According to the folk calendar - Eremey the Undresser

According to the folk calendar, Eremey the Unharness is celebrated on June 13 (May 31 - according to the old style) The date is named by Eremey on behalf of one apostle out of 70 - St Hermas of Dalmatia, whose memory is commemorated by the Orthodox Church on this date Erm lived in the 1st century in Dalmatia (on the territory of the Balkan Peninsula) Having learned about the miracles of Jesus Christ, he converted to Christianity and became a disciple of the Apostle Paul Afterwards he went to spread the faith of the Savior among people of other faiths, and managed to persuade many to Christianity Sometimes Hermas's evangelistic sermons aroused anger among the pagans, for which he suffered their attacks He died a holy natural death By this date, the period of sowing grain crops in the fields was ending, which began a month in advance on Eremey Zapashnik - May 14 Therefore, on June 13, it was customary to unharness the horses and let them go to rest That’s why Eremey was nicknamed the Unharnesser by the people In addition to rest, on this day the horses received gratitude from the owner for their help in difficult work They were fed to their fill, treated to bread cakes, taken to a pond to bathe, and released to graze in the meadows Residents believed that a horse could not be harnessed to Eremey the Unharnesser, otherwise the animal could get sick and die All matters related to horses were postponed until the following dates The plowmen were resting with the horses They also thanked Saint Hermas for the end of the sowing season and asked for a large harvest The rest of the peasants spent the day doing housework On the day of Eremey, beans were planted in the gardens, so the second name of the holiday was Eremey the Bean Plant In the evening, gatherings were held in the villages, turning into folk festivities with songs and dances A samovar was placed on the table and tea was brewed from raspberry leaves, since raspberries began to bloom by this day The girls gathered at gatherings, and the engaged were in full swing preparing for the wedding time Residents believed that on Eremey the Unharnesser, after the end of sowing, Zhitny Grandfather appeared in the fields - the spirit-protector of the fields, who looked after the cornfield and guarded it from bad weather He was represented as a little old man with eyes of different colors, black skin, and instead of hair and beard, his grandfather had ears of corn He avoided being seen by people, but could be found on the border of the field To prevent Grandfather from leaving the field, after the harvest one sheaf was left for him If it was a cloudy, cold day on Eremey the Unharnesser, then a difficult winter was expected Sunny weather foreshadowed a bountiful grain harvest Observing an abundance of dew in the morning, residents expected fine days, but its absence meant the approach of rain The thick fog on this date promised that many mushrooms would grow