A special Russian holiday on August 15 is Stepan Senoval: history, traditions, omens

Every year on August 15, the Orthodox Church celebrates the transfer of the relics of the First Martyr Stephen from Jerusalem to Constantinople. In 2025, the celebration falls on a Friday. In the national calendar, the holiday is called Stepan Hayloft. Read about its history, traditions and prohibitions in the Izvestia article.

Church holiday on August 15th

Saint Stephen was the eldest among the seven deacons chosen by the apostles to serve the church. He preached in Jerusalem, reinforcing his words with numerous miracles, and also took care of the poor, orphans, and widows who had been baptized. The number of his followers grew steadily, which aroused the envy and anger of the Pharisees. The saint was accused of blasphemy and called to account.

During the hearing in the Sanhedrin (Jerusalem's highest judicial institution), Stephen delivered a fiery speech denouncing the Jews for murdering the prophets and apostasy. Then the saint saw the heavens open and Christ standing next to the Lord, which he informed the audience about. After that, the enraged Jews, covering their ears, dragged the archdeacon out of the city and stoned him to death. Stefan continued to pray for his tormentors until his last breath.

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Archdeacon Stephen became the first martyr in Christian history — before that, no one had shed blood for preaching the gospel. After his death, persecution of Christians began in Jerusalem, which lasted for several centuries.

The body of Archdeacon Stephen was abandoned outside the city without burial. On the second day, he was secretly taken away by the Jewish law teacher Gamaliel, who later came to believe in Christ. The saint's relics were buried in a cave near Jerusalem. Gamaliel himself, his son Aviva and Saint Nicodemus were also buried there. In 415, their relics were miraculously found and brought to Jerusalem by Archbishop John. And during the reign of Theodosius the Younger, the relics of the First Martyr Stephen were transferred to Constantinople and placed in a church consecrated in honor of the archdeacon.

Traditions of the national holiday Stepan Hayloft on August 15th

In Russia, the feast in honor of the First Martyr Stephen was called Stepan Hayloft. By that day, haymaking was completed in the villages, and dried grass was stacked in stacks for storage for the winter. Hay harvesting was a laborious process that required effort, so its completion was considered a reason for celebration. People thanked God for the successful completion of the work, and in the evening they held festivities with songs and dances.

Saint Stephen was revered as the patron saint of horses, so on August 15, special attention was paid to these animals. Horses were released from work, allowing them to rest after harvesting. They were fed, bathed, combed, and had colored ribbons woven into their manes. The owners also prayed to the First Martyr Stephen for the protection of horses from diseases.

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In 2025, the Orthodox event falls on a Thursday.

To keep the horses healthy and obedient, they were "watered through silver" on the holiday. The horses were led to a spring, a silver coin was thrown into the water and given to drink. Then the coin was taken out and hidden in the stable to protect the animals from evil spirits.

One of the main traditions of the Stepan Hayloft holiday is the weaving of a "Stepan wreath" of 12 herbs and flowers. All family members participated in the collection of "ingredients". Then the wreath was brought into the house and placed in the red corner, next to the icons. In case of illness, a bunch of herbs were plucked from him and a medicinal decoction was prepared from them. According to legend, the wreath remained in force until St. Hilarion's Day (April 10).

What not to do on Stepan's day on August 15th

The Orthodox Church does not impose any special prohibitions on the day of the transfer of the relics of the First Martyr Stephen. Nevertheless, believers should remember that the holiday falls on the Dormition Fast, during which it is forbidden to eat meat, fish, eggs and dairy products. Since fasting is a time of spiritual purification, it is not recommended to indulge in secular entertainment, arrange feasts and noisy holidays.

What not to do on August 15 according to popular beliefs:

• working hard is a risk of harming your health;
• Offending animals, especially horses, was believed to lead to diseases.;
• Telling scary stories — Scary stories can attract misfortune into life;
• borrowing and lending money — financial transactions were avoided on this day, as it was believed that this could lead to losses;
• for girls, having cats leads to problems in their personal lives.

• Folk signs on August 15th

Stepan's ancestors paid attention to various signs, as they believed that the weather in September would be the same as on a holiday. The rain promised a good harvest of potatoes, and also guaranteed protection from forest fires until the end of summer. There were other signs, too:

• A cat scratches a wall — the weather will turn bad;
• The sheep are standing with their heads to each other — there will be a thunderstorm;
• strong north-easterly wind — grain crops will not grow;
• A spider weaves a web for the rain;
• frogs croak loudly, leading to heavy rains; if frogs fall silent in the evening, frosts are possible in the morning.

Earlier, Izvestia reported on the history and traditions of the national holiday Siluan and Sila.