A special holiday on March 2 — Fyodor Tyron and Mariamna Kikimora: traditions, omens

Every year on March 2, Orthodox believers honor the memory of two saints — the Great Martyr Theodore Tyron and the righteous elder Mariamne, the sister of the Apostle Philip. In the national calendar, the holiday is called Fedor Tyron and Mariamna Kikimora. In 2026, it falls on a Monday. Read about the history, traditions, signs and strict prohibitions of this date in the Izvestia article.

What is the church holiday on March 2?

The fates of two early Christian ascetics — the Great Martyr Theodore Tyron and the righteous Mariamne, the sister of the Apostle Philip – belong to different eras, but both reflect the dramatic period of Christianity's formation.

The Holy Great Martyr Theodore was born in Evkhaiti at the turn of the III–IV centuries. He served as a soldier of the Marmarite regiment in the city of Amasia in the Pontic region, a region stretching along the coast of the Euxine Pontus, that is, the Black Sea. At the same time, he received his nickname "Tyron", which comes from the Latin word tiro — "recruit".

During the period of persecution under Emperor Galerius, Christians were forced to sacrifice to pagan gods. Theodore openly professed to be a follower of Jesus and refused to participate in pagan rituals. The military commander Vrink gave him a few days "to reflect," but instead of renouncing, he only intensified his prayer.

Soon the saint was accused of setting fire to the temple of Cybele and brought to trial before the mayor Publius. He reaffirmed his faith, for which he was thrown into prison and condemned to starvation. According to church tradition, Jesus Christ appeared to him in prison, strengthening his spirit.

After a while, Theodore was found alive and again demanded to sacrifice to idols. After refusing, he was tortured and sentenced to be burned. The saint ascended the pyre without fear and prayerfully surrendered his soul to God.

According to legend, the fire did not damage Fyodor's remains. The pious Christian Eusebia asked for permission to bury them in the Euchaites. Later, the relics were transferred to Constantinople, to a church consecrated in the name of the saint. The head of the Great Martyr is now kept in the Italian city of Gaeta.

Lent – 2026: when does it begin, what can and cannot be done

A well-known miracle is associated with the name of Theodore Tyron. About half a century after his death, Emperor Julian the Apostate, seeking to humiliate Christians, ordered that all products in the markets of Constantinople be sprinkled with the blood of pagan sacrificial animals. During the first week of Great Lent, the saint appeared in a dream to Archbishop Evdoksy and ordered the faithful to be warned not to buy polluted food, but to eat koliv — boiled wheat with honey.

In memory of this event, the Orthodox Church annually celebrates a special celebration of the Great Martyr Theodore Tyron on Saturday of the first week of Great Lent. On this day, the canons compiled by St. John of Damascus and St. John of Euchaia are read, and the koliva is blessed and distributed to the faithful.

On the same day, believers remember the righteous Mariamne, the sister of the Apostle Philip. She took a vow of celibacy and accompanied her brother and the Apostle Bartholomew on missionary journeys. Mariamne preached among women and had the gift of healing.

According to legend, they were captured and tortured in the Phrygian city of Hierapolis for refusing to renounce their faith. Philip was executed by crucifying on a cross, and Bartholomew and Mariamne were released after the miraculous intervention of the Apostle John the Theologian. The saint continued her mission to Lycaonia in Asia Minor, where she died peacefully in old age.

Traditions of the national holiday Fedor Tyron and Mariamna Kikimora on March 2

In Russia, unusual Greek names were transformed – the Great Martyr Theodore became Fyodor, and the righteous Mariamne turned into Mariamne Kikimora, folklore combined the church's memory of the saint with the image of a mythological character.

In popular beliefs, a kikimora is a dual being. Sometimes she was described as a hunched old woman with a stick and tousled gray hair, who eventually became the prototype of the fabulous Baba Yaga. In other regions, they talked about a young dark-haired girl, outwardly beautiful, but insidious in character. The image was associated with domestic and forest spirits, the kikimora was considered the wife of a goblin or brownie.

According to beliefs, a kikimora could settle not only in a hut, but also in a stable, a bathhouse, a chicken coop, and in cities — even in pubs, where it allegedly caused quarrels and fights. Her "tricks" included both minor dirty tricks (tangled yarn or clattering dishes) and more serious troubles when objects in the house began to fall and break. Therefore, the ancestors perceived March 2 as a day of extreme caution.

The holiday in Russia traditionally began with a visit to the temple. The believers prayed and reflected on their lives. The elders instructed the young, reminding them of the need for inner purification. On this day, it was considered useful to drink cold water to "cleanse" the body and concentrate in prayer. Often, as a sign of humility, believers put on worn-out clothes and used old dishes.

Forgiven Sunday 2026: what can and cannot be done on February 22

On Forgiveness Sunday, quarrels and abusive words were considered undesirable.

The peasants believed that on March 2, the house should be clean, thoughts should be focused, and behavior should be restrained. To avoid trouble, on this day the housewives carefully cleaned the houses, tidied up the storerooms and chicken coops. Prayers and incantations were read, wormwood and thistle, plants to which protective properties were attributed, were laid out in the corners.

The so—called "chicken god", a stone with a natural hole, was used to protect the chicken coops. It was hung in the poultry house as a security sign for poultry. According to beliefs, such measures helped to avoid anxiety and save the farm.

The ancestors believed that in the first days of March, the boundary between the familiar world and the unknown becomes thinner. Therefore, unmarried girls during this period were guessing at their betrothed — at dusk they went out the door and watched who would meet first. If a woman came across, it was considered a good sign of an imminent wedding.

What not to do on the feast of Fyodor Tyron and Mariamna Kikimora

In Russia, March 2 was considered a day of increased danger and was accompanied by a number of strict restrictions, the observance of which helped, according to the ideas of the ancestors, to maintain order in the house and balance in the family.

On the feast of Fyodor Tyron and Mariamna Kikimora, one should not leave their home in disarray. The peasants believed that carelessness attracted evil spirits into the house and provoked a series of minor but exhausting troubles.

What else you can't do on March 2:

• Leaving unwashed dishes overnight is considered an "invitation" to disorder and quarrels in the family.;
• do not change dirty laundry — unwashed clothes "attract" anxiety and illness;
• Looking at the night sky, especially shooting stars, is believed to be a bad sign, foreshadowing loss.;
• to be lazy and careless in the household — a kikimora can "mess up", cause confusion in business, spoil things.

Folk signs for March 2

On Fyodor Tyron and Mariamna Kikimora, the peasants carefully observed the signs of nature, trying to determine from them what the next season would be like, but also the summer as a whole, linking natural changes with the future harvest.

• A clear, sunny morning leads to early spring and hot summer;
• snowfall leads to a good wheat harvest;
• rain on March 2 leads to an abundance of bread and flax;
• fog — for a cold and lingering May;
• The migratory birds are returning on this day — to the imminent establishment of warm weather.

Earlier, Izvestia reported on the signs and strict prohibitions of the ancient Slavic holiday Yarilin Day.