According to the folk calendar - Onuphrius the Silent

According to the popular calendar, Onuphrius the Silent is celebrated on August 3 (July 21, old style) So the holiday is named in honor of the church saint - Onuphrius the Silent, whose memory is revered by Orthodox believers on this day Little is known about Onuphry; he lived in Kyiv in the 12th century and was a Christian monk The man dedicated his life to God, therefore he settled in the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra in the Near Caves, led a godly life as an ascetic, observing fasts and prayers For his seclusion and strict vow of silence, Onuphrius was classified among the saints and called the Silent One After his death, Onuphrius's body was buried in the same caves Among the people on Onuphrius's day, the peasants tried to be silent, like the saint himself It was forbidden to conduct any conversations, jokes or even interpret matters on this date It was possible to speak only in emergency cases, and only in a few words And the residents had no time for talking - summer was in full swing and there was enough work in the garden, at home and in the field The main task of this day was considered to be checking household warehouses: barns and cellars The owners looked to see if all the walls were intact, if there were any cracks, if the canopy was leaking If there were problems, the men patched them up and filled up the holes They tried to protect the storage from moisture, since it could cause rotting of food in the autumn, which in turn led to hunger in the family In addition, barns and cellars were checked for the presence of rodents If they were met, the cats were allowed into the storage facility for a couple of nights It was believed that females, not males, were suitable for exterminating rodents, since it was in their genes to protect their offspring, including from rats It was also believed that tri-colored and tabby cats cope better with rodents, as they have excellent coloring for camouflage If a cool night was noticed on the day of Onuphrius the Silent, then they were preparing for the early arrival of winter The abundance of morning dew foreshadowed a small flax harvest The descending fog at night announced a fine day after dawn Strong thunderclaps were heard leading to a thunderstorm with hail