Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord. Transfiguration of the Lord: the history of the holiday. Apple Savior - Transfiguration of the Lord
Christians celebrate many holidays, which have their own characteristics, rules and history. On August 19, the Transfiguration of the Lord takes place. This day is considered one of the main holidays of Christians, when blessing occurs.
What does the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord mean?
The holiday was first celebrated in the 4th century, when, by order, a temple was erected on Mount Tabor, which was consecrated in honor of the Transfiguration. According to history, this happened 40 days before Easter, but in order not to be distracted from the most important holiday, Christians moved the Transfiguration to the last month of summer.
The story of the Transfiguration of the Lord is described in the Gospel of Matthew, Luke and Mark. All three stories have similarities with each other. Jesus took three disciples with him, with whom he went to Mount Tabor to turn to God. While saying the prayer, the face of the Son of God brightened and was illuminated by the rays of the sun. The prophet Moses and Elijah also appeared at this time and talked with him about future suffering. It is this event that is called the Transfiguration of the Lord.
Let's figure out what the meaning of the Transfiguration of the Lord is: firstly, the appearance of the Holy Trinity took place. Previously, a similar event was observed on the day of the Baptism of Christ. Secondly, the Transfiguration personifies the union of all that is human and divine in the Son of God. Thirdly, it is also worth noting the appearance of two prophets, one of whom died naturally, and the other was taken up in the flesh to heaven. Thus, the Feast of the Transfiguration means that Jesus has power over both life and death.
Popularly this is called the Apple Savior. On this day it is necessary to attend church and illuminate the apples of the new harvest. The clergy conduct the service on the holiday dressed in white vestments, 
which symbolizes the light that appeared during the Transfiguration.
Folk signs of the day of the Transfiguration of the Lord:
- On this day, it is customary to treat the poor and needy people with fruits and vegetables, as well as blessed apples. Since it is believed that in this way a person receives a blessing for good harvest next year.
- It is recommended to eat at least one apple with honey during Apple Spas. Since ancient times, people have believed that in this way a person will provide himself good health for the whole of next year.
- Before the Day of Transfiguration, it is necessary to collect the entire grain harvest, since after this the rain will be destructive for it.
Archpriest Artemy Vladimirov talks about the spiritual meaning of the holiday of the Transfiguration of the Lord, about our ascension after Christ, about the event of the holiday and why exactly Moses and Elijah appeared to the Savior, about how to prepare for this day and how to spend it.
“Thou art transfigured on the mountain, O Christ God...” Who doesn’t remember initial words Troparion of the Twelfth Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord! Then on Mount Tabor the Savior, having ascended in the dead of night with three of His most devoted and zealous disciples: the apostle of love, his brother James and ardent Peter, talked with the Heavenly Father, and the disciples, who were dozing, suddenly saw the incomprehensible: how the face of Christ became brighter sunlight, and His vestments became snow-white, so that they surpassed in their purity the snow lying on Mount Carmel. And the bleacher on earth, the evangelist notes, cannot whiten the fabric as clean as the vestments of Christ were (cf. Mark 9: 3). The disciples, with what was revealed to them according to the will of God spiritual vision, saw the glory of the Lord, which the Son always had, like the Father, being consubstantial with Him after the incarnation. But here human nature.
Feast of the Transfiguration. He and the ancient holy fathers, and Russian preachers, and poets Silver Age sung because it marks the beginning of the Russian autumn, it is no coincidence, even according to Greek tradition, that the people bring the fruits of the earth and the firstfruits 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 knowledge of God, so that they are filled with spiritual blessings, the symbol and material expression of which are these earthly fruits, as if speaking about the imperishable heavenly life to which we are all called through the spiritual ascent to the mountain Favor, through union with Christ the Savior in. And indeed, dear friends, the entire Holy Scripture of the Old and New Testaments speaks about the Feast of the Transfiguration, speaking in relation to us, the children of the Church, whom the holy apostles call the children of light, the sons of the Kingdom. “Come to Him and be enlightened, and your faces will not be ashamed” (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 that the Lord is good. What will we see? The people around us will see the light of the Heavenly Father, about whom the Savior speaks so clearly and intelligibly: “Let your light be enlightened (Taborsky light. - Prot. A.V.) before people, so that they may see your good deeds, the beauty of your soul and body, illuminated 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, kindly, meek and with a pure heart Divine grace pouring from the top of Mount Tabor, we begin to understand why supreme apostle Paul called Christians lights shining in this corrupt world. The Feast of the Transfiguration tells us about the joyful meaning of spiritual achievement. After all, the purpose and honor of the spiritual title of 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 motionless 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, it is not so easy to rise to the spiritual understanding of which, but, of course, it is possible if we, like chicks, gather under the wing of our Mother - the Church, and she through hymnographers and song-makers: Cosmas of Maium , John of Damascus - in the troparia and hymns of the holiday (you need to listen to them very carefully, and not look around), having cleared our perception, will raise us to an understanding of the mysteries of Tabor. Let us note that three of the disciples followed the Lord relentlessly while He ascended this mountain. Why didn't they take Judas? - one of you will ask. And therefore, - the interpreters answer Holy Scripture, - 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 he did not bother to wake up when the Lord, knocking on the upper room where the apostles were sleeping, called on the most zealous to follow Him. So we also need to exert ourselves a little, work a little, so that on August 6/19 we don’t find ourselves out of work, disappointed and dissatisfied, because without work you can’t catch a fish out of a pond.
Let's think about 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 today taxi drivers for a few shekels or five dollars will take you to the top, where you can join in spirit the great mystery of the Transfiguration. It was necessary to climb on foot, which means through thorns and thickets of bushes. Perhaps there were some paths along which the shepherds led their sheep, but, obviously, this climb was a small feat, which the apostles meekly endured, not wanting to lag behind their Teacher. So, for us, dear friends, already a few days before the Transfiguration, it was necessary to strain ourselves a little, to enter into the struggle with vain, vain thoughts, to abandon all worldly behavior, especially talkativeness, which is necessarily associated with condemnation, to engage more diligently in reading the Holy Scriptures, which enlightens not so much the brain as the soul, inspires, makes one able to think about God, reach out to Him, reflect 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 lawgiver, Elijah is the one who will precede the Second Coming of Jesus Christ before the imminent end of the world, a zealous prophet. Why, you ask, did these two Old Testament saints, and not one of the judges or ancient warriors, like Joshua, appear to the Lord and talk 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 commandments of the Fathers, 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 the daring blasphemers who attempted the life of the fiery prophet, while talking with Christ, thereby testified to the apostles (and they were, after all, literate and understanding people) that before them - the apostles, Elijah and Moses - the long-awaited Messiah, the longing of the tongues, the One who came Israel not so much from the external domination of the Romans, but from the tyranny of the devil, from the domination of the passions, came to crush death itself, paving the way for a new and living way to the Resurrection.
And then a bright cloud descends, in which Elijah and Moses are hidden, and only Christ remains. And the apostles - let's remember the icon of the Transfiguration - falling from fear, freezing... - very picturesque Orthodox tradition depicts the disciples: some on all fours, some with their arms and legs spread out, like a frog, so to speak... The apostles, having fallen on their faces from this Divine light, 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 sweet and at the same time terrible voice of the Heavenly Father for human weak nature. And one of them, Peter, in his Epistle will subsequently speak about this voice that descended from the magnificent glory, the voice that testified to the Sonship of God, the Divinity of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Having descended from the mountain, the apostles themselves still carried within themselves this radiance of heavenly fire. And the face of Christ shone wonderfully, so that the people rushed to the Savior, who immediately after descending from the mountain performed a miraculous act - healed demon-possessed youth, telling his unfortunate father: “If you can believe at all, believe: all things are possible to him who believes.” So it is with you and me: the Feast of the Transfiguration will come; God willing, you and I will confess and partake of the Mysteries of Christ, so as not to be outside observers, but participants Divine Liturgy, and, having tasted the sweet life of the future century, transformed by a wondrous transformation, penetrated by the rays of Divine glory, we will find a grace-filled childhood in Christ. We, like Peter, will not want to leave the temple.
Remember how Peter, not understanding what he was saying, out of an abundance of supernatural joy said: “Lord, it’s good for us here! Let's build three canopies - three tabernacles: for you, Moses and Elijah. Just let us not return to this vain, cruel, evil world, where the arrogant Pharisees, the evil Sadducees, seeking Your death, are waiting for You, Lord. 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 the followers that the suffering that the Savior would encounter in the Garden of Gethsemane and in Jerusalem was not forced.
Christ is not an involuntary victim of the torment of Calvary, but He self-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, He can defeat it and live it out by 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. We also remembered these marvelous hours on Mount Tabor. And with all the greater perseverance and joy they preached to the universe the faith in Jesus Christ, the true God and true Man Who introduces you and me, His children, to the imperishable, life-giving and healing Divine grace, enlightening our mind and mental abilities, pacifying our hearts, driving away despondency and sadness from our souls, making the body itself an obedient instrument of the rational soul.
Let us also rise on this day to Mount Tabor - with thought and feeling, to stand before Christ
Much has been said, but nothing has been said unless we talk about internal meaning and the greatness of this wondrous and beautiful autumn holiday. And I really hope, dear friends, that none of you, out of 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 climb not with his bodily feet, but with his thoughts, feeling to stand before Christ, our Sun, on this wonderful holiday, in Whom there is not a single spot.
The Transfiguration of the Lord in 2019 is celebrated on August 19. This is one of the 12 great Orthodox holidays. It is dedicated to the memories of the transfiguration of Jesus Christ before his three disciples during prayer on Mount Tabor. People call this day Apple, or the Second Savior.
history of the holiday
The Transfiguration of the Lord is timed to coincide with events in the life of Jesus Christ. 40 days before the crucifixion, he revealed to his disciples his destiny: to die a martyr's death in the name of humanity. Jesus and his three disciples: Peter, John and James climbed Mount Tabor. When Christ began to read prayers, his clothes became snow-white and his face lit up with light. Jesus forbade his disciples to talk about the event. When they descended from the mountain, Christ ordered the apples to be collected to consecrate them.
The Transfiguration of the Lord began to be celebrated in the 4th century, when a temple was opened on Mount Tabor. The Orthodox Church scheduled the celebration for August so that the celebration would not fall during Lent.
Traditions and rituals of the holiday
It is held in churches morning service, during which a cross is brought into the center, a rite of worship takes place, procession and consecration of fruits. At the liturgy, the canon about the Great Transfiguration is sung. The clergy put on their robes white, which symbolizes God's light.
According to folk traditions, on this day housewives dry apples, prepare jam and compotes for the winter, and bake pies. On August 19, people begin to harvest grapes and peas.
On this holiday it is customary to honor the memory of deceased relatives. After the service, people bring blessed apples to the cemetery and place them on the graves.
In Rus', autumn was celebrated on this day. People went out into the fields and said goodbye to the summer at sunset.
What you can and cannot eat on the Transfiguration of the Lord
The Transfiguration of the Lord occurs during the strict Dormition Fast, during which it is forbidden to eat meat, dairy products, and eggs. But on this holiday, the Orthodox Church allows you to eat fish and seafood dishes and drink a small amount of wine.
What not to do on the Transfiguration of the Lord
You can't do anything heavy on this holiday. physical labor. Housewives are advised to refrain from cleaning the house, sewing and knitting.
On the Transfiguration of the Lord it is forbidden to kill insects. If a fly or bee lands on a person, you should wait until it flies away.
Signs and beliefs on the Transfiguration of the Lord
- What the weather is like on the Transfiguration of the Lord, the same will be on the Feast of the Intercession (October 14).
- The weather is clear - a sign of a cold winter.
- If parents whose children have died do not eat apples before August 19, then the Lord will give them heavenly apples in the next world.
- If you treat someone with a harvest from your garden on the Transfiguration of the Lord, then the next year will pass in prosperity and abundance.
- Apples collected on this day will be well stored in winter.
In memory of the gospel events, on August 19th, Christianity celebrates the holiday of the Transfiguration of the Lord. According to the old style, this event falls on August 6th (the day of the holiday in the Catholic version). The full name of the holiday sounds like the Transfiguration of the Lord God and our Savior Jesus Christ. The holiday belongs to the 12 main Christian holidays(they are called “twelfth immovables”, according to the number 12). You may be familiar with the popular name for this day - Apple Spas (Second Spas).
history of the holiday
Actually, the roots of the holiday, like all the twelve holidays, should be sought in the Gospel. The Transfiguration of the Lord is the manifestation of the greatness and power of Jesus Christ to his three closest disciples (Peter, James, John) during prayer on Mount Tabor in Galilee. Shortly before the Transfiguration, Jesus Christ said, addressing his disciples: “There are some of those standing here who will not taste death until they see the Kingdom of God come in power.” The prayer on Mount Tabor happened 6 days after this revelation. According to the Gospel legend, on the mountain during prayer the face of Jesus Christ shone, and his robe became white (this phenomenon was later called the “Taborian light” among the monks). Then a cloud appeared on the mountain, from which the disciples of Jesus Christ heard a Voice: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; Listen to him." What Peter, James and John heard and saw on Mount Tabor, Jesus Christ forbade them to disclose until He rose from the dead. This event was interpreted as the simultaneous appearance of the Trinity: the Son of God (Jesus Christ), God (in the form of a cloud), the Holy Spirit (in the form of the Voice from the Cloud). The Transfiguration on Mount Tabor also demonstrated the unity of the divine and the human in Jesus Christ. Mount Tabor and what happened on it are a symbol of the union of the Old and New Testaments by Jesus Christ. Later, the Church (Basilica) of the Transfiguration of the Lord was erected on Mount Tabor in memory of these evangelical events (in the 4th century AD, the organizer of the construction was Helen, the mother of the Roman Emperor Constantine Equal to the Apostles). The Transfiguration on Mount Tabor happened shortly before the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.Researchers note that the holiday of the Transfiguration of the Lord began to be celebrated in the Christian East and, in particular, in Palestine (as an exclusively local holiday), already in the 4th-5th centuries. new era. In fact, the date of the holiday - August 19th - is nothing more than an installation of the Church. In fact, the Tabor events took place on the day of the month February, 40 days before Easter. However, so that the celebration would not fall on , the clergy postponed it for a significant period. Now the holiday falls on the milder Dormition Fast (August 14-27).
In the Catholic West, this holiday has been celebrated only since 1456 (rather late compared to the Orthodox East).
Traditions of the holiday of the Transfiguration of the Lord
On this day, fruits are blessed in Orthodox churches: grapes as the main fruit of the new harvest, etc. (where there are no grapes, apples are blessed, that’s why popular name holiday - Apple Savior). After consecration, the fruits can be served. In Russia, the most common fruit is the apple. This tradition dates back to the 8th century AD. If, in the Catholic version, August 6th falls on a weekday, then the celebration is moved to the next Sunday.
In the Middle Ages, it was considered a tradition for Christians to distribute apples to the poor and disabled on this day.
IN Orthodox churches On this day, the liturgy is performed (i.e., a festive service), a canon is performed, emphasizing the greatness of the holiday of the Transfiguration of the Lord. At the end of the liturgy, the consecration of the fruits takes place.
Before this day, fruits could not be eaten (i.e. until August 19), after the Transfiguration of the Lord, when the fruits are consecrated, it is allowed.
Despite the fact that the holiday is also one of the days of the Dormition Fast, you can eat fish for dinner on this day.
During services, the clergy performs all rituals in white robes (symbolizing the fact that the robe of Jesus Christ on Mount Tabor became dazzling white, the so-called phenomenon of the “Tabor light”).
The troparion for the feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord is as follows: “Thou art transfigured on the mountain, O Christ God, showing to Thy disciples Thy glory, as unto a man; May Your ever-present light shine upon us sinners too, through the prayers of the Mother of God, Light-Giver, glory to You. You were transfigured on the mountain, O Christ God, who showed Your disciples Your glory as far as they could see; May Your light, eternally existing, shine upon us sinners too, through the prayers of the Mother of God. Giver of Light, glory to You!”
Kontakion of the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord: “Thou art transfigured on the mountain, and as the host of Thy disciples, they saw Thy glory, O Christ God: that when they see Thee crucified, they will understand the free suffering, and the world may preach that Thou art truly the Father’s radiance. You were transfigured on the mountain, and as far as your disciples could, they saw your glory, Christ God; so that, seeing You crucified, they understand the voluntariness of suffering, and preach to the world that You are truly the radiance of the Father.”
The troparion and kontakion of a holiday are short hymns (prayers) that reveal the essence of a particular Christian holiday.In Armenian Orthodox Church It is customary, for example, on the day of the Transfiguration of the Lord for the common people to pour water on each other and release doves from cages (the latter is a feature of the Russian Orthodox Church on the feast of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary).
Features of the holiday of the Transfiguration of the Lord
Let us note this fact: the official evangelical events (Transfiguration on Mount Tabor) took place 40 days before, and the Church moved the holiday to August 19 (new style); At the same time, 40 days after the Transfiguration of the Lord, the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord is celebrated. If we compare it with the nearest previous twelve immovable holiday (this), then the Transfiguration has one day of pre-festival and a week of post-celebration (the Annunciation has one day of pre-celebration and post-celebration).
In the prayers for the Transfiguration of the Lord, gospel stories are reproduced, such as the prayer of Jesus Christ and the surprise of the disciples at the Voice from the Cloud.
The first church dedicated to the Transfiguration of the Lord is the church on Mount Tabor, built at the behest of the mother of the Roman Emperor Constantine, Helena. In St. Petersburg there is now the Transfiguration Cathedral (at Preobrazhenskaya Square, 1). There are three thrones in the temple, and one of them is dedicated to the Transfiguration of the Lord. The Transfiguration Cathedral is one of the most visited churches in St. Petersburg and Russia.
The spiritual meaning of the holiday
The Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord teaches us that everyone should strive for transformation for the better. Everyone can change, transform themselves and the world for the better at any moment, if they just want to. Spiritual transformation, spiritual improvement should become a person’s aspiration from an early age. In addition, Jesus Christ showed what kind of Transfiguration awaits the righteous in the Kingdom of God.Transfiguration of the Lord, or, popularly, “Apple Savior” - Orthodox holiday, which believers celebrate on August 19. On this day we remember the gospel event when the apostles Peter, James and John saw the Lord Jesus Christ transfigured - in all Divine, eternal glory. We will talk about the history, meaning and traditions of the Feast of the Transfiguration.
What is Transfiguration
Transfiguration(Greek metamorphosis, Latin transfiguratio) literally translates as “transformation into another form” or “change of form.” The full name of the holiday is the Transfiguration of the Lord God and our Savior Jesus Christ. This is one of the so-called twelve holidays, which are dogmatically closely connected with the events of the earthly life of the Lord Jesus Christ and the Mother of God and are divided into the Lord's (dedicated to the Lord Jesus Christ) and the Theotokos (dedicated to Mother of God). Transfiguration is the Lord's holiday.
The events of the Transfiguration are described in the Gospels; all the evangelists write about them, except the Apostle John. During prayer on Mount Tabor, three disciples of Jesus Christ - Peter, James and John - saw how the Teacher was transformed: After six days, Jesus took Peter, James and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain alone, and was transformed before them: and His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became white as light (Matthew 17:1-2).
In Rus', this holiday received the popular name “Apple Savior”. The fact is that in Israel and Greece the day of Transfiguration fell on the time of ripening of grapes. Christians brought fragrant bunches to the temple - for blessing and as a sign of gratitude to God. In countries where grapes do not grow, for example, in most of Russia, apples began to be blessed instead. There is a special prayer “For the consecration of the firstfruits of vegetables (fruits).”
When is the Transfiguration of the Lord celebrated?
Orthodox Christians celebrate the Transfiguration on August 19 according to the new style (August 6 according to the old style).
Events of the Transfiguration of the Lord
We read about the Transfiguration in three Gospels; it is not described only in the Gospel of John.
As the evangelical apostles report, the events of the Transfiguration occurred six days after Christ, in a conversation about the cross and the Kingdom of God, said: “... truly I say to you: there are some of those standing here who will not taste death until they see the Kingdom of God come in power" (Mark 9:1). The Savior took three disciples with him - Peter, James and John - and went to the mountain to pray. While Christ was praying, the disciples, tired during the day, fell asleep. But then a miracle woke them up - the Teacher “was transfigured before them: and His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became white as light” (Matthew 17:2). The prophets Moses and Elijah appeared before the Savior and spoke with Him. As the Apostle Luke writes, the conversation was “about His exodus, which He had to accomplish in Jerusalem” (Luke 9:31), that is, about the upcoming crucifixion. The Apostle Peter, amazed by the greatness of the Lord, exclaimed: “Rabbi! It’s good for us to be here; Let us make three tabernacles: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah” (Mark 9:5). After these words, a light cloud appeared and covered everyone with its shadow. From the depths of the cloud the voice of God the Father was heard: This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; Listen to Him (Matthew 17:5). After this miraculous event, Christ and the disciples descended from the mountain. The Savior forbade the apostles to reveal the secret of the Transfiguration to anyone, “until the Son of Man rises from the dead” (Mark 9:9).
Favor - Mount of Transfiguration
Tabor is a 588-meter-high mountain located in Israel, 9 kilometers southeast of the city of Nazareth. According to legend, it was on Mount Tabor that the apostles Peter, James and John saw the miraculous Transfiguration of the Lord. Currently, there are two monasteries on the top of the mountain, Orthodox and Catholic.
History of the celebration of the Transfiguration of the Lord
The tradition of celebrating the Transfiguration of the Lord existed already in the 4th century, and, most likely, even earlier. It was in the 4th century that Empress Helen, Equal to the Apostles, built a temple in honor of the Transfiguration on Mount Tabor. In addition, we read about this holiday in the teachings of Saints Ephraim the Syrian and John Chrysostom. From the 7th century, the word on the Transfiguration of the Lord by St. Andrew of Crete has reached us.
Icon of Transfiguration
The Transfiguration of the Lord is an icon from the Festive Row of the Orthodox iconostasis. Already in the 6th century, the plot of the icon became canonical. Christ is depicted in the center, with the prophets Moses and Elijah standing on both sides of Him. Moreover, Moses in the icon is most often young, and Elijah is old. Just below we see the fallen apostles. The Savior’s white robes shine, light radiates from His face and His entire figure. Icon painters depict Christ in a round or oval halo.
Divine service of the Transfiguration of the Lord
The Feast of the Transfiguration has one day of pre-celebration (August 5) and seven days of post-feast (from 7 to 13 August). The celebration of the holiday takes place in churches on August 13.
The popular name for the Transfiguration of the Lord, “Apple Savior,” reminds us of the ancient tradition of consecrating fruits on this day. In Israel and southern Christian countries, for example, Greece, the grapes were just ripe at the time of the holiday. People carried bunches of grapes, as well as ears of corn, to the temple for blessings and as a sign of gratitude to God.
On Russian lands, grapes did not grow everywhere, so the tradition was transformed - apples began to be blessed. There is a special prayer - “For the consecration of the firstfruits of vegetables (fruits).”
Prayers of the Transfiguration of the Lord
Troparion of the Transfiguration of the Lord
Thou art transfigured on the mountain, O Christ God, showing Thy disciples Thy glory, as unto a man, that Thy Light, ever present through the prayers of the Mother of God, may shine upon us sinners, O Light-Giver, glory to Thee.
You were transfigured on the mountain, O Christ God, showing Your disciples Your glory as far as it was possible for them. May Your eternal light shine upon us, sinners, too, through the prayers of the Mother of God. Giver of light, glory to You!
Kontakion of the Transfiguration of the Lord
You were transfigured on the mountain, and as the host of Your disciples, they saw Your glory, O Christ God, so that when they see You crucified, they will understand the free suffering, and the world will preach that You are truly the Father’s radiance.
You were transfigured on the mountain, and as far as your disciples could comprehend, they contemplated your glory, O Christ God, so that when they saw you crucified, they would understand that your suffering was voluntary and proclaim to the world that you are truly the Father’s radiance.
The Greatness of the Transfiguration of the Lord
We magnify You, Life-Giving Christ, and honor Your most pure flesh, the glorious Transfiguration.
We magnify You, Giver of life Christ, and honor the glorious transfiguration of Your most pure flesh.
“Apple Savior” - folk traditions of the Transfiguration holiday
The Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord in Rus' was also called Apple Savior, Savior, Second Savior, Feast of First Fruits, Savior on the Mountain, Middle Savior, Pea Day, Second Meeting of Autumn, First Autumn, Autumn.
“First autumn” means welcoming autumn. Summer was waning, peasants were harvesting crops in the fields and gardens. Apples were brought to churches for blessing. Above them the priest read a special prayer - “For the consecration of the firstfruits of vegetables (fruits).” From this moment on, believers could begin to eat apples and other fruits of the new harvest.
Housewives baked at Apple Spas apple pies, made jam. Relatives and friends were invited to the treat. There was a tradition of feeding the poor - for the glory of God. If someone refused to do this good deed, he was reproached in every possible way: “God forbid, God forbid, to have anything to do with them! He forgot the old and the orphan, did not give them any small good from his wealth, did not look upon the sick and the poor with his goods!” Even on Transfiguration, they sang songs and saw off the sun in the field.
Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh. Sermon on the Feast of the Transfiguration
The Feast of the Transfiguration reveals to us the glory of God's created creation. Not only did Christ appear in the glory of the Father, in His Divine glory on this day before His disciples: the Gospel tells us that Divine light streamed from Him physical body and from the clothes that covered him, it poured out onto everything that surrounded Christ.
Here we see something that was already secretly revealed to us in the Incarnation of Christ. We cannot think about the Incarnation without bewilderment: how was it possible that human flesh, the matter of this world, collected in the body of Christ, could not only be the place of indwelling of the Living God - as happens, for example, in a temple - but be united with the Divinity in such a way that is this body permeated with Divinity and now sits at the right hand of God the Father in eternal glory? Here all the greatness, all the significance of not only man, but the material world itself and its indescribable possibilities are revealed to us in secret - not only earthly and temporary, but also eternal, Divine.
And on the day of the Transfiguration of the Lord we see with what light this ours is called to shine material world, with what glory he is called to shine in the Kingdom of God, in the eternity of the Lord... And if we carefully and seriously take what is revealed to us here, we must change in the most profound way our attitude towards everything visible, towards everything tangible; not only to humanity, not only to man, but to his very body; and not only to human body, but to everything that is physically around us, tangible, tangible, visible... Everything is called to become a place of infusion of the grace of the Lord; everything is called once, at the end of time, to be absorbed into this glory and to shine with this glory.
And it is given to us, people, to know this; it has been given to us, people, not only to know this, but also to be co-workers with God in the sanctification of the creation that the Lord created... We consecrate fruits, consecrate waters, consecrate bread, we consecrate bread and wine into the Body and Blood of the Lord; within the boundaries of the Church this is the beginning of the miracle of Transfiguration and Epiphany; human faith separates the substance of this world, which is betrayed by human unbelief and betrayal to decay, death and destruction. By our faith it is separated from this corruption and death, given into the ownership of God, and accepted by God, and in God now, in embryo, truly becomes a new creation.
But this should extend far beyond the boundaries of the temple: everything without a trace that is subject to man can be sanctified by him; everything we work on, everything we touch, all the objects of life - everything can become part of the Kingdom of God, if this Kingdom of God is within us and, like the radiance of Christ, spreads to everything we touch...
Let's think about it; we are not called to enslave nature, we are called to free it from the captivity of corruption and death and sin, to free it and return it to harmony with the Kingdom of God. And therefore, let us begin to thoughtfully and reverently treat all this created world that we see, and let us serve as co-workers with Christ in it, so that the world may achieve its glory and so that all created things may enter into the joy of the Lord. Amen.
Transfiguration of the Lord in Armenia
The Transfiguration of the Lord is called “Vardavar” in Armenian. In Armenian Apostolic Church This holiday is celebrated on the 98th day after Easter, that is, from June 28 to August 1.
On Transfiguration they release doves into the sky, and the Armenians also have ancient tradition pour water on each other. This is a cheerful and kind custom that no one is offended by, because pouring water on this day means giving a gift. Anyone, even a random passerby, can be doused with water. Everyone from young to old takes part in the celebration, children are especially happy.
Preobrazhenskoye Cemetery
Preobrazhenskoye Cemetery is located in Moscow, at 17a. This is a former Old Believer church. It was founded during an epidemic.
In 1764, the monastery was abolished and the church became a parish. In those years, a multi-tiered bell tower was added to it. Over time, the first stone building of the temple came under threat: the soil on the river bank gradually subsided. In 1886, a new church was built and consecrated in honor of the Transfiguration of the Lord.
After the revolution, Tushino became a major industrial center. Factories and an airfield were built in the village. The temple was closed in
IN Soviet years The temple building was used as a club. In 1956, local residents asked to return the shrine to the Church, but they were refused. Only in 1990 did the church begin to revive parish life again. In 1994, a bell tower was added to the temple.
Poems about the Transfiguration
Boris Pasternak. August
As promised, without deceiving,
The sun came through early in the morning
An oblique strip of saffron
From curtain to sofa.
It covered with hot ocher
The neighboring forest, the houses of the village,
My bed, wet pillow
And the edge of the wall behind the bookshelf.
I remembered why
The pillow is slightly moistened.
I dreamed that someone was coming to see me off
You walked through the forest one after another.
You walked in a crowd, separately and in pairs,
Suddenly someone remembered that today
The sixth of August in the old days,
Transfiguration.
Usually light without flame
Coming from Tabor on this day,
And autumn, clear as a sign,
Eyes are drawn to yourself.
And you went through the petty, beggarly,
Naked, trembling alder
Into the ginger-red forest of the cemetery,
Burnt like a printed gingerbread.
With its hushed peaks
In the forest by a government land surveyor
Death stood in the midst of the graveyard,
Looking into my dead face,
To dig a hole according to my height.
“Farewell, Preobrazhenskaya azure”
And the gold of the second Savior,
Soften with the last feminine caress
I feel the bitterness of the fateful hour.
Goodbye years of timelessness.
Say goodbye to the abyss of humiliation
A challenging woman!
I am your battlefield.
Goodbye, wingspan spread,
Flight of free perseverance,
And the image of the world, revealed in words,
And creativity and miracles.”
Ivan Shmelev. Apple Savior (chapter from the book “The Summer of the Lord”)
Tomorrow is the Transfiguration, and the day after tomorrow they will take me somewhere to the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, to a huge pink house in the garden, behind a cast-iron grille, to take an exam for the gymnasium, and I study and study “ Sacred History» Athens. “Tomorrow” is just what they say, but they will take you in two or three years, and they say “tomorrow” because the exam always takes place the day after the Transfiguration of the Savior. We all say that the main thing is to know God’s Law well. I know him well, even what page he is on, but still very scary, so scary that it even takes your breath away as soon as you remember. Gorkin knows that I'm afraid. With one hatchet he recently carved for me a terrible “nutcracker” that gnaws nuts. He calms me down. He'll beckon you into the cold, under the boards, onto a pile of shavings, and start asking questions from the book. He reads, perhaps, worse than me, but for some reason he knows everything that even I don’t know. “Come on,” he’ll say, “tell me something divine...” I’ll tell him, and he’ll praise:
You know how to do it well,” and he pronounces it with an “o,” like all our carpenters, and perhaps this makes me feel better, “don’t worry, they’ll take you to school, you know everything.” But tomorrow we have Yabloshny Spas... do you know about it? Soooo. Why do they sprinkle apples? That's not how you know. They will ask you, but you won’t tell. How many Spas do we have? Here you go again, not doing it right. They learn to ask you questions, but you... How come you didn’t say that? And you should take a good look.
But there’s nothing... - I say, completely upset, - it’s only written that apples are holy!
And they sprinkle. Why do they sprinkle? Ahh! They will ask you - well, how many Spas will they say we have? And you don’t even know. Three Spas. The first Savior - he bends his finger, yellow from the polish, terribly flattened - - the honey Savior, the Cross is carried out. This means that summer is over, the honey can be broken out, the bee is not offended... it’s already gone wild. The second Savior, which is here tomorrow, is an apple one, the Transfiguration Savior, apples are sprinkled. And why? And here. Adam-Eve sinned, the serpent deceived them with an apple, but it was not known from sin! And Christ ascended the mountain and sanctified it. That's why they began to be careful. And whoever eats before sprinkling will get a worm in his stomach, and cholera will happen. And once sprinkled, there is no harm. And the third Savior is called the nut Savior, the nuts ripened after the Dormition. In our village there is a religious procession, the icon of the Savior is carried, and all the nuts are gnawed. It used to be that we would collect a bag of nuts for the priest, and he would give us milk noodles for breaking fasts. So you tell them, and they’ll take you to school.
The Transfiguration of the Lord... A gentle, quiet light from him in the soul - to this day. It must be from the morning garden, from the light blue sky, from the heaps of straw, from the pear apples buried in the greenery, in which individual leaves are already turning yellow - green-golden, soft. Clear, bluish day, not hot, August. The sunflowers have already outgrown the fences and are looking out into the street - is there a religious procession underway? Soon their hats will be cut off and carried while singing on golden banners. The first apple, pear, in our garden is ripe and turning red. We'll shake it for tomorrow. Gorkin said this morning:
After lunch, you and I will go to the Swamp to pick apples.
Such joy. Father, the headman of Kazanskaya, has already ordered:
Here's what, Gorkin... Take five or six measures of apples from the Swamp near Krapivkin, for the parishioners and our children, “white,” or something... yes, for observation, for consecration, for prettierness, a measure. For the clergy there are two more measures, cleaner than any. We will especially send a measure of aportovs to the protodeacon; he likes the larger ones.
Ondrey Maksimych is a fellow countryman, he will give me his conscience. They are driving him from both Kursk and the Volga. What do you order for yourself?
It's me. Here's a watermelon you can choose from, Astrakhan, sugar.
His orbushes... are always sugary, with a hint of crackling. He sends it to Prince Dolgorukov himself! In his lobaza, a golden diploma hangs on the wall under an image, like eagles!.. It thunders all over Moscow.
After lunch we shake the pear. For the owner - Gorkin. The clerk Vasil-Vasilich, even though he has a construction site, if he takes half an hour, he will come running. Out of respect, they only admit the old shopkeeper Trifonich. Carpenters are not allowed in, but they climb onto the boards and advise how to shake. It is unusually light and golden in the garden: the summer is dry, the trees have thinned out and dried up, there are many sunflowers along the fence, grasshoppers are crackling sourly, and it seems that from this crackling light is emanating - golden, hot. The overgrown nettles and burdocks are still thickly thickening, and only under them is gloomy; and the tattered currant bushes shine in the light. Apple trees also shine - with the gloss of branches and leaves, the matte gloss of apples, and cherries, completely see-through, filled with amber glue. Gorkin leads to the pear tree, throws off his cap and vest, and spits into his fist.
Wait, wait... - he says, squinting with his eyes. - I shook her lightly, first grade. Her apple is bad... well, let’s knock it a little - it’s okay, it’ll be better with juice... but don’t use force!
He adjusts and shakes, with a slight shake. The first grade is falling. Everyone rushes into the burdocks and nettles. A viscous, lethargic smell comes from burdocks, and a piercingly pungent smell from nettles, mixed with a sweet scent, unusually subtle, like perfume spilled somewhere, from apples. Everyone is crawling, even the overweight Vasil-Vasilich, whose vest has burst on his back, and you can see his pink shirt in a boat; even fat Trifonich was covered in flour. Everyone takes a handful and smells it: ahh... pear!..
You close your eyes and breathe in - such joy! Such freshness, pouring in subtly, such fragrant sweetness - strength - with all the smells of a warmed garden, crushed grass, disturbed warm blackcurrant bushes. The sun is already not hot and gentle blue sky shining in the branches, on the apples...
And now, not yet in your native country, when you meet an invisible apple, similar in smell to a pear, you squeeze it in your palm, close your eyes, and in a sweet and juicy spirit you remember it as if it were alive, - small garden, which once seemed huge, the best of all the gardens in the world, has now disappeared without a trace... with birch and rowan trees, with apple trees, with raspberry bushes, black, white and red currants, grape gooseberries, with lush burdocks and nettles , a distant garden... - to the bent nails of the fence, to the crack on the cherry tree with streaks of mica shine, with droplets of amber-raspberry glue, - everything, to the last apple of the top behind the golden leaf, burning like a golden glass!.. And you will see the yard, with a great puddle, already dried up, with dry ruts, with dirty bricks, with boards stuck before the rains, with a support stuck forever... and gray barns, with the silken gloss of time, with the smells of resin and tar, and a mountain of pot-bellied sacks raised to the barn roof, with oats and salt compacted into stone, with shanks clinging tenaciously, with streams of golden sheep... and high stacks of boards crying with resin in the sun, and crackling bundles of shingles, and logs of wood, and shavings...
Yes, let it be, Pankratych!.. - Vasil-Vasilich rubs his shoulder, rolling up the sleeves of his shirt, - by God, it’s time for a construction site!..
But wait, the head is spruce... - Gorkin won’t let me in, - you’ll beat the apples with a fool...
Vasil-Vasilich also shakes: it’s as if a storm is flying in, making a noise with a whistle, and apples rain down, over the head, onto the shoulders. The carpenters are shouting on the boards: “This is shaking street, Vasil-Vasilich!” Trifonich is shaking, and again Gorkin, and once again Vasil-Vasilich, whom they have been calling for a long time. I too shake, raised to the empty branches.
Eh, it used to be that we were shaking... you'll flood! - Vasil-Vasilich sighs, buttoning his vest as he goes, - yes, I’m coming, damn you..!
The spruce head is still scratching... on this matter... - Gorkin says sternly. “Where else is he buried?” he looks at the top of his head. - Yes, you won’t shake it... the sparrows will get off on the sparrows, the last ones.
We are sitting in the crushed grass; smells last summer, dry bitterness, fresh apple spirit; The cobwebs shine on the nettles, they flow and tremble on the apple trees. It seems to me that they are trembling from the dry crackling of grasshoppers.
Autumn songs!.. - says Gorkin sadly. - Farewell Summer. The Spas have arrived - prepare your supplies. We used to have swallows on their flight... We should definitely go home for Intercession... but why, there’s no one there.
I’ve said so many times, but he’ll never go: he’s used to the place.
In Pavlova we have apples... a nickel's worth! - says Trifonich. - And what an apple... it’s a pavlovsky one!
Three measures have been collected. They are carried on a pole in a basket, threaded through the ears. Carpenters beg, boys beg, jumping on one leg:
The handle is crooked,
Whoever gives is the prince,
Whoever doesn’t give it is the dog’s eye.
Dog's eye! Dog's eye!
Gorkin waves and kicks:
Little ones, or something... Come to Kazanskaya tomorrow - I’ll give you a couple.
They harness Curve to the shelf. She is being held out of respect, but she will drag her to the Swamp. Shakes to the guts on the pits, and it's such fun! We have huge baskets with us, one inside the other. We drive past Kazanskaya and cross ourselves. We drive along the deserted Yakimanka, past the pink Church of Ivan the Warrior, past the white Church of the Savior in Nalivki visible in the alley, past the yellowing Maron in the lowlands, past the blushing far away, behind the Polyansky Market, Gregory of Neocessary. And we are baptized everywhere. The street is very long, boring, without shops, hot. The janitors are dozing at the gate, legs spread out. And everything is dozing: white houses in the sun, dusty green trees behind fences with nails, gray rows of bedside tables that look like blue buckwheat, brown lanterns, weaving cabs. The sky is kind of dusty, “from the steam,” Gorkin says, yawning. A fat merchant comes across a cab, full length, with a basket of apples at his feet. Gorkin bows to him respectfully.
Elder Loschenov from Shabolovka, butcher. Greedy, three measures in total. And you and I will buy more than ten, for the whole five.
Here is the Ditch, with stagnant rainbow water. Behind it, above the low roofs and gardens, the great golden dome of Christ the Savior burns in the sun. And here is the Swamp, in the lowlands, - great square bargaining, stone “rows”, arcs. Here they sell scrap iron, rusty anchors and chains, ropes, matting, oats and salt, dried smelt, pike perch, apples... A sweet and pungent spirit can be heard far away, straws are gilded everywhere. There are mats lying on the ground, green mounds of watermelons, multi-colored piles of apples on the straw. Doves are blue in flocks. Everywhere you look there is matting and straw.
“There’s a big arrival today, a harvest for apples,” says Gorkin, “our Moscow will eat apples.”
We drive through the storehouses, in an apple-sweet spirit. The fellows are ripping open the bales of straw, and the dust is golden above them. Here is Krapivkin's storehouse.
Gorkin-Pankratych! - Krapivkin, with a gray beard, broad, twitches his cap. - And I thought our goat was missing, and there he is, with a gray beard!
They shake hands. Krapivkin drinks tea on a box. Greenish copper teapot, thick faceted glass. Gorkin refuses politely: they just drank, even though we didn’t drink. Krapivkin is not inferior: “stick to stick is bad, but tea to tea is Yakimanskaya, rock it!” Gorkin sits down on another box, through the cracks of which apples can be seen in straws. - “We drink tea with apple spirits!” - Krapivkin winks and hands me a large blue plum, cracked from ripeness. I suck it carefully, and they sip in silence, occasionally blowing a word out of the saucer along with the steam. They are given another pot of tea, they drink for a long time and talk properly. They call unfamiliar names, and they are very interested in it. And I’m already sucking the third plum and still looking around. Between rows of watermelons on straw flagella-twirls on shelves, above sloping boxes with selected peaches, with burgundy cheeks under the dust, above pink, white and blue plums, between which melons have sat, hangs an old heavy image in a silver frame, a burning lamp. Apples are all over the storehouse, on the straw. The viscous spirit makes it even stuffy. And in back door horse heads are looking at the storage shed - they brought boxes from the car. Finally they get up from tea and go to the apples. Krapivkin indicates the varieties: here White filling, - “if you look at the sun like a flashlight!” - here is the royal pineapple, red as kumach, here is the monastery anise, here is titovka, arcade, borovinka, skryzhapel, brown, waxy, linen, sweet size, bitter.
Observational ones?.. - You need to show off... - Krapivkin thinks. - Do you need to please the owner?.. Borovok is still strong, the priest is ugly...
Yes, you, Ondrei Maksimych, - Gorkin says affectionately, - are more beautiful than any of the ceremonial ones. Pavlovka, or something... or this one, what’s it called?
This isn’t the same,” Krapivkin laughs, “but it’s there, but you can’t eat it!” Hey, open up, those from Kursk, who are tired from the journey, will be very good...
But, as if it were more attentive,” Gorkin fumbles in the straw, “there’s no way to restrain it?..
A higher grade than oport is called camport!
Pour in the measure. Bishop's, right... just for sprinkling.
You have an eye!.. They took him to Uspensky. We deliver it to the archpriest of the cathedral, Father Valentin himself, Anfi-teyatrov! He speaks his sermons famously, have you heard?
How can you not hear... the golden word!
Gorkin collects beli and scatterings for the people, eight measures. He takes the parable of titovka, and the aporta for the protodeacon, and the sugar watermelon, “the likes of which are not found anywhere.” And I breathe and breathe this sweet and sticky spirit. It seems to me that the bales of matting with crooked signs smeared with tar, the new spruce boxes, the heaps of straw smell of fields and countryside, cars, sleepers, distant gardens. I also see joyful “Chinese” ones, their cheeks and tails made of lyes, I remember their bitterness and sweetness, their juicy crackle, and I feel how sour my mouth is. We leave Krivaya at the warehouse and walk for a long time through the apple market. Gorkin, with his hands under his Cossack coat, walks around like a master, shaking his beard. He will take an apple, smell it, hold it, although we don’t need it anymore.
Pavlovka, huh? just a little small?..
She herself, a merchant. Ours doesn't get any bigger. Three kopecks half a measure.
Well, what are you talking about, you’re a headache, you’re sharpening your boles!.. Am I not from Yaroslavl, or what? Here on the Volga - ten kopecks.
It's miles and miles from our Volga! I'm from near Kineshma.
And they start talking, calling unfamiliar names, and they find it very interesting. The slick guy selects five good-looking ones and puts them in Gorkin’s pockets, and hands me the largest one sticking out on his fingers. Gorkin buys the measure from him too.
It's time to go home, soon for the all-night vigil. The sun is already slanting. In the distance, the dome of Ivan the Great, darkly jutting out over the roofs, glows golden. The windows of the houses shine unbearably, and from this shine, golden rivers seem to flow and melt here, in the square, in the straw. Everything shines unbearably, and the apples play in the shine.
We drive slowly, with apples. I look at the apples, how they tremble from shaking. I look at the sky: it is so calm, I would fly into it.
Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord. Golden and blue morning, in the cold. There is no crowding in the church. I'm standing in the fence of the candle box. The father jingles silver and copper, gives and gives candles. They flow and flow from the boxes like a broken white ribbon, tap thinly and dryly, jump on the shoulders, over the heads, go to the icons - they are transmitted - to the “Holiday!” Little bundles float overhead - all apples, mallows, apples. Our baskets on the pulpit “will be ruined,” Gorkin told me. He fusses around in the church, his beard flashes. The stale hot air smells special today - fresh apples. They are everywhere, even on the choir, even on banners. Unusual, fun - like guests, and the church is not a church at all. And everyone, it seems to me, only thinks about apples. And the Lord is here with everyone, and He also thinks about apples: They brought them to Him - look, Lord, what they are! And He will look and say to everyone: “Well, that’s good, and eat to your health, children!” And they will eat completely different apples, not store-bought ones, but church apples, holy ones. This is what it is - Transfiguration.
Gorkin comes and says: “Let’s go, now the sprinkling will begin.” In his hands he has a red bundle - “his”. Father keeps counting the money, and we go. They set up the eve table. The golden-blue sexton carries a huge silver dish with a mountain of red apples on it, which came from Kursk. There are baskets and bundles all around on the floor. Gorkin and the watchman drag familiar baskets from the pulpit and move them “under the sprinkling, closer.” Everyone is fussing and having fun - it’s not a church at all. The priests and the deacon are in extraordinary vestments, which are called “apple”, - this is what Gorkin tells me. Of course, apple ones! On the green and blue brocade, if you look closely from the side, large apples and pears and grapes are golden in the leaves - green, gold, blue: shimmering. When it comes out of the dome Sunbeam on chasubles, apples and pears come to life and become lush, as if they were hung. The priests bless the water. Then the elder, in a purple kamilavka, reads a prayer for fruits and grapes over our apples from Kursk - an extraordinary, cheerful prayer - and begins to sprinkle the apples. He shakes his brush so much that the splashes fly like silver, sparkling here and there, separately sprinkles the baskets for the arrival, then bundles, baskets... They go to the cross. The sextons and Gorkin thrust an apple or two into everyone’s hands, as necessary. Father gives me a very beautiful dish, and a familiar deacon deliberately slaps me on the head with a wet brush three times, and cold streams fall behind my collar. Everyone eats apples, such a crunch. It's fun, just like visiting. The singers even chew on the choir. Our carpenters are coming, boys we know, and Gorkin pushes them through - come quickly, don’t get stuck! They beg: “Give me another apple, Gorkin... I gave Mishka three!..” They also give to the beggars on the porch. The people are thinning out. In the church you can see pressed stubs, “hearts”. Gorkin stands by the empty baskets and wipes his neck with a handkerchief. He makes the sign of the cross at the rosy apple, takes a crunchy bite, and winces:
With kvass... - he says, wincing and squinting his eyes, and his beard is shaking. - And it’s nice, at the right time, sprinkled...
In the evening he finds me at the boards, on the shavings. I am reading "Sacred History".
And you probably know everything now. They will ask you about the Savior, or how and why they sprinkle an apple, and you stern and stern at them... and they will let you into the school. Look here!..
He looks so calmly into my eyes, it’s so evening-light and the yard is golden-pinkish from the shavings, matting and planks, for some reason I’m so happy that I grab an armful of shavings, throw them up, and a golden, curly rain falls . And suddenly, it begins to tingle inside me - whether from an incomprehensible joy, or from the apples I ate countless times that day - it begins to tingle with a ticklish pain. A shiver runs through me, I begin to laugh uncontrollably, jump, and with this laughter the desire beats within me - that they will let me into the school, they will certainly let me in!