According to the folk calendar - Ivan the Merciful

On one of the last days of autumn - November 25, Rus' celebrated the holiday of Ivan the Merciful, known to Orthodox Christians as the day of remembrance of John the Merciful Born in the 7th century on the island of Cyprus, Saint John continued the family line of a nobleman, at the insistence of his parents, he married and had children However, God decreed John's fate differently: when his wife and children died, he became a monk Even at the beginning of his ministry, John was distinguished by his strict observance of fasts, prayerfulness and love for mankind Having learned about his merits, Emperor Heraclius invited John to become Patriarch of Alexandria Over the years of his ministry, Saint John became known for his care for his flock and his good deeds, for which he was given the nickname “The Merciful” He gave instructions to count all the Alexandrian beggars, who turned out to be more than 7 thousand people, each of whom the church provided assistance John, with his own hand, distributed alms several times a week, visited hospitals and received receptions for the destitute, and donated an impressive part of the church treasury to ransom prisoners held by the Persians Another achievement of the saint was the successful fight against supporters of monothelitism Having renounced the title for health reasons, he went to his native island of Cyprus On the way, John saw a dream that foreshadowed his imminent death What soon happened On this day, women prayed to the saint for the well-being of their children The wedding season was ending The next matchmakers were expected in the fall - on Easter and Krasnaya Gorka November 25 was also considered a good sign to exchange gifts The second name of the holiday is Ivan the Snow; usually the end of November was accompanied by frequent snowfalls It was believed that if precipitation fell on November 25, the thaw would last until December 4 According to folk signs, winter was judged by the weather on Ivan the Merciful: • rain foreshadowed a thaw during the week and damp weather until February; • if there were warm days, then spring would come earlier than usual; • low clouds indicated the onset of frosty days