A special national holiday on March 8 is Polycarpov Day: history, traditions, omens
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- A special national holiday on March 8 is Polycarpov Day: history, traditions, omens
Every year, Orthodox believers honor the memory of the Holy Martyr Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna, a disciple of John the Theologian. In the national calendar, the date is called Polycarpov Day, or Sour Girls. In 2026, it falls on a Sunday. Read about its traditions, history, signs and strict prohibitions in the Izvestia article.
What is the church holiday on March 8th?
Saint Polycarp was born around the year 80 in Asia Minor, in the city of Smyrna, one of the major cultural centers of the eastern part of the Roman Empire. Orphaned at an early age, the future saint was raised by a pious widow named Callista. According to church tradition, she took the boy into the house on special instructions from above.
After the death of his mentor, Polycarp distributed property to the poor and devoted himself to serving his neighbors, helping the sick and needy. In his youth, he found himself under the spiritual guidance of Bishop Vukol of Smyrna. He noticed the sincere faith and zeal of the young Christian and brought him closer to himself.
First, the young man became a deacon and received the right to preach the Word of God, and then he was ordained a presbyter. Shortly before his death, Bishop Vukol bequeathed to appoint him as his successor to the see of Smyrna. According to church tradition, during Polycarp's consecration as bishop, Christ himself appeared to him, an event that his contemporaries perceived as a sign of a special spiritual vocation.
Polycarp belonged to a generation of Christians who knew the apostles personally. The Apostle John the Theologian played a special role in his life. The saint accompanied him on his missionary journeys and listened attentively to the stories about Jesus' earthly life, His teachings and miracles. It was because of this connection that the saint was later called the living link between the apostolic era and subsequent generations of Christians.
After becoming Bishop of Smyrna, Polycarp proved himself to be an active and wise pastor. He took care of his flock with apostolic zeal, strengthened the faith, instructed the clergy and fought against the spread of false teachings. He was also highly respected by other church leaders. Thus, Saint Ignatius the God-Bearer, on his way to Rome to be executed, wrote words of support to Polycarp, comparing him to the helmsman who leads the ship through a storm.
During the reign of Emperor Marcus Aurelius, Christians were subjected to a new wave of persecution. The pagans demanded that the authorities arrest Polycarp, calling him the father of Christians and the seducer of all Asia. At the request of the faithful, the saint hid for some time in a small village near Smyrna. When the soldiers came for him, he did not resist. Moreover, he met them calmly, ordered them to be fed and asked for some time for prayer.
The court sentenced Polycarp to be burned. When the executioners were about to nail him to the stake so that he could not get off the bonfire, the saint calmly said that he did not need it, since faith would keep him in place. They just tied him up with ropes.
According to legend, when the fire was lit, the flame surrounded the martyr, but did not touch his body, as if closing over him. An angry crowd of pagans demanded to use a sword for execution. When the saint was mortally wounded, so much blood flowed out of her that she extinguished the fire.
Traditions of the national holiday — Polycarpov Day — March 8th
For the peasant world, Polikarpov day was a kind of frontier, when winter had not yet completely gone away, and spring was already making one think about the imminent changes in the way of life.
In the folk tradition, the holiday was ironically called "Sour girls." That was the name given in the villages to young women who had not yet found suitors and got married. The name reflected not a mockery, but rather a feature of the old way of life — after Maslenitsa, Great Lent began, during which weddings were not held. If the wedding had not taken place before that time, then the next opportunity had to wait at least until the end of spring.
Therefore, for many brides, Polikarpov day became an occasion for anxious reflections on fate. People used to say that if a girl hadn't gotten engaged by that time, it meant she'd "soured"—she'd missed the right time.
However, it was not limited to sadness. The girls tried to "outwit fate" with the help of special rituals, which, according to beliefs, could bring the meeting with the groom closer. In the late afternoon, they would go out into the courtyard and start spinning on their right heels, looking at the new moon and asking it to "curl" around them, just as they themselves were spinning on the spot. It was believed that the ritual could attract the attention of the future spouse and speed up matchmaking.
There was another "wedding" ceremony — the girls took a broom and swept the garbage through the threshold of the hut, saying that they were "chasing the good fellows into the house." This gesture meant inviting the suitors. It's as if loneliness is being swept away along with the garbage, and a new destiny is coming in its place.
There was also a special culinary tradition associated with Polycarp Day. The girls baked pies from sour dough. When it rose, they scooped it up three times with a thimble and whispered the name of the young man they liked. The pastries were divided between unmarried friends. Such an exchange was perceived as a sign of mutual support — everyone hoped that the treat would bring happiness not only to her, but also to those who would share this ceremony with her.
In the evening, the girls arranged fortune-telling. They gathered snow into the hem of their dresses and began to shake it, as if sifting through a sieve. The snow was poured on the ground with the words about "sifted millet on a maiden's braid" and asked to show the way to the future groom. After that, they listened carefully to the sounds around them. If a dog started barking somewhere in the village, it was assumed that the future spouse lived in that courtyard.
What not to do on Polycarpus Day
In Russia, on March 8, there were a number of prohibitions, the violation of which could provoke trouble, hardship and even spoil fate. For example, on Polycarp Day, "wedding" ceremonies should not be performed exclusively in a female company — it was necessary to invite at least one man, relative or neighbor, otherwise the action would not bring the desired result. It was believed that the male presence symbolically "opens the way" for future marriage, and the absence reinforces loneliness.
What else you can't do on March 8:
- Being rude to women or offending them is a behavior that promises serious illness or long—term trouble.;
- to yearn, cry and succumb to despondency — sadness on this day can "attract" troubles and disappointments.;
- Killing spiders means there is a risk of "destroying" your own luck and depriving your home of well—being.;
- walking in dirty or untidy clothes — sloppiness can "attract" financial difficulties.;
- men raise their voices at their daughters — according to beliefs, a father's rudeness can "break" a girl's fate, and the parent himself is threatened with loss and even ruin.
Folk signs for March 8th
On Polycarp, the peasants carefully observed nature, especially the behavior of birds. Our ancestors knew that March weather is changeable, spring likes to test its strength, and it's too early to relax. They tried to make a weather forecast for the coming weeks based on the signs.:
- Sparrows are actively building nests — the cold weather has completely receded, and spring will be early.;
- birds are hiding under the roofs — for the upcoming snowfall;
- lots of icicles — frosts will linger;
- Fog on March 8 — summer may turn out to be rainy.
Earlier, Izvestia told when Maundy Thursday and Good Friday will come in 2026.
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