The priest named the fruits for consecration on the Apple and Nut Spas

On Apple and Walnut Holidays, churches consecrate not only apples and nuts, but also other fruits of the new harvest, which ripen by mid-August. This tradition is associated with gratitude for the gifts of the earth and is not limited to just one type of fruit. The dean of the Baltai district of the Saratov Diocese, Priest Oleg Zhilyakov, told Izvestia about this on June 15.

"Apples and grapes are most often used in Apple Salvation, but in general, almost any fruit can be consecrated. People bring everything that is ripe by this time, sometimes even watermelons," explained the priest.

The priest said that this tradition is based on gratitude to God for the harvest and His gifts. The consecration of the fruits symbolizes the recognition that everything in the world happens according to God's will.

He added that a similar meaning is preserved in the Nut Savior, when the fruits of the late harvest are consecrated.

"By this time, nuts and grains ripen, and bread harvest begins. People also bring these gifts to the temple, consecrate them and thank the Lord," Zhilyakov said.

At the same time, the priest emphasized that on the days of the Savior, it is not the harvest and its consecration that come to the fore, but the events of the holidays celebrated on these dates.

He recalled that on August 19, on the day of the Apple Savior, the Transfiguration of the Lord is celebrated, and on August 29, on the Nut Savior, the Transfer to Constantinople of the Uncreated Image of the Lord Jesus Christ, which is celebrated the day after the end of the Dormition Fast.

Read more in the Izvestia article:

Three Saviours — 2026: what is important to do on each of the August holidays.