According to the folk calendar - Thomaida Medunitsa

On April 26 (April 13, old style) according to the folk calendar, Thomaida Medunitsa is celebrated The name of the national holiday is given on behalf of the holy martyr Thomaida of Alexandria, whose memory Christians honor on this day Thomaida lived in 5th century Alexandria The girl was raised as a righteous, God-fearing Christian, and at the age of 15 she was married to a young fisherman When her husband went fishing on the river at night, his father tried to persuade Thomaida to commit intimate adultery, but she resisted in every possible way Enraged by the refusal, the father-in-law, in a fit of unbridled passion, hacked the unfortunate woman to death and instantly lost his sight The martyr was buried in a nearby monastery, and years later her relics were transferred to the convent of Constantinople Since then, the saints have prayed, asking to be delivered from thoughts of sinful passions The people called Thomaida the Lungwort, because on this day the Lungwort began to bloom It received its name for the abundance of nectar in its inflorescences; it was one of the first honey plants Its flower appeared pink when blooming, and after a couple of days changed in color from crimson to dark purple Bees gave a lot of honey, collecting nectar in its flowers, for which beekeepers loved the plant Lungwort had beneficial medicinal properties and was used for cuts, lung and skin diseases The peeled stem, leaves and petals of the plant were used in the kitchen - it was added to soups, salads or tea decoctions Lungwort on the day of Thomaida had particularly strong properties The main woman of the family followed her to the forest to gather It was believed that bears could not stand women, but did not touch men Therefore, in order to avoid a meeting with a bear, the gatherer put on a man's casing with the fur turned outward On this day, housewives rejoiced at the appearance of the first sorrel in their gardens It was used to cook green borscht, crumble it into a salad with eggs, or fry pies with sorrel filling If peasants noticed the starry sky on Thomaida Medunitsa, they expected a rich harvest in the fields The blossoming of the oak tree on this day meant that the summer would be hot, and last year's acorns on the branches promised a harsh winter The cuckoo's cuckooing could be heard on fine days