The Transfiguration of the Lord is a great holiday with a special meaning

The Transfiguration of the Lord is included in the list of the 12 most significant Orthodox holidays. Christians celebrate the Great Day every year on August 19th.

Transfiguration

Apple Spas- popular among the people the name of an important church holiday, called the Transfiguration of the Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ. It is known that the Transfiguration of the Lord is included in the list of the 12 most significant Orthodox holidays. Christians celebrate the Great Day every year on August 19th. It falls on the shortest, but very strict fast, lasting until the day of the Dormition of the Mother of God. Apple Spas is younger than other important church dates, but its history is no less mysterious and interesting.

Favorite August holidays - Three Spas

There are three Savior in the church calendar. The first, called the Savior on the Water, falls on August 14th. On this day, believers were saved from epidemics and infections, intensified by the summer heat, with the help of holy water taken out of the church. Another well-known name is Honey Savior, the holiday received for the reason that from that day it was allowed to eat honey.

Beato Angelico. Transfiguration. 1440-41. Fresco

The most important of the three is considered the Second Savior - Apple or the Feast of the First Fruits. After it, it is allowed to eat apples and other fruits. In ancient times, parents who lost children were especially strict about the ban. It was believed that if you refuse fruit delicacies, then in the next world, dead children are treated to gifts and golden apples. Believers claim that apples on this day have a special magical power, and delicacy helps to fulfill their wishes.

The Third Spas is popularly called Nut, in the church calendar it appears on August 29. Usually by this time the nuts become mature and edible. The Orthodox also call him the Savior on the canvas, as a sign that the face of Jesus was imprinted on a piece of cloth. On this day, peddlers traditionally held a sale of canvases and canvases.

Roots and history of Apple Spas

Historians argue that the Second Spas came to replace the pre-Christian holiday of picking apples. In ancient times, the fruits until this day were considered immature and inedible. Only after consecration at the altar, juicy fruits were allowed to be eaten without restrictions. The pagans believed that apples on this day are endowed with special power - they bring health, beauty, strength and happiness.

Transfiguration in the Orthodox Church is also called the Savior on the mountain. Believers know that on August 19 - exactly 40 days before the crucifixion of Christ, Jesus and his three disciples climbed Mount Tabor. When Jesus began to pray, his face was suddenly illuminated by an unearthly light, and his clothes turned into snow-white. So Jesus Christ was transformed before the eyes of Peter, John and James, revealing to them his destiny.

At that moment, the future Savior learned that he was destined for the sake of people to die a martyr's death on the cross, and then resurrect. Christ strictly forbade his disciples to talk about this miraculous event. Returning to the people, the son of the Lord God ordered to collect apples so that the Father could sanctify them. Celebrating the Apple Spas began in the 4th century, after a temple was opened on Mount Tabor that immortalized the Transfiguration of the Lord.

Traditions of the Feast of First Fruits

The celebration of the Transfiguration of the Lord begins with the morning church service. During the service, the cross is carried to the center of the temple. First of all, the rite of worship is performed, and then the procession and the consecration of the fruits. During the liturgy, the canon of the Great Transfiguration is sung. Parishioners must dress in snow-white robes, white is the main color of a wonderful holiday.

Traditionally, on this day, believers carried baskets with grapes, apples, pears, plums and other fruits and berries that had ripened in the garden to church. Harvest had to be harvested early in the morning so that dew drops remained on the ruddy skin. Housewives baked lenten pies and pancakes with fruit fillings, mostly with apple fillings. On August 19, it was allowed not only to eat apples, but also to start harvesting them: to cook jam, jams, to dry.

The most important custom of the Second Savior is the treat of poor and hungry people with apples. Believers never stinted on this day and willingly shared the harvest with those who needed help. Also, the consecrated fruits were necessarily carried to the cemetery, and treats were left not only on the graves of their relatives, but also on the mounds left unattended.

The Apple Savior has always symbolized the beginning of autumn; the people called it the Osenins. Before this date, it was necessary to have time to harvest wheat and prepare medicinal herbs. According to signs, a clear day on the Transfiguration of the Lord portends a harsh winter, rain - a wet autumn, and dry weather - a dry autumn. published

Apple Spas
Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord

The Day of the Transfiguration of the Lord is a bright holiday, which is celebrated annually on August 19. Find out what traditions this Orthodox holiday carries, how it was celebrated and what it is customary to pray to God on this day.

The history of the church holiday

The event celebrated by the Orthodox on this day is associated with the Transfiguration described in the Bible. During the sermon, Jesus revealed his Divine essence to his apostles, and revealed to them that he was the son of God. Climbing Mount Tabor, the Savior was transformed: his face shone, his clothes became bright, and the voice of the Lord from heaven said: “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; Listen to him."

Jesus said that he was called to die for human sins, sacrificing himself. But after three days he will rise again, and then he will ascend to heaven.

How to celebrate the Transfiguration of the Lord

Church services in honor of the Transfiguration of the Lord begin the day before the holiday - August 18, and continue for another seven days after. On the feast of the Transfiguration itself, a liturgy is held in churches, and a canon is sung. The ministers of the church, on this day, are all dressed in white clothes, emphasizing the miraculous Tabor light that overshadowed Christ.

Orthodox believers traditionally go to church on August 19, the day of the Transfiguration, to defend the festive service. And at home it is customary to pray before the icon of our Savior Jesus Christ:

"Lord Jesus Christ, our God, unapproachable in the Living Light,
Radiance of this Glory of the Father and the Image of His Hypostasis!
When the fulfillment of times came, You, for mercy unspeakable to the fallen human race, belittled You, You accepted the sight of a slave, You humbled You, being obedient even to death.
Both before the Cross and Thy free passion on Mount Favorstey, thou wast transfigured in Thy Divine Glory before Thy holy disciples and Apostles, having little hidden the perception of the flesh, so that when they see Thee crucified, and betrayed to death, they will comprehend Your free suffering and Divinity "

The Feast of the Transfiguration is popularly called Apple Savior. On this day, church and folk traditions intertwined, and both holidays are celebrated on a grand scale. Orthodox bring the fruits of the new harvest of apples to the church to consecrate after the liturgy.

There are festivities in the evening. Despite the fact that the holiday falls on the Dormition Fast, the church allows more food to be served at the table than on other fast days: fish, apple treats and wine.

The Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord is considered one of the twelve main events in the Orthodox calendar and is important for every believer. By observing Orthodox traditions, you can not only honor the memory of your ancestors, but also become a little closer to God, put faith in Him into your soul. We wish you good luck and do not forget to press the buttons and

19.08.2015 00:10

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Archpriest Artemy Vladimirov tells about the spiritual meaning of the feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord, about our ascent after Christ, about the event of the holiday and why it was Moses and Elijah who appeared to the Savior, about how to prepare for this day and how to spend it.

“You were transfigured on the mountain, Christ God…” Who does not remember the opening words of the troparion of the twelfth feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord! Then, on Mount Tabor, the Savior, still in the dead of night, made the ascent with three of His most devoted and zealous disciples: - the apostle of love, his brother Jacob and ardent Peter, talked with the Heavenly Father, and the disciples, who were napping, suddenly saw the incomprehensible: how the face of Christ was illuminated brighter sunlight, and His vestments became snow-white, so that they surpassed in their purity the snow lying on Mount Carmel. And the whitewasher on earth, the evangelist notes, cannot bleach the fabric as well as the robes of Christ were clean (cf. Mark 9:3). The disciples, with their spiritual vision revealed by the will of God, saw the glory of the Lord, which the Son always had, like the Father, being consubstantial with Him in incarnation. But here human nature, inseparably and inseparably united with the Divine, shone - so a piece of metal placed in the midst of fire, after being heated, itself begins to exude light and heat, as if becoming fire - but at the same time without changing its earthly nature.

Feast of the Transfiguration. He was sung by the ancient holy fathers, and Russian preachers, and poets of the Silver Age, because it marks the beginning of the Russian autumn, because it is no coincidence that, according to the Greek tradition, the people bring the fruits of the earth and the rudiments of the harvest to the temple, and the priests, before sprinkling apples , pears, grapes, as was customary in the Peloponnese and Chersonese, read a special prayer for the faithful, asking the Lord God to enlighten their hearts with the rays of the knowledge of God, so that they would be filled with spiritual blessings, the symbol and material expression of which are these earthly fruits, as if talking about imperishable paradise life, to which we are all called through the spiritual ascent to Mount Tabor, through unity with Christ the Savior in . And indeed, dear friends, the entire Holy Scripture of the Old and New Testament speaks of the feast of the Transfiguration, speaks in relation to us, the children of the Church, whom the holy apostles call children of light, sons of the Kingdom. “Come to Him and be enlightened, and your faces will not be put to shame” (Ps. 33:5). Taste, brothers and sisters, on the day of the Transfiguration from the holy Eucharistic Chalice of the Most Pure Body and Blood of our Savior, taste and see how good the Lord is. What will we see? The people around us will see the light of the Heavenly Father, about which the Savior speaks so clearly and intelligibly: “Let your light shine (Light of Tabor. - prot. A.V.) before people, that they may see your good deeds, the beauty of soul and body, illumined by the Holy Spirit, and they will glorify your Father who is in heaven” (cf. Matt. 5:16).

The Feast of the Transfiguration tells us about the joyful meaning of spiritual achievement

On the day of the Transfiguration, accepting, like the apostles, with a gentle, meek and pure heart, Divine grace pouring from the top of Mount Tabor, we begin to understand why the supreme apostle Paul called Christians luminaries shining in this corrupt world. The Feast of the Transfiguration tells us about the joyful meaning of spiritual achievement. After all, the goal and honor of the spiritual calling in Christ Jesus lies in nothing other than the acquisition of the grace of the Holy Spirit, in the readiness and ability to open the petals of one’s soul, to perceive these divine rays, the source of which is the immovable Sun of Love, or the Sun of Truth, in the language of the prophet Malachi, our Lord and God Jesus Christ.

Let us remember, dear friends, the circumstances of this amazing and mysterious holiday, which is not so easy to rise to spiritual comprehension, but, of course, it is possible if we, like chicks, gather under the wing of our Mother - the Church, and she through hymnographers and songwriters: Cosmas of Maiumsky , John of Damascus - in the troparia and hymns of the holiday (you need to listen to them very carefully, and not look around), having cleansed our perception, it will raise us to the understanding of the secrets of Tabor. Note that three of the disciples followed the Lord relentlessly as He ascended this mountain. Why didn't they take Judas? one of you will ask. And therefore, - the interpreters of the Holy Scripture answer, - that the red-bearded traitor was very lazy and carnivorous. He dreamed of sitting next to the Messiah in His Kingdom, which, however, he imagined to be purely earthly, but did not bother to wake up when the Lord, knocking on the upper room where the apostles rested, called on the most zealous to follow Him. So we also need to exert ourselves a little, to work a little, so that on August 6/19 we will not be out of work, not to be disappointed and dissatisfied, because without effort you cannot even catch a fish from the pond.

Consider how difficult it was for the apostles to follow Christ. If you have been to Mount Tabor, then you probably guess that then there was no serpentine, a highway along which now taxi drivers will take you to the top for a few shekels or five dollars, where you can join the spirit of the great mystery of the Transfiguration. It was necessary to climb on foot, which means - through thorns and thickets of bushes. Maybe there were some paths along which the shepherds led their sheep, but, obviously, this ascent was a small feat that the apostles meekly carried, not wanting to lag behind their Teacher. And so it was necessary for us, dear friends, already a few days before the Transfiguration, to exert ourselves a little, to enter into a struggle with vain, conceited thoughts, to give up all worldly maintenance, especially talkativeness, which is necessarily associated with condemnation, to more diligently engage in reading Holy Scripture, which enlightens not so much the brain as the soul, inspires, makes it possible to think about God, reach out to Him, meditate on Him, pray to Him.

Since Moses humbly bowed his head before Christ, it means that Christ is the Founder of both the Old and New Testaments

So, once there, at the top, Peter, John and James listened to what was happening. And suddenly seeing the enlightened face of the Lord, they saw Moses and Elijah with fear, trembling, and horror. Moses is the legislator, Elijah is the one who will foreshadow the Second Coming of Jesus Christ before the near end of the world, a zealous prophet. Why, you ask, exactly these two Old Testament saints, and not some of the judges or ancient warriors, like Joshua, appeared to the Lord and talked with Him? Obviously, the hidden meaning of the appearance of these two greatest representatives of the Old Testament is as follows: once, humbly bowing his head before the Lord, Moses, the one who brought the 10 commandments to the human race from Sinai, talked with Him, like a child with the Father, like a student with the Teacher , then it follows that Christ is the Founder of both the Old and New Testaments. Christ is not an opponent of the fatherly commandments, but He is the Lord and Judge, He came to fulfill the law and abolish its ritual part, leaving the moral content. Well, Elijah the zealot, who, as you remember, could even meet with fire impudent blasphemers who attempted on the life of the fiery prophet, talking with Christ, thereby testified to the apostles (and they were still literate and understanding people) that in front of them - the apostles, Elijah and Moses - the long-awaited Messiah, the aspiration of tongues, the One who came to Israel not so much from the external domination of the Romans, but from the tyranny of the devil, from the domination of passions, came to crush death itself, paving the way new and living to the Resurrection.

And then a bright cloud descends, in which Elijah and Moses hide, and only Christ remains. And the apostles - let's remember the icon of the Transfiguration - falling from fear, frozen ... - the Orthodox tradition depicts the disciples very picturesquely: some on all fours, some - spreading their arms and legs like a frog, so to speak ... The apostles, from this Divine light, prostrate, hear the voice of the Heavenly Father Himself: "This is My beloved Son, listen to Him." Forever they - Peter, John and James - will hide in their souls the voice of the Heavenly Father, sweet and at the same time terrible for human weak nature. And one of them, Peter, in his Epistle will later speak about this voice that descended from the glorious glory, the voice that testified to the Sonship of God, the Divinity of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Descending from the mountain, the apostles themselves carried within themselves this radiance of heavenly fire. And the face of Christ shone miraculously, so that the people rushed to the Savior, Who, immediately after descending from the mountain, performed a miraculous deed - he healed the possessed lad, saying to his unfortunate father: “If you can believe a little, believe: everything is possible to him who believes.” So it is with you and me: the feast of the Transfiguration will come; God forbid, we will confess, partake of the Mysteries of Christ, so as not to be outside observers, but participants in the Divine Liturgy, and having tasted the sweet life of the next century, having been transformed by a wondrous transfiguration, penetrated by the rays of Divine glory, we will find a grace-filled childhood in Christ. We, like Peter, do not want to leave the temple.

Remember how Peter, not understanding what he was saying, out of an excess of supernatural joy, said: “Lord, it’s good for us here! Let's put three canopies - three booths: You, Moses and Elijah. Just let us not return to this vain, cruel, crafty world, where, O Lord, haughty Pharisees, crafty Sadducees, who seek Your death, are waiting for You. Stay here forever!" However, Peter's request was not respected. Why? Because the Savior, having revealed His Divine glory to the disciples, was preparing for His way of the Cross, assuring followers that the suffering that the Savior would meet in the Garden of Gethsemane and in Jerusalem was not forced.

Christ is not an involuntary victim of the Calvary torment, but He willingly, as the God-man, out of obedience to the Heavenly Father and out of love for the perishing human race, ascends to the Cross, so that, having tasted the bitterest painful death, to overcome it, to live out His resurrection. Yes, on that Gethsemane night they, the apostles, all except John the Theologian, fled like frightened children, frightened by the ferocity of the faces of Judas and the temple guards, but after the Resurrection they remembered - they remembered everything. They also remembered those marvelous hours on Mount Tabor. And with all the greater perseverance and joy, they proclaimed to the universe the faith in Jesus Christ, the true God and true Man, Who brings us, His children, to the incorruptible, life-giving and healing grace of God, enlightening our mind, mental abilities, pacifying our heart. , driving away despondency and sadness from our souls, making the body itself an obedient instrument of a rational soul.

We will also rise on this day to Mount Tabor - in thought and feeling to stand before Christ

Much has been said, but nothing has been said, unless we talk about the inner meaning and grandeur of this wondrous and beautiful autumn holiday. And I very much hope, dear friends, that none of you, through stupidity or vanity, will deprive yourself of this incomparable joy of communion with God, but each, to the best of his ability, will climb Mount Tabor - he will rise not with bodily feet, but with thought, a feeling to stand on this wondrous feast to Christ, our Sun, in Whom there is not a single spot.

In commemoration of the Transfiguration of the Lord Jesus Christ, which, according to church tradition, took place on Mount Tabor, since ancient times the Christian Church has established the feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord, which happens on August 19/6 and is considered one of the Lord's greatest twelfth holidays, has 1 day of fore-feast and 7 days of after-feast. The surrender takes place on 13/26 August.

Icon "Transfiguration" Jesus Christ

So that the celebration does not take place during Great Lent, the Orthodox Church deliberately postponed it to August 19 (06) - forty days before the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord, although according to the chronology of the Gospel, the event took place 40 days before the suffering of Jesus on the cross.

And this was given to the disciples so that they could see what awaits a person at the end of life, what kind of light of Transfiguration awaits us at the end of the ages. And therefore this feast, the feast of the Transfiguration, the Church timed to coincide with the last days of the calendar church year, the time of results and fruits. From the collection "Light in the darkness shines" A. Men

And yet the holiday falls during the Dormition Fast, but on this day an indulgence is allowed - fish is allowed at the meal.

Having received baptism from John and then, having overcome the temptation of the devil, the Lord Jesus Christ appeared to preach the Gospel. In cities and villages, in mountains and deserts, a great multitude of people listened to His saving teaching, saw its amazing miracles.

But from among the many who followed the Divine Teacher, he chose twelve disciples, with whom he mainly revealed the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, and who were constant witnesses of his life and teachings.

Often the Lord would say to his chosen disciples what befits him go to Jerusalem and suffer much and be killed(Matt. 16:1). But the disciples did not at first understand the necessity of the cross and feared the thought of the suffering of their beloved Master.

Rice. P.F. Borel

Believing that he was the promised Messiah, they wondered how he could suffer and die. Therefore, the Lord by the next miraculous event showed them that he is truly the Son of God and that he would suffer voluntarily, as predicted by the Prophets. Taking with him the Apostles Peter, James and John, Jesus Christ led them to Mount Tabor, and here he indulged in solitary prayer.

The Gospel does not say directly that the transfiguration took place on Mount Tabor. Only Isaiah has the words that the former time diminished the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but the next will magnify, and the people walking in darkness will see a great light - the light of death will shine on those living in the land of the shadow. (9:1,2) On the border of the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali, Tabor rises precisely. Modern theologians consider the Mount of Transfiguration not Tabor, but one of the spurs of Mount Hermon. (Wikipedia)

During prayer, His face suddenly changed, became bright like the sun, and His clothes were white like snow. Then the ancient God-seers and the greatest prophets appeared: Saint Elijah from heaven and Moses from the land of the dead.

Transfiguration. Fragment of the painting of the northeast sail of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. The author of the recreation is V.A. Bakshaev

The apostles were amazed and astonished by this miraculous phenomenon - amidst such glory and majesty, their Divine Teacher converses with the prophets about the sufferings that awaited him in Jerusalem. And Saint Peter, out of his fiery love for the Lord, begs Him to stay forever on Tabor, together with Moses and Elijah, away from envious people and persecutors.

Titian Vecellio. Transfiguration of the Lord, 1560

He had not yet finished his strange request, when a bright cloud overshadowed everyone who was on Tabor, and a voice was heard from the cloud: “This is My beloved Son, but I am well pleased with Him: Hear thee!”(Matt. 17:5) The apostles fell on their faces and were as dead from fear.

At the end of the miraculous vision, the Lord approached them, calmed them and commanded them, until the time of His resurrection from the dead, not to tell anyone about what they saw and heard on Tabor. But the more solemnly such a great event should be proclaimed after the resurrection of Jesus Christ, for the edification of all who believe in him.

Celebration - traditions, customs, rituals

• On the day of the Transfiguration of the Lord, a festive liturgy is performed in the churches, parimias are read, the canon is sung, the priests are dressed in white robes, symbolizing the divine uncreated Tabor light.
• By the Rules of the Apostles (Canon 3) and the IV Ecumenical Council (Canon 28), it was established on this day that ripened fruits and bunches be consecrated by the Church, as a token of gratitude to God, who gave them for nourishment. Orthodox Christians usually bring to the temple, for consecration, the first of the ripening fruits of the earth: grapes, apples, pears and others.
• The popular name of the holiday is Apple Savior, Second Savior, Savior Transfiguration.
  A custom has developed until this day to observe the so-called “apple fast”, not to eat the fruits of the new crop, except for cucumbers. (V.I. Dal, Mesyatseslov)

Transformation (Video)

Literature:

Lessons from Archpriest I. Yakhontov, 1864, St. Petersburg.
A. Men, "The light shines in the darkness"
IN AND. Dal, Monthly
Wikipedia