According to the folk calendar - Fita Day

Fita Day according to the folk calendar is celebrated on June 28 (June 15 according to the old style) The date is named after the Christian saint - martyr Vitus of Rome, revered by Orthodox believers on this day Vitus was born in the 3rd century in Sicily into a wealthy pagan family The boy was raised by a Christian mentor and instilled in him the love of God For constant prayers, Vit received from the Almighty the gift of miracles During the period of persecution of Christians, he was forced to renounce his faith: he was severely beaten, lowered into hot tin, and thrown into a cage with wild animals However, the angels of God protected the young man Then the pagans hung Vitus, his mentor Modestus, and his nurse Criscentia on a pole, and there they beat them to death with iron hooks The people called Saint Vitus more in tune with the Slavs - Fitom It was believed that on his day the period of sowing spring crops ended Therefore, the peasants waited for the harvest to ripen in the fields and finished mowing the hay Residents also cleaned the house and barn, did laundry, repaired broken equipment, chopped firewood for the winter, weeded their gardens, spun and embroidered By the day of Fit, oats were approaching ripening in the fields It was fed to cattle, porridge was prepared from purified oats (porridge), and oatmeal was used to make pancakes, bread cakes, and cookies Sometimes oatmeal beer or mash was brewed from it Doctors knew how to use oat infusion to prepare healing potions for stomach and lung diseases, diabetes, and fevers However, the ripening oats in the fields attracted cows and sheep grazing nearby Therefore, from the Day of Fit, the shepherds kept an eye on the cattle so that they would not get into the oat crops Eating unripe ears of oats threatened livestock with diseases On this day of St Vitus, they asked to protect cattle from eating oats If an abundance of morning dew was observed on Fitov’s day, then a summer bountiful in harvest was expected The loud chirping of grasshoppers announced inclement weather Cattle leaving the pasture early predicted the approach of a thunderstorm Cloudiness and precipitation were also predicted by frequently squealing piglets and sheep actively galloping across the field