According to the folk calendar - Peter and Fevronia Day

On July 8 (June 25, old style), according to the folk calendar, Peter and Fevronia Day is celebrated The name of the date was borrowed from the church day of honoring the memory of two saints - Prince Peter and his wife Fevronia, who became an example of a righteous Christian family in Rus' Their history began in the 12th century Peter was the heir of Prince Yuri in the Murom lands When he contracted leprosy, not a single doctor was able to heal Peter He received salvation from a peasant woman from Ryazan, Fevronia, and then love arose between them, they got married Local boyars did not accept the princess because she was from a simple family, and forced the couple to leave Murom However, after a series of unfortunate events in Murom, the people asked Prince Peter to return He came back with his wife and lived with her in love until the end of his days In old age, the princes became monks, changing their names to David and Euphrosyne The couple died on the same day - July 8, 1228 The bodies of the saints were buried in different monasteries, but a night later the couple was discovered together In Rus', the holy couple was considered the patrons of family relationships and associated the date with Valentine's Day for spouses (Day of Family, Love and Fidelity) On this day, engaged and already married couples went to church and prayed to the saints for the well-being of their marriage Unmarried girls believed that fortune telling on the day of Peter and Fevronia gave accurate answers, so they got together and tried to find out the name of their betrothed On this date, there was a tradition among merchants to trade side by side with their other half Such trade promised good income and harmony in the family in the future Therefore, Peter and Fevronia were often noticed in shops as husband and wife working together During this period, the remaining peasants were engaged in cutting hay and storing it for the winter It was believed that the results of haymaking could be predicted by animals: if piglets or rodents began to eat dry grass, then one should prepare for meager haymaking But water that quickly goes into the ground when watering means dry weather during the mowing period Sometimes the date was called Fevronia the Mermaid Residents believed that on this day sea undines emerge from the depths and circle in round dances Therefore, people swam in reservoirs with caution, so that the mermaids would not become dizzy and would not be dragged into the depths If it was hot on a given date, then the next forty days were predicted to be so Rain was expected at the sight of a rainbow over the ponds The thunderstorm that happened promised a lot of honey in the apiaries Warm winds before the cold rain warned residents of the possibility of hail