A special holiday on October 31 is Luka the Hungry: history, traditions, omens
Every year on October 31, Orthodox Christians remember St. Luke the Apostle of the Seventy, the author of one of the canonical Gospels, as well as the Acts of the Holy Apostles. In the national calendar, the holiday was called Luka Hungry or Lukov Day. It symbolizes faith in the healing power of nature. In 2025, the date falls on a Friday. Read about its history, traditions and signs in the Izvestia article.
What is the church holiday on October 31
The Apostle Luke was an outstanding figure of early Christianity. He was born in the 1st century in Antioch in Syria, and from his youth he was interested in science, studying medicine, philosophy, Jewish theology, and painting.
According to church tradition, after hearing about the Savior, Luke arrived in Palestine and became an ardent follower of him. He was among those disciples whom Jesus sent during his earthly life to the first preaching of the Kingdom of God. The saint witnessed the crucifixion of Christ and was the first to see Him after the resurrection — it was to him and Cleopas that he appeared on his way to the village of Emmaus.
In 62-63, Luke wrote the Gospel, which became the third book of the New Testament. In it, he set himself the goal of not only revealing the events related to the life and ministry of Jesus, but also presenting them in a clear chronological sequence. The apostle approached the matter as a scientist, relying on the testimony of eyewitnesses, including the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is thanks to him that episodes not mentioned by other evangelists have been preserved.
Luke also owns the book of Acts of the Holy Apostles, a continuation of the gospel narrative. The book focuses on the spread of the Christian faith, the preaching of the apostles, and the birth of the church structure. This work, along with the Gospel, became the theological and historical foundation for the formation of Christianity independently of the Jewish tradition.
Luke was a close associate of the Apostle Paul and accompanied him on his second missionary journey. After Paul's death, he continued his preaching and visited Achaia, Egypt, Libya and Thebaid on a mission.
Luke ended his earthly life at the age of 84 in Thebes, Greece, where he was martyred by hanging. Today, his relics are in Padua, Italy, in the Basilica of St. Justina.
Iconography occupies a special place in Luke's biography. According to legend, he was the first to paint icons of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Apostles Peter and Paul. It is believed that after seeing the created image, the Mother of God herself blessed it. In the Russian and Byzantine traditions, the saint is revered as the patron saint of painters, and miraculous shrines are attributed to his brush — Tikhvin, Iverskaya, and Vladimirskaya.
Traditions of the national holiday of Bows day on October 31
In folk tradition, October 31st is called the Hungry Onion. The peasants believed that excesses at the table on this day could turn into a lean year. Therefore, on October 31, it was decided, if not to starve, then at least to avoid overeating.
Another name for the holiday is Lukov Day. The peasants believed that it was during this period that the vegetable gained its greatest strength, so an onion eaten on a holiday could draw out ailments from the body and strengthen the immune system of even the weakest.
Onion fairs were held in the villages, although the profits from them were modest. It was important not to sell, but to eat at least some of this vegetable yourself — for the sake of good health, protection from winter diseases and chronic ailments. The ancestors believed that it removes all the "rot" from the body, both physical and spiritual, so they condemned: "To eat onions is to get rid of torments", "Onions from seven ailments".
Rural girls held onion fortune-telling on October 31. To do this, they peeled the onion: three "clothes" promised an early wedding. The husks were not thrown away, but hidden over the stove until Easter, making a cherished wish. It was believed that if she survived, her lover would call her down the aisle.
Onions were also attributed protective properties. Bundles of this vegetable were hung in houses near windows and doors to scare away evil spirits.
What not to do on a Hungry Onion Holiday
The ancestors believed that it was necessary to strictly observe a number of prohibitions on the Hungry Onion in order not to bring trouble. So, on this day, it was forbidden to overeat, so that the food in the stomach would not prevent the onion from "pulling out" diseases from the body.
What else you can't do on October 31:
- to lend money or things, especially to family and friends, together with the borrowed goods, you can lose a loved one.;
- going to the forest — evil spirits can lure you into the thicket and not let you out.;
- Breaking branches or chopping down trees is a high risk of injury that will take a very long time to heal.;
- to woo, to have a wedding — the union will be short-lived.
Folk signs for October 31
On the Onion of the Hungry Peasant, the peasants closely monitored nature to determine what the weather would be like.:
- The night sky is overcast, leading to a prolonged rain;
- snow has fallen in the morning — the winter will be late and warm;
- a cat sharpens its claws on furniture — to the stormy wind;
- The birds had been perched in the morning, ready for the inclement weather.
Earlier, Izvestia told about the traditions and signs of the special national holiday Hosea Kolesnik.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
