The day of veneration of St. Elijah in the Orthodox canon is combined with a national holiday, rooted in paganism and connected with the day of Perun, the supreme deity of the Slavs. He was a warrior-god, master of heavenly fire and lightning, so he was often called Gromovik. Saint Ilya took upon himself part of his functions, in particular it was believed that he could punish sinners, striking them with fiery arrows invested in his hand by the Lord. Great interest in many modern people is evoked by the story of Ilyin's Day, its signs: why you can not swim, work, produce cattle on the fields, etc.
It is noteworthy that this saint is revered not only by Christians, but also by Muslims and Jews. And in all religious traditions, he has similar functions and abilities. Ilya the Prophet first predicted the birth of a savior in the 4th century BC, he was so righteous that the Lord took him to heaven while he was still alive, sending a chariot of fire. In Russia, the feast day of Ilyin came along with the adoption of a new faith from Byzantium. We celebrated it quite widely not only in the framework of church rituals, but also in the most part following folk customs. On the eve of the holiday, the hostess baked a special biscuit, but it was impossible to work directly on that day. In advance, the peasants were preparing for possible thunder and fires: they made water supplies, read special conspiracies and prayers. On Ilin day in the villages it was customary to organize a collective meal - the bratchina, in which only men took part. However, in the evening this event flowed into national festivities with the participation of young people. In some areas, it was customary to arrange skating on threes, almost like Christmas trees.
In addition, in Russia it was believed that after 2 August nature begins to live in the autumn calendar: plants, animals and birds are preparing for winter, the weather becomes colder. But the Greek Christians holiday, on the contrary, coincided with the peak of the heat, so the saint was often asked about the sending down of the rain. There were also popular festivities with obligatory jumps over the fire.
Folk interpretation, why not swim after Ilyin's day?
One of the most common signs of the holiday was a ban on bathing in natural reservoirs. Now it seems to many unnecessary, but our ancestors knew exactly what would happen if you bathe after Ilyin's Day - a serious illness or death from a lightning strike, because such actions can anger the formidable saint. The people came up with several explanations for the emergence of this superstition. First, according to legend, every time a prophet leaves August 2 on his chariot to a heavenly road, one of his horses loses a horseshoe, which, falling into a river or a pond, makes the water cold in it. Secondly, the somewhat ironic version is that "the water is cold, because Ilya wrote in water." Thirdly, peasants believed that on Ilyin day and after it the evil spirits, in particular mermaids, are activated, and those who climb into the water, risk becoming their victim.
Is it possible to bathe after the Ilin of the day Orthodox in terms of the church?
Church canons on popular superstition are extremely negative, considering it a relic of paganism.
Scientific explanation, why not bathe after Ilyin's day?
But scientists are convinced that the people's omen have a rational grain. On the question of whether you can swim after Ilyin's day, the researchers answer in the affirmative. But caution: you can really get sick. After August 2, the dawns become very cold, the water does not have time to warm up, so a person can easily catch a cold.