According to the folk calendar - Kirillin Day

Kirillin Day according to the folk calendar is celebrated on June 22 (June 9 according to the old style) The day received its name from the church date of honoring two saints - St Cyril of Alexandria and St Cyril of Beloezersk Cyril of Alexandria lived in Egypt in the 3rd and 4th centuries, was educated, but from his youth he sought to know the truth of God, so he settled in a monastic village near the Nitrian Mountains After 6 years he was appointed priest, and after the death of the Patriarch of Alexandria Theophilos took over his post The saint cared for Christians; during the years of ruling the Church, he managed to expel pagans and Jews from Alexandria Kirill Beloezersky lived in the 14th-15th centuries in Rus' He was born in Moscow into a righteous family with the name Cosma, and when he was orphaned, he lived with rich relatives He abandoned secular life and took monastic vows at the Simonov Monastery under the name Kirill, where years later he was appointed abbot Wanting privacy, he went to live near White Lake Monks came to him, so the saint organized the construction of the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery The abbot received the gift of miracles from the Lord, helping those in need of food and protection On Kirillin, the date of the summer solstice came, when the daylight hours were the longest in the year, and the night was the shortest They believed that on the summer solstice the sun sent hot rays to the earth for plant growth, so to prevent it from burning the crops in the fields, peasants performed special rituals to appease the sun People believed that on this day the maximum flowering in nature occurred and summer time began The period of planting garden crops was coming to an end, but by planting seedlings on Kirillin's day, residents could get a good harvest by autumn It was also time to mow and prepare hay for the winter On Kirillin's day, residents went to the forest to pick strawberries According to legend, it began to bear fruit only after the kiss of Jesus Christ The plant was especially valued among the people because it had good healing properties for various diseases Doctors used its leaves, roots and berries, and ordinary housewives made jam, compotes and tea from it On this date, mothers performed rituals to improve the health of their children They were symbolically brought to the stove so that the fire would drive away the child of illness After reading the necessary spells, the children were dipped into the river, turning the back of their heads against the flow And in the morning the children were allowed to run among the tall grasses so that the dew would cleanse them and give them good health If on Kirillin's day they observed a spider making a wide web, then they prepared for clear days The low flight of swallows was noticed as a sign of imminent rain Also, the rains were foreshadowed by screaming crows From this day on, the extermination of one mosquito meant the extermination of a whole dozen of them