The legend claims that a nine-year-old Kazan resident named Matrona (Matryona) for several days in a dream was the Mother of God and insisted that she found on the ashes icon with Her image. And indeed, in the place indicated by the Mother of God, an icon was soon found.
This event was marked as a landmark, and Ivan the Terrible ordered the construction of the Bogoroditsky Monastery on the site of the relic, where an icon was erected, famous for its various miracles.
Since then, it is considered the Heavenly defender of Russia, and on July 21 - an Orthodox holiday, whose signs are associated with agriculture.
It is known that Russia linked all church holidays with pagan customs and traditions, which largely determined the future life of the people.
In the Ancient pre-Christian calendar, this day was called the day of Summer Prokop and was considered the beginning of harvesting.
Signs on Kazan about the weather and the harvest
- The day of finding the Icon of the Kazan Mother of God was not working, and people's signs on the Kazan Mother of God on July 21 asserted that it was after him that the harvest begins.
- On the Smolensk women, going to the first harvest (dinners), took in the field edible: eggs, bread, bacon . To clean up was successful, they sat down to dinner under the first bound sheaf, saying:
"Stand, my sheaf, for a thousand cops!" - Known signs and rituals on Kazan on July 21 in Central Russia. From this day in the forests ripe bilberries, which went to collect a whole village - it was impossible to delay. Rye kept up with her at the same time, and there was enough work for everyone.
- On this day, as a rule, it was raining; people noticed: if it rains in the morning, then it will be finished before lunch, and if in the afternoon, it will go to the next day.
- If it was sunny on Kazan, then a difficult year was expected.
- Signs on July 21 also reported that the sun, immediately replaced by rain - to rainy weather for several more days.