The Day of the Protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary is a great Christian holiday, rooted in the distant past. The Virgin was always considered a woman, a family patron and patroness. Christians, who came to the church that day, asked for mercy and health, help and protection in family affairs and in the upbringing of children. Services were carried out at the church in the church, but he was also dedicated to work.
- October 14 - the middle of autumn, the beginning of "zazimya": according to old beliefs, on this day autumn and winter met. And if this is so, then it was necessary to prepare for the winter. On this day, the walls, doors and windows of the huts were crooked, small repairs were made, and the places of cattle were warmed.
- By this time all field, garden and garden work was over, so this day was often celebrated as a harvest festival that ended the agricultural year.
- The ardent mushroom pickers on the Veil could gather in the forest the last harvest of red-haired and mushrooms.
- October 14, it was decided to heat the stove with apple firewood: it was believed that the apple tree would save the house from winter cold, and no frost would be terrible: it would be warm and cozy in the dwelling.
- On this day the cattle were fed with a "reaping sheaf", which was kept in the house from Il'in's day (August 2): it was believed that such a "treat" would be a sure pledge of the full life of cattle in winter.
- The Feast of Intercession was considered the most successful day for hiring workers and calculating debts.
- On the Protection of the Holy Virgin, weddings were played, and it was believed that the young, whose wedding fell on October 14, will live happily ever after. And the unmarried girls went to church to put a candle in front of the icon of the Virgin: they believed that the one who has time to put the candle in front of the image will marry next year.
And, of course, on the Feast of the Intercession, we noticed what the weather will be like in the coming winter.
Folk features on Pokrova
On October 14, people noticed the state of nature, which was already ready to meet the winter.
- Often on Pokrov, the land was in frost since morning, as if a light veil had been thrown upon it - hence the name of the holiday.
- In the northern territories, snow happened on this day too, although it did not last long. However, it was believed that up to the present snow there were only 40 days left. Snow was a harbinger of early winter. In addition, if October 14 was snow, then November 8 (in Dmitriev day), it also had to be expected.
- If the rain was on the cover of the day, October 14, but suddenly the thunder will also thunder, then the signs claimed that such weather is to a snowless winter.
For the peasant, the presence of snow in winter was the determining condition for a new crop, so the rain on the Protection of the Holy Virgin did not please the villagers. In addition, this weather was a warning that it was dangerous to appear in the forest at this time, since the bear had not yet lain in the lair for wintering. It is clear that the meeting with him did not bode well, so if the cover was cloudy and rain , then the forest tried not to walk at all.
With the holiday of the Intercession there were other signs connected:
- Not fallen to this day leaves from maples and birches were considered as harbingers of severe winter frosts.
- The frost on October 14 foreshadowed a lot of snow in January.
- If on the day of the Protection of the Holy Virgin the cranes flew away, it was believed that the winter would be early and severe.
The people were finishing work on the ground, so signs, if it was raining on the Pokrov, were forced to carry the feast under the roof. From the apple trees, the last fruits were collected, a pile of pancakes baked from the new crop was fed to the table. It was believed that a hearty meal on this day provided a cold life throughout the winter. And in the evening the girls sat down for yarn, sewing and embroidery.
As you can see, a sign that if the cover of October 14 it rains, then this - to a snowless winter, is not the only one: it is full of beliefs, signs about the weather and folk traditions.