According to the folk calendar - Nikola Veshny

St Nicholas of the spring is celebrated according to the folk calendar on May 22 (May 9, old style) The name of the holiday is given from the church date of honoring and transferring the relics of St Nicholas the Wonderworker, the patron saint of all travelers, children and traders Nicholas lived in the 3rd and 4th centuries, from childhood he sought to serve the Lord, studied the Holy Scriptures and prayed a lot Having become a priest, he helped everyone in need, gave away everything he had and did not demand gratitude After accepting the rank of Archbishop, he did not stop working for the good of society With prayer, Nicholas could stop an approaching storm or heal a seriously ill person People called Nikola Veshny, which meant “spring” This is how the day was named in contrast to St Nicholas the Winter (December 19) By this day, life became easier for the peasants, as the long-awaited warmth arrived and the grass grew They were consumed by goats and cows, which increased milk yield Having milk, the residents ate a richer diet: they cooked milk porridge, made cottage cheese, sour cream, and butter From the day of St Nicholas, people began to prepare fields intended for haymaking To do this, stakes or sticks were driven into the ground around the area Shepherds saw fenced areas and took their cattle to graze in open meadows Saint Nicholas was called the patron saint of horses, therefore they prayed to him for their protection from wild animals, evil spirits, various diseases, and asked Nikola to give them strength and healthy offspring In the temple, the owners ordered a prayer service to illuminate the water, and then sprinkled it on their horse On this day, the horse had to be harnessed and ridden, so that the devils would not be the first to sit on it and drive it to death All the horses of the village were taken out to the meadows all night so that they could graze to their heart's content Single young men were sent to look after the horses They came together for nightly gatherings, took porridge with them, and made a fire After sunset, girls dressed in new clothes approached them The youth danced around the fire, sang and had fun until the morning Also, the day of Nikola Veshny was considered the date of initiation of boys into men In general, residents spent the day working in the fields Conspiracies for high yields were read over cultivated and sown lands In the morning of this day, they washed their face and hands with dew to increase their health, and turned to Nicholas, asking for well-being for themselves and their family If there was a thunderstorm after St Nicholas Day, then they prepared for a rainy summer season Frog croaking has been observed to indicate generous oat yields The alder blossoms signaled a successful time for buckwheat sowing On this day they judged what Nikola the Winter would be like