CrimeaPRESS reports:
On August 18, peasants had a tradition of casting a spell on the stubble. In the fields, turning in all four directions, they called on the earth to help in the ripening of the crops. This was done so that evil spirits would not spoil the fertile lands. The ritual was carried out as follows: they took a bottle of hemp oil, went out into the field, turned their faces to the east and read special spells. After that, they threw the bottle so that it would break and the oil would spill on the ground. They left without looking back. This had to be done before noon, so as not to catch the eye of the stern poudnitsy — the lower spirits living in the fields. The «young ladies» were dangerous because they could bring sunstroke to the peasant, send visions, or even appear in the form of tall women in white clothes and frighten a person.
And on this day it was also customary to eat bread with salt and onions, washing it down with kvass. It was also necessary to knead bread from the first milling flour, so as not to experience a shortage of food during the year and to preserve supplies until the following spring.
The Church now honors the memory of Saint Eustagnius, who was born in the 3rd century in Antioch. He served in the Roman army for 6 years, during the reigns of Emperor Diocletian and Maximilian, Constantine Chlorus and Constantine the Great. According to legend, Eustagnius once witnessed a divine phenomenon, seeing a cross made of stars. This sign promised victory in battle. In old age, Eustagnius decided to devote himself entirely to God, after which he retired to his homeland and spent time there in prayer, as well as doing good deeds and visiting churches. At that time, power was in the hands of Julian the Apostate, who did everything to revive pagan traditions. Eustagnius was caught on denunciation and brought to trial. There, Eustagnius denounced the emperor for crimes committed against the Christian faith, citing Emperor Constantine, who had ruled earlier and was a protector of Christians, as an example. The enraged Julian ordered the execution of Eustigney.
Signs of the day:
- If the echo at sunset is heard far away, it means hot weather. If the echo is not heard, it means rain.
- If you share your harvest with your neighbor on this day, your back will hurt.
- Eating in the field means a poor harvest next year.
- Any work on this day must be done silently, otherwise there will be no luck. The exception is young married women.
- The weather on this day is what the whole of December will be like.
- To be healthy and white-faced all year round, on this day you must eat onions, salt, bread and kvass.
- Seagulls bathing in water means bad weather.
- Leeches are visible on the river bottom – it means hot weather.
- Leeches floating on the surface of the water means rain is coming soon.
- It’s cold outside, but frogs are croaking loudly in the river (swamp) — it will get warmer soon.
Today’s name days are celebrated by: Ivan, Evdokia, Christina, Maria, Nonna, Daria, Efim, Vikenty, Maximilian.
Crimea News | CrimeaPRESS: Latest News and Main Events
Comments are closed.