7 Ways to Celebrate Holy Transfiguration
“He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light.... and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!’”
Celebrated August 6th
Holy Transfiguration is the event in Luke 9 & Matthew 19, when Jesus took Peter, John, and James and up on a mountain to pray, and as He prayed, He was transfigured before them. The Feast is always celebrated on August 6th and is one of the 12 Great Feasts in the Orthodox Church.
Feast Day Tradition: On this feast day, in many churches, the faithful will bring grapes or other fruit/vegetables to be blessed. It’s a beautiful reminder of the final transfiguration of all things in Christ where all of creation will be transformed by the Glory of the Lord.
Living Liturgically
Here you’ll find 6 easy ideas to celebrate Holy Transfiguration as a family - emphasis on easy! As a busy mom with 4 little ones, I know how precious your time is, so I hope to simplify how you celebrate feasts together. In this list you’ll find ways to prepare your kids for Holy Transfiguration (i.e. bringing grapes to bless) and you will find fun recipes and stories too. Understanding our faith, especially as a child, is also very important! Beginning with celebrating the 12 Great Feasts is a great place to start!
As a parent, you are laying a foundation for your children that will potentially stay with them for the rest of their life. We see this very evidently in the Scriptures. Proverbs 22:6 says “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.” If we examine the parable of the sower in Matthew 13, Jesus tells us “he who receives the seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.” It should be our desire to cultivate a rich soil in the hearts of our children, lead them, and help them understand what is good and true, so it will stay with them all the days of their life.
So how do we cultivate a rich soil in their hearts? By bringing our children to Church, by praying together in our homes, by reading the Scriptures together, by reading the lives of the saints. Said most simply, by living liturgically. The Church offers us an tremendous gift in the Liturgical calendar. By following the liturgical calendar, each year we have a chance to add another layer of soil, which will hopefully produce very rich soil in time and allows our children to make deeper connections and greater understanding. This will take some intention, especially in our modern day and age. My hope is that this ideas will aid you in sharing more about our faith with your children in a way that is developmentally appropriate, allows for their exploration and participation in the feast, and hopefully brings joy to your home!
Scroll to learn more about Holy Transfiguration and find 6 ideas to dive deeper into this feast with your family
The story of Holy Transfiguration is found in the Gospels. Holy Transfiguration is the story in Luke 9 & Matthew 19, when Jesus took Peter, John, and James and up on a mountain to pray, and as He prayed, He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light. Two men appeared and talked with Him: Moses and Elijah; who appeared in glory and spoke of His death which He was about to occur. But Peter and those with him were heavy with sleep; and when they were fully awake, they saw His glory and the two men who stood with Him. Then, as they were leaving from Him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah”—not knowing what he said. While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were fearful as they entered the cloud. And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!” And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces and were greatly afraid. But Jesus came and touched them and said, “Arise, and do not be afraid.” When they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only. They told no one any of the things they had seen.
Significance: In the hymn sung during the service, the church offers a beautiful explanation of the significance of this feast day: “Thou was transfigured on the mountain, O Christ our God, and Thy disciples beheld Thy glory as far as they were capable, that when they should see Thee crucified, they might know that Thy suffering was voluntary and might proclaim to the world that Thou art indeed the reflection of the Father.” + Kontakion for Transfiguration
The hymns of the Church offer us a deeper understanding of the feast!
There are many ways to celebrate this Great Feast with your kids!
Check out this list below for some ideas to help you make this day extra meaningful and even begin some new traditions in your home!
1. Attend Liturgy
If you choose to do one thing, make this your priority! The most important way to celebrate any feasts is to attend Divine Liturgy for the feast! This is how we connect our lives at home with our lives in the church. Our lives ought to be hinged in the Church, as this is where Christ offers us His Life. Jesus tells us “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5) We have to attach ourselves to the vine, as often as we are able. Partaking in the Eucharist, giving thanks to God for all He has given us, this is the Christian life. As a family, prioritize attending Divine Liturgy for the 12 Great Feasts. Check with your local parish to find out when the services are being offered.
2. Bring Grapes or Fruit to be Blessed!
On this feast day, in many churches, the faithful will bring grapes or other fruit to be blessed. It’s a beautiful reminder of the final transfiguration of all things in Christ where all of creation will be transformed by the glory of the Lord 🍇
Take a trip to the market to purchase grapes (and even other fruits) to be blessed after Liturgy. Purchase as many different varieties of grapes as you can (i.e. Green, Red, Champagne, and Midnight Beauty - all seedless) and have the children wash them and arrange them in a basket. If you have enough baskets for each child, allow them to bring their own basket of grapes to church. (Idea from Charming the Birds from the Trees)
3. Listen to a Song for Kids about Holy Transfiguration
One of the easiest ways for children to learn is memorization through songs. This is especially true for elementary aged children. The song Transfiguration is a great song written with this idea in mind, to help kids learn more about Holy Transfiguration. Gigi Baba Shadid is a singer/songwriter and she is also a Priest wife and educator at a classical education school. I highly recommend playing this song with your kids a few times before the feast and singing along with them. You’ll be amazed how easily they pick up the words! Listen to a Kids song about Transfiguration by Gigi Baba Shadid “Transfiguration” FREE on YouTube .
4. Serve a Charcuterie Board for Dinner
Feature the grapes and other fruits that were blessed at Liturgy! Have your kids help create the charcuterie board with lots of fruits veggies, crackers, nuts, dried fruits and hummus! Perfect post-Liturgy meal! Check out this vegan charcuterie board from Vegetarian Mama blog. It’s a beautiful reminder of the final transfiguration of all things in Christ where all of creation will be transformed by the glory of the Lord 🍇 You can thank Mariam of Draw Near Designs for this genius idea!
5. Free Coloring Page of the Holy Transfiguration
Coloring pages can be used many ways. Either print them for the kids to color during the Liturgy, or use as a project on the actual feast! For this particular feast, we painted coloring pages and added glitter to the halo portion behind Christ to show the bright light radiating from him. The possibilities are endless! Thank you Sparks 4 Orthodox Kids for this offering. Color an Icon of the Transfiguration from Sparks 4 Orthodox Kids or from Orthodox Sunday School HERE.
6. Shadow Play
The story of the Transfiguration brings our attention to the light of Christ. Matthew 17 says “His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light.” Playing with shadows/light is a great tool to talk about the distinctions between light and darkness and the light of Christ! Using a shoe box or other small cardboard box, cut out a hole and practice playing with shadows of the wall using different figures. You can see an example of Shadow Play HERE.
7. Create Stained Glass Window Clings
The Transfiguration highlights the brilliance of the Light of Christ. A simple and fun activity for kids on this feast day is to make stained glass window clings to display in your home! We made these with the children at church and they really enjoyed this craft! You can find these and similar ones on Amazon or other craft stores.
Book Recommendations for the Transfiguration:
Climbing Your Mount Tabor Study Journal: Transfiguration of our Lord Jesus Christ by Family Chotki - This Study Journal is a 52-page exploration on the theme of Climbing Your Mt. Tabor through the lens of the Transfiguration feast day. The guide uses vibrant and colorful illustrations to help teach the content in a visual way. At the end of the Study Journal, there is a list of suggested activities to further your learning.
The Children's Bible Reader Pages 218 - 219 “God shows Who Jesus Is” (I couldn’t find this in stock anywhere, but I know many families own this book, so perhaps you have it on hand too!)
The Transfiguration of Our Lord - One book in the 12 Great Feasts Series from Orthodox Christian Children
Heaven Meets Earth: Celebrating Pascha and the Twelve Great Feasts by Ancient Faith Publishing
Twelve Great Feasts for Children by Exaltation Press
Sing the Festal Hymn of the Feast:
When, O Christ our God, Thou wast transfigured on the mountain,
Thou didst reveal Thy glory to Thy Disciples in proportion as they could bear it.
Let Thine everlasting light also enlighten us sinners, through the intercessions
of the Theotokos, O God Thou Bestower of light, glory to Thee.
Final Thoughts
When it comes to Major Feast Days, I always prioritize 2 things: (1) Attending the service and (2) telling my children about the feast day prior - or afterwards. Usually this is done by showing them the icon or reading the account from their Children’s Bible. If I can do those two things, I feel a great sense of success! My hope is that these feasts days imprint on their hearts during their childhood and they have a greater love for our Savior as they grow up because of them. Now, if you are able to do those two things, you’re a gold star! Bravo! If you are in a season where you want to go a little deeper and make those connections stronger, I will cheer you on and encourage you on that venture. Some seasons allow for more, especially as children grow older. But if you find yourself in a busy season with littles, rest assured, you have many many years ahead to be able to add more to your plate!
Whatever you do, I pray the Lord blesses your efforts!
Blessed Feasting, friends!
- Khouria Destinie
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The beheading of St John the Baptist is a strict fasting day. His feast day is always observed with strict fasting, and in addition, many pious Orthodox Christians will not eat food from a flat plate, use a knife, or eat round food on this day. Why? It’s to help us remember the story of St John’s beheading, as his head was served on a platter and given to Herodias’ daughter, according to the Scriptures. By avoiding a knife, plate, and round things, we are avoiding serving anything that resembles a head on a platter. The challenge itself reminds us of the story, and since it’s a solemn feast, we fast on this day.