Honey rescue is the first in a series of similar holidays and officially marks the end of summer. In the church tradition, it appeared during the Byzantine state: on that day it was customary to carry parts of the life-giving cross from the imperial palace to the main temple of the capital. But the shrine was not immediately delivered to destination, at first it was worn for two weeks through the streets to clear the city of evil. For the first time such a rite was held during the plague epidemic, the remedy turned out to be effective, and to prevent such disasters, the procession with the cross began to be held annually. In Russia, tradition was transformed and acquired national features. Honey, or the Poppy saved began to celebrate after the adoption of baptism, at the same time combining the celebration with their own pagan beliefs. Hence the roots of many signs of Makovei's holiday grow. It is noteworthy that, although it is called the Makovsky spas, the church tradition has nothing to do with this plant. The Maccabees are Old Testament martyrs, which are mentioned in the Bible. But the people, according to the principle of consonance, christened the feast with poppies, especially since it was in the middle of summer that they gathered a harvest of edible grains and prepared ritual dishes from them, which then were brought to the church along with honey.
The most famous people's signs on Makoveya
August 14 is often called also the Wet Savior, believing that on this day the water acquires medicinal properties. Therefore, before the holiday, with the blessing of the priest, they digged wells, in order to have time to consecrate a new well on Makovei. Then the water in it will always be clean and healing. And on this day, we bathed livestock in running water to rid it of all diseases and enable us to survive the harsh winter. And right after that day winter crops were planted, because earlier it was impossible - the harvest will not wait.
You can call a lot of household signs for the Honey Spas:
- to help the weak, widow, beggar on this day - to secure one's luck for a year ahead;
- it was absolutely necessary to eat a spoonful of honey lit in the church so that it would be healthy all year round;
- and even on a honey spoon it was possible to make a wish, which by all means will soon come true;
- women could pity on this day any sins - it was believed that even the most unsightly acts the Lord will forgive them;
- housewives on that day were supposed to bake pies with poppy seeds, which they collected for the feast or directly in front of him - by eating such pastries, you could save yourself from various ailments and failures;
- and even in the house exhibited a fragrant bouquet-makoveychik - a charm of 17 curative herbs and poppy heads, it was believed that he brought harmony and coziness to the house.
Signs, if it's raining on Makovei
A lot of interest is caused by many signs concerning the rain on Makovei. Since the people believed that this holiday closes the summer and opens the autumn season, then on August 14, you could expect any weather. It is not necessary to say that it was often a rainy day. Therefore, our ancestors have accumulated a sufficient number of different weather signs relating to both solar conditions and rainy weather conditions. In particular, if you have a bad weather on Makovei, then you should not be afraid of fires and other troubles related to the fire element, but expect a harvest of mushrooms in the forests.
Other weather signs and superstitions on Makoveya
Also, our ancestors believed that from August 14 roses cease to blossom, because the nights are getting colder. If you can see how swallows on this day are serving south, then it is worth waiting for the onset of autumn weather. If on this day it will be warm, dry and sunny, then the same can be observed and after 2 weeks - on Nut saved.