December 17 is Barbara's Day. Santa Claus himself walks the Earth today, but without gifts
CrimeaPRESS reports:
And this day was also called — Women’s holiday, Varvara’s Day, Varvara the Winter, Songs about children and mothers, Zavarukha.
People said that Varvara “snatched a piece from the night and brought it to the day.” Why? And this is unknown… Either because the snow that whitened the ground added more light, or because of the clear sunny weather that prevailed on these frosty days. But… to be honest… there are still a few days before the solstice (in 208 — December 22, at 1:23 Moscow time), so this news can be classified as incorrect or, let’s say, premature. And besides, Varvara was famous not only for the light, but for the severe frosts in Rus’: “Varyukha will come — take care of your nose and ear,” “By Varvara’s day, winter will weld the road, pave the bridges.” And all this was just the beginning of the December cold, because “Varvara is paving, Savva is sharpening nails, and Nikola is nailing.”
And on December 17, on the day of Barbara, our ancestors believed, Santa Claus himself walks the earth. If he takes a deep breath, everything around him will freeze in an icy stupor; he will say a word — it will fall to the ground like a snow cloud; he will stamp his foot — the trees in the forest will crackle and groan, bound by the cold. And there is no way to find a remedy for the cruel grandfather, except to bury yourself on a warm stove, and when leaving the hut, wrap yourself up warmly, pulling your hat down over your eyebrows, and pulling your scarf up to your chin. Although even in this case it will be difficult to protect yourself from frosty “slaps”, which burn red marks on your face for a long time.
On December 17, the church honors the memory of Varvara of Iliopol, who, according to historical information, lived around the end of the 3rd century. Tradition says that Varvara was born in Phenicia and raised in the family of the pagan Dioscorus. Since she was distinguished by her beauty from childhood, her father locked her in a tower to hide her from other people. During her imprisonment, the girl often looked out the window and thought about life, studying the world around her. Subsequently, Varvara herself realized that only the Creator could create her, and she decided to serve him. When Varvara’s father released her from the tower to prepare her for marriage, the girl took this opportunity to accept the Christian faith. Varvara’s father, having learned about this, became very angry and ordered his daughter to be scourged with ox sinews, rubbing the wounds with a hair shirt. When the ruler also learned about Varvara’s act, he ordered the girl to be executed, which is what her father did, cutting off the martyr’s head himself. By the way, Saint Juliana was also executed along with Varvara, who was struck by the girl’s fortitude and also accepted the Christian faith. The legend also says that some time after the death of Varvara, the wrath of the Lord fell on her father — he was killed by lightning.
Signs of the day:
- A red sunset on this day foreshadows a clear day.
- Today’s warm weather guarantees a rich flax harvest.
- A clear starry sky means it will be cold, a dim sky means it will be warm.
- The day is clear, and the sunset is in the clouds — it will snow.
- If there is a column of smoke coming out of the chimney, don’t expect heat, but if it sticks to the ground, a thaw is coming.
Name days are celebrated today by: Ekaterina, Kira, Anastasia, Varvara, Vasily, Ivan, Nikolai, Dmitry, Alexander, Gennady.
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