CrimeaPRESS reports:
And this day was also popularly called Erofey (Hierofey), Erofeyev Day, Erofey Leshegon, Erofey Day, Ofenya, Erofey Day.
Our ancestors believed that today goblins are fooling around: chasing animals, breaking trees, shouting and wandering, laughing and clapping their hands, and in the morning, after the first roosters crow, they fall through the ground to appear only in spring. Saying goodbye to the forest, they seem to break trees like reeds out of frustration, dig huge holes in the clearings, and then drive all the animals into their burrows. The wind blows through the forest all day, and the birds do not dare to fly up to the trees. The winds are howling in front and behind the goblin, so no traces of him are visible, because the whirlwinds sweep everything away.
The peasants believed that the owner of the forest could most likely be heard, but not seen. The goblin loves jokes: sometimes it will turn into a pine tree, sometimes into a bird (crow, magpie, black grouse, or rooster), sometimes into an animal (bear, hare, stallion, wild goat, dog, pig, calf or cat), or even into a small spider. He prefers to appear to people in human form. Although, either due to inattention or ignorance, he always confuses the shoes on his feet, putting the left shoe on his right foot, and the right shoe on his left. His caftan is wrapped on the feminine side, and his hair is combed to the left. The forest owner knows how to merge with the trees, but he is not only the spirit of vegetation, but also the personification of this entire natural space. The goblin has green hair, he looks like a bush, all overgrown with moss, his beard and eyes are also green, there are no eyelashes or eyebrows, and his right ear is torn off.
On this day, people did not walk or go to the forest, even in case of emergency. People used to say: “A goblin is not your brother: he will break all your bones no worse than a bear.”
According to legend, on October 17, the field hears and the forest sees. Witches and sorcerers plot their intrigues so that happiness will bypass all of humanity. They performed rituals related to scaring away evil spirits. They believed that you could protect yourself from it by using onions, garlic, and radishes. Bundles of plants were hung over the doors of houses and barns. They also said that most often evil spirits strike drunkards and people who unscrupulously perform their religious duties. That is why it was not recommended to go for a walk on October 17, to leave the house unnecessarily, and, of course, you should not get drunk.
The Church today honors the memory of the martyr Erofey (Hierofei), who lived in Athens in the 1st century. He was converted to Christianity at the same time as Dionysius and became a disciple of the Apostle Paul. He was also consecrated to the rank of bishop — at that time Erofei was already a member of the Athenian Areopagus. Tradition says that Erofei and Dionysius saw with their own eyes the burial of the Mother of God. As for the further fate of Erofey, he was killed by the pagans after he tried to preach Christianity among them.
Signs of the day:
- From Erofey the cold gets stronger. They said: “From Erofey even winter puts on a fur coat.”
- You should not have a wedding on this day — a sign that the marriage will be unhappy
Name days are celebrated today by: Tikhon, Nikolai, Vladimir, Dmitry, Mikhail, Pavel, Vasily, Veronica, Stepan, Peter.
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