A special holiday on December 9th is St. George's Day: history, traditions, omens

Every year on December 9, the Orthodox Church honors the memory of the Great Martyr George the Victorious. In 2025, the celebration falls on a Tuesday. In Russia, the holiday was called St. George's Day or St. Gregory of Autumn. Read about the history and significance of this date, as well as the folk traditions associated with it, in the Izvestia article.

What is the church holiday on December 9th?

Saint George was born in the 3rd century in the Palestinian city of Berit (modern times). Beirut) or, according to other sources, in Lydda (modern times). Lod). His parents were Christians and raised their son in piety. As he grew older, George joined the military. He stood out among his colleagues for his intelligence, bravery and strength. Soon the young man became a commander of a thousand men (commander of a detachment of a thousand men) and won the favor of Emperor Diocletian.

However, the emperor was a fanatical follower of the Roman gods and a cruel persecutor of Christians. One day, after hearing an inhuman verdict on the extermination of Christians in court, George decided on an act unthinkable at that time. He distributed all his possessions, released the slaves, and presented himself to Diocletian. The saint openly declared himself a Christian and denounced the ruler of inhumanity.

The emperor tried to persuade George to renounce Christ, but he remained adamant, for which he was tortured. After much suffering, the saint was sentenced to death — his head was cut off in 303. For his courage and spiritual victory over his tormentors, the saint became known as the Victorious One.

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On icons, St. George is traditionally depicted sitting on a white horse and striking a serpent with a spear. This image is based on a famous miracle that happened after the saint's death. According to legend, not far from Beirut, a snake lived in a lake that devoured people. To quench the monster's rage, the locals regularly gave him a boy or a girl to eat.

One day, an unlucky lot fell on the daughter of a local ruler. She was tied up by the lake, where she waited in horror for the snake to appear. When the monster appeared, a bright young man on a white horse suddenly appeared. He struck the monster with a spear, and then disappeared. It is believed that it was St. George the Victorious. After the miraculous rescue of the girl, many residents of Beirut converted to Christianity.

Why is December 9th called St. George's Day?

In Russia, St. George's Memorial Day was called St. George's Day or St. Gregory of Autumn (Winter). There were several reasons for this. Firstly, the names Yuri and Yegoriy were more familiar to the common people, so over time they became attached to St. George.

In the XV–XVII centuries, St. George's Day was also called the only day of the year when peasants could move from one landowner to another. According to the Judicial Code of 1497, it is possible to change the "employer" during the week before and the week after the feast of St. George, which, according to the old style, was celebrated on November 26.

At the end of the 16th century, the transition of peasants to St. George's Day was abolished. This meant that the peasants had to stay with their landowner for life, even if he was unfair and cruel to them. This is where the famous expression "Here's St. George's Day for you, Grandma!" came from, meaning regret for unfulfilled hopes.

In addition, the agricultural season was coming to an end by December 9th. At that time, peasants were paid for their labor, but landlords often paid less than they were supposed to. Therefore, St. George's Day was also called Yegoriy Autumnal — from the word "to cheat", that is, to deceive.

Traditions of the national holiday St. George's Day (St. Gregory of Autumn) on December 9th

In the popular consciousness, the winter holiday in honor of St. George had a borderline character. It was believed that from that day on, winter finally came into its own, the bears went into hibernation, and the wolves, which Yegoriy "set free," on the contrary, became especially dangerous.

Special rituals were held in the villages to protect livestock from attacks by wild animals. For example, in the Ryazan province, housewives baked special cookies in the form of horse figures. The guys went around all the yards, collecting ceremonial pastries, and then went to the field and buried them in the ground. At the same time, they were supposed to say: "Good Gregory, do not beat our cattle and do not eat. Here are the horses for you!"

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In some regions, people were guessing about the nature of the upcoming winter on St. Gregory of the Autumn. To do this, they went to the well to "listen to the water." The silence predicted a warm and peaceful winter. But splashes and other sounds were considered harbingers of severe frosts and frequent snowstorms.

What not to do on St. George's Day on December 9th

On St. George's Day, the ancestors adhered to a number of strict prohibitions. According to beliefs, it is forbidden to offend the elderly and children on a holiday, as well as to raise a hand against anyone. It was believed that cruel people would be severely punished in the form of serious illnesses.

What else can't be done on December 9th

• Going on a long journey can lead to unhappiness.;
• drinking alcohol leads to the development of addiction;
• It is unfortunate to refuse to help those in need.;
• If you eat sour foods, it will be a long and sad winter.;
• counting small amounts of money leads to loss of wealth;
• to lend money, it will be difficult to return the money.;
• to be idle leads to lack of money.

Folk signs for December 9th

Various weather signs were associated with St. George's Day in Russia. They were used to judge the nature of the coming winter, as well as the future harvest. If there was a lot of snow on a holiday, it was understood that there would be a lot of grass in the meadows in summer.

Other signs of the day:

• wolves howl near the village — to severe frosts;
• strong, smooth ice on the rivers — for a good harvest next year;
• what is the weather like on December 9th, and the same on St. Nicholas of Winter (December 19th);
• the wind from the north leads to a frosty and snowy winter;
• The wind from the south leads to a mild and warm winter;
• hoarfrost on the trees — for a bountiful harvest of oats;
• deep snow before St. George's Day — by early spring.

Earlier, Izvestia reported on the traditions of the national holiday Klimentyev Day.