According to the folk calendar - Ermolaev Day

The unmercenary Ermolai was a priest in Nicomedia During the persecution of Christians in 305, he hid from his pursuers, but continued to preach to the pagans Among the last whom the priest converted to Christianity was the pagan Panteleimon The young man, who later became a martyr, was taught medicine by the unmercenary The teacher and student often talked for a long time about the falsehood of idolatry Ermolai knew that he would die at the hands of the pagans: Jesus appeared to him and informed him of death in the name of faith One day Panteleimon was captured He, not wanting to darken his soul with lies, confessed where Ermolai and his comrades Ermippus and Ermocrates were hiding The fugitives were arrested The pagans suggested that the captured Christians betray their faith by sacrificing to idols At the same moment, the earth shook and the idols fell and broke By order of the enraged emperor, the preachers Ermolai, Ermippos and Hermocrates were beheaded The relics of the martyr are kept in the Church of Venice and in the Cathedral of Benevento On the icons, Ermolai is depicted as a gray-haired old man with a small beard, holding medical supplies - a casket and a spoon Sometimes icon painters place him on a par with his disciples: Panteleimon, Cosmas and Damian, John and Cyrus On Ermolaev Day, peasants were engaged in seasonal work: reaping bread, collecting herbs, preparing buildings for winter Also, from August 8, they began collecting apples, but they did not eat them until the Apple Savior Women made jam from the collected fruits and dried them for compote Traditionally, dishes made from vegetables were served on the table; housewives often treated their households to vinaigrette On this day, women were not recommended to sew, knit or do other handicrafts For an unmarried girl, violation of this prohibition foreshadowed a difficult family life Also, according to popular beliefs, it was impossible to share working tools with Ermolai If this could not be avoided, then the instrument was placed on the ground and not given into the hands On this day, people especially monitor the behavior of animals: They pray to the Hieromartyr Hermolai of Nicodemus for healing and strengthening of faith Also, on August 8, Orthodox Christians remember not only the unmercenary Ermolai, but also everyone who died in agony for the Christian faith