According to the folk calendar - Panteleimon the Headed, Panteleimon the Healer

On August 9 (July 27, old style), Orthodox Christians celebrate the day of St Panteleimon, and the people called this day Panteleimon the Healer or Panteleimon the Headed Pantoleon, which was Panteleimon’s name before baptism, was interested in medicine from his youth The Christian mother managed to give her son only a basic idea of ​​Christianity, since she died early His pagan father sent him to study with the eminent doctor Euphrosynus Having shown zeal in the medical field, Pantoleon was called to the emperor’s court as a doctor One day the young man met the unmercenary Ermolai, who preached Christianity among the pagans Ermolai introduced Pantoleon to his faith, talking with him for a long time about the dangers of idolatry The young man's faith was strengthened after he asked the Lord to help a child bitten by a snake After this incident, the preacher Ermolai baptized him, giving him the name Panteleimon The young doctor’s new name meant “all-merciful” After accepting Christianity, the young man began to selflessly help all Christians One day Panteleimon asked his father why idols stand still and do not help people, while the Lord constantly lends a helping hand to his sons So he managed to sow the seeds of doubt about paganism in the soul of his parent Having learned about the activities of his doctor, Emperor Maximian ordered him to renounce Christianity To which the healer suggested testing who would heal the patient faster - a Christian or a pagan priest Having won this dispute, Panteleimon attracted even more pagans to his side The amazed and enraged emperor ordered his servants to torture Panteleimon They drowned him, burned him, drove him on the wheel, and set wild animals on him However, the pagans were unable to kill the doctor After some time, a voice was heard from heaven, calling Panteleimon to the Kingdom of Heaven Then the doctor, rejoicing at the upcoming meeting with the Lord, was tied to an olive tree and beheaded Milk flowed from the wound on the doctor’s body, and the tree immediately became covered with fruits The severed head of the martyr is kept in the monastery named after him on Mount Athos Among the people, the saint is considered the patron saint of warriors and the deliverer from illnesses There is a belief that an incurable disease can be defeated by holding a prayer service in honor of the great martyr and praying to his icon Also on this day, peasants illuminated the ears of the first harvest in churches After lighting, they were stored in huts for a rich harvest the following year On August 9, knowledgeable people went to collect medicinal herbs Herbs were collected by observing special rituals and saying special words It was forbidden to work on this day It was believed that the name Panteleimon is associated with the verb “to burn” There was a popular belief that on this day one should not go into the field, otherwise a thunderstorm would burn all the bread One of the popular nicknames of St Panteleimon was “The Headed One” It is due to the fact that by the beginning of August the cabbage forks begin to set On this day, housewives prepared pies with cabbage and cabbage soup They treated children and the needy for a good future cabbage harvest