According to the folk calendar - Honey Spas, First Spas, Poppy Spas, Spas on the Water

Honey Spas is celebrated on August 14th The correct name of this holiday is the removal of the honorable trees of the Life-giving Cross of the Lord It also has other names that are popular among the people: First Savior, Makovia, Savior on the Water, Poppy Savior The history of the holiday is very ancient, dating back to Old Testament times, from the period of persecution and persecution of the first Christians The series of August Spas begins with the Honey Spas, which is why in the Orthodox calendar it is called the First On this day, beekeepers began collecting honey, then took it to the church to dedicate it During the same period, people began to collect ripened poppies, and also blessed water (hence another popular name for the holiday - Savior on the Water, or Wet Savior) The word “Savior” in itself is a reminder to people about the Savior and that each of us can be saved if faith is true and strong The common name of the holiday “Makovei” did not arise by chance The poppy, which had ripened by this time, has nothing to do with this name, although it became one of the symbols of Makovei, thanks to the consonance of the name The history of the holiday is actually quite tragic Every year, on August 14, Orthodox churches commemorate the memory of the Maccabean martyrs An ancient legend says that the Maccabee brothers and their mother Solomea, living in Old Testament times (that is, before the Nativity of Christ), fervently and sincerely believed in the True God, rejecting the pagan belief that was widespread at that time They refused to bow to Olympian Zeus, for which they were executed The brothers were killed in front of their mother, and when only one of them, the youngest, remained, Solomei offered to renounce the Lord in order to save the lives of themselves and their son The woman did not betray her faith, after which she was executed along with her child This happened in 166 BC e, during the reign of the Syrian king Antiochus Epiphanes, who forcibly implanted his pagan traditions and rituals throughout Judea This king installed a statue of Olympian Zeus in the Jerusalem Temple, thereby desecrating the holy monastery of the Lord The only ones who rebelled against the new pagan order were the Maccabee brothers, who accepted martyrdom for their faith However, their sacrifice was not in vain The brothers' feat inspired the priest Mattathias, who, together with his sons, rebelled and overthrew Antiochus, threw out the statue of Zeus from the sacred temple, and returned it to the Christians According to another legend, it was on the day of the Honey Savior that the Grand Duke of Kiev Vladimir converted to Christianity - this happened in 988 Since then, much has changed in the traditions of celebrating this significant day for all Orthodox Christians According to a ritual that has survived to this day, a special “Makovian bouquet” consisting of calendula, thyme, and mint should be collected for the Honey Savior Later, poppy heads also joined it - the finished bouquet was carried to the church and blessed there On Makovei Day, it is customary to eat a special ritual food - these are lean baked gingerbreads, shortcakes, pancakes or flatbreads, generously sprinkled with honey and poppy seeds This holiday is also considered for children and girls They say that the first birds begin to fly to distant warm lands on Honey Savior Another tradition inherent in this particular Orthodox holiday is the consecration of new wells and reservoirs On this day, people walked in religious procession to lakes and rivers, bathed themselves in the blessed water and always bathed livestock in it It was believed that such a ritual helped preserve and restore health, prolong life and give strength