National holiday on June 13 — Yeremey Bobovnik: traditions, history, omens

On June 13, the Orthodox Church honors the memory of two saints, remembering Hermias of Dalmatia, an apostle from the seventies, and the martyr Hermias of Comana, who suffered for his faith during the persecution of Christians under Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius. In the national calendar, the holiday is named Yeremey Bobovnik and Yeremey Raspryagalnik and is associated with the end of the sowing season. In 2025, the celebration falls on a Friday. Read about the history, traditions of the holiday and related folk signs in the Izvestia article.

The History of the Orthodox holiday on June 13: the Lives of Hermias of Dalmatia and Hermias of Comana

Ermius (or Ermus) of Dalmatia is revered as the enlightener of Dalmatia, a historical region in the north-west of the Balkan Peninsula (now Croatia). He lived in the 1st century and was one of the apostles of the seventy. This is what the canon calls the followers of Christ who preached his teachings, but were not among the first 12 disciples of Jesus. They also do not include the Apostle Paul.

Hermas used to be a soldier, but he was baptized at an advanced age and began to preach the faith of Christ. In Dalmatia, according to church tradition, he converted the locals from paganism, performing miracles and healing. The Greek Synaxari indicate that Hermas died peacefully after many labors. His name was mentioned by the Apostle Paul in his Epistle to the Romans.

Hermas of Comana lived in Comanae (Roman province of Cappadocia, now part of Turkey) in the 2nd century. He was martyred for Christ during the persecution of the faith under Emperor Antoninus Pius (138-161). The Holy Martyr Hermas was also a soldier, he was executed for refusing to sacrifice to idols.

The executioner of Saint Hermas was the Roman ruler Sebastianus, who arrived in Cappadocia to execute an order to persecute Christians. He offered Hermas to sacrifice to the pagan gods, promising mercy and honors from the emperor, but the elderly warrior rejected such an offer.

After that, Sebastian subjected Hermas to severe tortures. The saint's face was flayed as a result of many blows, and then thrown into a red-hot furnace. Three days later, the furnace was opened, and Hermas came out of it unharmed. After that, he was ordered to be poisoned, but the poison did not harm him either. Then Hermas was hung upside down, so he hung for three days.

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When Sebastian's envoys came to make sure of the martyr's death, they found him alive and blinded with horror. They began to cry out to the saint for help, and he healed them in the name of Christ. In a rage, Sebastian ordered Hermas to be flayed, but when he remained alive after that, the ruler personally cut off the saint's head. Christians secretly buried the body of the martyr Hermas, from whose holy relics numerous healings were given.

Traditions of Yeremey Bobovnik day on June 13

The name of the holiday indicates that on this day the peasants started planting legumes. Another name, Yeremey Raspryagalnik, means the end of sowing operations in the field, which usually began on May 14, the day of Yeremey the Ploughman. In the old days they used to say: "Raspryagalnik — sevu edge, unhitch the horse. Yeremey sev begins, Yeremey finishes."

After sowing on this day, it was customary to unhitch the horses and thank them for their hard work. They were washed, well-fed, and then sent to the stable so that the animals would have a good rest.

What can and what can not be done on Yeremey Bobovnik

On this day, it was forbidden to load horses with work and put a saddle on them, this was considered a great sin. There was a belief that if you ignore this rule and force a horse to work, it can get sick and die. All trips and business related to the transportation of various goods were postponed for other days.

It was also forbidden to swim in reservoirs and fish on Yeremey Bobovnik. It was believed that mermaids were especially dangerous on this day. They can drag you to the bottom, even if a person just looks at his reflection in the water or decides to wet his hands.

In addition, it was not customary to engage in heavy labor or needlework on June 13. It was believed that everything would quickly fall into disrepair. You can not swear and swear with your loved ones, the punishment for this will be illness. You should not throw away garbage, because you can throw away your luck with it.

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Folk signs for June 13

When planting legumes, it was necessary to listen to the forest and make sure to sow the seeds before the cuckoo began to crow. Not having time to complete the sowing before the cuckoo was considered a bad omen. If the cuckoo was crowing that day, it meant that the weather would be fine.

On this day, it was necessary to carefully observe the weather. According to the signs, if it rains on Yeremey Bean Patch, then there will not be a rich harvest. The good weather promised a lot of wheat and oats. If the plants are abundantly covered with dew in the evening, then the next day will be hot, and if the rosehip closes the flowers before evening, it will rain. Inclement weather on Yeremey Bobovnik promises a harsh winter.

Earlier, Izvestia reported on the traditions of the Feodosiya Kolosyanitsa national holiday.