A special holiday on January 22 is Philippi's Day: history, traditions, omens
On January 22, the Orthodox Church honors the memory of St. Philip, Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, who was martyred during the time of Ivan the Terrible. In 2026, the celebration falls on Thursday. In the national calendar, it was called "Philippi Day." On the holiday, the ancestors "washed off the Yuletide" in the bath, searched for an invisible hat and performed rituals to strengthen the family. Read about other traditions and signs of the day in the Izvestia article.
What is the church holiday on January 22
Saint Philip, in the world of Fyodor, was born in 1507 into the noble boyar family of the Lobanovs-Kolychevs. Since childhood, he showed interest in the Holy Scriptures, but at his father's insistence, he was preparing for public service. The young man was brought close to the court of Vasily III, where he met the young Ivan IV, the future Terrible. A brilliant career opened up before him, but court life did not attract Fyodor. His soul aspired to monastic feats.
In 1537, during a divine service, he heard the words of the Savior: "No one can work for two masters," and decided to leave worldly life. After praying fervently, Fyodor secretly left Moscow in the clothes of a commoner. For some time he lived in seclusion near Lake Onega, and then went to the Solovetsky Monastery, where he performed the most difficult obediences. After a year and a half of probation, Abbot Alexy tonsured him into monasticism with the name Philip.
In 1546, Philip was ordained abbot of the Solovetsky Monastery. In this position, he did a lot for the spiritual revival of the monastery. He found icons and relics associated with the founders of the monastery, Saints Savvati and Zosima. Two magnificent temples were built under him — the Dormition of the Mother of God and the Transfiguration of the Lord. The abbot himself participated in the construction as a simple worker.
In 1550-1551, Philip visited Moscow, where he participated in the work of the Hundred-Domed Cathedral and resumed his acquaintance with Ivan the Terrible. In 1566, the tsar invited him to occupy the chair of the Metropolitan of Moscow.
At that time, the Oprichnina operated in Russia, a rigid system of government based on the military might of a group of the tsar's entourage. The oprichniks possessed almost unlimited power and, by order of the tsar, could execute a court against "traitors" who attempted to overthrow the autocrat. Philip did not want to accept the rank of metropolitan, but agreed when the tsar promised to limit the arbitrariness of the oprichniks.
After becoming metropolitan, Philip began to openly denounce the abuses of the oprichniks, interceded for the convicts and spoke out against cruelty. Ivan the Terrible, who at first respected the saint, soon perceived his words as another "traitor." The conflict escalated when Philip refused to bless the king, publicly condemning his actions.
In 1568, by order of the Metropolitan of Grozny, he was defrocked, accused of conspiracy and sent into exile to the Tver Monastery. Soon after, the saint was killed by Malyuta Skuratov, one of the tsar's confidants. After 22 years, his relics were transferred to Solovki and buried in the Transfiguration Cathedral.
Traditions of the national holiday Philippi Day on January 22
In Russia, Philippi Day was celebrated on January 22. The celebration began with a visit to the temple, where the faithful prayed to St. Philip. He was approached with requests for protection from troubles, help in raising children, healing from diseases and solving financial problems. Relatives of the innocent convicts also prayed to him.
On Philippi's Day, the ancestors finally said goodbye to the past holidays — Christmas, Yuletide and Epiphany and returned to household chores. Therefore, on January 22, it was decided to put the house in order and check supplies. The whole family participated in the work: the women cooked, cleaned and washed, the men cleaned the outbuildings, and the children helped their parents.
After lunch, they started heating baths in the villages to "wash away the Christmas Season." There was a custom to take sweets or pastries with you to the steam room to treat the bannik— the spirit of the bathhouse. It was believed that if you made him laugh with a joke, he could give you an invisible hat.
The women performed a special ceremony to protect the family. They poured cold water into a vat, dipped a birch broom into it and said: "Bannik, accept my gifts, banish the rival from the house." After that, the water was poured out of the gate, and the broom was left in the bath for seven days, and then imperceptibly replaced with a homemade one.
Also, on Philippi's Day, a ritual was performed to attract financial well-being. The women showed the purse to the growing Moon, believing that it would help improve their financial situation.
What not to do on January 22nd on Philippi Day
A number of popular prohibitions and warnings are associated with St. Philip's Day. The main rule was not to be idle. It was believed that lazy people would be severely punished in the form of illness or financial problems.
What else can not be done on January 22:
- swearing and swearing — you can lose your voice.;
- Offending children and the elderly leads to trouble;
- Going on a long journey was considered a dangerous day for traveling;
- putting on old and dirty clothes leads to sadness and longing;
- mopping floors — you can "wash away" luck and well-being;
- sewing buttons — you can "sew" adversity to yourself;
- to work carelessly — happiness will leave the house.
Folk signs for January 22
On Philippi's Day, the ancestors closely followed various signs, hoping to find out what the weather would be like in the near future. Clouds were considered the main "marker": if cumulus clouds appeared in the morning, increased by noon, and dispersed in the evening, this foreshadowed frosty weather without precipitation.
Other signs of the day:
- a sunny day leads to a good harvest in summer;
- blizzard — for a stormy summer;
- The forest is noisy — it will get warmer soon;
- Crows and jackdaws gather in the treetops to increase the frost;
- the dog curled up into a ball — for severe frosts;
- Purple sunset — towards a snowstorm;
- Clouds are clearing, leading to better weather;
- clouds are moving against the wind, leading to snowfall;
- cattle tend to return to the stall from the street — to the cold and snow.
Earlier, Izvestia reported on the traditions of the Yemelyana Perezimniki national holiday.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
