According to the folk calendar - Eremey Zapashnik

Eremey Zapashnik is celebrated according to the folk calendar on May 14 (May 1, old style) The date is named after the prophet Jeremiah, one of the four significant prophets of the Old Testament period His memory is revered in Orthodox churches on this day The story of Jeremiah began in the 7th century BC near Jerusalem As a fifteen-year-old boy, Jeremiah received the gift of prophecy from the Lord Until he was 38 years old, he conveyed prophecies from God to the Jews Putting a yoke around his neck, he showed the future captivity of his people His prophecies came true one after another, and when he predicted the death of the Jews, they, not wanting to accept the predictions, killed Jeremiah in anger The people called Eremey the Zapashnik, or the Harnesser, the Sower, because the weather was good for plowing the land and sowing grain The name Eremey was consonant with the people of a yoke - a wooden collar around the neck of working animals so that they could drag the plow behind them This period was quite difficult for peasants and livestock, since they had to cultivate the land in a short time They prayed to Saint Jeremiah, asking for help in plowing and for rich harvests Residents believed that Yeremeya himself harnessed the horses in heaven and helped cultivate the soil when the peasants’ strength was running out Men often worked the land, but when time was running out, women joined them Every minute was considered precious; processing began at dawn and worked until sunset Before plowing the land on Eremey Zapashnik, peasants performed a special ceremony They went out into the field and threw grain at sunrise, south and west, each time bowing to the earth and the sun, in order to help grow the seed and produce a harvest Then they got to work They worked in the fields wearing white shirts over their naked bodies and with bare feet They believed that this would transfer the power and warmth of the earth from the mortars to the hands, giving them more strength in hard work In some regions, Eremeev’s day was called Proletya, the day of the last invitation of spring Residents were waiting for the arrival of swifts, because they announced a clear warming Swifts were always one of the last to arrive when a lot of insects appeared on the street for their food Birds were called children of the air, since they could only move by flying, and sitting on the ground they were not able to rise up If clean and well-fed ants were noticed on Eremey Zapashny, it means that the year was predicted to be fruitful for grain The cloudiness in the sky promised a cold and early winter The appearance of mosquitoes meant the onset of the sowing period for spring crops It was forbidden to lend seeds on this day, otherwise there would be no harvest