A special national holiday on August 4 is Maria Yagodnitsa: history, traditions, omens

Every year on August 4, Orthodox believers honor the memory of St. Mary Magdalene, Equal-to-the-Apostles, one of the myrrh-bearing wives and the first evangelist of the Resurrection of Christ. In the national calendar, the date is known as Maria Yagodnitsa, Mary's good day, or Marya — heavy dew. In 2026, the holiday falls on a Tuesday. Read about its history, traditions, strict prohibitions and weather signs in the Izvestia article.

Maria Yagodnitsa — 2026: the history of the holiday

Mary Magdalene was born in the 1st century in Magdala, a Galilean city on the western shore of Lake Gennesaret, between Capernaum and Tiberias. Her nickname came from her place of birth. Galilee occupied a special place in the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ. Here He preached for a long time, performed miracles, and called many disciples. The apostles Peter, Andrew, James, and John came from these places, and after the Resurrection, the Savior reappeared to His followers in Galilee.

There is almost no reliable information about Mary's childhood, family, and life before meeting Christ. The Evangelists mention her only in a few episodes, but each of them is associated with the most important events of the New Testament. The Gospel of Luke tells us that Jesus cast out seven demons from Mary. The texts do not explain what exactly was behind this expression — a serious illness or mental disorder.

Having learned about the preaching and healing of Christ, Mary came to Him for help and was delivered from the disease that tormented her. After that, her life completely changed. After her baptism, she joined the disciples of the Savior, accompanied Him during His travels in Galilee and Judea, and together with other women took care of the apostolic community. The Evangelist Luke writes that Mary, Joanna, Susanna and their companions served Christ with "their possessions" — they spent their own funds on food, lodging and other daily needs of the preachers.

The idea of Mary Magdalene as a repentant harlot appeared later and is not based on direct evidence from the New Testament. There is not a single indication in it that she was engaged in fornication or led a dissolute life before her healing. The Orthodox Church distinguishes Mary Magdalene from the nameless sinner who, in the house of the Pharisee Simon, washed the feet of Christ with tears and anointed them with myrrh, as well as from Mary of Bethany, the sisters of Lazarus and Martha.

The Catholic Church interpreted her image differently. In the Western Christian tradition, Mary Magdalene has been identified for centuries with these two evangelical women — the repentant sinner and Mary of Bethany. This gave rise to the image of a harlot familiar to European art, who left a vicious life and came to faith. He became widely known in sermons, medieval lives, literature, and paintings, although there is no reliable historical evidence for such a biography. Modern Catholic liturgy considers Mary of Magdala primarily as a disciple of Christ and the first witness of His Resurrection.

Mary did not abandon the Savior even after His arrest. She was on Golgotha during the crucifixion, when many of the disciples fled for fear of persecution. Evangelicals name her among the women who followed the sufferings of Christ on the cross. The Gospel of John places Mary Magdalene next to the Cross, along with the Virgin Mary and Mary Cleopas.

After Jesus' death, she was present at the burial. Mary saw how the Savior's body was placed in a tomb carved into the rock and the entrance was covered with a large stone. Observing the Sabbath rest, the women could not immediately complete the funeral rite, so they prepared incense and waited for the first day of the week.

Before dawn, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb to anoint the body of Christ with myrrh— an aromatic oil. That is why she is called the myrrh-bearing wife. She found a fallen stone at the entrance, but there was no body of the Savior inside. Mary hurried to inform the apostles Peter and John about this, and then returned to the tomb.

According to the Gospel of John, the weeping Mary first saw two angels, and then the risen Christ, but did not immediately recognize Him and mistook Him for a gardener. It was only when the Savior called her by name that she realized who was standing in front of her. Christ instructed Mary to go to the disciples and tell them about the Resurrection. She obeyed the command and was the first to bring this message to the apostles. For her subsequent preaching service, she received the title of equal-to-the-Apostles.

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The further biography of the saint is known mainly from church tradition. After Christ's Ascension, Mary began to preach His teachings outside of Judea. It is believed that she reached Rome and appeared before Emperor Tiberius, to whom she told about the crucifixion and Resurrection of the Savior. As a gift to the ruler, Maria brought an egg, an affordable offering, with which it was customary to come to a high—ranking person.

Legend connects this meeting with the custom of coloring Easter eggs red. According to one version, Mary immediately presented the emperor with a red egg with the words "Christ is risen!". In a later retelling, the offering was of the usual color. But Tiberius doubted her story and declared that the resurrection of the dead was as impossible as the transformation of a white egg into a red one, after which it changed color before his eyes.

According to the Eastern church tradition, Mary Magdalene spent her last years in Ephesus, a major city in Asia Minor. The Apostle John the Theologian lived and preached there. It is believed that the saint helped him in evangelism, and her account of her encounter with the risen Christ was reflected in the Gospel of John in particular detail. Mary died there in Ephesus and was buried.

At the end of the 9th century, during the reign of the Byzantine Emperor Leo VI the Wise, the relics of the saint were solemnly transferred from Ephesus to Constantinople and placed in the monastery of St. Lazarus. Their fate has not been precisely determined. After the Crusades and the plundering of the Byzantine capital, parts of the shrine ended up in various Christian churches and monasteries in Europe, the Middle East and Mount Athos.

The Orthodox Church honors Equal-to-the-Apostles Mary Magdalene on July 22 according to the Julian calendar, which corresponds to August 4 according to the modern calendar. She is remembered separately in the Week of the Holy Myrrh-bearing Women after Easter.

Traditions of the national holiday celebrated in Russia on August 4

In Russia, blueberries, currants, raspberries and other berries ripened by August 4, so the people called the day of veneration of the saint Mary Berry, or Sweet. During this period, heavy dew fell in the mornings, hence another name for the holiday — "Mary — heavy dew."

In the morning, believers went to church for worship or turned to Mary Magdalene with home prayer. The saint was especially revered by women, considering her to be a heavenly intercessor capable of protecting against serious illnesses, demonic obsessions and evil thoughts, as well as protecting the family from quarrels and disintegration. They asked her for health, peace of mind, peace between spouses and well-being in the house. The unmarried girls prayed for beauty, good disposition and a happy family fate.

After the church service, women, girls and children went to the forest to pick berries. Some of the harvest was served fresh, the rest was dried, boiled with honey or sugar, and used to make fillings and drinks. The housewives tried to recycle the harvested immediately so that the fruits would not spoil in the summer heat. The main treat of the day was pies with berry filling.

They tried to postpone the field work on August 4. The peasants did not go out to reap bread, mow grass, or do other things outside the courtyard, as, according to popular belief, Mary Magdalene could get angry at those who worked on her memorial day and strike the intruder with lightning. The ban was especially strictly observed during thunderstorms.

At the same time, household chores were not forbidden on the holiday. On August 4, women cooked, made preparations, cleaned houses, and swept cobwebs from frames and window sills with a broom. For this purpose, a birch broom was often used — ordinary or preserved after Trinity, which, according to legend, helped to cleanse the dwelling of evil spirits, bad thoughts and previous failures.

Then the windows were washed, the curtains were removed and sent to the laundry, so that the "Mary's light" — the sun's rays, which were attributed a special power on this day, could freely penetrate into the rooms. It was believed that peace, prosperity and family well-being entered the house with them.

Also on August 4, the girls collected morning dew in clean silver dishes and washed their faces with it, hoping to keep their complexions fresh. At the same time, such moisture was considered dangerous for the farm, the peasants were afraid that it would spoil the flax, and the cattle would get sick after grazing on the wet grass.

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What not to do on the holiday of Maria Yagodnitsa

In Russia, Maria Yagodnitsa was associated with a number of superstitions and prohibitions, the violation of which, according to beliefs, could deprive a person of health, and the economy of prosperity. On this day, it was forbidden to work hard in the field, especially during rain and thunderstorms. The peasants associated the bad weather with punishment for disrespecting the memory of the saint and believed that lightning could overtake the violator, and the crops would suffer from hail.

What else is forbidden to do on August 4th:

• drive the cattle out onto the dew—covered grass — cows can get sick, and milk can spoil.;
• Leaving flax under heavy morning dew will cause the fiber to turn gray, weak, and lose its value.;
• quarreling and swearing with loved ones — according to beliefs, the conflict will escalate into a long family quarrel.;
• making noisy scandals and making fun of others — negativity can attract trouble into the house.

Folk signs for August 4th

On Maria Yagodnitsa, the peasants carefully observed nature, watched the fog, thunderclouds, dew and the behavior of frogs. These signs were used to determine what the weather would be like in the coming days, and whether to expect a good harvest.

• a thunderstorm on August 4 leads to a rich harvest of bread and a large supply of hay;
• thunder rumbles for a long time and almost without a break — hail may pass soon;
• fog at dawn — the day will be warm and clear;
• The frogs remain in the water — rain is not expected in the near future, they have come ashore and are croaking loudly — to prolonged dampness.;
• There was especially a lot of dew in the morning — flax can grow gray and produce low-quality fiber.

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