July 14 — Day of Demyan and Kuzma. We collect raspberries, cook gooseberry jam

On July 14, it was customary for the people to arrange gatherings. This day was also called «Summer Kuzminki». It was considered a holiday for girls and women. The entire female half of the village gathered in a noisy crowd, having previously prepared a bunch of treats, led round dances and sang songs. A glass or two of mash or beer was not forbidden. But the day was considered lean, so they treated themselves only to plant foods. The women treated the poor wanderers with the remnants of food. They believed that in their image the saints descended to earth to help the peasant repair his simple tool: carts, rakes and scythes.

Also on this day they picked raspberries, the first vegetables and weeded gardens. They also made gooseberry jam.

The Church today honors the memory of the holy unmercenaries and miracle workers Damian and Cosmas, who lived in Rome and died in 284. Damian and Cosma were brothers and became known initially as doctors. In addition, they had the gift of healing, which made them famous among the people. Moreover, the brothers helped people completely free of charge, thanks to which they received the nicknames of the unmercenaries. Openly preached faith in Jesus Christ. During the persecution organized against Christians, the brothers were arrested and put on trial, where they tried to prove that they were not engaged in sorcery and sorcery, they were not deceiving anyone. However, they were not believed at first. At that time, Emperor Karina fell seriously ill, and the brothers were brought to him, telling them to demonstrate their gift. After that, Damian and Cosmas were released into the wild. However, the doctor-mentor of the brothers lived in this city, who envied their glory. The old man called the brothers to the mountains, supposedly to collect medicinal herbs, where he killed them by throwing their bodies into the river.

• The young month of red color — to windy weather. The moon in the second third — to the rain.
• The wind from the west blew — to the rain.
• Blacksmiths did not work that day, so as not to send hail to the ground.
• Raspberries, collected on Kuzminki during the growing moon and tied with a red ribbon, are considered a talisman against evil spirits. If a person possessed by a demon eats a handful of such berries for a month, he will soon be healed.
• If the Kuzminskaya raspberry is collected on the waning moon, it also has a special power. It is worth a married woman to treat her rival to her — she will lag behind her husband. Suitable for these purposes and jam, cooked from this raspberry.
• Raspberry dreamed on the night of July 14 — to a sweet life.
• On this day, with the help of a prickly gooseberry twig, you can “hook” your betrothed. To do this, you need to approach the guy you like and lightly prick him with a branch. Soon he will pay attention to you.
• A child born on this day from parents who love to drink will inherit their addiction to intoxication.

Name days are celebrated today by: Alexey, Peter, Tikhon, Ivan, Arkady, Konstantin, Kuzma, Pavel, Lev, Vasily.