According to the folk calendar - Anna Letnyaya

One of the favorite and revered summer holidays among the people is Anna Letnyaya It is dedicated to the Mother of God, the grandmother of Jesus Christ She is also called the Mother of God Anna of Summer is celebrated on the same day every year - August 7 (July 25, old style) This day was also called Anna Kholodnaya, Anna and Makariy, “Winterman” According to legend, Anna, the daughter of a priest, was married to Joachim They lived in Nazareth Over the many years of married life, the couple was unable to have children The couple prayed earnestly, asking God to send them a child, since in those days childlessness was a shame When Joachim went into the desert, an angel appeared to him in a dream He informed Joachim that his wife was due to give birth to a girl in the near future They will name their daughter Maria Delighted by this news, Joachim hurried to his wife A little time passed, Anna conceived and gave birth to a daughter The girl was given the name Mary, as the angel commanded This is how the Mother of God came to earth Despite the fact that the holiday was called Anna Summer, the weather on that day determined what the coming winter would be like If the weather on Zimoukaznitsa was cold in the morning, then the onset of early cold weather should be expected They believed: “What is the weather before lunch, such is the winter until December What is the weather in the afternoon, such is the winter after December” A sunny day was considered a harbinger of a frosty winter If it rained on Zimoukaznitsa, then a snowy, warm winter was expected Anna watched how insects, birds, and animals behaved If the ants were actively building an anthill that day, then a harsh winter was expected Storks preparing to fly foreshadowed early cold weather From that day on, preparations for winter began in full swing They insulated residential and outbuildings, sealed cracks, and patched leaky roofs Anna collected moss from the forest, which was used for economic purposes This had to be done just before the Winter Order, since then it became damp and unsuitable for use Field work continued that day The second harvest of mushrooms, bird cherry, was collected We dug the first potatoes Potatoes were one of the main products of our ancestors On Winter Order it was customary to set a table, on which various potato dishes were considered an obligatory attribute Housewives made cutlets from it, baked pancakes, served it stewed, fried, stuffed with mushrooms and meat All these traditions have been preserved to this day