The Apple Feast of the Saviour or Apple Spas (sometimes the Feast of the Saviour on the Hill) is an

Eastern Slavic East Slavic may refer to: * East Slavic languages, one of three branches of the Slavic languages * East Slavs, a subgroup of Slavic peoples who speak the East Slavic languages See also * Old East Slavic Old East Slavic (traditionally also Ol ...

folk name for the

Feast of the Transfiguration The Feast of the Transfiguration is celebrated by various Christian communities in honor of the transfiguration of Jesus. The origins of the feast are less than certain and may have derived from the dedication of three basilicas on Mount Tabor.' ...

, which is observed in August. It is the second of the three Feasts of the Saviour. In Ukrainian language it is Я́блучний Спа́с, whereas in Russian it is Я́блочный Спа́с. This is one of three holidays in Orthodox Christianity on which food items are blessed at church and then consumed by the faithful rather than priests, akin to the

First Fruits First Fruits is a religious offering of the first agricultural produce of the harvest. In classical Greek, Roman, and Hebrew religions, the first fruits were given to priests as an offering to deity. Rome The first fruits of the field were off ...

of Judaism. The others are the '' Honey Feast of the Saviour'', which is celebrated on August 1 in

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

and August 14 (O.S. August 1) in

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

and

Belarus Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Belarus spans an a ...

and the ''Nut Feast of the Saviour'', which is celebrated on August 16 in Ukraine and August 29 (O.S. August 16) in Russia and Belarus.https://apostrophe.ua/ua/news/society/2023-06-08/novyiy-kalendar-ptsu-kogda-v-2023-godu-budem-otmechat-ivana-kupala-i-drugie-letnie-prazdniki/298591. Новий календар ПЦУ: коли в 2023 році відзначатимем Івана Купала та інші "літні" свята The holiday has a pre-Christian origin and is associated with harvesting of ripe fruits, especially apples. In East Slavic folklore, it marks the beginning of autumn and means the transfiguration of nature. In the Byzantine Empire there was tradition to bless harvested grapes during the Feast of Transfiguration. In Russia apples are more common than grapes, hence the name of the feast. There are processions and blessings of harvests. Usually, on that holiday, people from

and

eat apples, apple pies, or other dishes containing apples, even if they are not Orthodox Christians.

Feast of Transfiguration in Spas village. Ukraine

Blessing In religion, a blessing (also used to refer to bestowing of such) is the impartation of something with doctrines of grace, grace, Sacred, holiness, spiritual Redemption (theology), redemption, or Will of God, divine will. Etymology and Germani ...

Holy water Holy water is water that has been blessed by a member of the clergy or a religious figure, or derived from a well or spring considered holy. The use for cleansing prior to a baptism and spiritual cleansing is common in several religions, from ...

of fruits during the celebration of the

in the Spas village (

Kolomyia Raion Kolomyia Raion () is a raion (district) of Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast (region). The administrative center of the raion is the city of Kolomyia. Population: On 18 July 2020, as part of the administrative reform of Ukraine, the number of raions of Iva ...

)
Спас (Коломийський район)
, Ivano-Frankivsk region in

. File:Feast of Transfiguration in Spas village 21.jpg, File:Feast of Transfiguration in Sopiv, Ukraine 06.jpg, File:Feast of Transfiguration in Spas village 13.jpg, File:Feast of Transfiguration in Sopiv, Ukraine 09.jpg, File:Feast of Transfiguration in Spas village 06.jpg, File:Feast of Transfiguration in Spas village 08.jpg,

References

{{Slavic holidays, state=collapsed Eastern Orthodox liturgical days Belarusian traditions Ukrainian traditions Russian traditions Folk calendar of the East Slavs August observances Apple festivals Slavic holidays