A special holiday on October 29 is Longinus the Centurion: history, traditions, omens

Every year on October 29, Orthodox believers honor the memory of the Holy Martyr Longinus, a Roman soldier who guarded the place of Christ's crucifixion and witnessed His resurrection. In the national calendar, the date was named Longinus Centurion. In 2025, it falls on a Wednesday. Read about the history of the holiday, its traditions, prohibitions and omens in the Izvestia article.

Longinus the Centurion – 2025: the history of the holiday

Longinus was born in Cappadocia in the 1st century. According to legend, he was a Roman centurion officer commanding a detachment of one hundred soldiers (hence the name of the holiday — Longinus the Centurion). On the day of the Savior's execution, he was among those who guarded the place of the crucifixion, and later the Holy Sepulchre.

It is believed that it was he who pierced the rib of the already dead Jesus with a spear, after which blood and water flowed from the Savior's wound. This episode is mentioned in the Gospel of John and, according to theologians, has a symbolic meaning — as an act of involuntary participation in the sacrament of atonement.

Tradition also claims that the splashed blood of Jesus got into Longinus' eyes, healing him of cataracts. This moment was a turning point for the warrior — a physical epiphany was accompanied by a spiritual awakening. The centurion not only believed, becoming one of the first pagans to confess Christ, but became a preacher of the Resurrection and began to openly testify about the miracle. He left military service, was baptized by the apostles, and together with two companions went to his native Cappadocia as a missionary.

Soon, the authorities accused Longinus of rebellion and propaganda of "another tsar." At the instigation of the elders of Jerusalem and with the consent of Pontius Pilate, a detachment of soldiers was sent to Cappadocia with orders to kill the saint. He learned in advance about the arrival of the executioners, met the soldiers himself, fed them and, without revealing his name, listened to the purpose of their visit.

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The next morning, he voluntarily revealed the truth and insisted on carrying out the order, stating that he wanted to appear before the Lord as soon as possible. He and two friends were executed. By Pilate's order, his head was thrown over the city wall of Jerusalem.

After a while, a blind woman arrived in the city from Cappadocia. She suffered from an eye disease and hoped for a miracle. Saint Longinus appeared to her and pointed out where to look for his head. Trusting in her vision, she found the saint's skull, and touching it, she regained her sight. Since then, the martyr has been revered by believers as a healer of eye ailments.

Today, the relics of Longinus are revered in Rome, in the church of St. Augustine, and in St. Peter's Cathedral in the Vatican, the legendary tip of his spear, known as the Spear of Fate, is kept — one of the greatest Christian relics, surrounded by many legends.

Traditions of the national holiday celebrated in Russia on October 29

In Russia, the saint was considered the guardian of the border between light and darkness, able to ward off evil spirits, break evil spells and protect homes from filth. Therefore, another name for the holiday is Login Gatekeeper.

In the folk tradition, on October 29, sunlight was endowed with a special power. It was believed that on this day he brings healing. Therefore, from the very morning, the peasants tried to leave the house in order to nourish the body with life-giving energy that strengthens health and protects against ailments.

The housewives also brought warm clothes out into the sun, believing that they would absorb the power of light and warm not only physically, but also spiritually throughout the long winter.

Special attention was paid to the eyes, because Saint Longinus was revered by his ancestors as a heavenly healer of vision. Morning washing with cold spring or well water was accompanied by prayers for health, clarity of vision and inner vision, the ability to distinguish between good and evil, and make the right decisions.

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Not only the sick prayed to the Saint, but also hunters, they asked him for a good look and a good prey. It was believed that Longinus bestows sharpness of the eyes and directs good luck in the forest.

On October 29, special rituals were held to protect the courtyard — branches of thorny shrubs were inserted along the perimeter of the fence or directly between its poles: thorn, hawthorn, juniper. It was believed that such natural "guardians" would not allow evil spirits to enter the house and disturb the peace of the family.

In some regions, lamps were lit near the entrance doors on this day, also to protect the house from evil spirits.

What not to do on the feast of Longinus the Centurion

The day of Longinus the Centurion was popularly called the "gate of autumn", when the boundaries between the worlds thin out. That is why special attention was paid to protecting against dark forces and observing strict prohibitions. Gates, doors and windows should not be left open on a holiday, as there was a danger of letting evil spirits into the dwelling.

What else you can't do on October 29th:

• Staying in the house all day means that those who do not go out into the sun on the day of Longinus the Centurion will deprive themselves of its healing light and protection.;
• Doing things that require visual strain (reading small text, sewing, working at a loom) can ruin your eyes.;
• shouting and swearing, especially at relatives — a word spoken in anger on this day is especially destructive and can lead to trouble.;
• to indulge in despondency, complain about fate or cause pity — sadness for Longinus can drag a person into the "dark waters" of misfortune and troubles.

Folk signs for October 29

On Longinus Centurion, peasants closely monitored nature to determine what weather to expect in the coming months.

• wind from the southwest leads to prolonged rains;
• heavy clouds — for bad weather soon;
• hoarfrost on plants in the morning — to a rapid warming and clear weather;
• A clear morning and a quiet day will lead to a mild winter without severe frosts.;
• The sun disappeared behind gray clouds by noon — November will be snowy.

Earlier, Izvestia told about the history, traditions and signs of a special national holiday Paraskeva Gryaznukha.