18 July is celebrated folk festival – Afanasiev day. This day is also called Months holiday.
This holiday honors the memory of St Athanasius the Athonite, born in Trabzon and quite early left an orphan. He was raised by a nun, and Athanasius was so in love with her that he sought to imitate.
This was especially true of monastic life, prayers, posts. He took a vow of silence and settled in a cell near the monastery. The hermit often had to struggle with the demons that tried to stir in him a feeling of hatred to the world.
Once Athanasius had doubts in faith, but decided one year to endure and then to submit to his fate. Suddenly on the last day of term the sky has shed a bright light, and sinful thoughts of Athanasius dispersed. After that, his cell began to come pilgrims, who wanted to appeal to the friar for help or advice. The legend says that Athanasius appeared several times even by Mary herself.
To Athanasius, celebrated Months holiday and performed rites connected with this heavenly body. It was believed that the month celebrates his birthday 18 July. If in the evening of that day, the moon “plays”, and rush from place to place, or change its color and hiding behind clouds, you have to wait for a good harvest. If the moon shines clear, the autumn will be dry and warm.
Signs on Afanasiev day:
- if the moon is visible in the sky, we can expect a good harvest;
- if the sky is yellow the clouds that rain on its way;
- if the moon appears to be vague and large, that soon the weather will worsen;
- if the moon is white and shiny, it will be cold, but no rain;
- if the moon is greenish, soon you can expect rain.
Tradition in Months holiday
Our ancestors in the evening went outside and watched the moon. The day was considered a man’s holiday of the month. When it was getting dark, the elderly were taken of young boys on the street “watch plays a month, force the men to collect.” People asked the moon to give them health, happiness and prosperity.
If the moon was in the growth stage, we read the incantations to attract love and money. Target is the moon shot damage and was in rehab. And the full moon performed rituals on the fulfillment of a cherished desire.
This day in history
June 18 such events have occurred:
- in 1870 adopted the dogma of infallibility of the Pope;
- in 1968 the company was NM Electronics, which was soon renamed Intel;
- in 1985 created the first “Tetris”.
In this day were born:
- Italian painter Michelangelo da Caravaggio (1573 year);
- Soviet statesman and political figure, diplomat Andrei Gromyko (1909);
- South African politician Nelson Mandela (1918).
