October 3 – Eustathia Windmill. Millers celebrate the holiday

On Astafyev’s day, cabbage was always chopped, since the heads of cabbage touched by frost received a unique taste.

And on October 3, the millers celebrated their holiday. Our ancestors had an ambivalent attitude towards people in this profession: on the one hand, they were irreplaceable, since it is very difficult to get high-quality flour at home, on the other hand, they believed that without evil spirits (according to legends) it was impossible to build a mill and grind grain. It was believed that for this it was necessary to make a human sacrifice to the waterman: push a person under a mill wheel or into a pool. And every year on October 3, the waterman had to be reminded of this by throwing bread into the pool and pouring vodka into it. People believed that it was just a stone’s throw from the pool to the furnace, because prayers were never held at the mills.

In addition, near the mill, people were afraid of meeting a beautiful woman and a black dog, since the evil spirit that sets the wheel in motion could take just such a form.

It is worth noting that the abandoned and destroyed mill, according to popular belief, was an even more dangerous space: ghouls sat on the roof, and devils on the pillars. A traveler who accidentally wandered into such a disastrous place could never be seen.

On October 3, the church honors the memory of Saint Eustace of Rome, a martyr who was previously a military leader under Emperor Titus and Emperor Trajan. After he saw the image of Jesus on the cross between the antlers of a deer while hunting, he decided to convert to Christianity. After this, two sons of Eustathius and his wife were baptized. Fate tested Eustathius — his cattle died, his servants died, and when Emperor Hadrian came to power, paganism began to flourish in the country. Since Eustathius refused to make a sacrifice to the gods, he was tortured and killed for this.