A special national holiday on August 31 is Flora and Laurel: history, traditions, omens

Every year on August 31, Orthodox believers honor the memory of the early Christian holy Martyrs Florus and Laurus of Illyria. In the folk tradition, this day was named Flor and Laurel, Horse festival or Dosevki. In 2025, the date falls on a Sunday. Read about its history, traditions and strict prohibitions in the Izvestia article.

What is the church holiday on August 31

The Holy Martyrs Florus and Laurus lived in the second century in the Roman province of Illyricum in the territory of the modern Balkans. The brothers were skilled masons. Even in their youth, they converted to Christianity and devoted their entire lives not only to physical labor, but also to the spiritual enlightenment of others, preaching faith in Jesus Christ.

On behalf of the ruler of Lycion, the brothers were sent to a neighboring region to build a magnificent pagan temple, where they showed not only their professional skills, but also Christian charity — they distributed the reward they received to those in need and secretly preached among the local population.

The Feast of the Transference of the Uncreated Image of Christ: origins and meaning

In the Orthodox tradition, the event is celebrated annually on August 29.

According to the hagiography, the turning point in their mission was the miracle of healing the son of a pagan priest. When a fragment of stone seriously damaged the young man's eye during work, Flor and Laurus not only restored his eyesight through prayer, but also converted his entire family to Christianity, clearly demonstrating the power of true faith.

After completing the construction, the brothers did not give the temple to the pagans. Together with the newly converted Christians, they destroyed the idols and erected a holy cross in the center of the building, consecrated it for worship and performed a prayer service. For this, Lycion ordered the execution of all participants in the brave deed — the companions of the saints were burned, and Flora and Laurus themselves were buried alive in a deep well.

Subsequently, miracles began to happen at the place of death of Flora and Laurel. Many years later, the incorruptible relics of the saints were found and transferred to Constantinople.

Traditions of the national holiday of Flora and Laurel celebrated on August 31

The central place in the traditions of this day was occupied by the veneration of horses— the main helpers of peasants. In the homeland of Saints Florus and Laurus, there was a legend that they understood the language of these animals and knew how to handle them. Therefore, in the folk tradition, the holiday was called Flor and Laurel Horsemen, Dosevki or Horse Day. It was also considered a symbol of the end of basic field work and preparation for harvesting vegetables and fruits.

By that day, they tried to complete all the work using horses — the animals were freed from any load. From early morning, the peasants carefully cared for them, bathed them in river or lake water, carefully cleaned, combed their manes and tails, and decorated them with ribbons.

The priest blessed the horses and sprinkled them with holy water. The animals were generously treated, and special pastries were prepared for them — cookies in the form of horseshoes or horse hooves.

August 28 — Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary: what absolutely cannot be done, omens

The history of the Christian holiday and the main traditions of its celebration

Our ancestors in Russia had a tradition of giving a horse water with a silver coin, which was then hidden in a stall to protect it from death and the evil eye. Also on this day, women collected wormwood, which they considered a powerful talisman against evil spirits and envious people. The plant was pulled out by the roots, it was believed that a thick rhizome portends a rich harvest of bread for the coming year.

What not to do on the feast of Flora and Lavra

The national calendar on August 31 was associated with a number of strict prohibitions, the violation of which, according to beliefs, could bring disaster to the household and family. It was forbidden to work on horses that day. The use of animals for plowing, transporting goods or even horseback riding could, according to beliefs, lead to diseases and death of animals.

Shouting at horses and treating them rudely was also forbidden. It was believed that an evil word spoken on this day could offend an animal and deprive it of the protection of its patron saints.

What else can not be done on August 31:

• for women, spending an evening outside the house leads to lack of money and illnesses;
• spreading gossip and slandering — the words could boomerang back to the one who uttered them.;
• Being lazy can bring troubles and financial difficulties on the family.;
• sow winter crops after — the sowing period has expired by this day, if you violate the ban, only weeds will grow.

Folk signs for August 31

On August 31, the ancestors closely watched nature in order to predict what the autumn and the future harvest would be like.:

• A fine and clear day leads to bad weather and rainy September.;
• hot weather leads to prolonged autumn rains;
• Low—flying clouds are a sure sign for prolonged downpours.;
• the horse shakes its head — to rain soon, snores — to windy and inclement weather.

Earlier, Izvestia was told what not to do on a Nut (Bread) Saved.