A special holiday on September 16 is Domna Dobrodnaya: history, traditions, omens
Every year on September 16, Orthodox believers honor the memory of two martyrs, Domna and Vasilissa of Nicomedia. In the national calendar, the date was named Domna Dobrodnaya. In 2026, the holiday falls on a Wednesday. Read about its history, traditions, signs and strict prohibitions in the "Izvestia" material.
What is the church holiday on September 16?
The martyr Domna lived in Nicomedia in the late third and early fourth centuries. She was a pagan priestess at the imperial court.
In 303, under Diocletian, the Great Persecution of Christians began in Nicomedia, the authorities ordered the destruction of churches, the destruction of sacred books and forced believers to sacrifice to pagan gods.
One day, Domna read the "Acts of the Apostles" and the Epistles of the Apostle Paul. The content of Christian books interested the girl so much that she decided to learn more about this faith. With the help of a Christian friend, the priestess, along with her servant Indis, secretly came to Bishop Cyril. After being instructed in the basics of Christian teaching, both were baptized.
From that day on, the convert began to help the poor. Through Indis, she distributed her jewelry, and handed over food from the imperial table to those in need. This behavior was noticed by the head of the palace eunuchs. Domna and Indisa were imprisoned and left without food, hoping to force them to renounce the Christian faith. However, both survived, and the suffering did not shake their beliefs.
Domna understood that her religious beliefs in the palace would sooner or later lead to new persecution. Then she pretended to be insane, for which she was removed from the court. The girl settled in a convent run by Abbess Agafia. To help Domna escape from her pursuers, the abbess cut her hair, gave her men's clothes, and let her leave the monastery. For some time, the Christian lived in a cave and ate plants.
Meanwhile, the persecution of Christians in Nicomedia intensified. The imperial authorities were looking for the former priestess, and the soldiers reached the monastery where she had previously been hiding, and ravaged the monastery. The nuns were arrested and harassed.
At this time, one of the most violent episodes of the Nicomedia persecution occurred. According to church legend, during the festive service, the authorities ordered the Christian church to be locked and set on fire, resulting in the deaths of thousands of believers.
After a while, Domna returned to Nicomedia. On the seashore, she met fishermen who pulled out the bodies of three executed Christians with nets. Among the dead was her former servant Indis, with whom she had once been baptized. The hermit helped to bury the martyrs and after the funeral continued to come to their graves.
The emperor was informed that an unknown young man in men's clothes was taking care of the graves of executed Christians. The blast furnace was captured and exposed. She was executed along with the martyr Euthymius.
On September 16, the Orthodox Church honors the memory of another Nicomedia martyr, Vasilissa. She lived a few years later and, according to church tradition, suffered for her faith while still a child.
Vasilissa was nine years old when she was denounced and brought before the ruler of Nicomedia, Alexander. They tried to force the girl to renounce Christ and sacrifice to pagan gods, but she refused, for which she was sentenced to torture.
According to the hagiography, Vasilissa's tormentors threw her into a red-hot furnace, but she came out of the fire unharmed. Then two hungry lions were released on the girl, but the animals did not touch her. Ruler Alexander was so shocked by what he saw that he himself believed in Christ, asked for forgiveness from Vasilissa and was baptized.
Alexander died soon after, and Vasilissa left Nicomedia after that. According to legend, one day outside the city she felt very thirsty, stood on a stone and prayed, after which a spring gushed out from under it. After drinking water, the girl died.
Traditions of the national holiday Domna Dobrorodnaya on September 16
In Russia, the day of veneration of the martyrs Domna and Vasilissa of Nicomedia was popularly called Domna Dobrorodnaya. By the middle of September, the field work was coming to an end, and the peasants began to prepare for the cold season.
Domnin's day was considered a time of great cleaning in Russia. In the morning, the ancestors sorted through things in the hut, sheds and other household premises, got rid of broken utensils and everything that they no longer intended to use. There was a belief that the order put in place on September 16 would help preserve the well-being of the house for the next year.
Completely dilapidated things were thrown away or burned in the garden along with dried potato tops. The only exception was old shoes. Worn-out bast shoes were hung on stakes near the garden, on gates or under the roofs of outbuildings. According to legend, such amulets scared away evil spirits and protected the house, livestock and crops from the evil eye. It was believed that a person with bad intentions, having seen a lot of bast shoes, would start counting them and would no longer be able to harm the owners.
On September 16, the housewives tried to finish the work with flax. The harvested stems had to be processed and stored in time, before dampness and autumn rains spoiled the raw materials. That's why the people said: "Vasilisa is in a hurry with flax."
What not to do on Domna Dobrodnaya holiday
In Russia, Domna Dobrodnaya was associated with a number of superstitions and prohibitions, the main one related to disorder. The ancestors tried not to leave old junk and accumulated garbage in the house after September 16. According to the legend, along with unnecessary things in the home, failures and need linger.
What else you can't do on September 16:
- to quarrel and sort things out with loved ones — the conflict will drag on for a long time.;
- to arrange a wedding or get married — the union concluded on this day will turn out to be fragile;
- Picking up money and other people's belongings found on the road runs the risk of bringing illness, poverty or other people's troubles into the house along with the find.;
- For unmarried girls, looking in the mirror for a long time can lead to a loss of beauty and attractiveness.;
- girls alone go far into the forest — forest scum can confuse the road;
- overeating and having an excessively lavish feast — intemperance will lead to financial difficulties.;
- to deny those in need all possible help — indifference can lead to the fact that soon the person himself will need help.
Folk signs for September 16
At the Dobrorodnaya Blast Furnace, the peasants carefully observed nature, watched the sky and trees in order to understand from the signs what the rest of autumn would be like and how severe the upcoming winter would be.:
- it has been raining since the morning — inclement weather may linger for several days, rain in the afternoon — to prolonged inclement weather and the imminent approach of cold weather;
- There is fog in the morning — the day will be clear and calm.;
- A warm and fine day — autumn will not give way to cold weather for a long time.;
- thunder rumbles on September 16 — autumn is expected to be warm and long;
- sunset has turned red — it will get colder soon and frosts are possible;
- There are a lot of cones on the fir trees — the winter will be relatively warm.;
- there are few mushrooms and berries in the forest — next year may be lean.
Earlier, "Izvestia" told about the signs and strict prohibitions of a special holiday Kupriyanov day.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
