A special Russian holiday on June 4 is Basilisk Day: history and traditions, folk signs

Every year on June 4, the Orthodox Church honors the memory of the Holy Martyr Basiliscus of Comana, who suffered for his faith along with his brothers Cleonicus and Eutropius during the persecution of Christians by the Roman Emperor Maximian Galerius. In the national calendar, this holiday is known as Basilisk Day, but it is also called Cornflower Day. Read about the history and traditions of the holiday, as well as about folk signs on this day in the Izvestia article.

The history of the church holiday, the life of Basilisk Komansky

Basilisk, like his martyred brothers, was born in the 3rd century in the ancient Greek city of Amasia (now Amasia, Turkey), the former capital of the Kingdom of Pontus, which was conquered by the Roman Empire in 63 AD and became the Roman province of Cappadocia. They were the nephews of Theodore Tyron, who also became a holy martyr for the faith.

The beginning of the fourth century was marked by severe persecution of Christianity in the Roman Empire. In 303 and 304, decrees were issued according to which provincial governors were to destroy churches and confiscate sacred books, and those who refused to sacrifice to the Roman gods were to be tortured and executed. The decrees were issued under Emperor Diocletian, but, according to the research of historians, it was Galerius who initiated them.

In February 306, Theodore Tyron was martyred, he was first tortured, forced to renounce Christ, and then burned at the stake. Two years later, Basilisk of Komansky and his brothers were presented to Asclepiodotus, the ruler of Amazia, and severely beaten, but they had a vision of the Lord and uncle, Saint Theodore, and they were immediately healed of their wounds. After the miracle, many pagans turned to Christ themselves, but were executed for it.

Asclepiodotus tried to force Basiliscus, Eutropius and Cleonice to renounce faith by flattery, while separating them, but this attempt failed. Through their prayers, the brothers forced the statue of Artemis to topple over, for which they were subjected to new torments and tortures. As a result, Eutropius and Cleonice were crucified, and Basilisk was sent to a Coma and imprisoned. There, the Lord appeared to him in a dream and predicted his martyrdom, but also promised his help.

After Basilisk persuaded the guards, who sympathized with Christians, to let him go to say goodbye to his family before his death, they agreed. Upon learning that the Holy Basilisk had left the cell, the ruler Coman Agrippa became enraged, severely punished the guards and sent soldiers to capture him, who met the Basilisk already walking back. They put heavy shackles on him and copper boots with nails driven into the soles. On a sultry afternoon, the squad stopped to rest. Cornflower, suffering from unbearable pain and heat, was tied to a tree.

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Suddenly, he heard a voice saying, "Don't be afraid, I'm with you." The earth shook, and a spring gushed out of the rock. In fright, the soldiers freed the saint. Locals immediately began to flock to him and were healed by the power of prayer.

Returning to Komany, the Basilisk appeared before the ruler in a pagan temple, where holy fire descended upon him and burned the temple, along with all the idols, to dust. In impotent anger, Agrippa ordered the Basilisk's head to be cut off and the body thrown into the river. Soon the Christians bought the Basilisk's relics and secretly buried them. After that, a church was built on this site in honor of his name, to which the relics were transferred and where healings began to take place on the tomb.

Traditions of Basilisk Day on June 4th

In Russia, Basilisk Day was also called Cornflower Day, because its onset marked the end of the flowering period of spring flowers, including cornflowers. At the same time, cornflowers used to be considered weeds by peasants.

On this day, it was customary to collect cornflowers and other wildflowers, and on June 4, the girls wove wreaths from birch twigs or twigs and threw them into the river. If they weren't drowning, it meant that luck was just around the corner.

Since ancient times, the Basilisk has also been called a mythical monster, it was represented with the head of a rooster, the body and eyes of a toad, as well as the tail of a snake. He was often depicted as a dragon. According to legend, basilisks had fangs and claws, and could also kill with one glance.

It was believed that on June 4, the basilisk hatches from an egg that was laid by a seven-year-old rooster in January and hatched by a toad. This egg was like a perfect ball and covered with scales, not a shell. To escape from the appearance of the Basilisk, the women in the villages collected all the eggs in the coop and boiled them hard-boiled.

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What can and cannot be done on Basilisk Day on June 4th

On this day, you can visit friends and relatives, go to visit them, it was considered a good omen. You can clean the house and throw out all the trash to get rid of negative energy.

Dreams on the night of June 4 are considered prophetic, they can be seen as the foundation for work for the whole month, but it is important to interpret them correctly.

On a holiday, it was forbidden to work in the field and sow rye, otherwise, according to popular belief, seeds can produce a Basilisk, and only weeds and cornflowers will germinate in the field. You can also not swim in reservoirs and wear black clothes, as they can cause misfortune.

Folk signs of June 4th

If there is a thick fog on the morning of June 4, it will lead to a good harvest of mushrooms. The cheerful birdsong on this day predicts good weather in the coming days. Also, if there are a lot of gadflies and spiders on Basilisk Day, this will lead to an excellent harvest of cucumbers.

Earlier, Izvestia told about the traditions and signs of the national holiday Fedot Ovsyanik, which was celebrated at the end of May.