A special national holiday on October 17 is Yerofeyev Day: history, traditions, omens

Every year on October 17, Orthodox believers remember the Holy Martyr Hierotheos, Bishop of Athens. In the national calendar, the date is called Yerofeyev Day, or Yerofey Leshegon. In 2025, the holiday falls on a Friday. Read about its history, traditions, signs and strict prohibitions in the Izvestia article.

Yerofeyev Day – 2025: the history of the holiday

The life story of Saint Hierotheos goes back to the early Christian era. He lived in Athens in the 1st century and was baptized by the Apostle Paul himself, along with another famous follower of Jesus, Dionysius the Areopagite.

Hierotheos and Dionysios were not only companions, but also close friends. Together, they took an active part in spreading Christianity among the inhabitants of Athens, and, according to church tradition, they were with the Virgin Mary in the last days of her earthly life and attended her funeral.

Hierotheos was highly respected for his deep faith, wisdom, and piety, and was appointed the first bishop of Athens by the Apostle Paul. The saint stood at the origins of the formation of the first Christian communities.

Thanks to his sincere sermons, many townspeople came to believe in Jesus, which eventually provoked the anger of devout pagans. The saint was captured and suffered a martyr's death, refusing to renounce his faith.

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Traditions of the national holiday celebrated on October 17th

In Russia, there was a belief that on October 17, the goblin was preparing to go into hibernation, hence the name of the holiday — Yerofeyev day, Yerofey Leshegon, Seeing off the goblin.

The peasants believed that at this time the real winter was coming and the "dark" half of the year was beginning. By this time, they were trying to complete their preparations for the cold weather, prepare firewood, and make all the necessary supplies. The housewives took warm clothes out of the chests, the men prepared a strong herbal tincture, which was called "Yerofeich". The people on this occasion condemned: "It's been getting colder since Yerofey," "Winter has been putting on a fur coat since Yerofey."

The day was considered dangerous by the ancestors — according to beliefs, forest evil spirits organized a sabbath, and a goblin preparing for hibernation was especially angry and could drag away a person who got in his way. Therefore, the holiday was traditionally held with the family, trying not to leave the house unnecessarily.

To protect their homes from the invasion of dark forces, peasants hung special charms in their houses — bundles of onions and garlic. But they tried to respect the spirit of the dwelling, the brownie, on this day in order to enlist his support. To do this, they left him a piece of butter or a fresh pie.

What not to do on Yerofeyev Day

Since evil spirits, according to popular beliefs, were especially active, on Yerofeyev Day they tried to be careful and follow a number of prohibitions so as not to bring trouble to themselves and their loved ones. So, on a holiday, unmarried girls were forbidden to talk to strangers on the street and invite them into the house — a demon could hide under a human disguise.

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What else can't be done on October 17th:

• quarreling, gossiping, showing negative emotions — this is how you can attract the attention of the dark forces.;
• doing repairs, general cleaning, or rearranging furniture is believed to anger the brownie and he will mess up in retaliation.;
• to declare love, to woo and to have a wedding — such a union will not be long-lasting.

Folk signs for October 17th

On Yerofeyev Day, the peasants carefully observed nature in order to make a weather forecast for the coming months:

• the foliage from the birches has not yet flown — sunny days are expected.;
• flocks of cranes in the sky — autumn will drag on, and winter will come late;
• Sunrise and sunset are red — strong winds will blow soon;
• crows are perched or bullfinches are singing in the morning — the weather is expected to worsen;
• snow on Yerofey — there are forty days left until winter.

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