Folk signs for March 15th: what can and cannot be done

In Russia, signs and beliefs have always been given special importance. They were used to determine when to start field work, what the weather would be like, and what to expect in the coming months. Therefore, every day of the national calendar was full of rituals and superstitions. Izvestia tells about the signs for March 15, 2026, as well as about the church holidays that fall on this date.

Folk signs for March 15, 2026

In Russia, on this day, the Christian hieromartyr Theodotus, Bishop of Cyrene, who lived in the IV century, was remembered. He was popularly known as Fedot the Wind—Nosed, because strong winds often blew on the holiday, which led to many sayings: Fedot the Wind-Nosed pokes his nose everywhere, Fedot gets angry, and by noon he goes limp, apparently, and his sun is hot.

On the holiday, the peasants were doing household chores. The women were engaged in household chores and prepared seeds for seedlings, while the men replenished stocks of birch bark, from which they then made various utensils. It was believed that the bark of a tree harvested on a holiday would last a long time and would better preserve both heat and cold.

According to popular belief, on this day all underground springs boil and pour out onto the ground, which causes a thaw. If cold weather suddenly set in instead of the expected warming, people said, "Fedot is not the one." In addition, it was believed that a warm wind on this day is a harbinger of a warm summer, and rain is a wet one.

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Other signs of the day:

• Cold wind — the summer will be cold;
• birds are actively chirping — for windy weather;
• a snowstorm or strong wind leads to a late appearance of grass.;
• long icicles — for a lingering spring;
• A sunny afternoon leads to a good harvest of bread.

What not to do on March 15th

The ancestors associated the holiday with many superstitions. For example, it was not recommended to sew things up or sew buttons on that day. According to popular beliefs, otherwise you can "sew" troubles and "sew up" luck. You also shouldn't have made purchases on Fedot, including buying indoor plants and clothes. People believed that flowers would take away the energy of the household, and things would quickly become unusable.

What else can not be done on this day:

• going on a trip — unpredictable weather can make the trip unsafe;
• leaving doors and windows open leads to diseases;
• raising money found on the street leads to conspiracies or damage;
• Picking up other people's things on the road leads to poverty;

What is the church holiday on March 15th?

On this day, the Orthodox Church celebrates the feast of the Holy Martyr Theodotus of Cyrene. He was born in the 3rd century in Galatia, Asia Minor, and was bishop of the city of Kyrenia in Cyprus. During the persecution of Christians by Emperor Licinius, the saint openly preached faith in Jesus Christ, urging pagans to abandon idolatry and turn to the true God. The governor of Cyprus, Savin, ordered Theodotus to be found and brought to trial. Upon learning about this, the bishop himself came to the governor. As a result, the saint was tortured and imprisoned.

Despite the trials, Theodotus did not stop believing in Christ, which influenced other people. Many of the witnesses of his suffering also began to believe in God. Later, Saint Constantine the Great released the bishop. The holy martyr returned to Cyrene and died after two years of service to the church.

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Why are the days of celebration of the main Christian celebration different?

On this day, Orthodox Christians also remember the Icon of the Mother of God, called the "Sovereign." The icon was found on March 15 (new style), 1917 in the village of Kolomenskoye near Moscow. It happened on the day of the abdication of Emperor Nicholas II from the throne.

It is believed that the peasant Evdokia Adrianova from the village of Pererva saw the forgotten image of the Virgin three times in a dream. She heard a voice: "There is a large black icon in the village of Kolomenskoye, you need to take it, make it red, let them pray." Later, an icon of the Mother of God was discovered in the basement of a local church, and then a prayer service was held in the church.

The rumor of the miraculous find quickly spread to other cities, and many people traveled to the village in order to receive help from the shrine. In the following years, the icon was taken to various churches, and on Sundays and holidays it remained in a village near Moscow. Since 1990, the image has been in the church of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God in Kolomenskoye.

Prayers on March 15th

On this day, Orthodox Christians pray to the Martyr Theodotus of Cyrene and the icon of the Mother of God "Derzhavnaya". The martyr is asked to strengthen his faith, to help him gain a firm character and academic success, and to end the feud. Believers pray to the icon of the Mother of God for the welfare of the Fatherland and its protection from external and internal threats, for the preservation of the Orthodox faith, for the protection of home and family, as well as for marriage and birth, the health and well-being of children.

Prayer to the Holy Martyr Theodotus of Cyrene

"Holy Martyr Theodotus, pray to God for us. Your God, O martyr, direct your movements towards Him, so that you may honorfully observe the commandments, be a hierarch, and be enlightened by the blood of torment, most clearly. Holy Martyr Theodotus, pray to God for us. Having lived divinely and piously, having killed the flesh with fasting deeds and a belly reception, fertilizing hierarchs, fulfilling martyrs. Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. May the Holy Spirit enter into your wise heart, from the veil, venerable one, you are right, compassionate, and quiet, and a divine hierarch, martyr, Lord, Theodore. And now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen to that."

Prayer to the icon of the Mother of God "Derzhavnaya"

"O Sovereign Lady, the Most Holy Theotokos, who holds in Her arms the King of Heaven, Who contains the whole universe! We thank You for Your ineffable mercy, for you have been pleased to reveal to us sinners this holy and miraculous icon of Yours in these days. We thank Thee, O Intercessor, for thou hast looked down from Thy holy height upon the children of the Orthodox, and, as the bright sun, cheer our eyes, exhausted with sorrow, with the blissful sight of Thy sovereign image. O Most Blessed Mother of God, Mighty Helper, Strong Intercessor, thanking Thee, with fear and trembling, as a slave of iniquity, we fall down, with tenderness, with contrition of heart, with tears we beseech Thee: engrave into the hearts of all of us the truth, peace and joy of the Holy Spirit: establish in our country silence, prosperity Serene, unfeigned love for each other! With Your omnipotent power, support us, the weak, the faint-hearted, the weak, the despondent, strengthen us, raise us up! May You always keep under Your power, we sing, magnify and glorify You, the Sovereign Protector of the Christian race forever and ever. Amen to that."

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