A special national holiday on May 26 is Lukerya Komarnitsa: history, traditions, omens

Every year on May 26, Orthodox believers honor the memory of the martyr Glyceria of Heraclea, who suffered for the Christian faith in the II century, and the righteous Glyceria of Novgorod, who lived in the XVI century. In the national calendar, the date is known as Lukerya Komarnitsa, or Buckwheat. In 2026, the holiday falls on a Tuesday. Read about its history, traditions, signs and strict prohibitions in the Izvestia article.

What is the church holiday on May 26th?

Glyceria of Heraclea was born in the 2nd century into a noble Roman family — her father was the mayor of Rome. After his resignation, the family moved to the Thracian Trojans. The girl was left without parents early. Having lost her family, she joined the Christian community, converted to the faith and began to visit the temple constantly.

However, under Emperor Antoninus, the persecution of Christians resumed. The governor of Trojans, Savin, received an order to force believers to pagan sacrifices and appointed a day of worship for Zeus for all residents of the city. Glyceria knew how the refusal to participate in ritkale could end, but decided not to hide her faith.

On the appointed day, Glyceria came to the temple, ascended to the dais and took off the veil from her head so that everyone could see the cross inscribed on her forehead. After that, she began to pray to God for the admonition of the pagans and for the destruction of the idol. According to church legend, thunder rang out at that moment, and the statue of Zeus crumbled into pieces.

Enraged, Savin ordered stones to be thrown at the saint, but none of them reached their destination. Then Glyceria was imprisoned. The next morning, she was taken to the executioners, but before the torture began, an angel appeared, and the tormentors fell to the ground in fear, speechless.

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After that, the saint was again locked in a cell without food or water. The door was sealed with the ruler's ring so that no one could get inside. Many days later, Savin himself came to check on the prisoner, expecting to find her dead, but saw her alive and unharmed.

Having failed to break Glyceria in Trojans, Savin sent her to Heraclia. There the saint was greeted by local Christians, led by Bishop Dometius. In front of the people, the priest said a prayer that the Lord would strengthen the martyr in the upcoming feat. The saint was tortured again, but during the night her wounds were healed. This shocked Laodicea's guard so much that he confessed the Christian faith and was soon executed.

In the end, Savin ordered the execution of Glyceria, giving her to wild animals. But when the lions were released into the arena, they did not touch it. Then the girl turned to God with a prayer and asked Him to accept her soul. After that, one of the lionesses dealt her a fatal blow, but did not tear her body apart. Later, Bishop Dometius and the Christians of Heraclia buried the martyr with honor.

Also on May 26, Orthodox believers remember the righteous Glyceria of Novgorod. Very little information has been preserved about her life. It is known that she was the daughter of Panteleimon, the headman of Legoshchey Street in Veliky Novgorod, and died around 1522.

About half a century later, on July 14, 1572, her incorruptible relics were found near the church of Saints Florus and Laurus. Archbishop Leonid of Novgorod and the clergy moved them to the temple. After that, according to church tradition, miraculous healings took place at the tomb of the righteous woman. In the middle of the 19th century, a chapel was built in her honor in the Tikhvin Church of the Moscow Simonov Monastery.

Traditions of the national holiday Lukerya Komarnitsa on May 26

In Russia, the name Glyceria was transformed into the more familiar Lukerya. By May 26, spring was already noticeably giving way to summer, many mosquitoes and midges appeared in the air, and peasants began sowing early buckwheat, so the day of veneration of the saint was called Lukerya Komarnitsa, Lukerya Buckwheat or Buckwheat.

Our ancestors had a special attitude towards mosquitoes on this day. According to beliefs, on May 26, insects, along with blood, "took away" the disease. Therefore, in houses where someone from the household was ill, it was customary to open windows and doors so that insects could "pull out" the disease with their bites and alleviate his suffering.

On Lukerya, the peasants started sowing early buckwheat, which they called Mayevka. She did not always produce a good harvest, but her flowers were important for bees and the future honey harvest. Our ancestors were attentive to their work. There was a belief that the landings made on May 26 would be successful if you worked calmly, with the right attitude, so they tried to go out into the field without too much noise, fuss and bad thoughts.

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On the holiday, people suffering from toothache went to the healers. According to legend, spells uttered in the morning or before going to bed guaranteed that teeth would not hurt until next year.

What not to do on the holiday of Lukerya Komarnitsa

In Russia, the Onion Mosquito was associated with a number of prohibitions, the main of which concerned mosquitoes. On May 26, they should not have been killed, so as not to bring diseases, crop failures and family discord to the family.

What else you can't do on May 26th:

• to cry, even with joy — tears on this day can attract new reasons for sadness.;
• giving away your clothes, even old ones — along with a thing, you can "give away" well-being and prosperity.;
• breaking dishes and leaving shards at home can lead to quarrels in the family.;
• staring at the sun for a long time when leaving home is believed to make a person blinded by bright light vulnerable to evil spirits;
• Leaving hair on a comb can cause disputes and resentments in the house.;
• to woo and have a wedding — the union concluded on Lukerya will turn out to be fragile;
• making large purchases — spending too much on May 26 can weaken the family budget for a long time.

Folk signs for May 26

On Lukerya, the peasants closely monitored nature, especially insects and birds, to determine whether the crops would have enough moisture and whether the harvest would be rich.

• a lot of mosquitoes on Lukerya — for a good harvest of oats and grain;
• There are almost no mosquitoes due to the dry weather and low grass growth.;
• the midge swirls in clouds — summer promises to be fungal;
• mosquitoes are swarming — warm and sunny days ahead;
• the bees flew out of the hives early — for clear weather;
• Swallows and swifts often flash in the sky — the heat is coming soon.

Earlier, Izvestia reported on the traditions and signs of the Mokey Wet national holiday.