A special church holiday on April 1 is St. Daria's Memorial Day: signs of what not to do

Every year on April 1, the Orthodox Church honors the memory of the Holy Martyrs Chrysanthos and Darius of Rome, who preached a chaste lifestyle and encouraged other boys and girls to do so. In 2025, the celebration falls on a Tuesday. Read about the feat performed by the saints and why their holiday was called Daria the Dirty in Russia in the Izvestia article.

St. Daria's Memorial Day in 2025

Chrysanthus was born in the 3rd century AD into the family of the respected Alexandrian senator Polemius. After receiving his primary education, the young man began to study philosophy. In the course of his research, he read the Gospel and came to believe in Christ. Desiring to receive spiritual guidance, Chrysanthos came upon Presbyter Kaprophorus, who was hiding from persecution in a cave. The young man was baptized by him, and then returned to his hometown to preach.

Polemius was unhappy with the changes in his son's views. He tried to bring him back to the path of paganism by persuasion, and then by threats. Seeing that Chrysanthos remained adamant, the senator decided to send beautiful girls to him so that they could shake the young man's will. However, none of them could even get close to the saint — he recited prayers, and the seductresses immediately fell asleep.

Then Polemius summoned the educated and beautiful priestess of Athena, Darius, so that she would captivate Chrysanthos not only with carnal pleasures, but also with intellectual conversation. However, everything did not go according to plan. Having met with the saint, Daria also became imbued with the ideas of Christianity and decided to abandon paganism. In order to continue to freely practice their faith, the young people married, while continuing to lead a chaste lifestyle.

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After the death of Polemius, Chrysanthos and Daria went to different homes and began to gather around them pious young men and women who wanted to give up worldly pleasures and devote themselves to God. The residents of the city did not like this, and they complained about the spouses to Tribune Claudius. He summoned Chrysanthos to court and demanded that he sacrifice to the pagan gods. After refusing, he tortured the saint, but he miraculously escaped injury. After that, the tribune, his family, and his subordinate soldiers also converted to Christianity.

Upon learning of this, Emperor Numerian executed Claudius, his sons, and the soldiers from his unit, and ordered the saints to be tortured. Chrysanthos was thrown into a fetid pit, but it was immediately filled with fragrance. Daria was sent to a brothel, but she was protected from attacks by a lion sent by God. As a result, after much torture, the saints were buried alive.

Daria Gryaznaya in 2025 — traditions

In Russia, the day of Chrysanthus and Daria was called Daria the Dirty, because by this holiday the snow was already actively melting, washing away fields, yards and roads, which made it very difficult to walk down the street without getting dirty. Mud also accumulated around the ice holes, and the reservoirs became muddy. Hence the second popular name of the celebration — Daria — dirty ice holes.

It was believed that on this day, after hibernation, a brownie wakes up. To keep him from acting up and getting angry, he was cajoled with jokes and treats. Therefore, on the holiday, many played pranks on family members, friends and neighbors, entertaining the keeper of the house. The girls especially tried, because, according to the legend, the more people fall for their tricks, the higher the probability that the groom will never lie to his beloved.

The women prepared special gifts for the brownie — bright ribbons and wool socks. They also asked him for help in establishing peace and tranquility in the family. The same request was addressed in prayers to Saints Chrysanthus and Daria.

What can and cannot be done on a holiday

Believers are advised to attend church on this day or take time to pray at home. It will be useful to recall the lives of Saints Chrysanthos and Daria. It should also be remembered that the holiday falls on Lent, during which people who are sick are not allowed to eat meat, fish and dairy products. In addition, it is worth refraining from attending entertainment events.

According to popular beliefs, it is forbidden to be sad, cry and despondent on Daria the Dirty, otherwise the whole year will pass in sadness. In Russia, on this day, they tried to get dirty as little as possible, not to wear old or worn-out clothes, so as not to incur misfortune.

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According to legend, unmarried girls should not turn around if someone called their name in a female voice on the street. Otherwise, the desired engagement can be expected for a very long time. If a man called out, it was necessary to look at him to bring the wedding closer.

They also actively engaged in household chores on Darya Gryaznaya Street: cleaning, washing, cooking. It was believed that laziness on this day could turn into failure.

Signs of Daria Dirty

Various folk signs are also associated with Daria Gryaznaya. The noisy current of the spring waters promised a rich harvest of herbs in the new season. The warm and clear weather indicated a dry and windy summer, so rain was expected on the holiday — it promised no drought in the summer months.

If there were no stars in the sky on the night before the celebration, they were preparing for an early warming. The beekeepers watched the willow — if it bloomed, they exposed the bees.

Earlier, Izvestia reported on the traditions and folk signs associated with the Alexei Teply holiday.