April 25 is a special holiday of Vasily Parilshchik: folk signs and customs

The holiday was established in honor of the holy Confessor Basil of Paria, who suffered during the period of iconoclasm in Byzantium. The church honors the saint on April 25. The celebration was popularly called "Vasily the Steam Room", as the sun usually began to burn on this spring day and the earth thawed. Izvestia tells about how the holiday was celebrated, what traditions and signs are associated with it.

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Saint Basil lived in the 8th century in the town of Pariy on the southern shore of the Marmara Sea (now the village of Kemer in Turkey). The townspeople revered him as a true shepherd and elected him bishop.

During the time of iconoclasm during the reign of the Byzantine Emperor Constantine V, Basil refused to sign the decree of the Council of St. Jerome in 754 on the destruction of icons. He suffered a lot of hardships for his position, but remained faithful to the Orthodox faith.

Later, the Church canonized the bishop. With the adoption of Christianity, Vasily Pariysky began to be revered in Russia. He was popularly known as Vasily the Steamer, from the word "soar." Towards the end of April, the sun was already warming the soil well, and the peasants could start sowing, hoping for a good harvest.

There are many proverbs and sayings associated with the holiday: "Antip Vodogon pours water, and Basil soars the earth," "Basil and the earth steam up like an old woman in a bathhouse," "Spring soars the earth on Basil and gives the earth a couple," they said in the old days.

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The holiday was considered extremely favorable for bathing procedures. Therefore, in the villages, in the morning they began to heat baths, prepare brooms and clean clothes. Our ancestors believed that on this day it is especially useful for the elderly and the sick to take a steam bath — then all the ailments will come down.

Much attention was paid to domestic animals and birds: cows, chickens, pigs. They needed to be well fed, washed and combed. This promised good offspring and prosperity in the house throughout the year. But they were wary of wild animals.

They tried not to go into the forest unnecessarily. They were especially afraid of bears. It was believed that the last "sleepy" bears were coming out of the den to Vasily the Steamman. Starved over the winter, predators hide in the bushes and can attack humans.

The Slavs also had weather signs associated with the holiday. So, a clear and frosty morning foreshadowed a dry and lean summer. If the birch tree gives a lot of juice, it means that the season will be rainy. And when the sun was hot, it promised a great harvest of bread.

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According to church canons, on the day of veneration of the saint, one should not refuse to help those in need. It is forbidden to swear, swear, allow bad thoughts and deeds.

If you adhere to folk superstitions, then you should not start cleaning the house on April 25. By your actions, you can wake up a Brownie, and for this he will tangle his hair, hide things or break dishes. Fishermen and hunters of Basil should stay at home, as they are unlikely to get trophies in the form of a rich catch or an animal carcass, but they will make trouble.

On the morning of the holiday, you must wash your face and change your worn clothes for fresh ones, otherwise old problems may return.

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