According to the folk calendar - Fedot Ovsyanik, Seven Virgins

Fedot Ovsyanik, also called the Seven Virgins, is celebrated according to the folk calendar on May 31 (May 18, old style) The holiday received its name due to the church date of honoring Saint Theodotus of Ancyra and the seven virgin martyrs who died for their faith Theodotus lived in the 3rd century in Ancyra (modern Turkey), was a wealthy Christian, and owned a hotel When persecution began against Christians, he helped them as best he could: he provided shelter and shared food Seven Christian women who chose the path of chastity were captured by pagans, tortured and executed by drowning One of the maidens was Theodotus’s own aunt Her soul came to him in a dream and asked him to bury the drowned women as it should be Theodotus complied with her request, but the saint was reported to the emperor, after which he was beheaded The people called Fedot Ovsyanik, since on this day they carried out fortune telling about the oat harvest It was identified by oak leaves A leafy oak tree foreshadowed an abundance of oats, and if its falling leaves were noticed, they were preparing for a crop failure In addition, Fedotov's day was favorable for planting flax The oak tree itself was revered on Fedot Ovsyanik The tree was called powerful, magical, strong, persistent, having masculine strength, and sometimes it was associated with the forest guardian There was a belief that forest spirits lived in oak trees Residents came to him to gain strength, meetings, trials or wedding ceremonies were organized under him They believed that if lovers walked around the oak tree three times, holding hands, then their union would be strong and durable The oak tree's trunk and branches were no less strong, but cutting down an oak tree was considered a sin Therefore, when building a house or a temple, the tree was cut down by the entire village in order to divide the sin in half among everyone In more ancient times, offerings were made to the oak tree in the form of honey or mash to protect grain fields from storms Oatmeal jelly was poured on Fedot Ovsyanik under an oak tree and a spell was read, asking Saint Theodotus for a generous oat harvest On this day, the healers were treating back pain To do this, the patient was given an aspen branch and talked to relieve pain They believed that with the right conspiracy, the pain could go away forever But the village daughters-in-law on Fedot’s day united lonely souls: they found a match for widowers or bachelors among unmarried girls Hearing the long cuckoo cuckoo on Fedot Ovsyanik, residents rejoiced at the arrival of the long-awaited warmth Seeing flashes on the horizon, we prepared for a change in weather The setting sun in a light haze foreshadowed the approach of rain Clouds on this day promised worsening weather, but the singing of lapwings announced clear days