According to the folk calendar - Boris and Gleb the Sowers

According to the folk calendar, Boris and Gleb the Sowers are celebrated on May 15 (May 2 according to the official style) The holiday took its name from the church date of veneration of two saints - the Russian brothers-princes Boris and Gleb On this day the transfer of their relics is commemorated Boris and Gleb lived in the 10th-11th century on Russian soil, they were the children of Prince Vladimir I Both of them died at the hands of their older brother, Svyatopolk The Church recognized them as the first saints and called them martyrs-passion-bearers Four years later, Prince Yaroslav the Wise, son of Vladimir, avenged his dead brothers by driving Svyatopolk to the Poles The remains of Gleb and Boris were transferred and buried again in the Vyshgorod temple People called the brothers Sowers, since the time for sowing spring crops continued In addition to them, cucumber, zucchini and pumpkin seeds were planted To protect them from morning frosts, they were covered with a mixture of soil and manure And for their high yield, a ritual was carried out by burying pestle in the soil, used together with a mortar to grind the ingredients into powder While the men were sowing grain in the field, the women went to the forest to collect dew from birch leaves on the day of Boris and Gleb They themselves washed themselves with it for good health and took it to the hut to wash the children They also brought dew to working husbands in the fields Young leaves were collected from birch trees along with dew, dried and used for tea drinks Nightingales gave voice to Boris and Gleb Sowers They sang about the end of the spring flood and the beginning of the arable season The loud singing of the nightingale announced the imminent summer, and the night singing promised a fine day in the morning People considered it lucky if a nightingale accidentally flew into a home; this foreshadowed wealth and prosperity in the family In order for the omen to come true, one had to quietly open the windows and doors wide, throw a grain of grain to the bird and leave the room, leaving it alone to find a way out The date was also called Barysh day Traders and speculators celebrated the day on a grand scale, setting a rich table and treating passers-by Boris was considered the patron of trade, so his memory was honored so that business in the market would be successful If their sales went well on a given day, then the income boded well for the whole year to please the merchant Local healers on Boris and Gleb treated neurological disorders using special spells And residents went to fairs - the day was considered successful for buying young livestock The signs of this day announced the future A fine day predicted a lot of rye flour for autumn The clear sunset prepared residents for the clear, dry summer season If the nightingale fell silent for a day, they prepared for bad weather The bird cherry blossoms promised a two-week drop in temperature