A special Russian holiday on July 22 — Pankraty and Kirill: history, traditions, omens

Every year on July 22, the Orthodox Church honors the memory of two saints: Pancratius of Tauromenia and Cyril of Gortyn. In 2025, the celebration falls on a Tuesday. In the national calendar, the holiday is called "Pankraty and Cyril." Read about its history, traditions and signs in the Izvestia article.

What is the church holiday on July 22

Saint Pancratius of Tauromenia was born in Antioch at a time when Jesus was still alive. After hearing about the coming of the Son of God, Father Pancratius took his son with him and went to Jerusalem to see the Messiah with his own eyes. The man was shocked by the wonders and greatness of the Divine teaching. He came to believe in Christ and became close to his followers. At the same time, he introduced the young Pancratius to the apostles.

After the Ascension of the Lord, Pankraty and his parents were baptized by one of the disciples of the Son of God. When the father and mother of the future saint died, he gave away his possessions and retired to the Pontic Mountains to devote himself entirely to the service of God. There he lived in a cave, spending his days in prayer, fasting, and spiritual meditation.

One day, the Apostle Peter passed by those places. He invited Pancratius to go to Antioch together, and then to Cilicia to meet with the Apostle Paul. Later, with the blessing of the first-born apostles, the saint was ordained bishop of the Sicilian city of Tauromenia.

Over the years, Pankraty has wisely managed his flock. He achieved impressive success in preaching the gospel, converting almost the entire population of the city to Christianity. However, the pagans did not want to put up with this state of affairs. After waiting for the right moment, they attacked the bishop and stoned him to death.

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Kirill Gortinsky lived in the II–III centuries. From a young age, he was distinguished by piety, virtue, and firm faith in Christ. When the persecution of Christians began under Emperor Decius (249-251) (according to another version, under Emperor Maximian, 284-305), the 50-year-old saint was arrested and thrown into prison. However, the next morning, his cell miraculously turned out to be open, and the saint went to Rome. There he actively preached among the pagan population and provided great help to the church.

After the start of another wave of persecution, Kirill went to Jerusalem to support the Christians there. On the way, he had a vision in which the luminous elder sent the saint to Crete. Upon his arrival, he was elected Bishop of Gortyn.

For many years, St. Cyril preached among pagans and Gentiles. However, the Cypriot governor Lucius did not like the gradual overthrow of the idols. He called the elderly bishop to the court and demanded that he make a sacrifice, but the elder refused. After that, he was sentenced to be burned, but the fire did not harm the saint. Many pagans who witnessed the miracle came to believe in Christ. Luke himself was so amazed that he released the preacher.

Nevertheless, after some time, the governor nevertheless gave the order to kill the bishop. Saint Cyril accepted this news with joy, as he wished for martyrdom, and bowed his head to the sword himself.

Pancraty and Cyril holiday traditions on July 22

In Russia, on the feast of the Holy Martyrs Pancratius and Cyril, cucumbers began to be harvested. To ensure that there were plenty of vegetables in the garden, the hostess secretly plucked the first fruit and buried it in the far corner of the garden. The first cucumbers of the new crop were always tasted by the younger family members. It was believed that after that the vegetables would not taste bitter.

Barrels for pickling cucumbers were prepared in the villages for Pancratius and Cyril. They were cleaned with river sand and ashes, and then left in the sun to dry and get rid of the unpleasant smell.

Also on July 22, the peasants went to pick blueberries. The berry was considered extremely useful, it was used to treat diseases of the eyes, joints, stomach, liver and other organs. The ancestors said: "Blueberry berry will lead away from the belly famously."

In honor of the holiday, the women baked blueberry pies, prepared blueberry fruit drinks and jelly. Pastries were served not only to family members, but also to neighbors, as well as travelers and beggars. They believed that in this way it was possible to attract wealth and luck to the house. Young girls went to the forest to collect as many blueberries as possible and eat their fill of this berry. So they hoped to become even more beautiful.

What can and cannot be done on Pancratius and Cyril Day on July 22

The Orthodox Church does not impose any special prohibitions on the feast of the Holy Martyrs Pancratius and Cyril. Believers can visit the temple or say a prayer at home.

In Russia, various superstitions were associated with Pancratius and Cyril. On July 22, the ancestors tried not to get into conflicts and not to raise their voices at others. According to popular beliefs, such behavior could provoke the wrath of the holy martyrs. They also did not refuse alms on this day, so as not to find themselves in a difficult financial situation.

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It was forbidden to lend money or borrow from anyone on Pancratius and Cyril. They believed that it would be problematic to return the funds later.

In addition, on July 22, they did not talk about the dreams they had seen the day before. Such dreams were considered prophetic, so they kept silent about the good in the hope that it would come true, and about the bad — so as not to incur misfortune.

Folk signs on July 22

On the day of Pankraty and Cyril, the ancestors paid attention to various signs. If there were a lot of blueberries in the forests, they were preparing for a frosty winter. If the berry was still not ripe, they understood that the autumn would be cold. A dim moon in the sky promised rainy weather until the end of the month, and a rainbow indicated clear weather in the coming days.

Frogs served as an important weather indicator. A loud croak indicated the approach of rain, and a quiet one indicated sunny days. If the frogs were silent, they were waiting for a sharp cold snap.

Earlier, Izvestia reported on the history and traditions of the national holiday Avdotya Senognoka.