According to the folk calendar - Yuri Veshny (Yegoryev Day)

On May 6 (April 23 according to the old calendar style), people celebrate Yuri Veshny, also called Yegoryev's Day The name of the day is taken from the church date of the veneration of St George the Victorious, who lived in the 3rd-4th century and died for Christianity George grew up in a family of righteous Christians in the Lebanese city of Beirut and received a good education Having a strong physique, courage and strength, the young man entered military service, and soon became the favorite of the ruler Diocletian Having learned about the cruel persecution of Christians, George distributed his property to the poor and declared his faith to the ruler Forcing the saint to renounce Christianity, on the orders of Diocletian he was subjected to terrible torture, and subsequently his head was cut off People called George Yuri or Yegor Veshny Veshny means spring A fertile period was approaching for cultivating the land and sowing grain After sowing the fields, a clergyman was invited to read prayers for successful seedlings and a bountiful harvest Then the soil was sprinkled with blessed water It was believed that Yuri Veshny comes with the keys, releasing healing dew Therefore, residents went out into the street in the morning, took off their bast shoes and stood with their bare feet on the grass with dew Children were allowed to lie in the grass The people believed that such a ritual improved health On Yuri Veshny, the peasants took their livestock out to dew, but kept a close eye on them so that ill-wishers would not cause damage through the dew For livestock, the day was considered a holiday He was fed well, cleaned and handed over to the shepherd for his first grazing Shepherds also received congratulations and were given gifts (money or food) so that they would take good care of the livestock On this day it was forbidden to deal with wool The spinners didn't even look in her direction Residents believed that touching it on Yegoryev's day foreshadowed the death of sheep from the attack of wild animals That is why they prayed to Saint George for the safety of the livestock If the days were fine on Yuri Veshny, then summer was expected to arrive soon Rainy weather promised an abundance of grass in the fields The appearance of mosquitoes meant the onset of warm weather A sunny morning without wind was observed to indicate an early harvest; a cloudy morning, but changing to a sunny day, predicted a late harvest