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Every year on November 1, Orthodox believers honor the memory of St. John of Rila, a Bulgarian saint and wonderworker of the 9th century.  In the national calendar, the holiday is called Midsummer's Day. In 2025, it falls on a Saturday. Read about its history, traditions, signs and strict prohibitions in the Izvestia article.

What is the church holiday on November 1st?

St. John of Rila, revered as the spiritual mentor and intercessor of the Bulgarian people, was born around 876, in the small village of Skrino, located in the Sredetsk region on the territory of modern Sofia.

Orphaned in early childhood, John was forced to become a shepherd. One day he lost his cow and calf, for which he was severely punished by his master. In desperation, the boy prayed, asking for help from God. When the animals were found, a new obstacle arose in front of him — the level of the Struma River rose due to a strong current, making it impossible to return.

Then John put his clothes on the water, made the sign of the cross over her, took the calf in his arms and crossed the river as if on dry land. The owner, who was watching from the shelter, was shocked by what had happened and released the shepherd with gifts and blessings. This incident was the beginning of a series of amazing events that accompanied the path of the saint.

John took the incident as a sign from above, gave away his possessions, left his native village and went into the desert. He labored in mountain caves, lived in a hollow tree, eating wild grasses, and later miraculously appeared beans.

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According to legend, these beans were a gift from God and soon glorified him among the people as a miracle worker. Pilgrims began to flock to the monk with the hope of healing and spiritual guidance. Avoiding fame, he retired to a more remote area — to a high cliff, where he lived for seven years in the open air.

In the second half of his life, John founded a monastery in the Rila Mountains, which became the spiritual center and later the national shrine of Bulgaria. The saint took monks under his spiritual protection, wrote instructions, among which his "Testament to the Disciples" stands out — one of the outstanding works of the Old Bulgarian script.

The monk died in 946 at the age of 70. His relics became an object of special veneration and were repeatedly transferred to Sredets (Sofia), to the Bulgarian capital Tarnovo, then they were taken to Hungary and returned with great honors. They finally found peace on July 1, 1469, after being solemnly transferred to the Rila Monastery, where they remain to this day, being a source of spiritual and physical help for the faithful.

Traditions of the national holiday Ivanov's Day (Autumn send-off) November 1st

In Russia, by November 1, the days were noticeably shortened, the nights became long and cold, so on Midsummer Day, the villages held a farewell to autumn and a solemn welcome to winter. "In November, dawn and dusk meet in the middle of the day," the peasants said.

On this day, the housewives laid fallen leaves in front of the houses, made paths out of them for the solemn meeting of winter, which symbolized respect for the next natural cycle. 

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The main tradition of Midsummer Day was a festive feast. It was believed that the more generous the treats, the more favorable the coming winter would be to people. The place of honor on the table was occupied by chicken. The meat was stewed, fried, and chicken soups were cooked. The housewives baked special chicken coop pies.

What not to do on Midsummer Day

St. John's Day was considered by the ancestors to be a mystical boundary between the seasons, when the line between the visible and invisible world becomes especially thin. That is why it was strictly forbidden to leave the doors open for a long time on the holiday — it was believed that evil spirits could enter the house through such a "passage" and bring misfortune and illness.

What else you can't do on November 1st:

• drying clothes or underwear on the street can "inflate" diseases and troubles in them.;
• Killing spiders is believed to be inhabited by the souls of departed ancestors.;
• turning around at someone's footsteps - you may encounter an evil spirit that has taken on a human form.;
• to enter into arguments, conflicts, quarrels — any word spoken in anger on this day acquires special power and can destroy even strong relationships.;
• to refuse to beg — those who refuse to help the poor run the risk of being in need themselves.;
• doing hard physical labor, starting new businesses — a holiday requires concentration, inner silence and gratitude to nature.

Folk signs for November 1st

On November 1, Midsummer Day, the peasants observed nature. They judged the nature of the coming winter by the weather and the behavior of the birds.:

• Birds fly high — winter will bring a lot of snow, low — there will be little precipitation.;
• rain on this day — the cold weather will not come soon;
• Frosty night on October 1st — the winter months will be harsh.

Earlier, Izvestia reported on the traditions and signs of a special folk holiday, Luka Golodny.