Sysoev Day is celebrated according to the folk calendar on July 19 (July 6, old style) The name of the day is taken from the church calendar, since on this date Orthodox believers honor the memory of Saint Sisoes the Great
Sisoy lived in Egypt, became a monk from a young age and went into solitude in caves There he stayed for six decades, leading the strict life of an ascetic For constant prayers and mercy towards others, the Lord endowed Sisoya with the gift of healing the weak Other monks were often drawn to him in order to learn his wise teachings A moment before his death, Sisoy informed his disciples that he saw God’s angels and the Most High Himself come
On Sysoev Day, residents prayed to the saint for a successful harvest, since they considered him the patron saint of farmers On this day, there was a tradition among the people to greet the dawn and honor the dew on the grass Residents believed that it had magical properties on Sysoya, so they performed special rituals with it
Wanting to preserve youth and beauty, the girls washed themselves with morning dew in the fields Men rubbed their hands with it to gain strength and energy before a working day Children were released to frolic in the dew, so with the help of dew, parents protected their offspring from diseases Livestock was also brought out to the morning fields in order to protect them from pestilence In addition, the healing moisture was also beneficial to the plants themselves during the heat period
On Sysoev's day, healers went into the forest and filled special vessels with dew They were kept all year in case of serious illness This moisture was especially helpful in treating eyes, joints and skin rashes By adding infusions of medicinal herbs to the dew, folk healers received a more effective drug
From this period, the collection of grain crops from the fields began To do this, barns and cellars were emptied and cleaned of deposits of last year's products The men were engaged in this work because they believed that when cleaning, the grasslander woke up - not the good spirit of the house, and only a man could cope with his anger Women at that time were engaged in collecting berries and making jam from them
If a clear moon was noticed on Sysoev’s day, they prepared for an abundance of harvest The pale moon announced dry, cool days, the moon with a greenish tint promised the onset of heavy rainfall Noticing yellowed leaves on the trees, residents expected the rapid onset of autumn There were a lot of raspberries in the garden during the harsh winter season