A special holiday on October 13 — Mikhail Solomenny: history, signs, traditions
Every year on October 13, the Orthodox Church honors the memory of St. Michael, the first Metropolitan of Kiev and All Russia. In 2025, the celebration falls on a Monday. In the national calendar, the holiday is called Mikhail Solomenny. Read about its history, traditions and signs in the Izvestia article.
What is the church holiday on October 13th?
Saint Michael was born in Syria in the 10th century. In 988, at the behest of Patriarch Nicholas of Tsaregrad, he was sent to Kiev to help Prince Vladimir in the difficult task of Baptizing Russia.
According to legend, St. Michael was a zealous propagator of Christianity: he tirelessly enlightened the people, overthrew idols, and actively participated in the construction of temples and monasteries. He is credited with founding the Kiev-Zlatoverkho-Mikhailovsky Monastery, one of the oldest operating monasteries in Kiev.
Mikhail died in Kiev in 992. Initially, his relics were laid in the Tithe Church, and then transferred to the Antoniev Caves of the Kiev Caves Monastery. In 1730, they were moved to the Pechersk Church.
Saint Michael is revered as the first Metropolitan of Kiev. Before the establishment of the Patriarchate in 1589, it was the highest office of the Russian Orthodox Church.
Traditions of the national holiday Mikhail Solomenny on October 13
In Russia, St. Michael's memorial day was called Mikhail Solomenny. On the holiday, it was customary to burn old straw from mattresses and pillows. Married women have traditionally done this. It was believed that in this way they protected the family from the evil eye and evil spirits. The oldest women in the family threw bast shoes into the fire to "give the winter a go."
The ancestors treated straw with great respect. They believed that she absorbed the power of the sun and the earth, which she could share with humans. Therefore, changing the "filling" of beds was not only related to hygiene — before the onset of cold weather, people sought to recharge with positive energy.
In some regions, it was customary to bathe children on the threshold of the house on Mikhail. According to legend, it helps to protect babies from diseases in winter.
What not to do on October 13 on the Mikhail Solomenny holiday
Mikhail Solomenny's ancestors were afraid of encountering evil spirits. It was believed that she could take on different forms to get into human habitations. Therefore, strangers were treated with suspicion during the holiday, and guests were not accepted. To protect themselves from evil spirits, the threshold was watered with holy water.
What else can not be done on October 13
- Going to the forest is a risk of encountering evil spirits;
- Wearing dirty clothes and shoes is unfortunate;
- Letting strangers into the house can jinx it.;
- going to bed without changing the bed linen leads to diseases;
- Accepting gifts, especially from strangers, is a way to "take away" other people's troubles.
Folk signs for October 13
Mikhail Solomenny's ancestors paid attention to various signs in order to understand what the weather would be like in the near future. If the first snow fell on a holiday, they understood that the real winter would not come soon. There were other signs, too:
- The cranes have already flown away — it will get colder soon;
- squirrels have changed their "fur coat" to a winter one — the weather in autumn and winter will be comfortable;
- a month in a foggy haze — the weather will turn bad soon;
- the birch and linden trees are almost completely overflowed — next year will be fruitful.
Earlier, Izvestia reported on the signs and prohibitions of the Feofan the Merciful national holiday.
All important news is on the Izvestia channel in the MAX messenger.
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