February 2 is the day of Winter Euphemia. We watch for hedgehogs, wait for a thunderstorm with lightning

CrimeaPRESS reports:

On February 2, according to popular belief, cold weather sets in. On the day of Winter Efimiya (Blizzard) in Rus’ they judged what the entire current month and Maslenitsa week, which is just around the corner, would be like.

• If it is sunny at noon on February 2, spring will be early.
• Windy weather at noon means summer will be rainy.
• If there are a lot of clouds in the sky in the morning, and the sun is crimson at sunset, expect strong snowstorms.
• Frost — there will be night frosts.
• A cloudy but warm day on February 2 foreshadows snowstorms until mid-March.
• There is a snowstorm on Efim — the entire Maslenitsa is a snowstorm.

Remember: the dreams you have on Efimiya are prophetic. But they need to be interpreted the other way around.

By the way, our ancestors believed that wind and blizzards were the fuss of devils and other “representatives” of the family of evil spirits. And in this “dashing” dance, if you look closely, you can see the Devil himself.

And February 2 is the Slavic holiday Gromnitsa. It was believed that only today, the only time during the winter, a thunderstorm with thunder and lightning could occur. The main heroine of the day is Perun’s wife, the goddess of Lightning and feeding children — Malanitsa. The Slavs thanked her for giving her hope for spring and a quick end to the frosts.

AND! Today, Groundhog Day is famous throughout the world, traditionally celebrated in the USA and Canada. The animal is watched and judged about the approach of spring days:

• if the groundhog does not see his shadow on February 2 and leaves the hole, then winter will soon end and early spring will come;
• If on February 2 there is sun and the groundhog, seeing its shadow, hides again in its hole, then winter will last another six weeks.

By the way, this tradition is a continuation of the story associated with long-term forecasts “from animals” that were made in Ancient Rome. There, every year on February 2, Hedgehog Day was celebrated. Then it was this animal that had to deal with its shadow and “announce” spring.

Name days are celebrated today by: Artem, Efim, Zakhar, Inna, Lavrentiy, Lev, Pavel, Rimma, Semyon.

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