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Church-folk holiday Honey Savior has a fixed date and is celebrated every year on August 14th. The Orthodox honor on this day the memory of the Origin of the Honest Trees of the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord. Among the people, the Honey Savior is known as the time when the bees complete their work and prepare to meet the cold. So, the honey in the apiaries is ripe and it’s time to collect it. There was a belief that if all the honey from the hives was not collected that day, bees from neighboring apiaries would fly in and carry it away. Let’s talk about other signs of this day.
The history of folk signs on Honey Spas
Honey Savior begins exactly two weeks before the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, on August 14th. In the Slavic tradition, on this day, parishioners consecrate honey, poppy seeds and vegetables in the church, prepare honey cakes and, in general, endow “liquid gold” with special, almost magical properties.
The Orthodox Feast of the Origin of the Honest Trees of the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord, which today is celebrated on August 14, was established in the XNUMXth century. The holiday acquired a new sound, name and its own signs after the Eastern Slavs began to profess Orthodoxy and endowed this day with special folk meanings.
What can you do on Honey Spas
- Thank the beekeeper for his work. Honey Spas honors beekeepers and their work, so a trip to the apiary would be a great idea.
- Prepare something from honey. However, believers should not forget about the beginning of the Dormition Fast, so the dishes should be lenten. They believed that if you make a wish before eating honey, it will certainly come true.
- Cook something out of poppies. The second name of the Honey Savior is Makavey (Makavey and Makovey are found in different variations). It is believed that poppy, like honey, has healing properties on this day, so it must be added to food. And not only for food: according to the sign, if you put a poppy head consecrated in the church under the pillow of a child, it will protect him from the evil eye.
- Swim for the last time. Those who continued to swim in open water even after Ilya finally closed the swimming season after the Honey Savior. It was believed that since that time the water blooms and, having bathed in it, you can get sick. In addition, the Honey Savior was otherwise called the Savior on the Water – they believed that all reservoirs on this day purify the body and soul, relieve sins and diseases. Therefore, not only bathed on Honey Spas themselves, but also washed livestock.
- Attend worship. On August 14, a festive morning service is held in the churches, which all believers strive to attend.
- Consecrate food in the church. Traditionally, honey and poppy seeds, as well as other seasonal vegetables and fruits, were worn for consecration. Women brought cornflowers and marigolds. The flowers were dried and used as a charm. In ancient times, children were bathed in decoctions of these dried flowers to protect them from diseases.
- Ask for forgiveness of sins. The people believed that the Honey Savior was the day of remission of “woman’s sins”: they believed that women were forgiven all the sins that they repented of on this day.
- Help your neighbor. The beekeepers gave a portion of honey to the poor, and the people leaving the temple shared the consecrated products with the poor. Good deeds and helping those in need are good on any day, holidays are no exception.
What not to do on Honey Spas
- Work. Unless you are a beekeeper – you can, of course, collect honey. Everyone went to visit each other on Honey Spas, celebrated and ate, and there was an unspoken taboo in the field and at home. Yes, and August is a month when there are not so many things to do in the field, everyone was waiting for the harvest, so it was not shameful to be lazy at that time.
- Host noisy parties. A holiday is a holiday, however, it should be remembered that the church does not approve of revelry on important Orthodox days, so it should be celebrated quietly, with family and friends. This ban is not only churchly, but also quite everyday: the bees cannot stand loud sounds, they make them nervous, because of which they can bite the beekeeper.
- Eat fast food. August 14 is the first day of the two-week Assumption Fast, so the festive table for believers should be fasting.
signs of the weather
- Migratory birds leave their nests and fly south – it’s time for cold nights.
- Honey Spas – the end of the summer period and the beginning of the autumn.
- Roses are blooming – summer is over.
- It’s raining on Honey Spas – next summer the forests won’t burn.
- Honey Spas is unpredictable – the weather can be absolutely any. There is even a saying: the first Savior has everything in store.