According to the folk calendar - Ivan the Silent

December 16 (December 3, old style) is considered the most “silent” day according to the folk calendar, since it is dedicated to Ivan the Silent This holiday is celebrated in honor of St John the Silent, who preaches the word of God John grew up in the family of a military leader, studied the Holy Scriptures from childhood, and after the death of his parents, he spent his inheritance on building a temple Prayers to the Lord, abstinence and modesty helped the saint earn the rank of bishop of the Colonial Church But when the ruler of Armenia began to encroach on the management of church affairs, John was forced to leave his post, going to Jerusalem Finding himself in the Lavra of St Sava, John spent several years there as an ordinary novice, doing hard work Wanting more solitude, he went to live in the desert For protection, the Lord sent a lion to John to protect him from his enemies After some time, the saint returned to the Lavra and lived to a ripe old age, healing the sick with prayers People tried to spend the day of Ivan the Silent silently People believed that silence would help get rid of problems and attract success It was allowed to speak only when absolutely necessary; even at a family dinner one should not communicate It was believed that the one who spends the day of Ivan the Mogilnik silent will become eloquent On the Day of Silence, people were afraid to sing or shout, because evil spirits could hear the voice and take it away Even in the forest there was silence everywhere The sages saw in silence the meaning of being alone with one’s self in order to sort out thoughts and become closer to God’s World People followed the signs of the day of Ivan the Silent It was believed that if a spider went down on its web, it was worth waiting for warmer weather Warmth was also expected if the song of a bullfinch was heard outside the window A bright moon or a month with its horns pointing upward predicted frost