According to the folk calendar - Semyon and Anna, Guardian of Babies, Pochinki

February 16 (February 3 - old style) in the folk calendar is the day of Semyon and Anna, but more often the holiday is called the Guardian of Babies or Pochinki It is on this date that Christians in the church honor the memory of the Monk Simeon and the prophetess-widow Anna The story goes that Simeon lived in Jerusalem and, when he was translating the Holy Scriptures, he saw the phrase that a virgin would give birth to the Savior from an immaculate conception Then an Angel appeared to Simeon and said that he would go to the Lord after a personal meeting with the Savior When the newborn Jesus Christ was brought to the church for dedication, the elder saint was over 300 years old At that moment, the prophetess Anna was in the temple, who informed the people about the arrival of the Messiah People prayed to Saints Semyon and Anna for the health of newborn children and for the cure of their illnesses Hence the name of the date - Guardian of Babies According to tradition, peasants did repairs on Semyon and Anna Women sewed up holes in clothes, sorted through chests, put things in order, and men repaired equipment for arable work, carts and horse harnesses It was believed that the earlier one began preparing for work, the more work would be completed in warm weather In the evening, families gathered at the table, and the housewives served salamata - a simple and cheap dish It was prepared in the form of jelly porridge, cooked from barley, rye or wheat flour Seasoned with oil and added lard and garlic for taste On the day of Repairs, the owners protected the horses from the brownie, since he could intimidate them at night To do this, they tied a whip or the owner's onuchi to the horse - something like footcloths in felt boots The brownie sensed the master's spirit and did not dare to approach the horse In order to appease the naughty brownie, porridge, milk or sweets were prepared for him at night and placed near the stove If you saw an abundance of snow on Semyon and Anna, you expected frequent rains in the summer Screaming sparrows outside the window heralded the approach of spring People believed that it was forbidden to wear black clothes or ask for a loan on this day, as this would lead to trouble