According to the folk calendar - Thekla Svekolnitsa

On September 1, according to the new style, Orthodox Christians remember the first martyrs Thekla, Timothy and Agapius The day of remembrance of these passion-bearers has the status of a folk Christian holiday This means that at first the holiday was only a church holiday, but then it merged with folk traditions, beliefs and natural phenomena The Palestinian city of Gaza is located on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea At the very beginning of the 4th century, Timothy lived there, who told everyone that Jesus suffered for his boundless love for people Timothy's sermons occurred during the very era of persecution of Christians The man was captured and brought to the ruler Timothy was forced to renounce his faith and recognize the power of pagan idols However, he refused to do this Then, by the decision of the ruler, the passion-bearer was burned at the stake At the same time, Agapius and Thekla, who had professed Christianity from a young age, were also arrested on charges of preaching They were tortured for a long time and then given to be eaten by wild animals On September 1, peasants usually began harvesting beets, which were considered the birthday girl of the day This vegetable was very popular among the people It was used to make preparations for the winter, to cook borscht, botvinya and kvass, and it was used in the treatment of certain diseases On September 1, housewives tried to put beetroot dishes on the table People on Theklu performed a special ritual to scare away evil spirits and attract wealth A woman whose name day fell on this day was supposed to bring several sheaves of oats to her home One sheaf was placed behind the stove, the other two - in the upper room and in the entryway Sometimes another sheaf was placed in the stable According to legends, this ritual helped scare away the evil spirits that play with horses On Thekla, a pagan initiation rite has been preserved, when a boy was first mounted on a horse This action meant that the boy took another step towards growing up There was a ban on Thekla to look at the flame, otherwise you could lose your sight On September 1, people monitored natural phenomena, connecting them with the upcoming weather:• If the wind is warm, then farmers can expect a good harvest of oats• A cloudless sky portends cold weather• Foggy weather - there will be a lot of snow in winter• A golden sunset promises a warm next day If a child was born to Thekla, it was believed that he would be very wise and prudent