According to the folk calendar - Maxim's Day (Maxim the Comforter)

On February 3 (January 21, old style), according to the folk calendar, Maxim’s Day is celebrated, also called Maxim the Comforter In the church calendar, this date coincides with the honoring of St Maximus the Greek, a monk-translator in the 15-16th century Maxim grew up in a wealthy Greek family and received an excellent education After long travels in European countries he became a monk When the Moscow prince needed to translate biblical works from Greek into Slavic languages, Maxim was called to assist him First of all, the monk translated the Psalter and the Acts of the Apostles, then other Christian books Among the people, Maxim's day was called Maxim the Comforter and they believed that prayers directed to the saint helped solve the problems of the disadvantaged It was customary on his day to thank everyone who has ever selflessly provided help and pray for their well-being and health It was believed that doing good deeds is much more profitable, they are remembered a hundred times better than evil, and paradise in heaven awaits the virtues themselves The women tried to bake a lot of pies with different fillings They treated them not only to their household, but also to thank their helpers, and distributed them to the poor and hungry If neighbors quarreled among themselves, then such a pie helped to reconcile There was a ritual on Maxim's Day to strengthen the relationship between husband and wife They went out into the garden at night and knocked snow off tree branches It was important to hold hands and read spells for happiness On Maxim's Day, the owners went to check and repair the horse harness To prevent the brownie from interfering with the horses, a whip and mittens were attached to them at night The good created on a given date was returned They said that the Lord warns against troubles if the planned business fails And if a gusty wind descended on Maxim the Comforter, the healers read love spells The coming year was determined by weather signs The night moon shining through the clouds foreshadowed a rich harvest of grain On the contrary, the clear sky promised a small harvest of wheat and severe frosts Pleasant warm weather predicted an early spring