A special church holiday on April 2 is St. Fotina's Memorial Day: signs of what not to do

Every year on April 2, the Orthodox Church honors the memory of the holy Martyr Fotina Samaritani and her sons, who suffered for their faith in Christ in the first century. In 2025, the celebration falls on a Wednesday. In Russia, the holiday was called Fotinya Kolodeznitsa. Read the Izvestia article about why linen products were hung on fences that day and why coins were buried in the field.

Fotinya Kolodeznitsa – 2025: the history of the April 2 holiday

According to legend, Saint Fotina was the Samaritan woman with whom Jesus spoke near the well. The girl went to get some water and was very surprised when the young Jew asked for a drink.

The fact is that the Samaritans were descendants of Jews and settlers who occupied Jewish cities after their inhabitants were driven into Babylonian captivity (from 597 to 539 BC). They believed in one God, but they did not deny the pagan gods. As a result, there was such an acute religious conflict between the two peoples that their representatives stopped communicating with each other.

However, being the Son of God, Jesus did not divide people by origin, because the Christian faith is the heritage of all mankind. He told Fotina who he was, and the girl, believing him, went to the nearest town of Sychar to announce the appearance of the Savior.

Later, Fotina was baptized, settled in Carthage, and began to preach the gospel with her youngest son, Josiah. Her eldest son Victor served in the Roman army, but also professed faith in Christ.

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During the reign of Emperor Nero, severe persecution of Christians began. The mayor of Attalia, Sebastian, suggested to Victor that he and his family worship pagan gods in order to avoid torment. The young man refused, and his interlocutor was immediately struck by blindness and dumbness. The mayor was able to speak again only three days later. After that, he recognized the truth of the Christian faith and was baptized.

When the emperor found out about this, he ordered Victor and Sebastian to be put on trial. Saint Fotina, informed by the Lord of the fate of her son and his companion, decided to share their torments. Several other Christians followed her to the executioners voluntarily. They were all offered to sacrifice to pagan gods, but none of the believers agreed to this.

Nero then ordered the men to be tortured, and sent the women to his daughter Domna's house so that she could convince them to become pagans. However, after communicating with Fotina, the girl and 100 of her slaves converted to Christianity. The murderer sent by Nero to the saint also believed in Christ.

After that, the emperor subjected the believers to even more terrible tortures and executed everyone except Fotina. The martyr was thrown into a well, where she spent several days, and then imprisoned. When the saint once again refused to worship idols, she was sent back to the well. She died there.

Traditions of Fotinya Kolodeznitsa on April 2

In Russia, Fotina Samaritana was revered as Fotinya the Well. She was considered the protector of ordinary people and the protector from fever. In the spring, when the weather changed unpredictably, the peasants often got sick. To make a person recover faster, a piece of paper wrapped in a cloth with a prayer to Saint Fotina was put around his neck. A few days later, the paper was burned and the ashes were eaten.

On the feast of the martyr, our ancestors treated well water with special reverence, as they believed that it acquired medicinal properties. Those with fever drank it as medicine, and those who were healthy washed their faces, wanting to preserve their youth and beauty. The beds were also sprinkled with well water on the holiday to get a rich harvest and get rid of pests.

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In some regions, a ritual was performed on Fotinya to attract wealth into the house — they secretly went out into the field and buried three nickels in the ground. They believed that after that the money would flow like a river.

Flax, the main material for sewing clothes and other household items, was also honored at the Fotinya Well. In the morning, the women took out the best linen products into the yard and hung them on fences, gates or woodpiles. Unmarried girls took towels (long linen towels with embroidery) and danced with them. In this way, they hoped to bring the meeting with the groom closer, because towels were an obligatory part of wedding ceremonies.

What can and cannot be done on Fotinya Kolodeznitsa

In Russia, various superstitions were associated with the day of Fotinya Kolodeznitsa. For example, on a holiday, it was forbidden to swear and sort things out near wells, as well as spoil water and waste it. It was believed that violators would be punished with illnesses and misfortunes. On this day, they tried not to use the water collected the day before in cooking, so as not to attract failures into their lives.

Our ancestors did not count money on Fotinha, fearing loss of wealth. The girls on this day did not show their dowry to anyone, so as not to remain spinsters.

In addition, on April 2, it was forbidden to deny food and meals to those in need, including strangers. The owners also tried not to offend chickens and ducks on Fotinha, otherwise, according to popular beliefs, domestic birds could stop laying eggs and giving offspring.

Fotinya Kolodeznitsa — folk signs on April 2

In Fotinyu, our ancestors closely followed the various signs. If it rained on a holiday, a rich mushroom harvest was expected in the summer. The hot weather during the day combined with the cold night promised good weather in the coming days. The abundance of meltwater meant that there would be plenty of grass in summer.

The behavior of animals was also observed on April 2. If the cat was sleeping, curled up in a ball, they were preparing for a cold snap, and if they asked to go outside, they were waiting for a warming soon. The arrival of the wagtail meant that in 12 days the ice flow would begin on the rivers.

Earlier, Izvestia reported on the signs and traditions of the Daria Gryaznaya national holiday.