A special holiday on October 5 — Jonah and Phocas: history, traditions, omens

Every year on October 5, Orthodox believers honor the memory of the Holy Great Martyrs Phokas of Sinope and the prophet Jonah. In the national calendar, the holiday is called Iona and Foka, Listopadnaya or Listoder and symbolizes seasonal changes in nature. In 2025, it falls on a Sunday. Read about the history of this date, its traditions, signs and strict prohibitions in the Izvestia article.

What is the church holiday on October 5th?

On October 5, the Orthodox Church remembers two saints, the prophet Jonah and Bishop Phocas, whose names are separated by centuries, cities and circumstances, but united by the main thing — the faith that they carried through fear, pain and doubt.

The Prophet Jonah lived in the 8th century BC. His story is described in the Bible. The son of a widow from Zarephath in Sidon, he is said to have been resurrected in childhood by the prophet Elijah, who came to this house at the behest of the Lord.

Already at an advanced age, Jonah received a command from God to go to Nineveh and call the inhabitants to repentance. But he got scared, didn't want to take on such a mission, and decided to escape — to board a ship in the other direction.

However, a storm broke out during the voyage. Jonah realized that this was God's response to his act, and ordered himself to be thrown into the sea. Immediately after that, the storm subsided, and the prophet himself was swallowed by a whale. He spent three days and three nights in his womb, praying, repenting, and asking for forgiveness.

After that, at the behest of God, the whale threw Jonah ashore. When the prophet woke up, he no longer resisted — he thanked the Lord and went to where he was originally called. After hearing his sermon, the people of Nineveh repented of their sins.

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This story has become an important symbol in the Christian tradition — Jonah's finding in the belly of the whale anticipated Christ's three-day stay in the tomb before the Resurrection. This is what Jesus directly told the Pharisees and scribes when they demanded a miracle from him: "No other sign will be given to you except the sign of the prophet Jonah."

The Book of the prophet Jonah is part of the Old Testament. It contains not only a story about personal drama and spiritual transformation, but also prophecies about the fate of the Israeli people, the coming suffering of the Messiah and the destruction of Jerusalem.

Saint Phokas lived much later, in the 1st century in the city of Sinop on the Black Sea coast. From an early age, he was distinguished by piety, firm faith, and a desire to help others. Later, he was elected Bishop of Sinope and began actively preaching Christianity among the pagans.

His activity took place during the reign of Emperor Trajan, during which the persecution of Christians intensified. In 117, for refusing to renounce the faith, Phocas was subjected to severe torture, and then locked in a red-hot bath, where he died. Almost three centuries later, his relics were transferred to Constantinople.

Traditions of the national holiday of Jonah and Foka on October 5th

In the folk tradition, the day of Jonah and Phocas was considered a kind of frontier — from that moment the real autumn began. That is why the holiday was also called Listopadnaya or Listoder.

Radishes, one of the main autumn vegetables, were being harvested in the villages at that time, and they were affordable, nutritious, and curative. The housewives served it to the table in different versions — fresh with butter and bread kvass, as part of chowder or as a side dish.

Traditional medicine highly valued radish for its ability to improve digestion, cleanse blood vessels, relieve cough and support the heart. And in Russia, the juice of the root vegetable was used to treat joint pain — it was rubbed into the skin and made warming compresses at night. The ancestors used to say, "Whoever eats horseradish and radish rarely suffers."

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October 5 in the national calendar is also associated with aspen, which has long been endowed with special "abilities" in Russia. It was believed that she could absorb other people's pain and ward off evil spirits. In villages, aspen stakes were stuck at the gates, tied to fences, and patients with "fever" went to the forest, tied a belt around the tree and asked to take away the disease.

What not to do on the feast of Jonah and Phocas

In Russia, the Great Martyrs Jonah and Phocas were perceived as protectors from evil spirits, and special care should be taken on their memorial day, strictly observing a number of prohibitions so as not to cause trouble. It was believed that during this period the wind acquires mystical power and can bring evil spirits into the house if the doors or windows are left open. Therefore, the peasants made sure that they were tightly locked.

Since the prophet Jonah spent three days in the belly of a whale, it was strictly forbidden to eat fish on October 5. Otherwise, illnesses and financial losses could have befallen the violator.

What else you can't do on October 5th:

• burn old brooms and brooms — together with them you can "burn" family happiness and prosperity,
• sleeping until lunch — laziness on Jonah and Phocas, according to beliefs, meant poverty in the future,
• Going to someone else's bed can take over the troubles and illnesses of its owner.,
• starting important business, making significant purchases — new projects or major acquisitions will not be successful.

Folk signs for October 5th

On October 5, peasants observed nature to determine what the weather would be like in autumn.:

• a strong wind is blowing, leading to a sharp cold snap,
• the leaves are falling from the trees — the heavier the fall, the more severe the winter will be,
• It's clear and dry in the morning — expect a good autumn.,
• radish is juicy on this day — the year will be full and calm.

The ancestors also had an unexpected sign of this day: if a fir cone falls on their head on October 5, it promises a lot of money. In this way, nature itself gives man a sign of approaching prosperity.

Earlier, Izvestia reported on the history and traditions of the special national holiday Astafiy Vetryak.