Folk signs for August 9th: what can and cannot be done

In Russia, omens have been given special importance since ancient times. They were used to judge the weather, when to sow and harvest, and what to expect in the future. Therefore, every day of the national calendar was full of rituals and superstitions. Izvestia tells about the popular signs of August 9th and what church holidays are celebrated on this day.

Folk signs for August 9th

In Russia, Panteleimon the Healer's Day was celebrated on August 9. The holiday was closely connected with the completion of the harvest and the beginning of the autumn cycle of field work. It was believed that during this period, summer finally turns to autumn, and nature prepares for the upcoming changes.

The peasants gratefully consecrated the ears of the new crop in the church, after which they were carefully kept in the house as a talisman, hoping for a good harvest next year. On the same day, they began to notice how cabbage heads were curling in the gardens, which gave the holiday another name — Cabbage Patch.

Housewives baked cabbage pies, which they treated to children, beggars and wanderers, believing that generosity and mercy would attract prosperity to the family. It was also customary to collect and dry medicinal herbs on Panteleimon the Healer, since, according to beliefs, it was on August 9 that they gained healing power.

Great importance was attached to weather signs, which helped predict the weather for the rest of summer and autumn. It was believed that if there was abundant morning dew on August 9, then autumn would be warm and fruitful, and the absence of dew promised dry weather until October.

Other signs of the day:

• spiders actively weave their webs — for stable sunny weather;
• ants are hiding in an anthill — it's going to rain soon;
• The ducks are screaming loudly and splashing in the water — in case of bad weather;
• the cabbage has started to curl into a head — autumn will be early and cold;
• there are a lot of acorns on the oaks — the winter will be harsh and snowy.

What not to do on August 9th

On the day of Panteleimon the Healer, there were many beliefs and strict prohibitions, the violation of which, according to our ancestors, threatened misfortune and hardship. For example, it was strictly forbidden to dawdle and do nothing, since idleness could "scare off" luck and promised losses.

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What else can't be done on August 9th:

• Holding a grudge against loved ones leads to protracted illnesses and family discord.;
• counting small change or borrowing money leads to poverty;
• to show indifference to the suffering of others is to lose your own peace of mind.;
• guessing or practicing magic — such actions can bring misfortune.;
• cutting hair and nails can "cut off" vital forces.

What is the church holiday on August 9th?

On August 9 (July 27, Old Style), the Orthodox Church commemorates the Holy Great Martyr Panteleimon the Healer, who is revered as the patron saint of all doctors and the suffering. The saint was born in the 3rd century in Nicomedia (a city on the territory of modern Turkey) in the family of a noble pagan and a Christian.

Having lost his mother early, he received a good education and studied medicine with the famous physician Euphrosyne, becoming such a skilled physician that he attracted the attention of Emperor Maximian and was invited to court.

However, Maximian, known for his brutal persecution of Christians, demanded that Panteleimon renounce his faith. The saint resolutely refused, after which he was subjected to the most severe tortures, and subsequently beheaded with a sword. Today, the relics of the great Martyr are kept in the Russian St. Panteleimon Monastery on Mount Athos.

On the same day, St. Joasaph, Metropolitan of Moscow, who lived in the XVI century, is remembered. He came from a noble family and took vows at the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, where he later became abbot. Being close to Grand Duke Vasily III, he baptized his son, the future tsar Ivan the Terrible, and before his death tonsured the prince himself into monasticism. He also worked on the correction of liturgical books and left behind a rich book heritage.

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Prayers on August 9th

Prayers are addressed to the Holy Great Martyr Panteleimon for healing from serious ailments, both physical and mental, and they also ask for help from doctors and for giving health to their loved ones. They pray to St. Joasaph, asking for the gift of spiritual strength, courage in faith and help in difficult life circumstances.

Prayer to Panteleimon the Healer

"Oh, great servant of Christ, passion-bearer and doctor of many mercies, Panteleimon! Have mercy on me, a sinful slave, hear my groaning and cry, and have mercy on the Heavenly, supreme Physician of our souls and bodies, Christ our God, so that He may grant me healing from my oppressive illness. Accept the unworthy supplication of the most sinful of all men. Visit me with a gracious visitation. Do not abhor my sinful plagues, anoint me with the oil of your mercy and heal me: may I, healthy in soul and body, be able, by the grace of God, to spend the rest of my days in repentance and pleasing God, and be worthy to receive the good end of my life. Oh, God's mercy! Beseech Christ God, that through your intercession He may grant me health to my body and salvation to my soul. Amen to that."

Prayer to St. Joasaph

"O Saint Joasaph of Christ, <... For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are on their prayer, and for this reason we seek refuge in your prayers and ask your intercession for us...> because your love is no longer there. In our sins and diseases, we smoke flax and become like broken canes, and if we live, we live by the grace of God and for His righteous prayers. <...> Beseech the Heavenly Father to deliver us from the invasion of the enemy, from civil strife and popular unrest, from destructive pestilences and deadly plagues, from gladness, fire, flood and other troubles and circumstances. Ask Christ God for strength for our souls and health for our bodies, and healing for our diseases: walking with the lame, sight for the blind, strengthening for the weak, consolation for the sorrowful, and deliverance from all sorrows. <...> May the most honorable and magnificent name of our God, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be glorified by you, now and ever and in all ages. forever and ever. Amen to that."

Earlier, Izvestia reported on the folk and church traditions of the Ermolai Day holiday.