According to the folk calendar - Fedotov Day

On November 20, Rus' celebrated Fedotov Day - the day of remembrance of the Christian martyr, who over the centuries became popular and acquired its own traditions This holiday mixed Orthodox and pagan beliefs In Rus', it was believed that on Fedotov Day, new roads appeared - the frost bound the rivers with the first ice, on which it would soon be possible to walk on it without fear Because of this, the common people called him Ledostav, although in some regions other names were in use - Fedot Ledostav, Fedot Korchemnik and Kingfisher Theodotus lived in the 3rd century in Ancyra of Galatia He was a righteous Christian, ran a hotel, and started a family Theodotus, who later became known as Ancyra, led a righteous life He fasted, often turned to God with prayers, did not refuse the suffering, and helped in trouble Theodotus often gave shelter to Christians, visited fellow believers who found themselves in prison, and buried those who had left the mortal world He spoke a lot and often about God The innkeeper's speeches led many pagans to Christianity One day he caught seven dead virgins from the sea, who accepted martyrdom for their faith Theodotus took care to bury each of them It is also believed that he had a special gift - healing diseases after laying hands on a person Many in his hometown knew Theodotus himself well and had heard about his miracles, so the righteous Christian was one of the first to come under attack when the Roman Empire became bitter against his co-religionists While Theodotus led his quiet life in Ancyra, the Roman emperor Diocletian began persecuting Christians He decided to send Theotekn, the governor, whose cruelty became the talk of the town, to the innkeeper’s hometown Many Christians immediately abandoned their homes and left Ankyra as soon as they learned about the new city ruler and how terrible his reputation was Theoteknos, after arriving in the city, first of all demanded that all townspeople worship idols and take part in sacrificial rites Christians remaining in the city found themselves in mortal danger Those who refused to bow their heads before the idols faced severe torture and inevitable death Informers began to operate in the city, who, without a twinge of conscience, reported to Theoteknos about Christians who had gone underground Theodotus, despite the mortal danger, helped his fellow believers He gave shelter to Christians and hid them from persecutors, entered prisons to morally support those condemned to death The informers did not forget about the innkeeper Theodotus was reported to Diocletian's governor By order of Theoteknos, the owner of the inn was taken into custody, brought to the palace and subjected to severe torture, demanding that he renounce his faith The executioners failed to break the will of Theodotus She did not renounce God, for which she was executed In Rus', Saint Theodotus was christened Fedot He was considered the patron of women's needlework Long winter evenings lay ahead, which women preferred to while away working on sewing, at a spinning wheel or a loom It was believed that it was best to start on Fedotov’s day Then the threads will not get tangled, the stitches will be even, and the work itself will be smooth It was on this day that in some regions of Rus' orders were given to the most talented needlewomen For a fee, they began to sew, weave and knit Fedotov Day announced the imminent start of the ice fishing season Rivers and lakes were frozen Travelers could also slowly get ready People said that “the rivers were covered with ice - the winter roads were open” Although one should not forget about caution In the first days of the freeze-up, the ice was too thin The peasants closely watched their children, who were eager to be the first to try out new paths The first ice was also very slippery You had to walk on it carefully On Fedotov Day, adults entertained children with riddles about ice The fishermen also tried not to take unnecessary risks Transparent ice that covered bodies of water in dry, frosty weather was considered the strongest In places with great depth it was stronger, but people tried not to walk above rapids at all at this time In places with fast currents, one should step on the ice only after severe frosts, which reliably bound the reservoir