According to the popular calendar - The Twelve Apostles

On July 13 (June 30, old style), according to the folk calendar, the Feast of the Twelve Apostles is celebrated The date received its name in honor of the church day of honoring all 12 apostles: Andrew, Bartholomew, James Alpheus, James Zebedee, John, Judas James, Matthew, Matthias, Peter, Simon, Philip and Thomas Before meeting Jesus Christ, the twelve apostles were ordinary people, some of them were even pagans Having become disciples of the Savior, they received knowledge from the Lord himself It was they who were with the Savior to the end, and then went to spread the faith of Christ to neighboring countries The apostles devoted their lives to preaching Christianity and did not renounce it even in painful torture Among the people, the holiday had other names - the Top of Summer, Farewell to Spring And it is no coincidence, because during this period the hottest days of the year arrived Residents dressed up in new clothes and went to haymaking Often the holiday grew into a folk festival until sunset In the evening, residents of some regions created a special doll from straw and reeds She was dressed in a colorful dress and decorated with jewelry made of beads, flowers and ribbons The costume was carried around the village, songs were sung and the summer season was celebrated, and by nightfall it was unloaded and sent swimming across the pond On the Twelve Apostles it was a custom, as on Easter Sunday, to color eggs and treat them to loved ones and neighbors The eggs had to be painted yellow; for this purpose, the eggs were boiled in water with the addition of chamomile, saffron, carrots and onion skins It was also customary to cook scrambled eggs with the addition of herbs, lard, sausage or fish On this day, unmarried girls performed divination on their betrothed They picked 12 types of wildflowers and placed them under their heads at night If you dreamed of a guy, then the girl expected matchmakers from him in the future But the healers of the Twelve Apostles collected herbs and prepared medicinal potions from them If in the morning on this day they noticed the sky overcast with clouds, then in the afternoon they prepared for precipitation The restlessness of the sheep in the meadows also promised imminent rains The abundance of morning dew foreshadowed the heat Clouds floating in the direction of the wind indicated calm, warm weather; clouds floating against the wind indicated a thunderstorm The cry of the cuckoo was heard during the long summer and long autumn