July 13 – Twelve Apostles. We paint… suddenly… eggs and tell fortunes about our betrothed!

CrimeaPRESS reports:

Exactly! People had a tradition similar to Easter — on July 13, they painted eggs and then exchanged them with neighbors and friends. The round shape of the egg symbolized the rising summer sun. Today, they also cooked a variety of dishes from eggs. Scrambled eggs were a traditional treat on this day. They made them with onions, vegetables, cheese, bread, and even herring.

Also on July 13, it was customary to put on the best clothes when going to mow the hay. In some regions, after work, people would go out to «see off spring»: they would organize folk festivities in a meadow or forest edge, make a straw doll of Spring and drown it in water at sunset. The key moment of the holiday was watching the setting Sun. It was believed that from that moment on, real summer heat would set in on the earth — hot and merciless. The soft «spring» warmth would disappear into oblivion.

The holiday itself was named after the twelve apostles in honor of the disciples of Christ who were closest to him. The stories of the lives and deeds of such people are described in the Gospel, as well as in the book «Acts of the Holy Apostles». The disciples of Christ who witnessed the last months of his life were Peter, his brother Andrew, John the Theologian and his brother James, Philip, Matthew and his brother James Alphaeus, Bartholomew, Thomas, Simon the Canaanite, Thaddeus and Judas Iscariot. When Judas betrayed Christ, Matthias took his place.

As for signs:

• Are the stars twinkling at night on July 13? The sky is overcast in the morning – there will be a strong thunderstorm at noon.
• A cuckoo calls — it means a long summer and a poor barley harvest.
• If a bream splashes its tail in the water, it will be warm in the evening.
• Yellow clouds mean rain.
• White clouds floating against the wind means rain. With the wind means heat.
• If the sheep in the pasture are restless, it means rain is coming.
• A lot of dew means hot weather.
• Eating a yellow egg on an empty stomach brings good luck.

And on this day, girls also used flowers to tell fortunes about their betrothed. They collected 12 flowers from different meadows and fields and put them under their pillow. Whoever they dream of at night will soon invite them to the altar!

Today’s name days are celebrated by: Mikhail, Stepan, Grigory, Peter, Yakov, Andrey, Timofey, Ivan, Faddey, Matvey.

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