March 20 — Pavel Kapelnik: history, traditions, folk signs
Every year on March 20, the Orthodox Church honors the memory of two saints: St. Paul the Simple and St. Paul, Bishop of Prusiada. In 2025, the celebration falls on a Thursday. In the national calendar, this holiday was called Pavel Kapelnik. Read about its history, traditions and signs in the Izvestia article.
Pavel Kapelnik – 2025: the history of the holiday
St. Paul the Simple was born in the 3rd century in Egypt. He was a layman and led a simple life: he loved his wife, raised children, and treated others with warmth. At the age of 60, the future saint found out about his wife's infidelities and, leaving her all his possessions, went into the desert to become a monk.
In search of a spiritual mentor, Paul came to St. Anthony the Great. At first, the saint did not want to receive a guest in his secluded monastery, believing that he would not be able to perform a hermit's feat. However, he firmly stated that he would rather die than leave the ascetic's cell, and spent three days waiting for his answer. Then Anthony settled Pavel at his place and began to test his patience with hard work, night vigils, strict fasting and constant prayers, but the man overcame these trials.
Finally, St. Anthony allowed Paul to stay and allocated a cell for him. The newly minted monk gladly took up his duties and, after many years of hard work, was awarded the gift of exorcising demons.
One day, a possessed young man was brought to St. Anthony, and he immediately sent the patient to Paul, noting that the great in faith can cast out a demon, but only the humble have power over the princes of demons. Thanks to the saint's prayers, the young man soon recovered and went home.
Practically nothing is known about St. Paul, Bishop of Prusiada. He lived in the 9th century on the territory of Asia Minor at a time when the Christian church was invaded by the iconoclastic heresy. The confessor openly opposed the destruction of the holy images, for which he was persecuted. He died around 850.
Traditions and superstitions on Pavel Kapelnik on March 20
In Russia, the holiday in honor of the two saints was called Pavel Kapelnik. According to folk signs, from that day the real spring began, the main sign of which was considered drops. Nevertheless, it was too early to trust the good weather, as a thaw could turn into frost at any moment. On this occasion, people used to say: "It drips from the roofs, but it drips by the nose."
As a rule, the snow cover was already actively melting on Pavel Kapelnik, which is why large chunks of snow and ice often fell off the roofs. The villagers believed that human sins fell to the ground with them. Therefore, if someone got caught in such a "snowfall", they were considered a sinner, and they refused to communicate with the person until he repented. And to ease their own souls, they prayed to the icon of the Mother of God "Helper of Sinners."
It was customary to feed the birds on the holiday. It was believed that birds returning from warmer climes brought spring with them, so they should be attracted with treats.
Pavel Kapelnik was also associated with various prohibitions and superstitions. On this day, our ancestors tried to avoid quarrels, as they believed that the conflict could drag on or escalate into a full-fledged feud. You also shouldn't be sad, otherwise the whole year could pass in tears.
The housewives did not transplant houseplants on the holiday and did not engage in seedlings, so as not to ruin the plants. Glass objects on Pavel were also avoided, as broken glass promised misfortune.
In addition, on March 20, it was forbidden to refuse requests to those in need. According to beliefs, anyone who leaves a person in trouble will soon find himself in a similar situation.
Folk signs on March 20th
On Pavel Kapelnik, our ancestors closely monitored the weather. Dripping water from icicles was considered a good omen, as the drops foreshadowed a good harvest. If it was cloudy during the day and it became clear and cold at night, frosts were expected in the next few days.
The behavior of birds was also celebrated on March 20. If larks arrived from the south, people knew that spring was already on the threshold, but if finches were the first to return from the south, they understood that winter would be delayed. Swallows that built a nest under the roof promised happiness to the inhabitants of the house.
Earlier, Izvestia reported on the history and traditions of Constantine's Day.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
