According to the folk calendar - Green Loach

According to the folk calendar, Green Loach is celebrated on June 15 (June 2, old style) Other names for the holiday are Vyunets, Green Christmastide and Nikifor-Duboder He was named Nikephoros on behalf of Saint Nikephoros of Constantinople, revered by the Orthodox Church on this day The story of Nikephoros began in the 8th century in Constantinople Having received an excellent education, he served as an adviser to the king, but the service weighed heavily on him Nikifor went to a secluded place, prayed a lot, kept a fast, and years later built a monastery and temple there The saint became famous for his defense of icons during the period of the iconoclastic heresy Nikifor was popularly nicknamed the "Oak Tree" for the tradition of stripping the bark from an oak tree on this day It was used for medicinal purposes because the bark had anti-inflammatory, antiseptic and astringent properties It was collected from trees aged 10 to 15 years, since young oaks could die from stripping the bark, and old ones had ineffective properties Peasants celebrated Green Loach as a holiday In the morning, young people dressed up and walked around the village to congratulate the newlyweds who got married in the coming year They entered each hut, and if there were no young spouses in it, then the owners had to pay off those who came with chicken eggs, or kiss someone from the crowd three times on the cheek When a hut with newly-made spouses came across, the crowd began to sing songs, dance and give the spouses flower bouquets with woven bindweed The couple poured intoxicating drinks for those who came, and gave the children sweets and small change Housing on Vyuna Zeleny was decorated with fresh birch branches For lunch, housewives baked round bread - a loaf - a symbol of fertility and wealth In the evening, residents set a common table and held folk festivities Men and boys staged competitions, showing their strength On this day, girls wove wreaths from vines, believing that future spouses would curl around them, and family life would be prosperous Often a wreath was floated onto the river; if it floated away in a whirlwind, then the girl was expected to get married soon to an accommodating husband The slowly floating wreath promised a long-term marriage with a lazy spouse If the wreath immediately went to the bottom, then matchmakers were not expected until next spring In some regions, girls danced in circles and invited young men to join them After the round dance, the girl threw a wicker wreath on the young man’s head It was believed that such a ritual would speed up the appearance of matchmakers from him Wreaths made from loaches were kept in the closet until winter Noticing the calm weather on the Green Loach holiday, residents expected fine weather for the next week The setting sun in the clouds meant a change in the weather for the worse An increase in wind was observed leading up to the thunderstorm The song of a nightingale in the middle of the night foreshadowed clear days