According to the folk calendar - Kirik and Ulita

According to the folk calendar, Kirik and Ulita Day is celebrated on July 28 (July 15, old style) So the date is named in honor of two saints revered by Christians - Kirik and Julitta, martyrs who gave their lives for faith in Christ Julitta lived in the 3rd-4th century in the city of Iconium (modern Turkey), was a widow from a noble family, had a young son, Kirik, and firmly professed Christianity During the period of persecution of Christians, the woman and her son left their native land and hid in neighboring cities as a beggar When she was found and taken to trial before the ruler, Iulitta declared her faith and refused to worship pagan idols A Christian woman was beaten and beheaded, and a child was pushed from a high platform, resulting in his death Iulitta was popularly called more consonantly - Julitta, and was considered the patroness of the female gender On this day, women read a prayer to the saint with a request to bless their family and save them from sad events They also prayed to Julitta to take care of the children - to protect them from illness and disease On Kirik and Ulita, residents tried to leave the house as little as possible They believed that on this day evil spirits were walking on the street and trying to harm the working people This belief arose in connection with the weather Often on this day there were heavy downpours, and it was impossible to harvest grain, make hay, or go to the forest to pick mushrooms and berries It was believed that on Kirik and Ulita women could take a break from field work During this period, they worked as hard as possible: they had to have time to collect the ripening rye from the fields and remove the dried hay before the onset of rainy days From such work, the reapers often had lower back pain, so they needed a day off to recuperate This date was also associated with mid-summer Although the sun stood high in the sky and gave the earth warmth and strength, summer time began to decline towards autumn This was evidenced by the beginning yellowing of the trees and the abundance of mushrooms in the forest If a wind from the south was noticed on Kirik and Ulita, then they prepared for warmth, and from the east - for bad weather Frequent peals of thunder foreshadowed the impending downpour Foggy weather promised heavy rainfall the next day The chirping of grasshoppers was heard on dry days