Date in the Old Style: August 1. The Honey Saviour is a folk name for the Orthodox holiday on the first day of the Dormition Fast, established in the 9th century in honor of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. In Constantinople, there was an ancient tradition of carrying the Honorable Wood of the Cross through the streets of the city. It was believed that this would protect the residents from various diseases. Until the day of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos, the Cross was available for veneration by all Christians. In Russia, the holiday began to be celebrated at the end of the 15th century. From this day — exactly one month after the end of the Apostles' Fast — the Dormition Fast begins, preceding the great feasts of the Transfiguration of the Lord and the Dormition of the Mother of God. The main milestones of the Dormition Fast are three holidays, three Saviours: the All-Merciful Saviour (Honey Saviour), the Transfiguration of the Lord (Apple Saviour), and the Transfer of the Image Not Made by Hands of the Lord Jesus Christ (Nut Saviour). The Dormition Fast is not as strict as the Great Fast but stricter than the Apostles' and Nativity Fasts. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, it is prescribed to eat dry food, on Tuesdays and Thursdays boiled vegetables without oil, which is allowed only on Saturdays and Sundays. By the way, the Church recommends abstaining from apples and grapes until the Transfiguration of the Lord (also known as Apple Saviour). In some regions, the First Saviour was also called the Wet Saviour. On this day, the rite of water blessing was performed, for which church ministers went to springs, lakes, and rivers. Peasants believed it beneficial to bathe in the blessed waters. The most well-known name, Honey Saviour, comes from the custom of cutting or breaking honeycombs at this time. It was said that if beekeepers did not open the honeycombs and extract the honey, neighboring bees would steal it. Beekeepers strictly observed the custom of bringing freshly harvested honey to the church for blessing on this day. Additionally, peasants brought seeds and vegetables to the church, which were blessed as the first fruits of the summer's work. In the southern regions, poppy heads were also blessed, which is why the holiday acquired another name — Poppy Saviour. On this day, various dishes using poppy seeds were prepared, such as buns and pies, as well as "makovniki." This treat is made as follows: honey is boiled, the foam is removed, then poppy seeds are added and kept on the fire until the mass thickens; after that, it is poured onto a table, cooled, and cut into thin slices. Poppy seeds were also endowed with supernatural properties. It was believed that if you sprinkled the seeds of wild poppies around the house, no witch could enter. From the Honey Saviour, peasants began to plow fields for winter crops, prepare barns for winter, and clean the granaries. When winter rye was sown, the oldest plowman in the village was taken from the stove and led to the field to throw the first handful of grain into the ground. "Sow the first handful for your old happiness, grandfather!" the peasants would ask. Sowing winter crops was associated with various sayings and signs: "When you sow bread in good weather, the yield will be plentiful"; "You shouldn't sow rye in the rain; if the shafts get wet, go home"; "Plow for winter crops, prepare the barns and granaries." They also said that if the first raspberries during ripening were large, rye should be sown earlier; if the berries were small, it was better to postpone the sowing. If the men were busy in the fields at this time, the women and children went to the forest to harvest raspberries. Firstly, raspberries were a favorite delicacy among peasants, and secondly, they were considered one of the most beneficial medicinal plants, excellent for treating colds. They also hurried to gather chokeberries, which were dried for the winter; this berry was used as an astringent, diuretic, and diaphoretic. Name days on this day: Alexander, Dmitry, Leonty, Sofia, Timothy, Fyodor