way, when eating the first apple, it is necessary to make a cherished wish, which will certainly come true thanks to the help of the Higher Powers.

Speaking about why it is impossible to eat apples before the Apple Savior, we will mention another version, according to which the prohibition applies exclusively to the female half of humanity. They associate this with the most famous sin, when Eve picked an apple in the Garden of Eden and treated her husband Adam to it. As a result, they violated the main commandment of God and were expelled from Paradise. That is why women are not encouraged to eat apples until they are consecrated in the church.

Finding out who is not allowed to eat apples before Apple Spas, it is worth saying that, first of all, such a prohibition must be observed by parents whose children have died. People believed that if this rule is observed, then the child will certainly be rewarded with a divine gift.

It will be interesting to find out not only why apples are not eaten before the Apple Savior, but also other prohibitions concerning this day. You can't drive off a fly on this holiday, let alone kill it. If a fly has landed on the body twice - this is a good sign, meaning that all desires will come true. After the Apple Savior, it is forbidden to leave a grain harvest, as it will be destroyed by the rains. It is forbidden to work around the house and to sew on this day, as well as to swim in open reservoirs.

The Feast of the Savior of Apple is a popular interpretation of the church celebration of the Transfiguration of the Lord, which is celebrated on August 19 every year. Traditionally, people go to church in the morning for divine services. With them they carry a basket full of tasty fruits, the main of which are the apples.

On the day of the Savior of the Apple, the people do not work. In addition, the Dormition Fast continues, which imposes restrictions on food intake and festivities.

Before going to church, people prepared a festive basket. All kinds of summer fruits were put into it, which had already warmed up for this celebration. The main "guest" of the service is apples, hence the name of the Second Savior. All this filling of the holiday basket on Apple Spas pays tribute to nature and its fruits. After all, it is thanks to them that a person lives and does not know hunger and poverty.

In addition to apples, the festive basket was filled with crops from their own garden. Among the fruits you can find plums, apricots and peaches, white and red grapes, pears and, of course, apples. It is not forbidden to bake an apple pie with honey and poppy seeds. You can also add various medicinal herbs and wheat ears to the basket. All this is sanctified in the church and then goes to treats for family and friends.

You cannot bring any alcohol to the service except Cahors. Fruits that have been consecrated in the church cannot be thrown away. If it is not possible to eat them yourself, then it is better to distribute them to close friends and acquaintances.

Traditions of celebrating the Day of Apple Savior

For a long time, all Orthodox believers have gathered for the morning service. They bring apples to the consecration. After all, the holiday on August 19 is popularly called the Apple Savior, while its church name speaks of the Transfiguration of the Lord. This day is compared to a new stage in life, when forgiveness and transformation can be obtained even as a sinful person.

There is a tradition among the people according to which women who for some reason lost their children never ate apples until the Second Savior. On the day of this holiday, they carried the consecrated apples and laid them on the graves of the dead babies. So they passed on love and care to their children, who had already left for another world. In addition, apples could be placed on the graves of loved ones.

The main tradition on Yablochny Spas was baking with these sacred fruits. The hostesses were preparing lean dough, because the Dormition Fast is still in progress, and they baked pies, loaves and buns stuffed with apples and honey from them.

It is forbidden to do household chores on this holiday. No cleaning, sewing or anything else can be done on Yablochny Spas. In addition, work in the field and in the garden is prohibited.

On Apple Spas, they trust folk signs

On the feast of the Savior Apple, gifts of nature were honored, therefore, until this day, all summer work in the fields and gardens should be completed. If you do not have time to harvest the ears of grain for the holiday, then you can lose your harvest due to rains.

Winter weather was determined on the day of August 19. If the day passed without a drop of rain, then you should not expect heavy downpours before winter. When the weather on Yablochny was clear and hot, the winter will be severe.

The people believed that it is possible to make a wish for the Apple Savior, while eating a consecrated apple and honey, and it will certainly come true. However, this will happen only if this fruit is not consumed before this holiday.

Many believers are simply shaking from the age that they cannot eat apples before the Transfiguration and honey until August 14 ... in Greece and hot countries they do not eat grapes, watermelons and melons ... but believers are afraid of a lot of things ... In general, I found one article here. priest Father Igor Ilyushin and completely agree.

SUPERSTRY - AS A STATE OF THE SOUL.

Our conference is called “Church Superstitions”. The Church, of course, cannot have superstitions, therefore it is more correct to designate such superstitions as “church” (in quotation marks), or even better - near-church, pseudo-church, and even anti-church. The Church has always fought against superstitions, and if such did appear, they came from the ignorance of the people and were timely condemned by the Church.

If we look into the “Explanatory Dictionary of the Russian Language” by Vladimir Dal, we will find there the following explanation for superstition - “erroneous, empty, absurd, false belief in something; belief in cause and effect, where no causal relationship is visible. "

The modern society of people who call themselves “believers”, unfortunately, turns out to be precisely superstitious. Such people are superstitious towards the Church. They accept the Sacrament of Holy Baptism with the thought of not getting sick, go to the church in order to stand under the dome - recharge, light candles to fulfill this or that desire.

The majority of such believers go to church twice a year: for the Epiphany of the Lord - for holy water, and on Easter - to consecrate cakes and eggs. All this is a superstitious approach to the Church, that is, erroneous, empty, false and consumerist.

Superstition is a state of the human soul that does not trust in God, but believes in the darkened nature of the material world. Here lies the substitution of superstition for faith in God, which means idolatry. Superstition is born of a person's fear of any phenomena, from the Holy Scriptures we know that in trust and love for God “there is no fear, but perfect love casts out fear; because fear is torment ”(1 John 4:18). A superstitious person really suffers and, in order to avoid trouble, grabs any thread, instead of trusting God, begins to fall into idolatry.

And since today we are talking about “church” superstitions, then a false, vain faith can be found not only among the laity, but also among the clergy. Some clerics, deluded by their spirit-bearing position, begin to believe in their “high” dignities before God. Such superstitions include the well-known phenomenon of "young age", superstitious, false old age. For example, when questionable blessings are handed out, do not take products that have the seal of antichrist on the labels (meaning a barcode), but if they do, then cut it out and burn it in a church oven. Or a well-known recent problem with TIN, passports, cards, and more.

As can be seen from the experience of modern church life, “church” superstitions are today a very serious problem that needs to be addressed immediately and at a high level.

Most superstitions appear due to the ignorance of people, due to the lack of information. When the tradition remains, and its explanation changes, the degradation of tradition occurs. For example, if you don't eat apples before the Transfiguration, you take them away from the departed. Hence, due to false motivation, the tradition itself becomes pagan.

Let us turn to the Holy Gospel, the Lord and his disciples pluck and eat ears of grain on Saturday, do not wash their hands, the Lord heals on Saturday and says: “Saturday is for a person, and not a person for Saturday” (Mark 2:27) - this is the answer of the Lord Himself to all traditions overgrown with superstitious idolatry, in which the attitude towards God is seen not as a loving Father, but as a punisher.

There is another danger - to mistake godly customs for superstition. Such as being baptized into the temple, reading a prayer before leaving the house, and others. Therefore, a clear line must be drawn between godly customs and superstition.

How to deal with “church” superstitions and is it possible to defeat them? I dare to answer this question with the word "YES". “Church” superstitions can be defeated.

In the temple, of course, this is preaching, but in the world it is missionary work. People are susceptible to superstition, because someone taught them so, this someone is sometimes incompetent. The task of the Church is to teach people to believe in God, and not to superstition in an idol. The Lord Jesus Christ calls us: “go, teach all nations” (Matthew 28:19), our today's task is reduced not only to one people, but to that part of the people who call themselves believers. We are talking about people subject to "church" superstitions.

It is necessary to use all possible media: television and radio, especially before the great church holidays. Not just talking about the event of the holiday and commenting on the service, but explaining the importance of church life, constant attendance at divine services, participation in the sacraments of the Church, especially the Confession and Communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ, and warn people against a superstitious approach to God.

If today missionaries do not go on their own to preach to the world, then when the people themselves go to our churches, we are simply obliged to instruct every Christian who accidentally walks in, even a lost Christian.

Knowing the fact that believers are subject to church superstitions, they come to church several times a year, namely, on Christmas Day, the Baptism of the Lord and Easter. It is necessary on these days to distribute free of charge, for example, together with Epiphany water, booklets in which to explain the meaning of the holiday and the attitude of a Christian to holy water, church sacraments, and attendance at divine services. Such booklets should contain prayers and explanations about the importance of prayer communication with God. It is desirable that every person, even if he accidentally entered the temple, on any day of the year, could receive such a booklet for free. I assure you that the churches will not only not lose from this, but will acquire new people who have found the truth.

Dear fathers, brothers and sisters! I hope that by our joint efforts the problem of “church” superstitions will be settled in the near future.

Priest Igor Ilyushin,

cleric of the church in the name of the icon of the Mother of God "Reigning"

Superstition?
Question:
- Good afternoon, Fr. Andrei.
1. I have only recently started to church and I do not yet have a spiritual father. It is possible in prayer I will (at least for now) indicate your name, because Have you guided me more than once in your answers and more than once helped me with answers to the questions of other Christians on this site in the days of despondency and lack of faith?
2. Father, recently I was told that those who had abortions (forgive us, Lord) cannot eat apples of the new harvest until the Apple Savior. Is this superstition or a church rule?

1. Yes, of course you can, and for the prayers I will only be grateful.
2. This is superstition and stupidity. There is a Russian tradition not to eat apples until the Transfiguration, but this is also just a tradition. If somewhere in the southern regions of the country they are not eaten before the Transfiguration, then you will have to eat rotten ones. Save Christ!

Of all Spas, Yablochny has perhaps the largest number of traditions - both church and folk. Therefore, opinions as to whether it is possible to eat apples before the onset of the holiday differ.

The Apple Savior falls on the period of the Dormition Fast, but this does not explain in any way the prohibition on the use of fruits. During the period of abstinence, it is not allowed to eat food of animal origin, and fruits and vegetables, on the contrary, become the main diet of believers.

Nevertheless, the opinion is still alive that there is no new harvest before the onset of the Apple Savior. Folk tradition explains this in a very unusual way: in Russia in ancient times, there was a belief that if a mother who lost her child eats an apple before the Savior, the child's soul will not receive a paradise apple, which the Angel distributes in honor of the holiday. The priests assure that this belief has nothing to do with reality.

The Church explains the emergence of such a strange prohibition. Initially, it concerned grapes, and the ban on apples is an "adaptation" to the natural conditions of the middle zone. The ban was indicated in the church charter: monks who ate grapes before the advent of the Savior were forbidden to eat them throughout August. In addition, on the Transfiguration of the Lord - a church holiday, to which the Apple Savior is timed - there is a custom to consecrate the harvested crop and only then eat it. Christians tried not to taste the gifts of nature until they were consecrated in the church - this was a kind of gratitude to the Lord for the harvest sent down. Therefore, a negative attitude was born towards the use of apples until the moment of consecration in the church. And the fruits were harvested closer to August 19: it was believed that apples are poured and acquire the best taste precisely by this time.

Nowadays, such a ban is not entirely relevant: apples are available in the store all year round, and not everyone has their own summer cottages with apple trees. Therefore, it is quite possible to eat apples before the onset of the Apple Savior. This is especially necessary for those who are fasting - the body requires vitamins, which can be obtained from fruits.

Thus, there is no strict ban on eating apples before the holiday. The priests only say that the harvest, if possible, should be consecrated in the church for the Transfiguration of the Lord - this will make the holiday more joyful. We wish you well-being and good luck, and do not forget to press the buttons and

12.08.2017 06:10

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Apple Savior is celebrated annually on August 19. There is a belief that apples cannot be eaten before this holiday. In this article, we will figure out whether this belief has anything in common with Orthodox traditions, why women cannot eat apples before the Apple Savior, and what the official church thinks about this.

Why you can't eat apples before the Apple Savior in Orthodoxy

Apple Spas is celebrated on August 19. It is believed that apples cannot be eaten for this purpose. On Yablochny Spas, at the festive service, the fruits of the new harvest are consecrated. Many people believe that apples can be eaten only after this ritual, and that the consecrated fruit should be eaten first.

And in fact, in the church charter there was a ban on the use of apples before the Transfiguration. The fact is that earlier it was customary for peasants to bring the result of their labors to the church - apples and grapes. Therefore, before eating the fruits, they must be blessed by the Lord.

However, given that apples can now not only be grown in their own gardens, but also purchased in the store at any time of the year, it is not necessary to follow this rule. Each person can independently determine for himself how important it is for him to follow this rule. If you have any difficulties, you need to contact your spiritual mentor.

Recently, the following rule has become popular: apples of a new harvest cannot be eaten from the beginning of the Assumption Lent until the Apple Savior.

There is also a popular belief that a mother who has lost her child should not eat apples of the new harvest until the Apple Savior. It is believed that in this case, the baby will not get an apple in the next world. This belief applies to both deceased children and those who were never born.

The official church claims that eating apples, either old or new, does not affect dead children in any way. In order for dead children to be all right in the next world, you need to pray for them, go to church and light candles. Eating or not eating apples has nothing to do with this.

Ban on apples until the Apple Savior for women

According to church canons, you cannot eat apples until the Apple Savior. This is due to the need to consecrate the first harvest in the church, and only then use it. However, if for children and men such a sign is associated only with the fact that you can harm your stomach, then a woman takes a sin on her soul.

This sign is connected with the fact that Eve presented Adam exactly with an apple, thus violating the only commandment of the Lord. And it was after this that the Lord expelled Eve with Adam from paradise. Therefore, if a woman eats an apple in the period after Easter and before the Savior of Apple, then she will take upon herself the first sin of Eve.

From what date you can not eat apples until Apple Savior

Apple Savior is one of the most important Orthodox holidays. Therefore, many rituals and traditions are associated with it. The main one is the ban on the use of apples.

The main reason for the ban on the use of apples is the ripening period of these fruits. The fact is that most apple varieties had not yet ripened until August 19, so the ban was introduced in order to prevent disruptions in the work of the gastrointestinal tract. Due to the fact that mostly children were eating unripe apples, the church ban was the only way to protect children and adults from unpleasant health consequences. In addition, the ban on eating apples allows you to develop the spiritual strength of people, to strengthen faith and help to fight sinful passions.

If earlier the ban on apples began after Easter and lasted until the Apple Savior, then the modern church recommends refusing to use apples of the new harvest only with.

At the same time, the ban on apples is not strict, and only monks are recommended to adhere to it. Even many clergymen violate this prohibition. Therefore, if you cannot decide whether or not you should eat apples before the Savior, contact your spiritual mentor.