According to the folk calendar - Soroki, Forty Sorokov

On March 22 (March 9, old style), according to the folk calendar, Soroki is celebrated, also called Forty Sorokov In the Orthodox calendar, the day is dedicated to the memory of the 40 Sebastian martyrs who were executed for their faith in Jesus Christ Their history began in Sebaste in the early 4th century, when Constantine the Great issued a decree on freedom of religion But the pagan commander Licinius did not support him; he called 40 of his subordinate Christian soldiers and ordered them to commit public idolatry They refused and were not fooled by flattery or threats Then they were stripped naked and made to stand on a frozen lake overnight in the cold One warrior gave up and left the torture, but the Roman Aglaius, who believed in God, took his place In the morning, 40 believers had their legs broken, and their bodies were taken to the city and burned at the stake Magpies among the people were the second day of welcoming spring, the first day was Candlemas - February 15th Daylight hours increased and became comparable to night The peasants were expecting the return of birds from warmer climes It was believed that about 40 species of birds should return to their homeland Women prepared for their arrival: they kneaded sweet dough and baked cookies in the shape of birds: swallows, finches or larks Children were often hired to help with this type of work The number of cookies was baked according to the 40 Sebastian martyrs Sometimes they baked nests with eggs from baked goods and placed them on the windowsill The baked goods served as a ritual to “invoke” spring Children put baked birds on long sticks, climbed onto the roofs and loudly called for spring and warmth, waving their poles Then the cookies were eaten with honey or sour cream with tea, the heads were given to the house stingray, and the crumbs were scattered around the yard There was a tradition on Soroki Sorokov to bake 40 balls of crushed oats or rye They symbolized the sun and were made to combat morning frosts To prevent frost from destroying the emerging crops, the owners threw one such ball out the window every day If anyone in the family had a relative who went to military service, they prayed to the 40 Sebastian martyrs for his safe return home The youth in Soroka were having fun: dancing, telling fortunes, and having get-togethers Residents judged the future based on the signs of Soro Sorokov The warm day foreshadowed the next forty days being also warm A warm wind meant a wet summer, and a cold wind meant frost in the following days Thunder promised a bad harvest What the weather was like in Soroka was what we expected during the haymaking period