Why not cut your nails and fight on October 10? The signs of Savvatius the Beeper, which judged the winter

In the Orthodox tradition, on October 10, St. Savvatius Solovetsky is remembered - one of the founders of the Solovetsky monastery. The name of the holiday is associated with beekeeping.

By this time, the so-called Bee Nine, the nine-day period of preparing the hives for the cold, was over. Beekeepers sheltered bee houses, transported them to special rooms for wintering and checked the food supplies. It was believed that these concerns depend on how successfully the bees survive the winter and how the honey harvest will be next year.

On October 10, our ancestors tried to figure out what to expect from autumn and winter. For example, thunder on this day was considered a harbinger of a short, mild and snowy winter, and a large number of cones on spruces and pines was associated with severe frosts and heavy snowfalls.

If it rained with snow, we expected a warm January. The first snowfall, according to legend, foreshadowed the establishment of permanent frosts in about 40 days. And if the leaves of the birch had not yet fallen, they believed that autumn would drag on and the cold would come late.

Dry windless weather was associated with the continuation of warm autumn, and the frequent appearance of tits near houses was considered a sign of rapid cooling. These signs belong to folk observations and are not scientific weather forecasts.

Savvaty Beechnik was associated with several household prohibitions. According to legends, on this day should not quarrel and find out the relationship, because the conflict could last for a long time. They were also not advised to conclude transactions and conduct monetary transactions for fear of financial losses.

It was considered undesirable to cut hair and nails - allegedly it could deprive a person of luck and well-being. It was not recommended to go to the forest: according to ancient beliefs, you could get lost. At the same time, the main business of the day for beekeepers remained the care of hives and the preparation of bee families for wintering.

All these prohibitions are based on popular superstitions, not on church precepts.

At Savvatius the Beeper, people asked the saint for the safety of bee families and a good honey harvest next year. The housewives baked honey gingerbread, treated them to households, and gave the crumbs to birds. It was believed that this custom helps to attract wealth into the house. Honey was also shared with neighbors and those in need.

Today Savvatii Beecher remains part of the national calendar, which reminds of ancient economic traditions and observations of nature. The signs of this day can be perceived as a cultural heritage that preserved the ideas of our ancestors about the change of seasons.