According to the folk calendar - Akindinus and Pigasius

November 15 according to the popular calendar is Akindinus and Pigasius or the day of remembrance of the martyrs Akindinus, Pigasius and Anempodistus, who lived in the fourth century in Persia They professed Christianity, for which they were punished by the king, who persecuted the followers of Christ The Persian king Shapur was the Shahin Shah of Iran from the Sassanid dynasty During his reign, the country fought with the Romans, Arabs and Iberians Shapur became the first Shah to begin persecuting Christians Previously, Christianity was persecuted in the Roman Empire, so the followers of Christ were willingly hidden in Persia They could become allies in confrontation with a common enemy, so the far-sighted Persians met them halfway Over time, this religion became dominant in Rome, and attitudes towards Christians changed dramatically In the middle of his reign, Shapur demanded that the head of the Christian community of Iran pay a double tax on each believer The king urgently needed money for another military campaign Three times Shapur sent messengers with a message and three times the bishop refused As a result, the angry king began persecuting Christians and destroying their churches Anempodistus, Akindinus and Pigasius lived in Persia at that time All three served the king in his palace Because of the outbreak of persecution, they had to hide their faith, but one of the envious people told the ruler about three Christians from his entourage By order of Shapur they were captured During the trial, the martyrs told the truth, but the king demanded that they renounce their faith All three refused Then, by order of Shapur, they began to torture them with whips The torture lasted several hours During this time, even the executioners who changed were tired, but not one of the believers uttered a groan Such resilience amazed Shapur himself According to one version, the king fell dead while observing the execution The courtiers thought that Shapur had died, but the martyrs turned to God in prayer and the ruler came to his senses after fainting According to another version, Shapur began to behave as if a demon had possessed him He began to spew curses, swear and blaspheme The martyrs could no longer stand this, so they turned to God and he took away the king’s voice The amazed Shapur began to rush around the hall, unable to utter a word Then the martyrs turned to God again and he returned the king’s voice Shapur did not want to accept this miracle, because then he would have to renounce everything he previously believed in and repent Anempodistus, Akindinus and Pigasius were executed, but many of the courtiers who were present during their torture in the palace accepted the new faith On this day in Rus' they said: “Akindin kindles the barn, and Pigasius extinguishes the sun” Daylight hours were rapidly decreasing, it was heading towards winter, so all work had to be moved indoors The peasants stocked up on torches, which they lit in the evenings A barn is a special structure for drying grain, in which a fire was built In the meantime, potatoes were baked in it - a simple but tasty delicacy Entire families often gathered around the fire, so the gatherings ended with the telling of scary stories about various spirits - rizhniks, brownies, goblins, goosebumps and barn-bearers In those days, people believed that in almost every building there lived a mystical creature that never appeared to people in its real form In a chance meeting, the spirit could turn into a little man By themselves, these creatures were not dangerous to people All they needed was respect If a person tried to survive the spirit from the building, it could answer him with dirty tricks, so the peasants, before lighting a fire, asked permission from the barn owners, trying to appease them The barns contained grain reserves that could burn or rot, and for many peasants it formed the basis of the winter diet Weather observations were also carried out on Akindina If there is fog in the evening, then the winter must be windy A meager harvest of cedar cones was a harbinger of a warm winter without severe frosts