According to the folk calendar - Gregory the Summer Guide

On January 23 (January 10, old style), according to the folk calendar, the holiday of Gregory the Summer Guide is celebrated Its name comes from the church's veneration of St Gregory, who served as bishop in the 4th century of the city of Nissa in what is now Turkey Gregory was the younger brother of St Basil the Great, received a good education and knew how to express thoughts eloquently Thanks to his brother’s guarantee, he earned the rank of Bishop of Nyssa Being a supporter of the Christian faith, he fought against the Arians Due to their slander, Gregory lost his position, and he himself lived in exile for several years The saint returned after the death of the king, and his flock received him with joy During his service, Gregory distinguished himself with great devotion to the Lord, concern for his flock and defense of Orthodox dogmas The saint died at an old age Among the people, the day of Gregory the Summer Marker predicted the coming summer If frost was observed on haystacks or on the bark of trees, then a cool summer was expected The wind blowing from the south indicated frequent rains in the summer If dry snow fell or the sun shone brightly, then a dry summer was expected The beginning of the drops indicated a hot summer There was a ritual performed alone on a given day The peasants walked into the field to a pile of hay, walked around three times and took some hay in their left hands Then they carried it home and dropped it at the doorstep, reading the plot These actions helped the owner of the house get rich The people believed that good spirits lived in the stacks, protecting the bags of grain from rodents and spoilage To appease them, in the morning they went out into the open field and bowed low Round freshly baked bread was placed as a gift near the stack Women on Gregory the Summer Guide resumed household duties after Christmastide Meat dishes were prepared from previously slaughtered poultry or cattle It was forbidden to take stove ash and garbage out of the home, so as not to drive away good luck To feel good, crumbs from cut bread were eaten The spouses kept an eye on their other half; whoever fell asleep first at night would be the first to die On the day of Gregory the Summer Guide, the first melting of snow could begin If there was a lot of snow outside, a good year for grain was predicted Poor fishing was foreshadowed by the appearance of frost on the fence and posts A cloudless sky meant the arrival of early spring