 Source of image: www.nbrb.by
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| SPASY
All three festivals are celebrated at the time crucial to harvesting. In olden days they were held to thank supernatural forces, deities, spirits, and forefathers for their assistance and also to ensure, with the help of ritual and magic spells, the next season's crop, health, welfare, and the continuation of a family line.
After the conversion to Christianity the devotees began to celebrate during this time the festivals of the All-Merciful Savior and the Virgin Mary (on August 14, in the Orthodox Church), the Transfiguration of Our Lord and Our Savior (on August 19, in the Orthodox Church, and on August 6, in the Roman Catholic Church) , and the Translation of the Not-Made-By-Hands Image of Our Lord from Edesa to Constantinople (on August 29, in the Orthodox Church).
The first Spas, observed on August 14, is called Myadovy Spas (the Savior of the Honey Feast Day), or Makavej (Maccabaeus). In the morning the householders used to go to church to have their honey, poppyseed, medicinal herbs, and water blessed.
The second Spas, observed on August 19, is known as Yablychny Spas (the Savior of the Apple Feast Day) and people hold it in high esteem. On this day believers have their fruit blessed in church, above all, apples which may not be consumed, according to popular belief, before Spas. Harvesting used to begin at the same time and each peasant family as well as the rural community as a whole were preparing for it as if it were a great holiday. The Early Harvest Festival - Zazhynki, or Zazhon - was observed throughout Belarus on Saturday, as this day was believed to bring luck.
The third Spas, observed on Auqust 29, is called Khlebny Spas (the Savior of the Bread Feast Day) in celebration of the end of the harvest season. The Harvest Festival - Dazhynki, Abzhynki, or Dazhon - was marked in a very solemn manner with magnificent eventful ceremonies. There were lots of sonqs. dances, music, and ,like during any Belarusian festivity of great significance, obligatory ritual food, namely bliny (pancakes), syta (hones beverage), butter, and thick porridge. According to popular believ the porridge should be on the festive table so that the crops in the field next year were ”as thick as the porridge”. The householders placed the first and the lastsheaves of the corn harvest in the red corner under the icons and they were kept in the house as a protection and a sacred thing.
A.V. Gorko, PhD (History) State Scientific Institution
"The K. Krapiva Institute of Arts, Ethnography and Folklore of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus"
Text from the official flyer ”Spasy” of the National Bank of the Republic of Belarus
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| Date : 12.08.2009 |
| Metal : Cu/Ni |
| Diameter, mm : 33.00 |
| Weight, g : 16.00 |
| Mintage, St. : 5000 |
Minted by :
CJSC "Lithuanian Mint", Vilnius, Lithuania |
Design :
S.Zaskevich | | | 
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Ebay-Statistic
(Prices in Euro):
| Year |
Count |
Ave
rage |
Min. |
Max. |
| 2006 |
0 |
0,00 |
0,00 |
0,00 |
| 2007 |
0 |
0,00 |
0,00 |
0,00 |
| 2008 |
0 |
0,00 |
0,00 |
0,00 |
| 2009 |
20 |
13,19 |
8,17 |
15,00 |
| 2010 |
6 |
12,53 |
12,00 |
13,00 |
| 2011 |
0 |
0,00 |
0,00 |
0,00 |
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