According to the folk calendar - Prokopyev Day

Prokopyev Day is celebrated according to the folk calendar on January 3 (December 21, old style) Its origin came from the church day of veneration of Blessed Procopius of Vyatka, a famous minister of the Assumption Monastery in the 17th century Procopius grew up in a righteous Christian family At the age of 12, he was struck by lightning while working in the fields Having woken up from the blow, the boy had a clouding of his mind - he tore his clothes and walked naked The patient’s parents sent the patient for healing to the Assumption Monastery in the Vyatka region, where he was read with prayers But when they decided to force twenty-year-old Procopius into marriage, the young man ran away and became a monk in the Assumption Church, although his mind was again crippled Procopius spent the rest of his life as a holy fool - he walked naked and took a vow of silence All his thoughts and prayers were dedicated to the Lord, for which he awarded Procopius the gift of foresight He helped people by predicting recovery or impending troubles The holy fool also announced the date of his death Prokopiev day was also popularly called “half-feeding”, since by this day the reserves in the bins were used up by half The owners checked the grain in the storehouse, plugged up the mouse holes, and stirred the grain to prevent it from molding When leaving, they placed two crossed sticks on the remaining supplies; such a talisman protected against evil spirits The girls told fortunes on Prokopyev Day, collecting grain from the barn with a broom: how much they collected, so much happiness awaits them in the new year Then they ground it and baked a cake from wheat flour, and made jelly from oatmeal When making a wish, they ate what was prepared, believing that it would come true So that fate would not bring misfortune to a person, on January 3, people were forbidden to perform certain actions They avoided picking up things lost by others in order to preserve the property themselves Eavesdropping and spying on someone was mirrored on the beholder They kept their vows and wishes for health, avoiding illness They checked the summer yield by listening to a hum in the barn; if it was heard, they expected a crop failure, silence - the opposite The snow fields determined that the harvest would be rich If the echo was heard throughout the entire area, people were preparing for severe frost According to the day of Procopius, similar weather was predicted for September