Where do the Three Spas come from?
The Third Hot Springs, also called Nut, Khlebny and Kholshchev, are celebrated in Russia every year on August 29. It is timed to coincide with the celebration day in the Orthodox Church of the Unmade Image of the Savior.
People said, “The first Savior stands on the water, the second Savior eats apples, the third Savior sells canvas in the green mountains.”
Priest Nikolai Dubinin from Stary Oskol told socialbites.ca that our ancestors considered it necessary to thank the Lord for the harvest and ask him for blessings.
“Saint John Chrysostom has these words: “He who begins and ends a meal with prayer never has an empty table.” If a person gives thanks after asking God for blessings, the Lord always gives him plenty of fruit and his table is always full.
Our ancestors knew this, and therefore the holidays were preserved,” said Dubinin.
The Handless View of the Savior
King of the city of Edessa in the 1st century AD according to biblical tradition (current city of Şanlıurfa) Augar V could not cure leprosy for a long time and decided to turn to Jesus Christ. The king sent his servants after him. But Jesus solved the problem from afar: He washed himself, wiped his face with a brush (towel), pressed his face on it, and delivered it to Avgar through the Apostle Thaddeus.
The king, who applied Ubrus to the face of Jesus with his face, miraculously healed. Shocked by the impact, he decided to get baptized with his subjects and made the ubru a relic. According to legend, the first icons of the Unmade Savior were painted from it.
“While Christ was in Jerusalem, Abgar, prince of that time and lord of Edessa, heard of the miracles of Christ, wrote to Him, and Christ sent him a personal reply and a holy, glorious image of His Face. Follow and see this Non Handmade Image. Many peoples of the East flock there and pray, ”Wrote Pope Gregory II in a letter to Emperor Leo Isaurian.
The temple was kept in Edessa for a long time and was transferred to Constantinople on 29 August 944. At first this day was only celebrated there, but it soon became a church-wide day due to the wide reverence for the Savior Without Hands. During the sacking of the city by the crusaders in 1204, ubrus disappeared without a trace.
Why did the Third Hot Springs become Nuts, Bread, and Canvas?
The most common name for the Third Savior is Walnut. It is believed that hazelnuts (hazelnuts), which can be collected and dried for the winter, ripen by August 29. It is called bread because during this period the grain crops ripen, people bake bread and pies from the flour of the new crop: “The Third Savior has accumulated bread.” On this day, it is customary to consecrate the harvested crop in the church.
“Walnut, Apple, and Honey Hot Springs are folk versions of the names,” explains Father Nikolai.
— People have tried to define church holidays as elements of our daily life. In Apple Savior, people brought apples to the church for consecration, in Medovy – products from the beehive, in Nut – respectively, hazelnuts.
To say “thank you” for the harvest and last year, the man brought the first fruits of the new harvest to the church and dedicated it to God.
The Third Savior is also called the Savior on Canvas, the Savior on Canvas or the Savior on Canvas – this is a direct reference to the ubrus legend with the image of Jesus Christ.
What to do in Hazelnut Spas?
The Third Hot Springs coincide each year with the day after the Feast of the Death of the Most Holy Theotokos, which marks the end of the Assumption Fast. According to the priest, on August 29, believers can relax and not adhere to strict rules.
“We fasted for two weeks in memory of the passing of the Mother of God to eternal life. Since the fast ends today, there are no strict rules to celebrate the Walnut Savior – on the contrary, we break the fast.
We fried the meat, sat at the table. It is customary to spend the last days of summer in joy, in communication with loved ones, at a joint meal, ”Dubinin shared.
After the end of the fast, meat, fish and milk are allowed at the feast table. As with any church holiday, heavy physical labor is not recommended on the Nut Savior, but this does not apply to everyday household chores.