The religious scholar explained the origin of the traditions of Elijah's Day

The traditions of Elijah's Day are associated with the biblical image of the prophet Elijah and ancient Slavic beliefs, and the holiday itself combines Christian and pagan elements. Natalia Fominykh, a religious scholar, Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences, professor at Plekhanov Russian University of Economics, stated this in a conversation with Izvestia.

Why people turn to the Prophet Elijah in the most difficult moments of their lives: how the saint helps

His preaching is revealed in his actions, in the courage to tell the truth even to the king.

"The traditions of Elijah's Day go back to our Slavic ancestors, and the name of the prophet Elijah is found in the books of the Old Testament. In the biblical tradition, the prophet Elijah opposes paganism, and a three—year drought has hit the country for the departure of Israelis from the true faith," she said.

It is noted that in order to expose the pagan priests, the prophet proposed to arrange two sacrificial sites, and "suddenly a fire broke out on a Christian offering," after which the drought stopped and rain began. The expert emphasized that, according to legend, the prophet was taken to heaven alive, and his departure was accompanied by thunder and lightning, thanks to which he became the patron saint of natural phenomena.

Fominykh added that in the Slavic tradition there was a similar image — the god Perun, who was responsible for thunder, lightning and fertility. According to her, this parallel between Perun, who controlled the entire natural element in a chariot, and the prophet Elijah gave rise to the feast of Elijah's Day already in the Christian faith. At the same time, the researcher noted that, despite the Christian content of the holiday, it retained a significant number of pagan rituals and rituals.

"The peasants left grain offerings outside the gates, performed special prayer services with requests for rain and a good harvest, and also turned to the saint at the beginning of the harvest. Ilyin's Day, celebrated on August 2, symbolizes the end of the summer period and is accompanied by a number of prohibitions and beliefs," said Fominykh.

In particular, on this day, according to popular beliefs, it is forbidden to swim and fish, as this can lead to diseases or anger of the merman, and it is also not recommended to work in the field and drive cattle to pasture. It was believed that violating these traditions could cause crop failures, diseases, and other ills.

Read more in the Izvestia article:

Elijah's Day: what hides the holiday of the most formidable Old Testament prophet