Honey Feast of the Saviour

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Honey Feast of our Saviour
Official name	Russian: Медовый Спас Ukrainian: Медовий Спас
Observed by	Orthodox Church
Liturgical color	Gold
Type	Orthodox
Date	August 1 (Ukraine) August 14 (O.S. August 1)
Frequency	Annual
First time	1164
Started by	Andrey Bogolyubsky
Related to	Honey harvest Martyr of the Maccabees Battle against the Bulgars in 1164

The Honey Feast of the Saviour or Wet Saviour known as the Honey Spas is the first day of a triduum in honor of the Jesus as Saviour, celebrated on August 1 in the Julian calendar (August 14 in the Gregorian calendar). It is followed by the Apple Feast on August 6, then the Nut Feast of the Saviour on August 16. On that day, Orthodox Churches honour the memory of three shrines: the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord; the image of the Saviour; and the icon of the Virgin of Vladimir. It is also the first day of the Dormition Fast. Customs include processions and water blessings at rivers, in which people and cattle then bathe, while wells are also consecrated.

It is believed that the name Spas was given in honour of Jesus Christ the Savior. According to N.V. Solodovnikova, the word Spas which translates as "saved" means "saving yourself".^{[citation needed]}

Folk etymology on the other hand links the feast to the Papaver poppy, which ripens by this time.^{[citation needed]}

It is traditionally believed that the two weeks of the Spas festival from the Honey Saviour to the Nut Saviour were 'cut off' by God from Great Lent. In fact, these three feasts are known as Second Spas in comparison with the First Spas which are the major feasts of Jesus Christ.^[1]

The divine liturgy is usually celebrated with pomp and circumstance and followed to a procession to the local well.^{[citation needed]}

After the liturgical celebration, young people dance with the song “Oh, poppy on the mountain”, («Ой, на горе мак») with playful round dances, the girls showered the boys with poppy seeds: singing: “Poppies, poppies, poppies, golden heads!” («Маки, маки, маковицы, золотые головицы!»).^{[citation needed]}

The holiday of the Honey Saviour has a pre-Christian origin and is associated with harvesting of honey.^{[citation needed]}

The first Spas is called the Honey Saviour, because the honeycombs in the hives are usually already filled by this time, and the beekeepers begin to collect. It was believed that if the beekeeper did not break the honeycomb, then the neighboring bees would pull out all the honey. According to tradition, it was allowed to eat consecrated honey from that day.^{[citation needed]}

The festival also corresponds to the time when sowing winter rye usually begins.^[2]

Sergei Tokarev relates these traditions with an ancient ritual of consecrating the first fruits of the earth to a pagan deity.^[3]

In the Orthodox tradition, this festival is also the liturgical celebration of the woman with seven sons who died as martyrs in 166 BC according to the Second Book of Maccabees.^{[citation needed]}

The Honey Saviour Day was established following the recognition of miraculous signs during the battle of prince Andrey Bogolyubsky against the Volga Bulgars in 1164.^[4] According to tradition, ominous signs of victory came from icons of the Saviour and the Holy Virgin during this battle.^[5]

The feast of the Honey Saviour is associated with a water festival called the Lesser Blessing of the Waters, in contrast to the Great Blessing of the Waters on the feasts of Pascha and Theophany.^{[citation needed]}

Traditionally in Russia, it was a time to consecrate new wells and clean old ones, with procession made to natural reservoirs and springs to bless these. After a procession, people and their livestock bathed in the consecrated water to wash away all diseases.^{[citation needed]}

The Serbs of the Leskovac consider this time to be suitable for digging and cleaning wells.^{[citation needed]}

During the festival, a special blessing is given to newly harvested honey. Honeycomb crosses are carved and carried in procession. In homes, the newly blessed honey is poured into painted cups known as gzhel.^{[citation needed]} These are then placed in the centre of a table.

It is also traditional to feed honey to relatives, neighbours, and beggars. Blessed honey is also used to bake honey gingerbread, pies, buns, while the traditional drink for this holiday is sbiten, consisting of water, honey, and spicy herbs.^{[citation needed]}

On this day, the faithful also bake poppy seed rolls, eaten first at the festive meal.^{[citation needed]}

Poppy milk is prepared for pancakes in a makitra with poppy-honey mass, in which pancakes are dipped. It is prepared in a special dish, called a makalnik in Russia, makitra in Ukraine, or makater in Belarus.^{[citation needed]}

Poppy seed rolls are mentioned in many Russian proverbs, sayings, choral songs, and riddles: “A poppy seed roll with honey will make you will lick your mustache”, “When you eat the poppy, do not be angry”.^{[citation needed]}

Blini and pryanik are also common fare during this festival.^{[citation needed]}