Day of Elijah the Prophet is one of the most revered church holidays, which, in addition, is closely related to the pagan beliefs of the Slavs. In the image of a Christian saint, the ancient god Perun, the master of heavenly fire and lightning, is immortalized. Therefore, Saint Ilya is also often endowed with such skills. According to the biblical canon, Ilya was born in the 9th century BC, he was an ardent follower of the new faith and constantly showed holy miracles to people. For example, by the force of faith, he forced the waters of the Jordan River to part, and he was able to defeat the pagans with heavenly fire - that is, with lightning. But most importantly - it's his prophetic gift, it was Ilya who predicted the coming of the Savior. For his righteousness, the saint was raised to heaven in a chariot of chariots.
Mark Ilyin's day began in ancient Byzantium, then this custom was adopted in Russia, when Prince Vladimir was baptized. Our ancestors have preserved not only the holiday itself, but also numerous signs associated with August 2 - the Ilin day. Some of them concern the weather, some are various superstitions and prohibitions, some make recommendations for workers and family members. To such samples of folk wisdom will not be superfluous to listen, and something even to take into service.
Weather signs for August 2, the day of Elijah the Prophet
Since the holiday was at the very beginning of harvesting and the active period of harvesting hay for livestock, our ancestors paid most attention to signs related to the weather. After all, it directly depended on it, whether it would be very rich, and winter full. Peasants noticed the slightest details of changes in weather conditions and made the corresponding conclusions on their basis.
If it rained on August 2, this was considered a good sign, foreshadowing a plentiful harvest. But the dry land and heat were terrible forerunners of fires, which threatened a complete loss of grain and a hungry winter. This meant that another 6 weeks would be dry weather.
Rain water was diligently collected and used as a medicine on that day. If a person was exposed to rain, he should be happy - he will be healthy all year round.
If the day turned out to be inclement, the peasants listened to the thunder: if it did not exist, it predicted a short rainfall, a dull noise-to be a big shower, a thunder with lightning-it was worth waiting for hail and floods.
Signs and plots for August 2 Ilyin Day related to the house
Ilya was never married, it was believed that the marriage, concluded on that day, would not be happy. But this holiday was successful for those who have already acquired a family. Mistresses read a variety of conspiracies that day, which acted more efficiently at this time. For example, they incited the household to spoil and evil eye, talked to the house of evil people, performed rituals for family well-being . To do this, they walked around the dwelling and asked God for intercession.
Working signs for August 2, the feast of Elijah the Prophet
Ilyin was not supposed to work on the day, otherwise it would be possible to provoke the saint, who burnt the sinners with lightning. Hardly had people come out into the field, as soon as it began to rain with thunder - it was a sign of violation of the ban.
Other interesting signs for the holiday August 2 Ilyin Day
On this day, the cattle were not driven out to pasture, so that demons, hiding from the lightning of Elijah the Prophet, would not settle into it.
On Ilya and after it was impossible to swim in natural reservoirs so as not to get sick - the water became very cold. It was connected with cold dawns, and this, in turn, meant the early arrival of autumn.