According to the folk calendar - Pankratiy and Cyril

According to the folk calendar, Pankratius and Cyril Day is celebrated on July 22 (July 9, old style) The date got its name from the church day of honoring the memory of two saints - Pankratius of Tauromenia and Cyril of Gortyn Pancratius of Tauromenia was born in the 1st century in Antioch As a youth, he learned the teachings of Jesus Christ and met his disciple Peter After the death of his parents, Pankratiy retired to the caves of the Pontic Mountains, where he fervently prayed to the Lord and reflected on existence Afterwards he went with the Apostle Peter to Cilicia, where Pankratius was subsequently appointed bishop of the city of Tauromenia He took care of his flock, guiding them on the right path, but his sermons angered the pagans, so they beat Pancratius to death Cyril of Gortyn lived in the 3rd century and was a Christian When the persecution of believers in Jesus Christ began, Cyril was taken into custody and thrown into prison However, at night, by God’s will, the prison locks opened, and Cyril received parting words from the Almighty to preach Christianity in Rome After Rome, he went to the island of Crete, where in the city of Gortyn he received the rank of bishop Already in old age, Cyril was captured by the pagans, they killed the saint for denouncing them of idolatry On Pankratiy and Kirill, peasants began collecting cucumbers According to legend, the first cucumber from the garden should be secretly picked and buried in the far corner of the garden, while a special spell was read out This was mainly done by housewives Residents believed that such a ritual would give a good harvest of cucumbers and protect it from the evil eye In the summer, cucumbers were served fresh: they were cut into pieces and sprinkled with salt, and added to salads and soups Sometimes cucumbers were baked like zucchini, or stuffed, first removing the core and seeds But for the winter they were pickled in barrels with herbs and stored in cellars; pickled cucumbers were a mandatory dish on the table in the winter Blueberries also ripened by this day It was collected from the forest and consumed fresh, as it was valued for its abundance of beneficial vitamins and microelements Blueberries especially helped with problems with vision or the gastrointestinal tract As a berry, it was added to the filling for pies and jam, jelly and compotes were made from it If you noticed an abundance of blueberries on Pankraty and Kirill, you were preparing for the harsh winter season Blueberries that were not ripe by that day promised a cold autumn Dim stars and a pale moon in the sky were observed for the approaching precipitation If the frogs on the pond stopped croaking, the residents expected a cold snap; their quiet singing meant imminent rains, and their loud singing meant clear weather