August: the Month of ‘Blessings’ (Спаси)
While not widely practiced in Canada in the UOCC, it is, and has been, a common practice in Ukraine to bring certain items to have blessed on certain feast days throughout the year.
In August there are three feast days of the Lord, our Saviour, which in Ukraine are known as Spasy - Спаси, in addition to the feast of the Dormition of the Most-Holy Theotokos (Aug. 15) which is preceded by a strict two-week fast (starting Aug. 1).
In the following weeks, we will share more information about these feast days. But in the meantime, here is an introduction to the feast days and what items are brought to Church to have blessed and why!
The Procession of the Holy Cross
Photo by Kagor, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
This feast day on Aug. 1 commemorates when the Holy Cross was processed around the city of Constantinople. In Ukraine this feast day is also known as Medoviy spas - Медовій спас - Honey spas, when honey, poppies, water, other life-sustaining ingredients and bouquets of wildflowers and herbs are blessed. Many Ukrainians assemble a basket of honey, salt, horseradish, water, bread, poppy seed pastries and a makoviychyk that is taken to Church for blessing.
Some Ukrainians also call this feast day Mokriy Spas - мокрий спас - literally “Wet Spas,” in honor of Grand Prince of Kyiv Volodymyr who converted to Christianity on August 1, 988 AD and proceeded to baptize Kyivan Rus.
This feast day is also called Makoveya - Маковея - from the word mak (мак) for poppy heads which ripen around mid-August.
Transfiguration of the Lord
This feast on Aug. 6 is when Christ is gloriously and radiantly transfigured on Mount Tabor. In Ukraine this feast day is also known as Yabluchney spas - Яблучний спас - Apple spas, when ripening fruit such as apples, pears, plums, all other fruit, peas in the pod and honeycombs are blessed.
Translation of the Image Not-made-by-living-hands
This feast on Aug. 16 is of the icon which is on a cloth but that was not written/painted; by tradition this is the cloth that the Lord wiped His face on (although not the veil of Veronica). In Ukraine this feast day is also known as Horikhovey or Khleebovey spas - Горіховий або Хлібний спас - nut or bread spas, when hazelnuts, walnuts, grains and a special bread (a korovai), baked from flour milled from newly harvested grain and nuts, are blessed.