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Day of Elijah the Prophet: history, signs and traditions of the holiday. So why did the prophet Elijah pee in the water? So why does He still

According to the new style. This is a Christian holiday with pagan roots. However, followers of Judaism also have a special day glorifying the prophet Elijah (Elijah). Muslims also reverence the Messenger of Allah, Ilyas. The prophet Elijah, capable of raising the dead, hid on Mount Carmel from his idolatrous pursuers, he constantly prayed and fasted. The peoples who lived at the foot of the mountain immediately recognized his power over the rain. Even in Old Testament There are references to how, with the help of fervent prayer, he could stop the rain or, conversely, cause it. Thus, this saint was especially revered by peasants, whose welfare depended on the amount of rainfall. The holiday in honor of the mighty elder was first celebrated in Byzantium.

In the era of dual faith, the image of the prophet Elijah was united with the image of the god Perun. That is why he, who appeared much later, was considered formidable and merciless. Perun was the son of Svarog and the defender of the world; among the pagan Slavs he was considered the lord of the thunderstorm. Perun, and then Elijah the prophet, according to legend, rides across the sky in his chariot, striking his enemies with lightning. The thunder that frightens all living things is the sound of his horses' hooves. Evil spirits, hiding from Elijah’s fiery arrows, turn into different animals, so animals should not be allowed into the house on this day. Among the Russian people, Elijah the Prophet absorbed the features of Ilya Muromets: he also sat motionless for 33 years and possessed the rarest strength.

The Slavs begin to prepare for the holiday in advance: the day before they bake special cookies from new flour. The house is cleaned and all shiny surfaces are covered with holiday towels. On this day, people do not drive their livestock out to pasture for fear of lightning. A bowl of grain is left at the gate. It is forbidden to work in the house and in the field for Ilyushechka: he can severely punish you. However, you can work hard in the apiary: they make it from wax church candles. It is believed that after Ilyin's day Summer is coming to an end, so swimming in reservoirs is no longer advisable to avoid catching a cold. There is also a ban on loud quarrels, otherwise you can get struck by lightning. By this day, haymaking is completed and preparations are made for harvesting. Hunters open the hunting season. If it rains on Elijah’s day, the rainwater is collected and stored, as it is considered healing, capable of curing eye diseases and protecting from the evil eye.


The day of the prophet Elijah began to be honored as Orthodox holiday in the 17th century, and a church in his honor was built in Kyiv even before the adoption of Christianity. On this day, it is customary for Orthodox Christians to attend services and pray for a rich harvest and peace in the family. Some bring seeds to church for consecration. Housewives fumigate their homes with incense to protect themselves from lightning strikes for a year. After a hearty meal together, consisting of a freshly slaughtered bull or ram, new potatoes, people go on festivities with songs, round dances and dances. In some areas fairs or religious processions. On Elijah's Day, you need to please the poor with alms or treats.

IN modern Russia the prophet Elijah is considered the patron saint of the Airborne Forces. The image of this fearless prophet, zealously protecting Christian faith, fits perfectly with defenders native land- paratroopers.


Rituals and traditions of celebrating St. Elias Day. But let's start, of course, with the history of the origin of the church holiday of the Prophet Elijah.

History of the Feast of the Prophet Elijah

The tradition of venerating Saint Elijah was borrowed from the Byzantines. A formidable but fair intercessor, a generous patron of cattle breeding and agriculture, the Christian Elijah the Prophet replaced the pagan Perun the Thunderer. It is not for nothing that the day of Elijah the Prophet is also popularly called Thunderbolt, Holder of Thunderstorms, Thunderer, Perun’s Day, Obzhinki, Ilya the Terrible.

According to history, in the 9th century BC in the Jewish city of Thisvah was born. On the eve of his birth, his father had a prophetic dream in which angels fed the child with fire. When Elijah grew up, he began to fight against apostates, those who do not keep the law of God.

People imagined Elijah galloping through the heavens on a fiery chariot, and the peals of thunder were the clatter of the hooves of his four white horses.

On the day of remembrance of the Prophet Elijah, they held a religious procession and prayed for rain or clear weather. On this day, churches hold services in honor of the Prophet Elijah.

In some villages, on Ilyin’s day, August 2, they put out a cup with grains of rye and rice and asked the priest to bless them.


Why you can’t swim after Elijah’s Day

Many people remember from childhood that after today they cannot swim, because, as our grandmothers said, “Ilya peed in the water.” It is believed that after Elijah’s day you can no longer swim in rivers and lakes - on this day summer ends and the turn to autumn begins.

People also said that you should not swim on the day of Elijah, because you could drown.

It was also believed that due to bad weather on Ilyin’s day on August 2, people died while swimming from a lightning strike.

However, the main reason for the ban on swimming after August 2 was that the weather in August is no longer so hot, and after swimming in cold water you can get sick. They said: “Even the stone freezes on Elijah.” It was believed that Ilya brings autumn cold.

What is prohibited to do on August 2

It is believed that on this day no work can be done in the field and around the house, so as not to anger the holy prophet.

In addition, there is a belief that working in the garden on Elijah’s Day can lead to the destruction of the crop. Therefore, believers try to put everything aside and relax on this holiday.

We didn’t catch any fish that day either., since, according to legend, fishermen on this day could become prey to evil spirits.

It was believed that on Elijah's day could possess pets devilry , so they were not allowed into the yard or pasture and were not allowed into the house.

On this day It is forbidden not only to swim, but also to wash. And in general, people tried to stay away from the water. On the other hand, there are also that say that on Elijah you need to wash yourself with rainwater - the rain on Elijah is special: the water was collected and used against the evil eye and diseases.

What can you do on the church holiday of the Prophet Elijah?

On the Day of the Prophet Elijah, it is not prohibited to perform only work related to keeping and caring for bees. You can also prepare wax for candles on this day. It is believed that it is Ilya who does it best, and is charged with special energy that protects from everything bad.

Folk signs on Ilyin's Day

  • From Ilya's day you can't swim - Ilya peed in the water.
  • Since Ilya's day the water has been cold.
  • The man bathes before Ilya, and says goodbye to the river from Ilya.
  • Thunder rumbles - then Elijah rides across the sky in his chariot.
  • Ilya begins the harvest, and ends the summer.
  • You can’t work in the field on Elijah’s day - it will burn you with heavenly fire
  • Before Ilya, the clouds move with the wind, and from Ilya they begin to move against the wind.
  • Before Ilya, the priest will not beg for rain; after Ilya, the woman will catch up with an apron.
  • After Ilyin's day you won't see a horse in the field - that's how dark the nights are.
  • From Ilya's day the night is long: the worker gets enough sleep, and the horses get enough to eat.
  • Since Ilya's day the water has been getting cold.
  • If it rains with thunder on Ilya, he will have a headache.
  • Long and continuous thunder means heaviness in the chest.
  • Anyone who gets caught in the rain on Elijah’s day will be healthy all year.
  • Whoever counts heaps on Ilya will lose all his goods.
  • If a fire happens on Elijah’s day, then milk is poured into the fire before the water so that it does not spread further.
  • From Ilya's Day the night becomes longer.
  • If there is a lot of rain on this day, then there will be few fires this year.
  • It was believed that after August 2, neither mosquitoes nor flies would bite.
  • They said that on Ilya winter fights with summer, and this day was considered a turn towards winter. People began to bake bread from the new harvest.
  • The weather changed a lot on Ilya. So, in the morning it could be hot, and in the afternoon it could be a real rainy autumn.
  • On this day, they listened to the thunder: if it was dull, then expect rain, if it was loud, then there would be rain.
  • You cannot create a day for Elijah - it will burn out.
  • From Ilya's Day it was possible to collect peas.
  • On Ilya's Day, they made spells on seeds so that there would be a rich harvest the next year.
  • There are “sparrow nights” - this is when thunder rumbles at night and the sky lights up with lightning, frightened birds take off sharply and begin to rush about; some birds, hitting the canopies of houses, fall lifelessly to the ground.

Elijah's Day is a holiday dedicated to the memory of the Prophet Elijah, revered by the eastern and southern Slavs, as well as many others Orthodox peoples. There are many things associated with the day of the prophet Elijah interesting traditions and will accept.

Celebrating a holiday August 2 according to the new style. It is connected with the life of the prophet Elijah, who lived before our era. This Old Testament saint was an ardent fighter against paganism and pagan traditions, which were very common at that time. This day is not included in the list of 12 main Christian holidays, but it still has its own special importance.

The story of Ilyin's day

This is, rather, a folk holiday, rather than an Orthodox or church holiday, since back in the 10th century, Elijah’s Day became a replacement for the holiday of God Perun, who controlled the natural elements, lightning and thunder. Saint Elijah helped bring rain, so people began to identify this image of a fictitious god with an archaic saint.

Ilyin’s Day is one of the most revered all-Russian national holidays for the whole year. His Orthodox history simple. God took Elijah to Heaven for his fighting character and inflexibility in matters of faith. There is a belief that the Lord allowed him to come to Paradise alive, and even on a fiery chariot, personifying his passion and zealous service to the Creator.

It is believed that the prophet will have to be present at the second coming of Jesus Christ. His mission will be preaching and the second baptism of the Son of God. This is exactly what Christian sermons say.

That is why this holiday is so important for people - it shows us that the power of God is limitless and existed even in those times when the world was ruled by paganism, chaos and unbelief.

Traditions and rituals on Elijah's Day

According to folk traditions on Elijah's Day, which we wrote about earlier, this holiday was also called Thunderbolt, Carrot, Gromovnik, Ilya the Angry. This day had many names, but now everyone calls it Elijah's Day, since the Russian Orthodox Church fights even the smallest remnants of paganism, which, according to the clergy, are the main enemies of pure faith in God Jesus Christ.

  • Before Elijah's Day, it was always customary to bake cookies when work in the field was completed. This ritual warded off troubles and bad weather.
  • On August 2, people traditionally pray to God for the salvation of their home and for him to have mercy on them and protect them from bad weather.
  • Since ancient times, it was believed that any work on Elijah’s day only brings trouble. You shouldn’t expect any results from it, so all people relax on this national holiday.
  • Games, round dances and dances, as well as fun and good mood- these are the main attributes of Ilyin’s day. Everyone should have fun and share treats. This is a kind of collective ritual.
  • From the very beginning of the association of Elijah's day with pagan origins, it was believed that this holiday represents the end of summer period. According to folk superstitions, on Elijah’s Day, animals change their behavior, the water in reservoirs begins to bloom and become colder. In Rus' they even said: “We live in summer until lunch, and after lunch autumn comes.”
  • Strong lightning and thunder on Elijah's Day indicate that the winter will be snowy and cold.
  • The Prophet Elijah is a person who is identified with rage towards evil spirits. That is why people have long believed that all evil spirits are hidden when Elijah descends from heaven to illuminate the heavens with the light of lightning.

Each of us must honor these traditions and signs, as they are the result of observations of dozens of generations of people. This is the greatest holiday, which is designed to say goodbye to summer time and prepare for autumn with fresh strength.

On this day in Orthodoxy it is customary to read prayers for protection. One of these is the “I Believe” prayer. Read it before going to bed to save yourself and your loved ones from troubles - both natural and spiritual. Good luck and don't forget to press the buttons and

02.08.2016 03:00

On August 2, Rus' traditionally celebrated the day of the Holy Prophet Elijah. Find out which folk signs connected...

Holiday dedicated to biblical prophet Ilie, or Elijah's day, is celebrated on August 2. Sincere piety and zeal for the faith magnified the prophet and his holy deeds. It was he who tried to reason with words and deeds and prove to the wicked king Ahab the power of God. It is his name that is associated with many miracles, which were not only a sign of true worship of God, but were also called upon to punish sinners. For such righteousness and devotion to God, Elijah was taken alive to Heaven, but, according to legend, he must appear as the Forerunner of the Second Coming of Jesus.

The Slavs consider Ilya the lord of rain and thunder, turn to him in prayer during droughts, and also pray to him for harvests and fertility. On Elijah's day it was not allowed to work, especially in the field. It was customary to bake the first bread from the flour of the new harvest and perform religious processions.

On the day of Elijah the prophet to you
I wish you happiness.
Let fate not prophesy
Troubles and bad weather.

Let only good forecasts
They will be in your life.
May there be health in the body,
Your house is full.

I wish you on Ilyin's day
Good luck and health,
There are many reasons for happiness
Let your heart be filled with love!

I wish Ilya to keep
You from sorrows, troubles and evil!
So that only peace reigns in the soul,
I want to wish you warmth!

May today Elijah the Prophet give you and your family blessings, good luck, protect your home and protect you from bad misfortune! We wish peace of mind, true friends! Let work always be a joy!

On the holiday, on the Day of Elijah the Prophet,
I wish earthly blessings,
Peace, joy, prosperity,
Thoughts only of the young.

On this day all wishes
They will come true, you know for sure.
Send a huge message of goodness,
Never be discouraged.

Elijah was a holy prophet
In prayer, I asked God for rain,
The predecessor was Christ,
He became a great prophet.

I wish you happiness and goodness,
Love, warmth in hearts and peace,
May God's Word always be with you
It bore fruit in life.

Fruit of the Spirit: joy, peace, love,
Long-suffering and kindness.
Let faith fill you,
Righteousness and Holiness!

August illuminates with light,
Driving the shadow away from my soul,
Fills her with light
Bright holiday - Elijah's Day!

Let me congratulate you,
And say a few words
Leave bright joy
For many years to come!

Just be happy, kind,
Conquer any vice
Be beautiful, strong and persistent,
Like the great Elijah the prophet!

Shish kebab, cognac, martini,
This is what we will be on the day of Elijah,
They say it's a sin to swim
Maybe it's not for everyone...

We'll take a chance to swim
Let's pour cognac into the bath
And we’ll dilute everything with champagne,
And then we'll add absinthe...

In general, so that on the day of Elijah
Everyone was able to swim.
Some are happy, some are in vodka,
This is what I wish for everyone clearly.

May Ilya’s day drive away sadness -
May he bring us joy,
Let the rain wash away all the sadness,
And all troubles will be driven away,
I congratulate you from the bottom of my heart,
May all your days be good
They will bring health and happiness,
The path of life will be merry,
And on this holiday put it off
Things to do just from the heart
It's wonderful to relax, forgetting
Anxiety, joyfully opening
Heart towards kindness,
May you be lucky everywhere
I congratulate you, may he keep it
God bless you!

Ilyin's Day and autumn are on the doorstep.
And it’s fresh in the morning.
Don't forget about faith and God,
I wish you a good life today!

Let Ilya destroy all evil spirits,
He will send his thunderstorm on her.
And he will increase goodness for you,
It will save you from worries and worries!

Ilya's day has come, which means
With that I greet you!
I sincerely wish you happiness and good luck,
And, of course, the dream came true.

May luck follow you
Let the positive embrace you.
Let doubts go away,
Well, creativity will be nearby.

In 2017, as well as every year, the Orthodox Church celebrates Elijah’s Day on August 2 (July 20, old style), the day when the fiery chariot carried the living prophet Elijah to heaven.

Holy Prophet Elijah, known since the times of the wicked Israelite kings Ahab (9 centuries before the birth of Christ) and Ahaziah, a zealot of faith in the true God, a strict ascetic, a preacher of the truth of God and marvelous with his miracles, enjoyed the greatest respect at all times.

Already the prophet’s contemporaries, clearly seeing the grace of God in him, called him “the man of God,” in whose mouth the word of the Lord is true (1 Kings 17:24). As a sign of special reverence for the prophet Elijah, they threw themselves to the ground before him (3 Kings 18:7; 4 Kings 1:13) and recognized the great grace of the Holy Spirit living and acting in him.

Jesus the son of Sirach, with special praise and in detail, mentions the life and miracles of Saint Elijah (48:1 - 14). During the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ, the Jews, having in mind His miracles, considered the Savior to be the prophet Elijah (Matthew 16:14). The veneration of this great prophet of God continues in the Christian Church from the times of the apostles to the present day.

Elijah's Day in folk tradition

It is deeply significant that Elijah the Prophet, the first of the Christian saints, became the patron saint of baptized Kievites and even before Vladimir had a temple in Kyiv, a hotbed of the future religion. The thunder-bearer of Christianity fights the thunder-bearer Perun and defeats him, as he once defeated Baal.Amphiteatrov A.V. The Holy Prophet Elijah is also great in the imagination of the Russian people. After St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, no saint in Rus' enjoys such great and general veneration as St. Prophet Elijah.

Many temples were built in his honor and, even before the baptism of Rus', under the holy Prince Vladimir, there was a temple in the name of this prophet of God.

Myasoedov G. Prayer service during drought (1880)

Since ancient times in Russia, on the feast of St. Elijah, in many places religious processions and prayer services are held across the fields to sanctify them and to propitiate the Lord with the prayers of the great man of God, who, during his life, constantly walked with the power of his preaching and miracles.

Rituals, beliefs

Events from the life of the prophet Elijah: the confinement of heaven, the bringing down of rain and heavenly fire, which scorched his sacrifice on Carmel and twice exterminated the warriors of King Ahaziah, who sent them to take Elijah, and finally, the taking of Elijah to heaven on a chariot of fire - gave rise to the popular idea that St. . Ilya still controls thunder and lightning, that by his will there are beneficial rains and dews, torrential rains and great floods, as well as lack of rain and drought.

The Holy Church, in times of rainlessness and calm, believing that the prayers of the prophet Elijah can now close and open the sky, calls on the Lord God, may He have mercy on us through the intercession of the holy prophet of God Elijah: “Elijah keeps rain on the earth with a word, and brings it down from heaven with a word; With the same prayers we pray to Thee, O Lord, with those prayers, O Generous One, to send rains of water from heaven.”(item 4 channel afterbirth, during no rain)

Ilya holds thunderstorms

"Ilya keeps the thunderstorms", - speaks folk saying. He appears to be a lightning and cloud-bearing thunderer who rides across the sky “on his sooty horse in all four directions”, - as they say in one of folk conspiracies. Another plot for protection against gun wounds says: “on the sea on the ocean, and on the island on Buyan, Elijah the prophet drives thunder and great rain in a chariot”.

In ancient popular prints, the prophet Elijah is sometimes depicted on a chariot with wheels of fire, which is surrounded on all sides by flames and clouds and harnessed by four winged horses. The horses are controlled by an angel, and Ilya himself holds a sword in his hand. In many places there was a belief that Elijah's day almost never happens without rain and thunder.

Saint Elijah the winner of evil spirits

According to popular belief, St. Ilya is not only the lord of thunderstorms, but also the conqueror of evil spirits. According to the people, in the hands of the prophet Elijah is the lightning with which the ancient pagan Slavic deity Perun tore apart the gloomy thunderclouds above the earth.

Korolkov V. Nechistiki. “Ilya throws lightning bolts like arrows, chasing after evil spirits»

Ilya throws lightning like arrows, chasing on the ground after evil spirits (the devil, a snake), which tries to hide from his strikes in animals, trees, and buildings. Because of this, a tree, when lightning strikes it, splits into chips, buildings get fired up fire. Zigzags of lightning were explained in Little Russia by the fact that the unclean, seeing the arrow, rush in different directions, and it, in pursuit of them, changes direction.

In view of the fact that, according to the view of the people, human illnesses came from evil spirits, which either directly send the disease to them, or more often through their tools - healers, sorcerers, the people called upon, among other saints, to protect themselves from the disaster of harmful evil spirits, and the prophet Elijah.

So, in one of the conspiracies, the speaker said: “I pray to you, holy prophet of God Elijah, send thirty angels in a gold-plated dress with bows and arrows, and entwine and shoot from the slave (such and such) lessons and ghosts, tributaries and pinches, aches and wind-borne ulcers.”.

Fires caused by lightning are extinguished with milk, not water.

Recognizing the prophet Elijah as the master of thunder and lightning, the Russian commoner considered fires caused by a lightning strike to be a punishment sent by this prophet. To extinguish such fires means to go against the will of the great prophet of God and thereby incur even greater wrath from him.

Such fires can be extinguished, or at least limited, only with milk or whey, but not with water. However, lightning was not counted everywhere punitive arrow of the prophet Elijah.

Nikolai Matveev Fire 1891 “On Elijah’s day somewhere catches fire due to a thunderstorm”

According to the ideas of the peasants of the Kharkov province, lightning is sparks from the horseshoes of fiery horses rushing with a thundering chariot across the sky, and the thunder itself comes from the noise, the rumble of wheels while Ilya rides a fiery chariot. So, during the thunder, in some provinces of Russia they said: "Ilya the Great is buzzing".

  • Ascension with rain, Ilya with thunderstorm;
  • On Elijah's Day, somewhere it lights up due to a thunderstorm;
  • Elijah Friday without rain - many fires

Elijah is the patron of the fertility of the earth. Conspiracies and rituals

According to the biblical legend that the prophet Elijah, as a punishment for the Israelis for their wickedness, closed the sky for several years and then brought down rain through prayer, equally multiplied flour and oil from the poor Sarepta widow for receiving and maintaining him, the people believed that Elijah guides the beneficial sides of the thunderstorm are for the fields of kind and merciful people, and the harmful ones are for the fields of the hard-hearted and evil.

At its own discretion, it brings down to the earth - where it is beneficial rain, and where it is harmful, hail or storms. According to the people, God commanded the prophet Elijah: “When you ride in a chariot, spare the fields of those who distribute bread to the poor in full measure, and those who are greedy, measure and do not know mercy, destroy their fields.”.

Hence Saint Elijah was recognized as the patron saint of the fertility of the earth in general, and therefore they gave him the name “merciful”, “endowing”, and New Year lamented: “Ilya walks around wearing a whip (lash) of life; Wherever it spreads, life grows there.”. And in some places, peasants placed a cup with grains of rye and oats on the gates of their houses and then asked the priest “to magnify Elijah - for the fertility of bread”.

Myasoedov G. Time of Passion. Mowers. 1887

By Elijah's Day, bread usually ripens, and this holiday is considered the beginning of the harvest. “Prophet Elijah ends the summer and reaps the harvest”, - said the peasants. “Elijah the Prophet Counts the Heaps in the Field”, i.e. by Ilyin’s day it is possible to more accurately determine the amount of harvest.

In some provinces of Russia, during the harvest season, which begins on July 20 (August 2), a bunch of rye tied in a knot was left on the root in honor of the fruit-bearer, Elijah the Prophet. It was called "Tie Ilya's beard". “Here’s a beard for you, Ilya, for the summer, give us some rye and oats.”.

Where the bread had ripened earlier, there, on Elijah’s day, new bread was made, that is, bread from new rye:

  • Peter (June 29) with a spikelet, and Ilya with a kolobok;
  • To know a woman by her outfit, that on Elijah’s day she has a pie;
  • The man has that renewal for Elijah’s day that he is fed up with the new product;
  • The Ilyinsky boys are as happy as new bread.

In the Tula province, peasants brought bread baked from new rye to church on Elijah’s day for consecration and then “ate of the newness,” and made a new bed from straw; hence the saying: “Ilyinsky straw - village feather duster”.

Signs

Ilyin's Day is popularly considered the last real summer day, because, according to observations, from this day the temperature begins to drop. “It’s summer before noon for Ilya,- the peasants said, - and in the afternoon it’s autumn”. “Ilya will come and bring rot”, that is, rains, which naturally increase due to the fact that the intense heat that occurs at the end of June and beginning of July contributes to the development of a large mass of air electricity.

  • Before Ilyin’s day it dries under the bush, but after Ilyin’s day it doesn’t even dry on the bush;
  • Before Ilyin’s day the clouds move with the wind, after Ilyin’s day they go against it;
  • On Elijah’s day even the stone vegetates;
  • If it’s dry on Ilya’s day, it will be dry for 6 weeks;

Noticing these phenomena, the peasants tried, if possible, to remove hay from the fields before Ilyin's holiday. "Until Ilyin's day- they said, - sweep away the hay - put a pound of honey in it, and after Elijah's day - a pound of manure".

According to legend, Saint Elijah loves and spares bees and will never strike a hive with lightning. Beekeepers trim the first honeycombs on Elijah’s Day, which explains the popular saying: “rich as Ilyinsky honeycomb”. But if this honeycomb is full, and fragrant, and sweet, then the peasants notice about the Ilyinsky swarm that it is already "not self-interest", i.e., as autumn approaches, young bees do not have time to stock up on food for the winter.

Autumn time is indeed approaching. Signs of this time are that the nights are becoming darker and longer, and the water in rivers and lakes is colder.

  • Peter and Paul shortened the day by an hour, and Ilya dragged away two hours;
  • From Ilyin's day,- people say, - The worker has two things to please: the night is long and the water is cold.

Bathing ban

“Before Ilya’s Day, a man bathes, and on Ilya’s Day he says goodbye to the river.”, because, according to the belief of some peasants:

  • Elijah the prophet dropped a cold pebble into the water;
  • Elijah the prophet threw ice into the water;
  • Ilya's day - the deer dipped his leg (or “wet his hoof”).

Others attributed the reason for the cooling of the water to Ilya’s “opening of the springs” (he opened the springs). In addition to the fact that the water becomes cold after Elijah’s Day, evil spirits frolic in it, so a baptized person after Elijah’s Day should not enter polluted bodies of water.

They also said that “a deer pissed into the water” or “Ilya peed in the river,” so the water is spoiled and you can’t swim. Anyone who violates the prohibition may, if not drown, then get sick or suffer from evil spirits.

In the Tambov province there was no swimming after the Bath (Ilya’s Day) - the water blooms green(S. Yu. Dubrovina. Matveevka tamb.). But on Elijah’s day, a ritual of pouring water was carried out "douches", characteristic only for the Tambov region. Everyone doused each other with water from buckets so that there would be health, rain and harvest next year.

Korolkov V. Gromovnik Perun

There is no need to say much that many popular views on the prophet Ilya remained among the Russian people from the pagan period, when our ancestors - the Slavs worshiped Perun - the god of thunder, with whom they identified the prophet of God Ilya in Christianity.

Servants Orthodox Church, even in very distant times from us (in the 15th century), repeatedly pointed out in their teachings the pagan origin of popular ideas and beliefs about the prophet Elijah, but the people, apparently, have not yet renounced the views and traditions of their ancestors and continue to preserve and love express them, although this is now done unconsciously, without thinking about the pagan deity - Perun.

Literature:

“Russian pilgrim”

Dubrovina S. Yu. Composition and systemic adaptation of the vocabulary of Orthodoxy in Russians
dialects (based on Tambov dialects)
Madlevskaya E., Russian mythology. Encyclopedia
Amphitheaters A.V. They were fabulous. Old in new

 


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