A special Russian holiday on June 28 is Fita Day: customs, traditions, omens

On June 28, the Orthodox Church honors the memory of the Martyr Vitus of Rome, an early Christian saint who suffered for his faith at the beginning of the fourth century. In the national calendar, the holiday is known as Fita Day, or Fit Fescue, which indicates a connection with the oat crop, which is actively growing at this time. In 2025, the celebration falls on a Saturday. Izvestia tells about the traditions, signs and customs of this day.

Fita Day, or Fit Fescue — what is celebrated on June 28

According to the life of St. Vitus, he was born at the end of the 3rd century into the family of a pagan noble from Sicily. Even in his youth, he came to believe in Christ, having received the gift of healing from the Lord. During his short life, the martyr healed many sick people and converted many pagans to the Christian faith.

Once he managed to exorcise demons from the heir of the Roman emperor Diocletian himself, during whose reign paganism was maintained as the state religion, and a fierce struggle was waged against Christians. Despite the merits of Vitus, he could not escape the fate of his fellow believers.

After refusing to worship the Roman gods, Vitus was imprisoned and subjected to sophisticated torture. First, he was placed in a cage with lions. But when the animals miraculously retreated from him without causing any harm, they threw him into a red-hot cauldron. The saint's martyrdom occurred in 303.

Later, the relics of the righteous man were transferred to the Czech Republic to the Cathedral of St. Vitus in Prague, built in his honor, where they are still located. The cathedral serves as the seat of the Archbishop of Prague and is considered one of the pearls of European Gothic. Solemn services are held here every year, bringing together thousands of believers. The Catholic Church honors the memory of the martyr two weeks earlier than the Orthodox Church — on June 15, Old style.

It is noteworthy that in a number of countries a whole cult of St. Vitus has developed. For example, in Germany in the XVI century, there was a belief that if you dance in front of his statue on the saint's memorial day, you can be cured of diseases. Crowds of people gathered around the chapels and churches dedicated to him, wishing to get rid of their ailments in this way.

Subsequently, "St. Vitus's dances" were called a nervous disease characterized by jerky and erratic movements, often resembling dancing.

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How Fit's Day was celebrated in Russia

Saint Vitus was also revered in Russia. They prayed to him for health, well-being and a good harvest. Usually, by the end of June, the oats were already in full swing. It was believed that the saint himself patronized the growth of an important culture for the peasants. This is how the nickname Fescue was fixed for Vitus. At the same time, he was often called Phyto by the common people. Later, this name was reflected in the name of the holiday.

On the Day of the Fescue Harvest, the fields were carefully guarded from cattle so that the animals would not destroy the seedlings and overeat with fresh shoots. After June 28, the fields were no longer sown, as time was lost. People used to say about this: "Whoever sows after the Harvest is simple — the bread does not ripen."

The celebration has another name — "Animal Intercessor". It is connected with the fact that on St. Vitus memorial day it was customary to ask for the protection of pets from diseases and good offspring. The saint was also addressed on other days when the cattle began to get sick or there was a pestilence.

In popular beliefs, Fita Day is also associated with the activity of evil spirits. It was believed that at this time, a variety of troubles could be expected from her: from minor dirty tricks to more serious problems. In order not to encounter evil, people did not go far from their homes, avoided forests and reservoirs so that evil spirits would not drag them down.

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There are also a number of prohibitions related to this day. Our ancestors tried not to violate them, so as not to bring misfortune upon themselves. According to legend, on the Day of Fit, one should not quarrel, conflict, or speak in raised tones. Loud talking and swearing could attract evil spirits, and then trouble was not far away.

It was a bad omen to throw away leftovers from breakfast, lunch, or dinner. This promised losses. The leftovers should be fed to birds and animals. However, this tradition was followed on other days, so that there would always be prosperity and prosperity in the house.

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Avarice and greed were especially condemned on the holiday. According to popular beliefs, those who regretted something for their neighbor could soon find themselves in a difficult situation or even be left at a broken trough.

On Fita Day, women were advised to refrain from fortune-telling and magical rituals. First of all, it concerned love rituals to attract a betrothed. Anyone who violated this order risked being a girl forever.

Folk signs for June 28

A lot of attention was paid to weather signs during the holiday. In the old days, it was believed that on the Day of Fit they all come true. So, the rain was a bad sign, foreshadowing a poor harvest. "Rain on Fita is bad for life," people said.

According to observations, fog, cirrus clouds and a yellow sunset are harbingers of impending bad weather. If the livestock is restless, and the loud chirping of grasshoppers is heard outside the window, this also means that the weather will deteriorate in the near future. And if dew has fallen in the morning, then you can hope for a rich harvest.

Earlier, Izvestia reported on the traditions of the Russian holiday Akulina Buckwheat.