One of the most amazing holidays is Ilin Day, August 2. The image of the prophet Elijah can be found even in the Old Testament - the oldest part of the Bible. He was born as the bearer and preacher of the word of God and, for his passion and devotion to the faith, was taken alive to heaven in a fiery chariot. It is with fire that the name of Elijah the Prophet is associated with Orthodox Christians.
However, the holiday associated with water and fire, existed long before the adoption of Christianity. The ancient pagans dedicated this day to Perun , the god of fire and thunderstorms, and after the adoption of Christianity, the traditions of the celebration of this day were associated with the name of Elijah, but the essence of it and the filling of the image of the saint did not change.
It is generally believed that after Ilyin's day you can not swim. This belief has its own, pagan foundation, rooted in ancient times.
What do the traditions say about banning swimming from Il'in's day?
- After August 2, as pagan legends asserted, the entire forest and water spew, hiding Ivan Kupala (July 7) through forests and swamps, again returns to rivers, lakes, ponds.
- Meeting with water and mermaids did not bode well and could end sadly, as it threatened to drown. Therefore, people did not risk, because they knew that on August 2 - Ilyin's day, and why you can not swim from this day.
- It was believed that if you bathe after Ilyin's day, then an angry prophet can kill with lightning. By the way, it was this "behavior", according to myths and legends, that was characteristic of the pagan god Perun. There were no other explanations at that time. These legends and beliefs are so firmly entrenched in the minds of people that even today, when the XXI century is in the yard, many are afraid to enter the water after the day of Elijah the Prophet.
- Not only fears, but also joy accompanied a person on this day. Rains on this day foreshadowed good harvests, and a man caught in the rain, waiting for a long happy life.
- It is noteworthy that the church is rather skeptical about these pagan beliefs, does not understand the history of their appearance, does not approve of such representations and considers them sinful. Therefore, for the ministers of the cult, the question of whether it is possible to swim on the feast day of Ilyin is generally not worth it.
What did science discover?
As for scientific data, they say that there were reasons to refuse bathing after August 2. True, the arguments are very real, and not fabulous.
- Since the pagan Slavs inhabited mainly the territories of modern Central Russia and the North, it is clear that the beginning of August was already quite cool, and the water began to cool sharply, so bathing could result in a severe cold.
- Ilyin (Perunov), in fact, "opened" the autumn with its cold rains and bad weather, so it was no longer before swimming, and if on August 2 it is still possible to swim on Ilya's holiday, then it was better not to do it after it.
- Our ancestors were guided by their agricultural calendar, and after Ilyin the day of cares in the garden, in the garden and in the field was enough - there was no time to sunbathe and swim.
- By this time, all nature pointed to a close autumn: the days were getting shorter, and it took a lot of time to catch up with the light day.
- As we see, the reasons for refusing to swim on this day and in the following period were enough,
but times have changed: the climate has become much warmer, and in August, once cold and rainy, an exceptionally comfortable weather is established, favorable for swimming. - In many territories, August remains quite hot, which means that we have the opportunity to plunge into the gentle sea or river water, splash and breathe clean air. Moreover, by this time the flowering of the water stops, it is cleared of algae and becomes extremely comfortable in terms of temperature. And this means that to the question, on August 2, in Ilyin Day , whether you can swim, the answer follows - you can.