Orthodox believers begin the Dormition Fast today

August 14, Minsk /BELTA/. Orthodox believers begin the Dormition Fast today, which will last until August 27. As reported to BELTA correspondent by the Belarusian Exarchate, a distinctive feature of this shortest of all multi-day fasts in the church calendar is the custom of consecrating various types of harvest. Thus, on the first day of the fast, when the church celebrates the Feast of the Procession of the Venerable Cross of the Lord, it is customary to consecrate honey, nuts, and poppy seeds. Therefore, this day is popularly called the Honey Savior. And the fruit harvest is consecrated on the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord on August 19 (hence the name of the holiday - Apple Savior). These customs originated in pre-Christian times, according to the ancient agrarian calendar, when the first fruits of the harvest were sacrificed to pagan deities. The Christian Church, fighting paganism, linked the celebration of important religious dates with the consecration of the harvest in order to distract people from worshipping nature spirits. The two-week Dormition Fast is established for the ascetic preparation of believers for the great feasts of the Transfiguration of the Lord (August 19) and the Dormition of the Mother of God (August 28). Saint Simeon of Thessaloniki wrote that "the fast in August was instituted in honor of the Mother of God, who fasted, praying for us, when she intended to pass from this life to the next." According to the church charter, the Dormition Fast is strict; during these days, it is customary to abstain from meat, dairy, and fish (fish is allowed only on the day of the Transfiguration). -0-