A special Russian holiday on September 22 — Akim and Anna: history, customs, omens

On September 22, the Orthodox Church celebrates the memorial day of Saints Joachim and Anna, the parents of the Virgin Mary. In the national calendar, the holiday is known as Akim and Anna. It is also called the Day of Women in Labor, as both saints patronize mothers and families who plan to have offspring. In 2025, the date falls on a Monday. Izvestia tells about the traditions, signs and strict prohibitions of this day.

What is the church holiday on September 22

The names of Joachim and Anna are mentioned for the first time in apocryphal literature, in particular in the Gospel of James, one of the earliest written sources about the life of the Virgin. According to this text, Joachim came from the royal family of David, and Anna from the family of priests.

The couple had been childless for a long time and prayed tirelessly that the Lord would send them a child. One day, on a big holiday, Joachim brought gifts to the Jerusalem temple, but the high priest Issachar did not want to accept them from a childless couple, since the absence of children was considered a curse of God in Israel.

The saddened elder retired to the desert, where he fervently prayed for the gift of a child, remembering his forefather Abraham, to whom God had already given a son at an advanced age. Anna also continued to pray. After much prayer, an angel appeared to her and announced the birth of her daughter, whom the entire human race would glorify.

Soon a girl was born, who was named Maria. At the age of three, she was brought to the temple, where she lived until adulthood in prayer and labors for the glory of God. A few years after the Introduction of the Virgin into the Temple, Joachim and then Anna died.

Later, a church holiday was established in honor of the righteous spouses, which is celebrated the day after the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Both saints are revered by believers as patrons of mothers and all those who experience infertility and suffer from difficulties in parenthood. They pray for the gift of a child, family well-being and help in raising children.

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Traditions of Akim and Anna holiday

In Russia, the name of St. Joachim was simplified to Akim, and the holiday itself was called Akim and Anna. Its other names are the Day of Women in Labor and the Day of the Presentation. On this day, young mothers were congratulated, and midwives were also honored. To do this, they baked pies, cooked porridge and invited women to a feast.

There was also a tradition to present treats and small gifts to newlyweds and maternity patients with wishes for family well-being and prosperity in the house. This is how the name Podnosenev day appeared. The hosts also treated their relatives, setting the table for them. Such dinners symbolized the unity and strengthening of family ties.

In families with grown-up children, rituals were held to protect the household from diseases and the evil eye. Children were put outside the door and doused with holy water, reciting prayers or special spells. It was also customary to renew the fire in the house and burn old clothes in it to get rid of negative energy.

In some villages, women's gatherings were held for Akim and Anna. After household chores, the women gathered together and shared their experiences of marriage and parenting.

What can and cannot be done on Akim and Anna

On the holiday, it was strictly forbidden to have conflicts and quarrels with loved ones. In particular, it was forbidden to speak ill of any of his relatives, especially parents and children. All the traditions of the celebration were aimed at family cohesion, and those who violated the prohibitions faced a long-term family discord.

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What else can not be done on September 22:

• start new businesses without completing the old ones, otherwise they will not bring success.;
• moving to a new house — in the old days, they believed that all good things would remain in the same house, and only troubles and disappointments would await in a new place.;
• to borrow or lend money leads to serious losses;
• to envy and wish harm to another person — all the negativity will return a hundredfold;
• sleeping in a bed with moonlight on it will take away beauty and health, so when going to bed, the windows must be closed.

Folk signs on September 22

Weather signs attached great importance to Akim and Anna. They were used to judge what autumn and the coming winter would be like. For example, if mosquitoes reappeared on September 22, then the season promises to be warm.

Other signs of the day:

• There are a lot of cobwebs in the house — the warm days will last longer.;
• It froze at night, leading to heavy precipitation;
• the willow has almost completely flown around — to the imminent cold weather;
• Not all the needles have fallen on the larch — the winter will be snowy.;
• the fall of leaves has begun — the winter will be harsh.
• snow has fallen — there will be a bad harvest next year.

Earlier, Izvestia reported on the national holiday of Autumn.