A special holiday on June 7 is Ivan the Honeydew: history, traditions, omens

Every year on June 7, Orthodox believers remember the third finding of the head of John the Baptist. In the national calendar, the date is known as Midsummer's Day, or Ivan the Honeydew. In 2026, the holiday falls on a Sunday. Read about its history, traditions, signs and strict prohibitions in the Izvestia article.

What is the church holiday on June 7?

John the Baptist was born in the 1st century into the family of the Jewish priest Zachariah and the righteous Elizabeth. They couldn't have children for a long time. According to the gospel legend, Zachariah received a message from the archangel Gabriel in the temple that he would have a son who would have a special ministry.

The Forerunner was a maternal relative of Jesus Christ and was born six months before the Savior. When King Herod the Great ordered the killing of infants in Bethlehem and its environs, Elizabeth, saving her son, hid with him in a deserted area near the Dead Sea. Zachariah, who remained serving in the Jerusalem temple, refused to name the place of their refuge and was killed.

Elizabeth, who was left with her son in the desert, died after a while. Orphaned John grew up far from worldly life in fasting, prayer and strict abstinence. He wore coarse camel's hair clothes, girded himself with a leather belt, and fed on wild honey and locusts.

By the time John went out to the Jordan to preach repentance, the people were already waiting for the Messiah. People were tired of their own unrighteousness and the arbitrariness of the authorities, they were looking for a clear answer on how to live on. The Forerunner demanded from them repentance, honesty, mercy and inner spiritual growth. The rumor about the hermit quickly spread throughout Judea and Jerusalem.

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Those who wanted to confess their sins, be baptized in the waters of the Jordan and prepare for the meeting of the Savior went to John. In the same place, according to the Gospel, he baptized Jesus Christ. After that, the Forerunner testified about the Savior before the people, and some of his disciples later followed Christ.

John openly denounced not only ordinary people, but also the ruler of Galilee, Herod Antipas, who left his lawful wife and lived with Herodias, his brother's ex-wife. For this, the prophet was imprisoned. During the feast, Herodias' daughter Salome, at her mother's instigation, asked Herod for the head of John the Baptist. The ruler ordered the execution of the prophet.

John's body was buried by his disciples in Sebaste. In the Christian tradition, three attainments are associated with the head of the Forerunner. The Orthodox Church remembers the first and second in March, and the third on June 7.

According to legend, after the execution, Herodias herself hid the shrine. Church tradition dates the first discovery to the fourth century, when pious people found the relics of the prophet on the Mount of Olives. Later, the chapter was hidden again, and for the second time it was found in the 5th century. She was moved to Emesa, a city on the territory of modern Syria.

The third acquisition is related to later events. When the shrine became in danger again due to raids and troubles, it was moved from Emesa to Komany and hidden in the ground there. Around 850, after the end of the iconoclastic persecution, the place where the head of John the Baptist is located was opened to Patriarch Ignatius. By order of Emperor Michael III, an embassy was sent to Komany, she was found in the specified place and then solemnly transferred to Constantinople.

Traditions of the national holiday Ivan the Honeydew on June 7

In Russia, the name John in everyday speech was transformed into a more familiar one — Ivan, hence the popular name of the feast of Midsummer Day. At the beginning of summer, sweet sticky drops appeared on the leaves and grass. The peasants believed that they arise due to the release of plant juice during temperature fluctuations and the vital activity of pests, primarily aphids. Hence the other name of the holiday — Ivan the Honeydew. The peasants considered ordinary dew to be a good sign, and honey dew to be dangerous for plants, animals and people themselves.

During the holiday, the cattle were not immediately taken out to pasture. The peasants waited for the sun to dry the grass. According to beliefs, honeydew could cause diseases and even pestilence. If several animals fell ill in the village at once, the ancestors lit bonfires and drove the cattle through the smoke.

The housewives made sure to check the garden on June 7. Special attention was paid to the beds, young plants and leaves, which could have a sticky sweet coating. They were carefully protected from pests.

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They tried not to let the children run on the grass until the dew had dried. The mothers were afraid that if they got dirty in it, the child would catch a cold. If someone got sick in the house, they put on a white shirt. According to popular beliefs, light clothing helped a person recover from an illness faster.

What not to do on the feast of Ivan — Honeydew

A number of strict prohibitions were associated with Midsummer's Day in the national calendar, the main of which concerned walking barefoot on the morning grass. It was believed that you could get sick or lose your strength for a long time.

What else you can't do on June 7:

• spit on the earth — such an act offends the breadwinner-earth and can lead to family troubles.;
• wearing black clothes — a dark color will attract melancholy and a heavy mood for the whole summer.;
• for lovers, standing or sitting by the fence leads to a quarrel, cooling of feelings or parting;
• looking at the sky immediately after leaving the house — the day will turn out badly or bring bad news.;
• quarreling, swearing, refusing help — a rude word on Midsummer Day is especially destructive for the home;
• to arrange a general cleaning and revenge the floor — together with the litter, you can "sweep away" peace and prosperity.

Folk signs for June 7

On Ivan the Honeydew, the peasants carefully observed nature, trees, and the sky in order to determine by signs what the summer would be like, whether it would rain, and how rich the harvest would be.

• abundant ordinary dew in the morning — for a fruitful summer and good grass growth;
• There is little dew in the morning — it may rain in the afternoon;
• Thunder leads to a prolonged downpour;
• rowan blooms profusely — oats will grow well;
• The rowan tree has not bloomed by Midsummer's Day — autumn will come late and will last longer than usual.

Earlier, Izvestia reported on the traditions of the Orthodox Day of the Apostles Peter and Paul.