Transfiguration hour is upcoming,
He will descend, our Bright Guest,
Of crucified patience
Taking out the rusty nails.
Sergey Yesenin.
On August 19, the Orthodox Church celebrates the Jesus Christ Transfiguration — the Lord God and Savior.
On this day, according to the Gospel, the apostles saw it transfigured in all the Divine, eternal glory: "After six days, Jesus took Peter, James and John, his brother, and led them to a high mountain alone, and was transfigured before them: and His face shone like the sun, and his garments have become white like light "(Mt 17: 1-2). And from heaven came a voice: "This is my beloved son, listen to him!".
By this action, Jesus not only showed his disciples his true image and divine origin, but also made them understand that the following of his teaching, the Word of God, leads every person to resurrection and Transfiguration.
To celebrate this day as a holiday, they began in Greece, in the IV century ad. The day of Transfiguration was at the time of ripening of grapes there. Christians brought fragrant clusters of grapes to the church for blessing and as a symbol of gratitude to God.
In Russia this holiday has received the national name — Apple Savior or in Russian — Apple Spas. In most of Russia, the grapes do not grow, so instead of it they consecrate apples. On this day, the first harvests of ripe fruits were collected, apple fairs were organized, each believer considered it his duty to treat and bestow the consecrated fruits to his neighbors and poor.
Before the Apple Spas it is not accepted to eat apples. This day, on the contrary, all kinds of dishes and sweets are prepared from ripened and consecrated fruits. Having bitten an apple, you can make a wish, which is surely fulfilled. Apples can be prepared in all ways — raw, baked, fried or boiled. Fruits and dishes from apples occupy a place of honor on the table in a beautiful utensils, such as cups, fruit pots and plates with Khokhloma or Gzhel painting.
The main attribute of the festive table is the apple pie. It is baked in every house according to the unique recipe of the landlady, while it is necessary to condemn the coveted words: "What is meant, it's decided. What is thought out, it will come true. What will come true, it will not fail." Dishes from natural products are best served in dishes made by hand from natural materials. Ideal for this case are dishes made of clay or wood.
On this day, you can do nothing at home, except cooking. Any homework should be left for another day. Also on this day, according to an old custom, the mistresses perform the ritual of house purifying, with the help of apples and a wax candle: the apple is cut into two halves and the core is pulled out — a candle is placed in one half and the house is passed around, reading prayers and asking the Lord to protect the shelter from adversity, and bestow the family peace and harmony. Then wax is transferred from the candle to the other half of the apple, firmly bind the two halves of the fruit with a rope, take them away from home and dig in the ground.
Another name of the Apple Spas is the "first autumn". It is believed that the nights after the Apple Spas become colder, autumn approaches: "Spas came, prepare the gloves for safety!". They say that the weather on this day determines what will be the autumn — dry and warm or rainy and cold.
Apple Spas is an illustrative example, of how pagan customs intertwined with Orthodox holidays and acquired a new sacred meaning. On this day a man, having collected and sanctified the generous gifts of nature, having spent an evening with family and friends at holiday table, should once again rejoice at the life given to him and think about his own destiny.