According to the folk calendar, Ephraim is the cricket protector

February 10 (according to the old style - January 28) is marked in the folk calendar as the day of Ephraim But people more often call him Ephraim - a cricket pointer, or a baker, or a wind blower The name Ephraim is associated with the church date of honoring Ephraim the Syrian, who taught Christians the Word of God in the 4th century In his youth, Ephraim had a bad temper, but long prayers helped him gain wisdom and humility He went to the desert to lead a solitary life However, the Lord rewarded him with the gift of an excellent teacher, so the monk began to enlighten those who wanted to know God’s Word Ephraim also became famous for his interpretation of Holy Scripture The patron saint named the day in honor of the brownie's name day He was considered the secret owner of the home, keeping order If the owners kept the property clean, the brownie behaved decently But the mess and dirt offended the home spirit, which he took offense at and did dirty tricks on the owners: he hid things, dropped dishes, or made noise at night In order to appease the brownie, a tasty treat was prepared for him on this day They poured milk into a saucer, left sweets and gingerbread on the table, and placed a pot of porridge next to the stove, surrounded by coals to maintain heat At midnight the spirit came and treated itself and did not bother the owners for the next year If the brownie did not get along very well with the household, then they called a healer They cut a black rooster, and moistened a broom with its blood Before sunset, the sorcerer swept the master's property with them and read spells The peasants believed that such a ritual would drive evil spirits out of the house and calm the brownie On Ephraim's day they tried not to offend cats, because they not only caught rodents, but could also make friends with the brownie Interestingly, the spirit itself sometimes reincarnated as a cat and could briefly appear to the owner, reporting trouble They also did not crush crickets or other insects on this day, so as not to anger the brownie People gathered for gatherings and shared their stories about the house spirit and its machinations And women, whose husband raised his hand, performed rituals on the day of Ephraim to calm the ardor of an aggressive husband By signs, the population recognized the future weather If a strong wind blew, summer was expected with frequent showers The blueness over the forest foreshadowed the coming warming