A special Russian holiday on May 26 is Lukerya Komarnitsa: history, traditions, omens

Every year on May 26, the Orthodox Church honors the memory of two saints: the martyr Glyceria, who suffered for her faith in the II century, and Glyceria of Novgorod, who lived in the XVI century. In 2025, the celebration falls on a Monday. In the national calendar, the holiday is called Lukerya Komarnitsa or Buckwheat. Read about the traditions, signs and prohibitions associated with it in the Izvestia article.

What is the holiday on May 26th?

The martyr Glyceria was born in the 2nd century into a noble family. Her father was the mayor of Rome and after the end of his term settled in the city of Trojans. The future saint lost both her parents at an early age. After becoming an orphan, she became close to Christians and began to visit the temple every day.

During the reign of Emperor Antoninus (138-161), persecution of believers began. The ruler of Trojans, Savin, ordered that a day of worship of Zeus be organized for all residents of the city in order to comply with the order to force Christians to sacrifice.

After learning about this, Glyceria decided to accept suffering for Christ. On the appointed day, she came to the temple and, rising to a height, began openly to denounce the pagans and pray to God for the destruction of idols. At that moment, thunder rang out, and the statue of Zeus crumbled into many pieces. In anger, Savin ordered the crowd to throw stones at the saint, but none of them reached the target.

After that, Glyceria was imprisoned. In the morning, the saint was handed over to the executioners, but when they were about to begin the torture, an angel appeared, and all the tormentors fell to the ground in horror, speechless. Then the saint was again locked in a cell without food and water. Many days later, Savin personally came to verify the death of the prisoner, but found her alive and well.

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Not knowing what to do next, Savin went to Iraklia and ordered Glyceria to be brought there. There, the girl was subjected to terrible torments, but during the night her wounds miraculously healed. The guardian Laodicea, coming for her in the morning, did not recognize the saint and decided that she had run away. In desperation, he was about to commit suicide, but Glyceria stopped him. Struck by the miracle, Laodicea believed in Christ and was executed.

Savin ordered Glyceria to be torn to pieces by animals, but the lions released into the arena did not touch the saint. Then the girl turned to God with a prayer, asking Him to take her soul. At the same moment, one of the lionesses killed her with a single blow, but did not tear her apart. The body of the saint was buried with honors by the Heraclian Christians.

Glyceria of Novgorod lived in the XVI century. There is practically no information about her life, it is only known that she was the daughter of one of the Novgorod elders. In 1572, about 50 years after her death, the incorruptible relics of the saint were found. They were placed in the church of the Martyrs Florus and Laurus in Novgorod, and soon miraculous healings began to take place there. This became the basis for the canonization of Glyceria. In the middle of the 19th century, a chapel was built in her honor in the Tikhvin Church of the Moscow Simonov Monastery.

Lukerya Komarnitsa on May 26 — traditions of the national holiday

In Russia, the feast of the holy Glycerium was called Lukerya Komarnitsa. According to popular beliefs, mosquitoes could benefit on May 26. If there was a sick person in the house, the windows and doors were specially left open, hoping that the mosquitoes would suck out the disease along with the blood. Therefore, the insects were not killed, despite the discomfort they caused.

Another name for the celebration is Lukerya Buckwheat. On this day, the peasants sowed early buckwheat (mayberry). It was believed that any plant planted on a holiday would yield a good harvest. In the case of Mayevka, this was especially true, since she rarely pleased farmers with the harvest. Nevertheless, her flowers were necessary for bees and birds.

On Lukerya, the housewives treated the household to buckwheat porridge and pancakes with buckwheat honey. They believed that eating these foods on a holiday would bring good luck and improve health. Also on this day, special spells for dental health were read. According to legend, after that, you could forget about toothache for a whole year.

What can and cannot be done on May 26 on the holiday of Lukerya Komarnitsa (Buckwheat)

The Orthodox Church does not set any special prohibitions on May 26. Since the date falls on Monday, there is no need to observe the fast either. If desired, believers can visit the church or recall the lives of saints venerated on this day.

In Russia, various superstitions and prohibitions were associated with the Onion Mosquito. On the holiday, they tried not to cry even for joy, fearing that tears could attract serious trouble. They also did not give their clothes to anyone on this day, fearing to "give away" their well-being and prosperity along with it.

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Broken dishes were considered a bad omen for Lukerya. If a cup, plate, or other utensils did break, the fragments were carefully collected, wrapped in rags, and buried under a tree.

When leaving home on May 26, the ancestors did not look at the sun. It was believed that a person blinded by bright rays could become an easy prey for evil spirits. During the holiday, the girls carefully cleaned their combs from their hair to avoid scandals in the family.

In addition, it was forbidden to woo Lukerya and play weddings. It was believed that such an alliance would be short-lived.

Folk signs on May 26

At Lukerya, the ancestors paid special attention to signs associated with mosquitoes. If there were a lot of insects on the street, they expected a rich grain harvest. The abundance of midges indicated a mushroom summer. But the absence of "bloodsuckers" was an alarming sign — oats would grow poorly, and the end of May would be dry.

Earlier, Izvestia reported on the traditions and signs of the Nikola Veshny holiday.