The feast of the Origin Fair drev Kresta Gospodnja is popularly known as the Honey spas. Are the people in the temple to consecrate honey, absolutely not thinking anything about the meaning of the feast, nor on the sources of folk tradition. Archpriest Alexander Ageikin, rector of the Epiphany Cathedral, talks about how not to fight with folk traditions, and become enchurched them to put in the service of God and man.
There is a big modern problem – people associate religious holidays with some of my mundane view of them. Depth is not needed, the meaning is not important, but what you can feel, touch and ingest, interesting and attracts people. People are more likely to wind up Christian holidays with deep spiritual meaning, like the day of the celebration of the Origin of Honest trees, not knowing and not wanting to know their meaning, their true names. Say, “Honey has Rescued” – it is familiar to all, and the rest uninteresting.
Our ancestors tried bierkowice many economic and folk customs, including the use of the coincidence, the combination of holidays. Savior of the honey feast dedicated to the celebration of the Origin Fair drev Kresta Gospodnja that gave the opportunity to thank God for His gracious gifts. For example, for the honey, since the honey flow started in the days that precede or coincide with this occasion.
The Church tried bierkowice economic way of life of a person, to give a sense of the harmony of life. To avoid such a division: I live from Monday to Saturday, as a farmer, and on Saturday and Sunday I come to Church, become a Christian, to “appease” God. The farmer led a Church-going lifestyle. If a person works on earth, he should thank God for what the Lord gives to him as His mercy – these gifts of land, gifts of nature. The Church was able to give people this understanding, but the rebellion has pushed many of us back to a primitive, magical perceptions of religious life.
If we talk about celebration, we took this celebration of the Origin of Honest trees from the Byzantine Empire, when the streets of Constantinople handed down the life-giving tree of the cross, because in this hot season began the spread of various epidemics and diseases. The Emperor even went away from the capital not to be affected by epidemics, and people were given the opportunity to touch the Shrine, to ask for God’s mercy, the healing that would not simply healing, but gaining the feeling of spiritual harmony through prayer, through repentance.
This holiday was perceived in Russia very close, but at the same time, people have tried to adapt it for themselves. You need to understand that honey this day is not sanctified in order to take it then, as a mystical substance, and to the prayer of consecration thank God for His gift, to leave a portion of this gift in the Church.
Left honey is also not accidental. Not that the father ate honey without measure, and that the Church, as a community, could share this honey with those in need, those who can not buy, can not buy, does not have the apiary. Also the consecration of the Transfiguration – people brought part of the initial fruits of the new harvest, leaving them in the Church for the needy.
And this is related to the holiday today, we are losing. We come to the temple with his jar: “Father, sanctify us honey. Honey is consecrated – is better than not sanctified.” And what his Holiness is? Honey is sanctified by our prayer, our participation, and not just any secret action that we don’t understand, but I believe that if such medco taste with us will be something unusual.
The same applies to names – Honey Spas, Apple Spas. The key word here – not “honey”, and “Saved”. From what He saves us? First and foremost, from ourselves. And we have the Association: honey is honey, Apple – apples, and the word “Saved” becomes a background.
The occasion should make people better. When we become generous, gracious, willing to share with others, and then a holiday in the full sense of the word. And Honey Spas, Apple Spas – is not just an excuse to get sanctified or consecrated bull’s-eye, medco, and the opportunity to share these gifts of God with others.
In elohovskom Cathedral, we decided this year to take a holiday from the already proven and well-known producers of honey that we then offer for sale in the shop or in front of the temple. And importantly, people will be able to buy honey not only for themselves but also to pay for honey for those in need. Then we will have the opportunity to share with the needy, having paid for kind, generous people honey. Of course this is our first experience, we’ll see how it will be perceived by the people, but we have specially selected some good varieties of honey of new gathering to ensure adherence to tradition – the consecration of the honey of the new harvest. Now members can buy honey not only for themselves but also for others, for those who do not have the opportunity to please yourself honey these days.
It is a kind of example of how not to fight with new traditions and bierkowice them to fill a spiritual sense. When we live not only for ourselves, we change. Man must live in the service, in the service of God and neighbor. Someone can help harvest and bring to the temple the apples to pass them out. Someone can these apples to distribute as donations, etc. There are different kinds of service, and folk traditions can be used to bierkowice person to instill in him a taste for virtue.
We need to revive the notion, which is now unfortunately lost, as the “school of virtue”. The temple is not only a place of worship, it is also a school of virtue, where the priest, the clergy, the community can help one learn to be virtuous. Including with folk traditions.
Prepared By Maria Stroganova