Signs on Ilyin’s day

Memorial Day of the Old Testament Saint Elijah the Prophet is celebrated at the end of summer. The date of the holiday is fixed – 2 August (July 20, old style). Before Ilyin’s day, summer field work was completed in Our Country, and the holiday itself was considered the first herald of the imminent autumn.

The history of folk signs on Ilyin’s day

Folk signs on Ilyin’s day have distinct pagan roots – special attention is paid to weather phenomena on the holiday: thunderstorms and thunder, which, as they believed, Saint Ilya himself sends to earth to destroy the evil spirits that crawled out of their holes. What actions are welcome on this day, and which ones are unspoken taboo – we tell in our material.

What can be done on Ilyin’s day

• Attend church. On this day, divine liturgies are held in Orthodox churches, as well as a festive procession. Believers, as a rule, tend to take part in these events.
• “Brother”. This word in Our Country was used to call large festive feasts uniting several settlements. They were usually organized by men. The main purpose of such gatherings is to get to know each other, communicate, improve relations with neighboring villages, and demonstrate their good intentions. Today, of course, one cannot organize such a large-scale event on one’s own, but to arrange a noisy (within the limits of decency) feast and invite friends and relatives to it means to show respect for St. Elijah and honor his memory in a worthy way. But to drive away guests on this day was considered a bad omen – whoever was on the doorstep, anyone should have been greeted hospitably and hospitably.
• Collect herbs. There is a ban on working for Ilya, but it does not apply to harvesting herbs. In the early morning, women went to the fields to collect healing plants, which were then to be dried and used as needed throughout the year.
• Ask for family well-being. Ilya is considered not only a heavenly thunderer, but also a patron of fertility. Therefore, girls and women turned to him: some asked for a successful marriage, others for children.

What not to do on Ilyin’s day

• Bathe. This is perhaps the most important and most famous ban associated with the day of St. Elias. In Our Country, they believed that on Ilyin’s day all evil spirits, including underwater ones, come to life. Therefore, walking on Ilyin’s day to a river or lake was considered a bad omen. The ban on swimming, by the way, extended to all days after this holiday. In the northern regions, it was due to the fact that at that time the weather changed, the water cooled down and one could get sick when swimming. In the southern regions, after August 2, the water in the reservoirs began to bloom.
• Let street animals into the house or drive out pets. The righteous wrath of Elijah the Prophet was especially feared by evil spirits. In Ancient Our Country, it was believed that on his day, Saint Elijah throws lightning at evil spirits, which had the imprudence to be in front of him. Therefore, any undead sought to take on the appearance of animals – wild or domestic. In order not to accidentally let demons into their house and thus bring thunder and lightning to their roof, our ancestors did not allow street animals to enter inside, and domestic animals to go outside.
• To fish. It was banned for the reasons described above. First, catching fish meant undesirable proximity to water. Secondly, evil spirits could move into the catch. It was more expensive to eat such a fish, so the fishermen on Ilyin’s day left all the gear at home.
• Work. This ban is typical for many church holidays, but on the day of veneration of Elijah the prophet, it has a special connotation. They believed that the stern and quick-tempered Saint could bring down his anger on the heads of those who did not respect his memory enough and allowed themselves to be distracted by worldly affairs on this day. Our ancestors believed that even one working person could bring trouble and the wrath of Elijah to the whole village.

signs of the weather

On the day of honoring the memory of the “terrible Saint”, thunderstorms and showers were considered natural, but the good weather that day was surprising. We tell you what weather signs exist on Ilyin’s day.

• Deaf thunder on Ilya – to weak rains, sonorous – to heavy showers.
• If you fall into the rain on this day, you will gain health for a year ahead.
• From Ilyin’s day, summer ends: the night becomes long, the water is cold.
• On Ilya, summer is before lunch, and autumn is in the afternoon.
• After this day, the insects stop biting and hibernate.
• Thunder rumbles – Ilya rides on his heavenly chariot.
• There are often “sparrow nights” on Ilya, when the thunderstorm is so strong that the birds lose their bearings, the animals cannot find a place from anxiety, and it is difficult for a person to sleep.

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