A special national holiday on May 19 is Job the Horoshnik: history, traditions, omens

Every year on May 19, Orthodox believers honor the memory of Job the Long—suffering, the righteous man of the Old Testament, whose story has become one of the most famous biblical stories about faith and patience. In the national calendar, the holiday was named Job Goroshnik. In 2026, it falls on a Tuesday. Read about its history, traditions, signs and strict prohibitions in the Izvestia article.

What is the church holiday on May 19th?

According to the biblical legend, the righteous Job lived about two thousand years before the Birth of Christ in the land of Uz, an area that is associated with the northern part of the Arabian Peninsula. In the church tradition, there is a version about his relationship with the Old Testament patriarchs — he was the son of Nahor and the nephew of Abraham, the biblical forefather of the people of Israel.

His story is told in the Book of Job, one of the most profound texts of the Old Testament. It says that Job was a rich and respected man, but very righteous. He had large herds, rich possessions, and a large family of seven sons and three daughters. He shunned evil, took care of the purity of his heart and made sacrifices for his children, fearing that one of them might sin even in his thoughts.

Then the Book of Job takes the action to the Throne of God. Angels appeared before the Lord, including Satan. God pointed him to Job as a God-fearing man and a stranger to evil. But he noticed that the righteous man did not honor God selflessly, because the Lord had protected his house, preserved his possessions and increased his wealth.

After that, God allowed Satan to test Job. Soon he lost his cattle and servants. Then another misfortune happened — Job's sons and daughters gathered for a feast in the elder brother's house, when a strong wind blew, the house collapsed, and all the children died.

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In 2026, Christians of the Eastern Rite will celebrate the holiday on May 31.

Job tore his clothes, shaved his head, fell to the ground and worshiped God. He said: "The Lord has given, and the Lord has taken; blessed be the name of the Lord." Even after losing his property and children, he did not utter blasphemy.

But a new challenge soon followed. Satan said that a person is able to remain faithful to the Lord as long as his own body does not suffer. Then Job was stricken with a serious illness, ulcers covered him from head to toe. His friends abandoned him, and his wife, exhausted by poverty and grief, persuaded him to blaspheme God and die. But he objected: if a person accepted good things from God, why should he not accept the bitter?

After hearing about Job's misfortunes, three friends came to him and began to convince him that such troubles do not come without a reason, and God probably punished him for a secret sin. He replied that he had not committed any impious acts, and insisted that external misfortune does not always prove a person's guilt before the Lord. The argument with my friends got harder and harder. Instead of consolation, Job heard suspicions, and therefore turned to God himself, asking for an answer.

The Lord answered the righteous man from a stormy whirlwind. He pointed out to him the greatness of the created world, the structure of the earth, the sea, light, celestial phenomena, animals and all living things. Job realized that the human mind could not comprehend all the ways of God, and repented of the insolent words uttered in sorrow.

After that, God rebuked Job's friends and told them to ask him to sacrifice and pray for them. Job complied with the request, and his prayer was accepted. Then his health and well-being were restored. According to legend, after the trials, he lived for another 140 years, again became the father of seven sons and three daughters and saw offspring up to the fourth generation.

Traditions of the national holiday Job Goroshnik on May 19th

In Russia, Job's memorial day was popularly called Job Goroshnik — on May 19, peasants began sowing peas. They tried to do this work at sunset to protect the seeds from birds that could peck them out of the ground.

Peas in villages were traditionally sown by women. In Russia, this plant symbolized fertility, satiety and the continuation of life, so the main role in the work was given to the housewives. According to legend, a woman's hand gave him strength and helped future pods to fill up.

Peas were an important food in peasant life. Porridge was cooked from it, chowders were made, and pancakes made from pea flour were baked. Such dishes were especially appreciated in the spring, when stocks were running low, and the new harvest was still far away, because they were well saturated.

In the morning, adults and children walked barefoot on the wet grass on Job Goroshnik. People believed that the dew on May 19 had a special power, helping to restore sound sleep, relieve joint pain, strengthen health and "relieve" spring weakness. The children were specially allowed to turn somersaults in it to gain strength and get stronger.

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They not only walked on the dew, but laid out clean towels on the grass, waited until the fabric was saturated with moisture, then squeezed it into a vessel. The healers used this liquid in folk medicine — they added it to homemade medicines, wiped the sore spots with it.

According to legend, dreams on the night of May 19th were prophetic. After waking up, they tried to remember them as accurately as possible, to understand what clues he could give.

The holiday was considered a good day to go on a long journey. The ancestors believed that the path started on May 19th would be successful and easy. The day was also considered favorable for studying, reading, mastering a new craft, learning languages and other serious activities that require patience and concentration.

What not to do on the feast of Job the Horoscope

On Job Goroshnik, the ancestors tried to be careful in their business. The main ban of the day was related to the planting of peas. On May 19, careless handling of seeds was not allowed, they should not be scattered randomly, in full view of birds. In addition, it was forbidden to make noise near the garden beds on a holiday. The peasants believed that if they were frivolous or violated the planting ritual, the harvest would be weak, and part of the sowing would go to the birds.

What else you can't do on May 19th:

• Being lazy is contrary to the essence of the holiday and can lead to financial losses.;
• complaining about difficulties — the day of Job's veneration reminds of patience, and grumbling about fate only increases misfortune.;
• swearing during field work — such negativity can "attract" failures in the household;
• telling a bad dream before washing your face can come true if you don't wash it off with water beforehand.

Folk signs for May 19th

The peasants carefully looked at Job Goroshnik for dew, fog, night heat, insect behavior and the condition of the trees. Based on these signs, they tried to understand what the summer would be like, whether the plants would have enough moisture and when to start other plantings.

• a warm night leads to a good harvest of cucumbers;
• dew is plentiful in the morning — the day will be clear, the crops will be strong and yield a good harvest, there is no dew — the weather will change dramatically soon;
• Fog is spreading over the fields — it won't rain for a long time.;
• earrings appeared on the viburnum – it's time to plant beets;
• Wasps build their nests in open areas for wet summers.

Earlier, Izvestia reported on the signs and strict prohibitions of the special holiday Pelageya Intercessor.